Ed's TnT Wooden Vapor Tubes & Vapor Stems

Ed's TnT

Woodsman
Manufacturer
Hi @Ed's TnT , I've heard of your ascent stems thanks to @CarolKing (who's been doing good PR on the Ascent thread) and I'm pretty interested; I got a few questions though:

- it seems you recommend putting the screen up where it's normally that pyramidal part of the stem that fits, won't it be a problem if not using spacers as the material could get lifted when drawing? any chance you could make a pyramidal part in wood?

- regarding the cleaning: I've searched this thread and it's mentioned on the 2nd page it can be soaked in iso, anyone can give some input after a longer time of use please?

- these 2 stems look very well toured but I was wondering if it'd be possible for you to make the part for the mouth more roundish/oval (even if it sticks out a little bit)

- you've mentioned a contact in Europe, is this a retailer? If so any chance the stems are available? Or do you ship internationally for free as well?

- can you get a glass blower associate and make a micro bubbler (wood/glass) for the Ascent or more custom accessories that'd nicely match my stealth one? :D

PS: ok I know I lost all credibility with that last question but I'm genuinely interested by these ascent stems!

Good morning, been up a while giving it hell in the shop! Didnt get as much done as I would have liked but hey thats ok, I got tomorrow!

@°k First off thank you for your interest in my work! I just put the screen there in place in the upper rubber grommet area of the device so it would cover the bottom of the wooden stem and also be held in place. Yes during use a little material will be sucked up against the screen, but was not a significant amount. I only noticed this when I was done with the load. I did not notice any restriction to the draw and when I was cashing the load I just turned it upside down, taped out the spent matter and then blew out the little bit against the screen, was no problem at all. I am not sure if I could add the feature you are talking about to the bottom the stem. I would have to give it some thought. I have just now added a small lip to the bottom of the inner stem. Its very small but will help to prevent the inner stem from being lifted into the unit during use. I turn each and every piece as close to the same size as possible. Each piece is damn near exactly the same size give or take a .001". Getting them all the same is tough and tedious. Doing it by hand and eye takes some time. This tiny bit or variance can be the difference in a snug tight fit or maybe a little slip and give when enough suction is applied during use.

2014-04-03051339_zps92490a52.jpg

The bottom stem is the inner stem, on the left side of it you can see the lip. I planned on making the inner stem where it would slide all the way through the outer stem, this will not be the case.

For cleaning I will be adding a few bristled pipe cleaners that can be used to push through the inner stem. This method is what I use for cleaning the LB stems, you may also dip the pipe cleaner in some alcohol and shake out the excess, then push through the stem, let it dry. You should never ever soak the stems in any liquid! I would just push a pipe cleaner through it from time to time and you should be fine. The outer stem is quite a bit larger, I suggest using a cotton swab dipped in alcohol, squeeze out the excess, then swab the inside of the stem and let it dry. A little maintenance here and there goes a long way.

Not sure if you saw it a few pages back but I have made a stem/14mm male adapter that can be used direct draw or with any water pipe with a 14mm female. What do you think?

20140310_164445_zps229bf4d4.jpg


I do have a dealer in Europe, Vaporisateur.net, they handle alot of Solo stems for me and will be responsible for all my sales of Ascent stems there soon. I know he is excited to make these available! Pls contact them for deetails.

Glass blowers are few and far between in my area, would probably have to go to either end of my state to find one.

Hope I have answered all your questions and thanks again for your interest in my work!

@Quetzalcoatl Thanks for stopping by with your input bro! Pushing a pipe cleaner through the stems works really well for me also.

@BirdFLU Thank you too! The brushes you liked would work well for certain stems and not so for others. You could use a 1/4" brush on the outer Ascent stem and the 1/2" brush with the Solo stem. Doesn't look like they offer a small enough brush for either the LB stem or the inner Ascent stem. I believe the pipe cleaner would work best for these pieces.

@Snappo Very good tip bro! Thanks for posting!

Alright, I think I have the Nano stems all figured out! I am simply installing a small SS pin in the bushing just like I do for the Solo stems. Works really well for them and I have alot of confidence that the Nano stem will perform just as well. I have just gotten a new species to work, Paela from Mexico. Its a dense species not nearly as tough as blackwood or cocobolo, closer to oak. Its a beautiful wood with bright yellows to light orange tones in the heart wood and creamy with sapwood. This is the first piece I have worked in this species. It will be going out Monday to a good friend here at FC for some rigorous testing.

2014-04-03043444_zpscbf7416e.jpg


These pieces were my second attempt at an 18mm Solo wong. My first piece did not seat well in the female joint, I believe I didnt have the taper length right. These should be just right. One is a simple short wong and the other is a little bit larger. I have been told that some water pipes have a recessed 18mm female and it makes it risky to operate the pipe with the Solo sitting right on top of the glass. With so much extra wood showing I thought I would add a ring or two.

2014-04-03043317_zps30be3d28.jpg


I guess the picture coulda been a little better.

I hope all is well ya'll! My youngest has a little cold with a mean cough, I gotta get him some meds and get him feeling better. I wish you all a great day!
 

stickstones

Vapor concierge
great stuff here, Ed!

Those solo wong's look sweet! I wonder how it would feel on the lips...If it is comfortable it may make for an even better double use stem than the current solo stem with the rounded tip.

@Snappo -- great tip! how long have you been holding onto that one?! I'll have to do this with my Solo stem. I wonder if Ed would be able to incorporate this into his processes without significantly increasing the price.
 

Reflections

Well-Known Member
Nice work Ed!! Im excited the nano stems are coming along ..I just broke 2 of my glass stems this week and currently stemless sighs..I need one of yours!! lol
 

Snappo

Caveat Emptor - "A Billion People Can Be Wrong!"
Accessory Maker
Good morning, been up a while giving it hell in the shop! Didnt get as much done as I would have liked but hey thats ok, I got tomorrow!

@°k First off thank you for your interest in my work! I just put the screen there in place in the upper rubber grommet area of the device so it would cover the bottom of the wooden stem and also be held in place. Yes during use a little material will be sucked up against the screen, but was not a significant amount. I only noticed this when I was done with the load. I did not notice any restriction to the draw and when I was cashing the load I just turned it upside down, taped out the spent matter and then blew out the little bit against the screen, was no problem at all. I am not sure if I could add the feature you are talking about to the bottom the stem. I would have to give it some thought. I have just now added a small lip to the bottom of the inner stem. Its very small but will help to prevent the inner stem from being lifted into the unit during use. I turn each and every piece as close to the same size as possible. Each piece is damn near exactly the same size give or take a .001". Getting them all the same is tough and tedious. Doing it by hand and eye takes some time. This tiny bit or variance can be the difference in a snug tight fit or maybe a little slip and give when enough suction is applied during use.

2014-04-03051339_zps92490a52.jpg

The bottom stem is the inner stem, on the left side of it you can see the lip. I planned on making the inner stem where it would slide all the way through the outer stem, this will not be the case.

For cleaning I will be adding a few bristled pipe cleaners that can be used to push through the inner stem. This method is what I use for cleaning the LB stems, you may also dip the pipe cleaner in some alcohol and shake out the excess, then push through the stem, let it dry. You should never ever soak the stems in any liquid! I would just push a pipe cleaner through it from time to time and you should be fine. The outer stem is quite a bit larger, I suggest using a cotton swab dipped in alcohol, squeeze out the excess, then swab the inside of the stem and let it dry. A little maintenance here and there goes a long way.

Not sure if you saw it a few pages back but I have made a stem/14mm male adapter that can be used direct draw or with any water pipe with a 14mm female. What do you think?

20140310_164445_zps229bf4d4.jpg


I do have a dealer in Europe, Vaporisateur.net, they handle alot of Solo stems for me and will be responsible for all my sales of Ascent stems there soon. I know he is excited to make these available! Pls contact them for deetails.

Glass blowers are few and far between in my area, would probably have to go to either end of my state to find one.

Hope I have answered all your questions and thanks again for your interest in my work!

@Quetzalcoatl Thanks for stopping by with your input bro! Pushing a pipe cleaner through the stems works really well for me also.

@BirdFLU Thank you too! The brushes you liked would work well for certain stems and not so for others. You could use a 1/4" brush on the outer Ascent stem and the 1/2" brush with the Solo stem. Doesn't look like they offer a small enough brush for either the LB stem or the inner Ascent stem. I believe the pipe cleaner would work best for these pieces.

@Snappo Very good tip bro! Thanks for posting!

Alright, I think I have the Nano stems all figured out! I am simply installing a small SS pin in the bushing just like I do for the Solo stems. Works really well for them and I have alot of confidence that the Nano stem will perform just as well. I have just gotten a new species to work, Paela from Mexico. Its a dense species not nearly as tough as blackwood or cocobolo, closer to oak. Its a beautiful wood with bright yellows to light orange tones in the heart wood and creamy with sapwood. This is the first piece I have worked in this spekcies. It will be going out Monday to a good friend here at FC for some rigorous testing.

2014-04-03043444_zpscbf7416e.jpg


These pieces were my second attempt at an 18mm Solo wong. My first piece did not seat well in the female joint, I believe I didnt have the taper length right. These should be just right. One is a simple short wong and the other is a little bit larger. I have been told that some water pipes have a recessed 18mm female and it makes it risky to operate the pipe with the Solo sitting right on top of the glass. With so much extra wood showing I thought I would add a ring or two.

2014-04-03043317_zps30be3d28.jpg


I guess the picture coulda been a little better.

I hope all is well ya'll! My youngest has a little cold with a mean cough, I gotta get him some meds and get him feeling better. I wish you all a great day!
Ed - please make my 18mm Blackwood Wong order with the 2 rings. Nice touch:tup:
 

Unnotrafitto

Well-Known Member
yo, just tested the granadillo stem for the solo, and i didn't get any vapor from it and the bud still pretty greenish: is that possible, imma revape the avb in the glass stem and se what happens..

edit: vaped the abv and i managed to do like 4-5 light pulls from the glass stem ( and with the granadillo i tried vaping for 1 session and an half starting on lvl 3 and ending at 7 and didin't get one single pull, isn't that weird?)
 
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Unnotrafitto,

°k

The sound of vapor
Thank you for the elaborated answer @Ed's TnT , you're really doing some nice work! I've checked that French site you've linked (they should definitely redesign it btw :p) and I'm really really tempted!
I'll be back later with more questions!:nod:
 
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°k,

Ed's TnT

Woodsman
Manufacturer
Good morning,

@stickstones Nice idea, it could sure be used as a direct draw stem, its almost the same length of a 3" shorty!

@Reflections Now that I am inserting a pin into the bushing I dont see any reason why I couldnt make you a curly Koa stem for the Nano. Hang in there with me and give me a little longer, I'll get you fixed up!

@Herr_Dampf Really glad you like your piece! Just let me know when you wanna do something else and we will go from there.

@Unnotrafitto Hm that is strange, I have only had one customer say they werent able to get vapor when using it. I load my stem, insert it in the unit, set the heat level at 5 and let it reach the temp, then long slow steady draws through it, works well. I have never done it as low as 3. I know it needs to be run at a higher temp than the glass. I hope you have it figured out by now. If you have any more questions, pls ask.

@°k Hang in there with me on those, I have almost finished turning all the outer stems for the Ascent, just gotta do 200 inner stems and 50 Cocobolo Ascent stem/14mm males and will have that order finished and on its way to France. I will do my best to answer all your questions.

@1_gr8_underdog Thanks for the kind words bro, and for sharing your ideas on this matter. Will have something nice for you and that Nano soon!

@Snappo I am sure I can do you some rings in your piece also and holy shit those are super sweet blanks you got your hands on, you done well! What are the bottom two pieces, what species are they?

Got a bunch done last night! Its freaking storming down here, all three of my boys are here today. Youngest is still sick and has a dr. apt this afternoon, wife said the oldest two could stay home today and play hooky. I gotta get a quick nap, gotta be at my tax lady's place at 10am. Sure hate that, gotta see how much I owe and get square with the Fed's, that aint cool!

I wish everyone well!
 

Reflections

Well-Known Member
Thanks Ed for the speedy reply..just let me know when and where to send money for the koa stem or one that looks close to that species. I hope a speedy recovery for your son and you dont owe to much in taxes blah on that...
 

Snappo

Caveat Emptor - "A Billion People Can Be Wrong!"
Accessory Maker
Good morning,

@stickstones Nice idea, it could sure be used as a direct draw stem, its almost the same length of a 3" shorty!

@Reflections Now that I am inserting a pin into the bushing I dont see any reason why I couldnt make you a curly Koa stem for the Nano. Hang in there with me and give me a little longer, I'll get you fixed up!

@Herr_Dampf Really glad you like your piece! Just let me know when you wanna do something else and we will go from there.

@Unnotrafitto Hm that is strange, I have only had one customer say they werent able to get vapor when using it. I load my stem, insert it in the unit, set the heat level at 5 and let it reach the temp, then long slow steady draws through it, works well. I have never done it as low as 3. I know it needs to be run at a higher temp than the glass. I hope you have it figured out by now. If you have any more questions, pls ask.

@°k Hang in there with me on those, I have almost finished turning all the outer stems for the Ascent, just gotta do 200 inner stems and 50 Cocobolo Ascent stem/14mm males and will have that order finished and on its way to France. I will do my best to answer all your questions.

@1_gr8_underdog Thanks for the kind words bro, and for sharing your ideas on this matter. Will have something nice for you and that Nano soon!

@Snappo I am sure I can do you some rings in your piece also and holy shit those are super sweet blanks you got your hands on, you done well! What are the bottom two pieces, what species are they?

Got a bunch done last night! Its freaking storming down here, all three of my boys are here today. Youngest is still sick and has a dr. apt this afternoon, wife said the oldest two could stay home today and play hooky. I gotta get a quick nap, gotta be at my tax lady's place at 10am. Sure hate that, gotta see how much I owe and get square with the Fed's, that aint cool!

I wish everyone well!
Ed - all four blanks are supposed to be amboyna burl as represented by Isle Wood. Will verify. :peace::tup:
EDIT: Verified...All amboyna burl - the other sides are beautiful very knotty and red!!!
 
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Vitolo

Vaporist
A pleasure to watch you work.
Explosive.
Your stuff gets better every day!
and your last post was a thing of beauty, as I pictured you with a Fedora (ideas) on your head and a tommy gun( filled with answers) in your hand... out in front of your wood shop.
As the assailants (questions) came charging up, you never flinched, as your tommy gun spit out answers ...knocking down the questions, no matter which direction they came from!
"Nyah.... you dirty rat.... take that... You'll never take me alive!"
 

PPN

Volute of Vapor
The nano stem is it ready? I broke my all glass stem and now I'm afraid to break my last one.....

Especially since I enjoy some piece of whole nugs, so tasty dry with a stem...

edit: Ed I pm you some days ago about this stem....
 

Ed's TnT

Woodsman
Manufacturer
Good evening,

@Vitolo Thanks for your post, doing the best I can man! Setting em up and knocking em down!

@BirdFLU Thanks for the kind words, I hope this is the wong you are referring to!

@PPN I am almost there with the Nano stems, pls hang in there with me. I did reply to your PM right? I am sending a Nano stem out for testing Monday and should know how its holding up by the end of next week. I feel certain I will hear positive feedback!

@Reflections Thanks for your post, I appreciate it!

Wanted to post a better pic of a new piece I just turned for a custom request, 18mm Solo Wong!

SoloWong18mm_zpsd59a1926.jpg
 

Newcastle

Stoned!
My Granadillo needs some love. Would it be okay to put some PTO/pure tongue oil on it. This is not PTO finish it is PTO with 0 VOC's.One drop should do the whole thing. I usually add some thinner but don't want that on it. I think one drop messaged into the wood should do it. What do you think?
 
Newcastle,

Ed's TnT

Woodsman
Manufacturer
Good morning,

@Newcastle a little tongue oil wouldnt hurt it at all, hit it with a drop or two, that should bring a little life back into the piece!
 
Ed's TnT,
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