Discontinued Lil' Bud by Vapwood

@Bravesst as I've watched this thread I've become more and more impressed with Cherry-I have cherry necks on three of my guitars, and I love them.

I'm thinking Cherry will look nice in the Timber configuration-it'll give some more length for that gorgeous grain to run out. My Cherry stem is my favorite of the two I have. For a light wood, there's a lot of grain, color and 'movement' in it. And I love what Cherry does over time.

There are going to be some very happy people in a week or so.

beyond6strings said:

There are going to be some very happy people in a week or so.

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I am getting really excited to try this guy out! Can’t wait to get it in my hands.

P.A.M. said:

Slickwilly ,I really
enjoyed reading your post and seeing your pics , great shots ! And neat kit ! Congratulations on your new LB , if i haven't mentioned already , that is a gorgeous LB!

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How rude of me, don't know how I missed it? Thanks for the kind words. LB stays home now, not taking any chances
Walleye is no ugly duckling

How about a new video with him? Been awhile

Jill NYC said:

I am getting really excited to try this guy out! Can’t wait to get it in my hands.

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The wait is the toughest part but in the end it's well worth it!

I apologize for the inevitable wait, but Lil' Buds take a while to build, hopefully that will continue to improve with each new design update and tweak of the build process. I make it a habit of throwing back into the business by updating my equipment, as well as performing as much R & D as I can. A testament to the fact - I have lots and lots of spare parts that will never find their way into a LB.

Only time killer after assembly is building the back plates. I have a better plan for the build process this time around, so let's hope it goes well and it's a bit faster. I'll keep you posted.

Quality craftsmanship takes time.

I love the excitement of every batch , Mike has proven that LB's will routinely ship in a timely fashion and people are genuinely "can't wait (even though it's coming)" excited, that's awesome. I can't wait for you guys too !

Will do a @Slickwilly production real soon!

Wow. You really made some beautiful pieces there...I can't say which I like more...the dark chocolatey swirls of the walnut, or the ephemeral ripples of the maple. There is a great rustic quality to these vapes that really appeals to me. I want one of these to compare to the insta heat...it's like a musician having multiple improvisations based on one idea...only with vaporizer design. lol One day. One day.

I got really luck last night. I came across someone trying to trade their lil bud for an Sbj, I asked him if he'd trade for my omni and he boom we are trading. He sent it fed ex but o well it will be here next week sometime. Frickin score for me cuz I bought that omni during the 420 40 percent off sale. Will have a video next week

Let the reorganization begin. Dumpster parked in front of my house today, this means cleaning house, shop, and every other space where I've accumulated tons of s***. I think I can fill half of it with scrap wood I have left over from woodworking. Building LB's not AS much waste, but you'd be surprised how much hits the scrap heap.

Once all the junk is out, I plan on taking everything out of my shop (within reason), cleaning, and putting everything back in again in a much more organized fashion, this time with vape building in mind, not furniture making. Gonna be a busy few days.

LB Tip of the Day
The importance of a proper load & tamp

There is no ONE WAY. But the packing the stem a certain way, sets up the perfect session. I feel the technique is more in the prep of material and proper loading than anything else. We assume the screen is relatively clean (I actually don't like it brand new, better after a session or two). No matter how much herb you pack, if it doesn't allow even air flow, the session will suffer. As much as possible, you want the heat from the coil to evenly heat the entire hockey puck as the hot air uniformly passes through it. So whether the puck is thin or thick, it needs to be of uniform consistency, and tamped just tight enough to slow the air flow down, but not obstruct it.

I find this is best done by filling the inverted dome screen, set back about 1/16" from the tip. When the session doesn't go as well as it should, if it's not a dead battery, this is usually the culprit. What to watch out for:

Packed too tight
Packed too loose
Packed too heavy
Packed too light
Flower not dry
Flower not broken up / ground to an even, medium fine consistency
Screen clogged

This allows you to regulate temps as well. Now, as you pull through the wide open 12mm opening, your control is not hampered by uneven air flow, and that equals no hot spots, smooth.

This is also the best way to keep your LB's body cool. If anything obstructs pulling the heat from the coil into the flower, some of the heat will radiate into the wood. These hardwoods can handle it, but you'll notice a much cooler LB with the right packing.

It took me a while to figure out the best way to use my LB for a long, smooth, evenly baked session with thick, flavorfull vapor. At the beggining i used to get unpleasant hot air without vapor and charred hotspots but since i tried some of the tips described by @Bravesst i started getting it. One tip that made all the difference though was the "dry your herb well" tip. So, heads up ppl and dry that herb well, then grind it to fine dust and give it a try. U ll be amazed from the difference.

Think of me as your LB vape coach.

Bravesst said:

Think of me as your LB vape coach.

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I have, even before the LB was the LB.

Hahaha, @Bravesst if u could see my clouds now after (how much time since batch 3?) my firts attempts, u would be a proud coach. .

P.A.M. says : " welcome to the attic , you Slick ... " unofficial slick attic video . @Slickwilly Thank you , Sir, for the on-demand request !

P.A.M. said:

P.A.M. says : " welcome to the attic , you Slick ... " unofficial slick attic video . @Slickwilly Thank you , Sir, for the on-demand request !

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No problem my friend, great stuff as usually

Hope all you Slickwillys out there enjoyed it

Attic is a nice change, but don't forget about the wood shed

Walleye is making some real nice clouds for you.

@Bravesst constant little improvements seem to be adding more too an already great vape.

P.A.M. said:

P.A.M. says : " welcome to the attic , you Slick ... " unofficial slick attic video . @Slickwilly Thank you , Sir, for the on-demand request !

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WOW That thing is ripping! Great vid P.A.M. - the wait is absolutely brutal since I ordered.

Thanks to @Alan 's design, vast knowledge, and willingness to share it, the nuts and bolts came together rather quickly, as most vapes go. But tweaking some level, will never stop. At this point you can still expect rather rapid improvements (each one relatively minor, but with a cumulative affect over time), and eventually that'll slow down. It's just the nature of a sound product, it can be improved upon, and I'm open to new ideas, trying out new things. I've went down lots of roads early on, but now little forays here and there into uncharted territory, ensures positive change.

With that said, batch six is happening with 8 units in final assembly. Splitting my time between cleaning house and building LB's this week. Man did I empty my shop out today. Tomorrow is back plate day, hopefully I can get them all done in a day.

The units are all looking very nice - a virtual melting pot of Lil' Buds. Right now I've got 2 Gnarlies, 2 Walnut, 3 Cherry, and a Quilted. The look pretty cool with their little mock back plates on (I have some extra, relatively unfinished plates I use for fitting, testing). After I build units 9 and 10 tomorrow, I'll take a few pics of the units together.

DarkRoast said:

WOW That thing is ripping! Great vid P.A.M. - the wait is absolutely brutal since I ordered.

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Thanks! No prep, first time vaping in that spot , just Lil' Bud & I and a phone to capture it . That thing is ripping ! Sounds like you will enjoy yours too, it's great that Mike has the talent and tenacity to build these quality vapes with such dedication in a relatively fast turn around time from purchase to delivery.

Very Slow steady inhale for a dark roast and a quick ripping festival or faster/moderate inhale for a light-med brown roast and a real session.
I like to "puff" on it ; steady inhale with half seconds pauses while holding button. It really stokes it .

Very simple , user friendly , efficient , reliable vaporizer !

Heya, just wondering how many loads you guys are getting off, say, a new-ish LG HG2?
I know it's really subjective, but for example with a Milaana I get 3 to 5 loads preferring to change to a fresher battery after the third really though. 5 loads would turn a 4.2V battery into 3.7V generally.
Cheers!

Batch 6 sampling
Gnarly / Gnarly / Walnut / Cherry / Cherry / Quilted / Quilted
(pre final buff up)


For you wood buffs, the LB's in the above pic are set on top of the next batch of Quilted Maple.

@Mushroomturtle
I like to swap out early most of the time as well. I'd say I average 5 or 6, don't think I've ever changed on 3. Best batts seem to be the Samsung 30 q for the smoothest sessions. Others can chime in on their personal experience.

Batch 6 Update
All units are assembled. All back plate stock is rough cut to thickness and width. Next is magnets and safety tab slot, then on to gauges, tabs, pic tools, all the finishing touches. All units have been tested as they were assembled. Gonna hit them all with a blast of heat from the heat gun, as well as a quick final buff out to get the shop dust off of everything. Tomorrow I'm out of the shop, but Sunday and Monday should be productive.

OK Hulkette has done the impossible. Broke the unbreakable. No heat. Bats charged. Fresh bowl. No heat. I (gently) pulled bat inserts up but no joy. Suggestions from Central appreciated.
RMA?

TeeJay1952 said:

OK Hulkette has done the impossible. Broke the unbreakable. No heat. Bats charged. Fresh bowl. No heat. I (gently) pulled bat inserts up but no joy. Suggestions from Central appreciated.
RMA?

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Any hulk smash involved ? Only fitting that the first troubleshooting issue be coming from the power of Hulkette! That sucks though, surely Mike will resolve or fix promptly.

@TeeJay1952
You can send it back to me (I'll PM you the address). My guess, it's the switch, the only part of Lil' Bud that I don't build from scratch. I've gone through a few switch suppliers both Chinese and American, but I think every last one of these momentary push button switches come from the same city in China.

That is the nice thing about LB, if a part fails it's easily replaced.

Back plate work continues. Here they are (with a few extra for next batch), cut to size, edges rounded, finish sanded down to 600 grit, no beeswax. Still need to install magnets and cut the slot.

Do they look a little like piano keys?