Discontinued A Hot Pod

hazy

combustion fucker
Manufacturer
Here's the first fully-functional prototype of a new kind of log vape, which I've named the "Hot Pod". Instead of wood, it is made from the empty seed pod of the Banksia tree. This is a fully sustainable resource gathered from forests in Western Australia.

I have tried to make the design as simple as possible to keep production costs down, and to make it easy and pleasant to use and maintain. I'd guess that performance would be similar to other vapes in this class, as it uses the same heating element. It produces vapour in about 5 minutes.

I'd like to thank Underdog Dave for introducing me to the wonders of silicone, and Alan, whose HI provided the inspiration for this project.


sideview2.jpg


The HotPod is 100mm tall and 50mm across at its widest point. The pod has a Kunos oil finish. Kunos is based on linseed oil and is food safe. I may vary the dimensions slightly in future, but things shouldn't change much from what you see here.



top.jpg


The heating element sits up into a borosilicate tube, which in turn is suspended from the top of the pod with a silicone sleeve.



bowl.jpg


The stem is a simple piece of 10mm borosilicate tubing. It is 80mm long and has a small mesh bowl inserted at one end. The mesh is easy to remove but doesn't seem to shift while in use. I've tried shaping the mesh in various ways, but the convex bowl shape seems to be slightly better at achieving thorough vaporization. By keeping the design of the stem and bowl simple, it should be possible for users to easily make their own replacement parts if necessary.



inserted.jpg


The glass stem sits snugly inside the silicone. It doesn't take much pressure to create a good seal. As well as being airtight, the stem will not fall out accidentally, even when upside down. When toking on the stem, air enters through the little "mouths" in the side of the pod and is drawn up through the borosilicate heating tube and into the stem.



underside.jpg


A disc of Banksia pod wood (cut from the same pod) is glued into the base using PVA. Although PVA is non-toxic, care is taken to ensure that there is no glue in the air path. Similar to the HI, I've used a thread-in socket design which requires the use of a right-angled plug. Only RoHS parts and lead free solder are used. A full range of cables for use with various power supplies will be made available.


The first batch of units will be made available to beta testers at cost price. I'm looking for forum regulars who are experienced with log vapes and are willing to discuss their experiences in this thread. Beta testers will need a variable power supply to use with the HotPod, as I will not be supplying power supplies with the test units. Please PM me if you are interested.
 

u bwade wunner

Well-Known Member
May I be the first to congratulate you Hazy.:clap:
A beautiful piece.What are the specs? tube materials airpath etc?
designed on FC and born in the great pacific.First of its kind i think out of Australia?.
great effort and result.
its stunning looking wood and What i like is every piece will be unique.
Does it get hot during use?
 
u bwade wunner,
  • Like
Reactions: hazy

hazy

combustion fucker
Manufacturer
Thanks ubw! Yes indeed, born on FC. All tubing is borosilicate glass (pyrex). There's only a centre tube which surrounds the heat element. The air is drawn in through the holes and goes up the centre tube. That's it. There's no heatsink etc.

I've always liked turned Banksia pods. You see them in woodcraft shops in touristy areas. They're usually made into vases, coasters and other trinkets that I'm not really interested in. I'm glad I've discovered something useful to do with them! Each one is unique depending on how it was pollinated and how the seeds form.

The top quarter is hot to touch, about as hot as a cup of coffee. The bottom half is barely warm.
 
hazy,
  • Like
Reactions: ili

placetime

Well-Known Member
That looks awesome hazy! :tup: I've never heard of these pods before--what crazy interesting patterns mother nature makes! :cool:
 
placetime,
  • Like
Reactions: hazy

placetime

Well-Known Member
I think this is definitely an interesting new log vape twist. Locally-sourced bizarro exotic wood. Hard to beat that. :tup:

I'm curious, hazy--can you taste the pod itself and/or the kunos oil?

Also, have you given any thought to adding an LED inside that would light up the glass and all those crazy openings on the sides? :brow:
 

CentiZen

Evil Genius in Training
Accessory Maker
beautiful, is it capable of being left on 24/7?
 
CentiZen,

JoeKickass

Well-Known Member
An led and way to turn it on and off would be cool.

Also some way to control the temperature.

Off to a good start!
 
JoeKickass,

momofthegoons

vapor accessory addict
Just letting you know that hazy has been waiting for his manufacturer's approval from vtac so that he can post about his vape. ;)
 
momofthegoons,

u bwade wunner

Well-Known Member
Thanks Mom.I think there is considerable interest here and hazy might be offline to answer questions.If I can be cheeky and maybe helpful I will post a questions and answers post i had with hazy on Friday for those among you who are itching for info re the hot pod.
  1. Will the silicone be removable around the top of heat port. how is the heat port surrounding the element held into place? with a shim tube like Alan? or bolted in like the PD?​
    Redheart Hi ~ Solo Cer ~ MFLB PA/WA ~ gnome Pre order Toasty top In limbo Modded EQ4 ~Iolite. Make love not War :peace:
    u bwade wunner, Friday at 6:39 AM Report
    Reply

  2. hazy dreamer

    Message Count:
    252
    Location:
    Australia
    There is no stainless in this vape, only glass. It's a completely different design from the the other log vapes. The heat port, which is a pyrex tube, is held in place with the silicone from the top. Unlike other log vapes, it is not attached at the bottom. As such the silicone is not removeable because it is integral to the design of this vape. Rest assured, when you put the stem in, the hot air does not contact the silicone. I don't like the taste of it. The glass stem meets up against the glass heat port, it doesn't go inside it or around it like other log vapes. There is only glass in the air path.​
    hazy, Friday at 7:57 AM Report
    Reply

  3. u bwade wunner Vapor hunter

    Message Count:
    235
    I see so it draws air direct through the holes in the banksia pod.thats novel.Must mean a nice clean taste comparable to the gnome.thanks for the comms Hazy and again.Thanks for making it happen​
    Redheart Hi ~ Solo Cer ~ MFLB PA/WA ~ gnome Pre order Toasty top In limbo Modded EQ4 ~Iolite. Make love not War :peace:
    u bwade wunner, Friday at 8:06 AM Report
    Reply

  4. hazy dreamer

    Message Count:
    252
    Location:
    Australia
    That's why I like to call the holes little mouths :D
    hazy, Friday at 8:23 AM Report
    Reply

  5. u bwade wunner Vapor hunter

    Message Count:
    235
    hazy said:
    That's why I like to call the holes little mouths :D
    :lol:
    so the glass tube is suspended off the base for air to pass up through or did you drill ports in the glass?​
    Redheart Hi ~ Solo Cer ~ MFLB PA/WA ~ gnome Pre order Toasty top In limbo Modded EQ4 ~Iolite. Make love not War :peace:
    u bwade wunner, Friday at 8:36 AM Report
    Reply

  6. hazy dreamer

    Message Count:
    252
    Location:
    Australia
    That's right, the glass tube isn't touching anything at the bottom, and there is a gap so that the air can get sucked up through the bottom of the tube. No holes are needed. The base only holds the power socket/resistor assembly.​
    hazy, Friday at 8:45 AM Report
    Reply

  7. u bwade wunner Vapor hunter

    Message Count:
    235
    so theres no fear of the glass sliding down into the guts of the banksia?​
    Redheart Hi ~ Solo Cer ~ MFLB PA/WA ~ gnome Pre order Toasty top In limbo Modded EQ4 ~Iolite. Make love not War :peace:
    u bwade wunner, Friday at 8:48 AM Report
    Reply

  8. hazy dreamer

    Message Count:
    252
    Location:
    Australia
    It's a very tight fit into the silicone sleeve, so hopefully not! You'd need to push down on it really hard and kind of wiggle it to make it drop through, but it is possible if you try because I designed this vape to be able to be disassembled. In normal use it shouldn't budge at all.​

  9. u bwade wunner Vapor hunter

    :tup:thanks all becoming clear.I can sleep now:D
Hope that keeps you satisfied until hazy drops in soon

really nice guy by the way:tup:

Ive looked at this and its pretty ingenius and simple at the same time.Welcome to Australia.They take an idea and improve on it ,make it simple and easy to use.

this has glass in the airpath and what glass there is is protected by its surrounding silicone and wood so it would probablly take a fall too.I like it.I think it will rock with a variable voltage supply.
Will be a doddle to change the element if it blows too later on down the track
 

u bwade wunner

Well-Known Member
all glass Yes :)

looking for issues,I wonder how long the silicone will last around the heat port under 24/7 heat.easy to change that though.apart from that its bombproof i think:) and its tiny.

Some background on the Pods themselves and folklore. I found this on an australian druidic website

BANKSIA

Banksia trees have gnarled bark and branches that look like the skin of the old and wise, the floral columns have a masculine energy, and as they turn to seed pods and open, they look like laughing mouths. They symbolise communication with spirit guides, fertility, life giving, masculine energy, longevity, wisdom of age, joy and energy.

Ill have a bit of that:)
 

Tom

Active Member
Wow these look great, and they're made in WA!
Is it polished completely smooth or are they still a bit rough?
Could you post a video of it in action?
 
Tom,
  • Like
Reactions: ili

underdog

shade-tree vapor engineer
Manufacturer
Hey hazy that's a nice looking Pod you've got there, great work dude! Neat, unique design as well. I love stuff made with Banksia pods, in fact I've got 3-4 of them in the vape pipeline myself lol. :tup:
 

u bwade wunner

Well-Known Member
hey absymal you turned me onto the big bad banksia men in snugglepot and cuddlepie by may Gibb an aussie childrens classic.Never knew about them before .nice share
 

Alan

Master JedHI
Manufacturer
Thanks for the inspiration credit hazy. Nice to see you have been able to turn your ideas into reality. Always fun to create something from just parts and pieces. The banksia pod makes a very cool looking vaporizer. One can never have too many vaporizers. I can't think of a better thing to collect.
 
Top Bottom