Modding the SSV...

First and foremost mad love to 7th Floor for making a nearly perfect product. Mine has a few shortcomings, so I've been doing a little brain storming on how I could make it better.

Problem 1: What to do with the pick?

Situation: The pick rolls around coffee tables, and usually ends up on the floor. From there it's dirty, and usually hard to find.

Current Solution: I slide it underneath the base of the Surfer in-between hits to keep it from rolling around. Depending on the table or where it's inserted, it causes the base of the Surfer to become a little unstable and wobble.

Proposed Solution: Install a magnet underneath the base, so that you just have to get the pick close enough to the base to make it cling on. The only possible problem I see with this, will be dependent on how strong the magnet is. Although not probable I'd hate to see a friend lose their cellphone, or some other medium to the magnet. Also, maybe a magnet will not be strong enough?

How would you solve this?

Problem 2: What to do with the Wand?

Situation: You are a few hits in on a bowl when someone calls, door bell rings, nature calls, your already really high, etc etc. But what do you do with the Wand? If you leave everything attached with the Vinyl tubing then you find there isn't really anything great you can do with it.

Current Solution: What I have been doing is coiling up the Vinyl high enough so that I can prop the wand on it, without fear of the herb falling out.

Proposed Solution: Take a SSV hands free adapter, and maybe cut the top portion off being they are worthless anyway. From there take a metal clip of sorts and attach it to the side of the SSV. If / when you have to get up or do something you could just take the wand and slide it into the hands free portion.

How would you solve this?

Problem 3: How do I tell what temp I'm vaping at?

Situation: Your either new to the SSV or an old pro, but one things for certain you have to guess where the sweet spot is.

Current Solution: This will be dependent on the unit, but I line up the line coming off heater knob with the little dot that's above the SSV logo on the front of the unit. So that the line points right at the dot. On my unit, that's a nice zone but it's not always perfect.

Proposed Solution: I'd like to find something that could measure the temp of the glass around the heating element. I'd like to have something you could attach to it or hold it onto the glass. From here you could tell what the exact temp was, and then we could compare notes on what the best temp is for certain types of herb.

Example: Fresh Herb that's only a week old or a little longer might still be a little moist or hasn't cured long enough. I know on my unit I have to crank it up to 3 or 3.5 to get it dried out and going.

This will hopefully be a fun thread, with some amazing information. Who knows maybe 7th Floor will take a few suggestions into consideration?

for problem number 1 I would like to see all vap makers stop making round picks as you are right they just roll off and usually as in my case with an Extreme it is glass and just smashes. Just make the part you hold with your fingers not round so it can't roll but still easy to pick up off a flat surface even after a couple of bowls.

the reason that i would guess the standard picks are round is because a round little bead like that is the easiest, quickest thing to physically make. putting edges on the glass takes much more time, and time is money. i know 7th floor has any kind of custom pick available, but those certainly arent free.

i just prop the glass end up on the electrical cord outlet, right on or next to the base. this way, if a few people are vaping and the unit has to get turned, they have easy access to the pick as well.



as per the temp setting thing, that is something that changes with each unit. every knob on every ssv is different. hitting a whip vape when you have no idea of the temp is kindof like driving a manual transmission car with no tach. at first you may not know the proper way to go about things, but after a few gos at it, you know what is too little, what is too much, and what the sweet spot is.

As far as the temperature measurement, the glass temperature will not give any realistic assessment of the actual performance: it is the heat of the air (convection) passing over the weed that evaporates the volatiles.

Just wanted to add that I picked up some Silicone Tubing and it's a real treat.
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/va...ry_name=7511&product_id=8415&variant_id=54036

I'm going to go look for a magnet today, and a few other little ideas I've got.

A wand and pick holder of some sort would be great. Short of that, a silicone (for heat resistance) cap that you could cover the bowl end of the wand to keep leftovers collected between hits. Similar to binocular lens covers, but for whips

I found replacement tubing at sears hardware store in the plumbing department. 3/8 id with 1/2 od used for water lines. ten feet for 2.99!

Ordered an aluminum control knob, which I think personally fits the style of the SSV more (to each their own):

http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/115/2179

They also have silicone tubing (food grade as well), but not quite the price of USPC:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/115/121

Problem 1: What to do with the pick?

Situation: The pick rolls around coffee tables, and usually ends up on the floor. From there it's dirty, and usually hard to find.

Current Solution: I slide it underneath the base of the Surfer in-between hits to keep it from rolling around. Depending on the table or where it's inserted, it causes the base of the Surfer to become a little unstable and wobble.

Click to expand...

Sliding the pick under the unit probably works fine, but I've read the marbles on the ends of the picks break pretty easily. I noticed mine starting to crack and I could feel the metal part wiggle a little in the end of the marble. Instead of placing it under the unit, I've been sliding mine under the power cable and resting the pick right on the SSV's base. As long as there is a little bit of tension on the power cable it should keep enough pressure on the pick to keep it from rolling of the table, on to the floor, etc. If you're careful enough you can angle the pick so that the sharp end doesn't protrude past the SSV's base and you can avoid stabbing yourself. Just thought I'd share my tactic with the pick.



Bonus - if you notice your SSV pick is starting to break, don't fear! With a small amount of glue (preferably non-toxic) you can fix the pick and make it good as new! I used a very small dab of gorilla glue on the base of the marble where the pick is attached. With gorilla glue less is more because it foams up and expands as it dries, then you can always add another layer. I used two small layers of glue (an hour or two apart for drying) and stuck the pick through a flipped upside-down dixie cup to dry it. When it was almost dry i used a blunt instrument to press it up into the marble to seal any cracks and even it out. When the gorilla glue dries it is non-toxic, plus I only use the pointed end and the round marble anyway. Thanks for reading, happy vaping!

tuttle said:

Ordered an aluminum control knob, which I think personally fits the style of the SSV more (to each their own):

http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/115/2179

Click to expand...

Thanks, tuttle! I'll probably upgrade my DBV with a knob with the index mark on the knurled part of the knob. The aluminum knob on my DBV is marked only on the front face of the knob, so in dimmed light I either have to lean over close or lift up the unit from the coffee table to adjust it to exactly where I want it.

I like to start the heat a bit low and gradually step up the heat in stages. Maybe I'm an old geek as well, but I really like to savor the tastes of the different fractions of cannabinoids as they boil off in stages.

OldGuy, I think you would enjoy having a custom knob for your DBV. I own the DBV and I ordered one of the custom knobs for mine after using it for a couple of weeks. I had the same issues. It was really hard to tell where the knob was set, since the mark on the standard silver knob is very hard to see (at least for this guy).

When you get ready to order the knob from 7th floor, you can use the knobs from the DBV site or the SSV site. I checked with them and the knobs from both sites will work on either vape. One word of caution, you may find that the knob you pick may not be in stock, even if the web site says it is. That is what happened to me. I got an email from customer service saying the item was out of stock. They sent me a few pics of other knobs and I chose one from that. Not a bad idea to have a couple of choices in mind when you place your order. They were very prompt and I had my knob in just a couple days. Of course I don't live very far from the factory either. Good luck.

I got an email from customer service saying the item was out of stock.

Click to expand...

I didn't find out the one I selected had already been sold until I called to ask about my overdue order. :/ I always suggest calling them on any orders where you're buying a custom piece, even if it's pictured on the site. If you order on-line, follow up with a phone call.

TeddyJackEddy said:

OldGuy, I think you would enjoy having a custom knob for your DBV.

Click to expand...

It was a tough decision for me to choose between the black SSV and the black DBV. I decided I actually preferred the DBV because it did NOT have the SSV's colorful custom blown knob and heater cover... I guess I just like the utilitarian look of the plain glass and the aluminum heater control knob. I just wish I could see the index mark on the aluminum knob better.

Of course, I had to give up the SSV's downward wand angle. But, resting the rear of the DBV on a spare remote control (buttons down) provides a significant downward wand angle as well as a convenient place (between the buttons) to slide my pick.

I tried to get by without getting the custom knob, but it just wasn't working well for me. I even tried making a permanent black mark on the silver knob that came with the DBV, but my poor old eyes just wouldn't cooperate.

Ended up getting a pretty plain black and white knob. Makes it really easy now to know where to set the knob when vaping. Worth the investment.

These are the two suggestions I submitted to 7th floor. I doubt I'll hear anything from them, but I though it worth a shot to let them have my :

A "Solo Hit" wand, which would be a smaller bowl for more efficient single / small quantity users:


And the wand cap to keep your stuff in the bowl when you set it down:

i could definately go for a smaller bowl ssv

Those are great designs. I'd buy both the solo wand and a couple caps.

Ditto, Tuttle those are awesome. I've thought of making a cap for the open end of the wand but I like your design! The solo wand is just genius, would you just suggest smaller screens for these? Seems like they would be hard to change. But I digress, awesome designs! Great thinking!

Kenny Powers said:

The solo wand is just genius, would you just suggest smaller screens for these? Seems like they would be hard to change.

Click to expand...

Yeah, that would be the hardest part about it. The bowl in the illustration is half the internal diameter of the original, so you would have to cut a screen which is a quarter the area of the original screen. Getting it out I don't think would be an issue, as you could just poke it out from the back as you do now on the original, getting it in might prove to be a little finicky.

I would really like to try one though. I may call them to see how much it would cost for them to make one.

Well, inspired by the DIY Hakko + SSV heater cover thread, I dropped the Hakko #A1177 60w heater into the SSV yesterday. Why not just do the full DIY Hakko mod you might be asking; I like the ability to pack away the SSV quickly and into a small package, which I don't think I could do with a Hakko wand and microphone stand, and I just like the ergonomics of the SSV. I just wished it had a more robust heater.

It was a bit of a pain so I'm not sure I would highly recommend doing it, but the advantage of the 60w heater is being able to hit very hard without the heater noticeably cooling (which means fast draws don't seem to be a problem at all). I was hoping that the 60w heater would heat faster, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Anyway, if anyone else is interested in voiding their warranty, here are the pics :

Parts needed
Hakko A1177 heater replacement for Hakko 456, 22-18 male 0.25" tab quick disconnects, 1"x1"x0.025" stainless steel shim stock - that is what I used, but thinner would be better, perhaps 0.02" (McMaster Carr #9502K21)


SSV disassembled and old heater removed


Remove heater cover shim and heater bushing



Replace ends on the new heating element add new shim
The new shim was the most finicky part for me. After getting it rolled into a cylinder (hammer, vice, numerous mandrills to hammer against), I found I had to removing a fair amount of thickness by chucking the part up and filing it down while turning it. If you where able to find a piece of stainless steel tubing that was the right size (0.3585"OD, and right around 0.3125"ID) it would be a lot easier (McMaster #9502K21 might work as well)


New heater installed
New heater, new shim, and old heater cover shim installed


Like I said, the real improvement is the ability to draw quickly, the heat up time seems to be about the same, and cool down time seems a little longer (although I way over did it last night on the maiden run, so I was experiencing some temporally out of order moments, I'll have to have a less subjective observation in the future)

--EDIT--
So after using this mod for a bit, here are some further observations:

- I believe because there is now a lot more contact area between the new heater and the heater flange due to the new heater shim (the whole flange area is now in contact with the heater via the new shim as apposed to only just the top with the old heater bushing), the vape body now gets warmer than it used to. Not uncomfortably hot, but noticeable hotter.

- The heater itself takes longer to warm, however the glass heater cover seems to to heat faster with the larger heater, so I would say the time to vape from cold is about the same.

- You can definitely draw harder with the larger heater without noticeable heater cooling.

- Even with the new heater, I find my power settings to be pretty similar (1:00 or so)

- Cool down time is a bit longer

In conclusion, I think the larger heater is a fun novelty, but I think the way I did it (the full length shim) heating the entire vape more is a definite draw back. If you where able to find a more elegant solution to mounting the heater than I did, it might be worth it, but my way is kind of a pain to fabricate and it has its drawbacks.

I'm doing this!!! Thanks Tuttle. I hate how the heater on the SSV is plastic like, flimsy, and replacing it sounds awesome!

Do you guys think the bowl size of a PD would be ok in a SSV? and if not how many of them should you suck up into the 'bowl'. I know from reading a bit here that its not as efficient. I'm just wondering if the amount you would normally combust in a cone would be enough to vaporize in a SSV

You can absolutely put small amounts in the SSV and and it will deliver. The problem is that the large bowl doesn't encourage efficiency (the exact same thing with larger shopping carts and larger plates, without realizing it you tend to put more on / in it, that is why the carts at places like Wal*mart and Target are SOooo big), but it is possible to vape efficiently on the SSV. On the vapor quality side, as you may not be covering the whole screen, the vapor may not be as dense as you will have some air totally bypassing any material if you don't angle to bowl correctly.

ahhh, sure i see what you mean. I would be tempted to want the right vapor air ratio, just because I always felt it was weird to not pack the PD bowl with a decent amount so that the screen was covered and it was full at least half way. I used to use a skewer to tap it in lightly...because I'm so paranoid about any falling out into the machine. I dont know how people just dont care about it falling out, although I cant say I would hold it end up like a paddle pop which another poster mentioned ... i just held it on a 45 deg angle like i think alot of others do

yeah so i'd probably tend towards wanting to cover the screen .... and I'm still not sure if the size of a cone would cover it.

i'd say i'd be happy putting a cone in there and puffing away

Has anyone ever thought about getting a glass blower to create a tiny glass cover/sleeve to put over the ceramic heating element. This would make the SSV all glass so the air path would never pass the ceramic. It would be between the heater cover already on the SSV and the ceramic heating element. It may call for turning the unit up, but the SSV can achieve really high temps so I think it would still be functional.

I have drawn pictures, but don't have access to a scanner at the moment. I hope this is easy enough to understand.

I just want the cleanest and purest vapor possible, and I feel in order to do that it needs to be all glass. Not to say the SSV doesn't create a very clean vapor, but why not take an extra step to ensure what we are putting into our bodies is not going to cause harm. I have been using my SSV almost exclusively with a water pipe or bong for about 2 years and I love the experience of vaping. I don't even enjoy smoking, just nasty to me. Anyways, if I was able to eliminate the whip and put a glass case around the heating element between the heating cover I would have no doubt in my mind I was getting purest vapor possible.

I like the idea of combing the hakko and the SSV heating cover, but it still irks me to know the path of the air is going past the ceramic and not glass. I know Vriptech has an all glass one, but I feel there is enough room for the SSV to have an addition of a small glass sleeve that would cost hardly anything and give us a all GONG vaporizer.

I think I'm going to look into doing this and getting a special bowl made that resembles the top of the SSV wand but has a GONG attachment and maybe just hold the SSV up to my bong to eliminate using the whip.

Let me know what you guys think.