Aromazap/Myrtlezap/CeramicRockZap

THC, that is a beautiful Sumac you picked up. It really is a trip when you find "the one." Then there's that thrill of the wait.... Fortunately, the wait isn't that long!

Plotinus, welcome to the Zapville family. I'm pretty sure you are going to love your new CRZ. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

Lots of questions about turning, Zaps, getting old. I thought the hand job with 400 grit sandpaper might get a question but...........
As for the finish, a quote from my post announcing the change........"These are finished with ZaPolish only and buffed on the lathe so the shine is not yet as brilliant......."
As for the size, we will be doing different sizes. Many folks like their wood smaller and some like bigger.....OMG? I will do my best to figure out what the general public likes and make more of those, whatever that turns out to be. I suspect all will be the natural wood color with smooth shapes and no lines. Innies or outties, maybe some straight logs like you see in the first shot of the ones I re-turned. For now there will be NO custom orders. We prefer the customer pick something they like rather than try to make something they like. That is a fork in the road with a decent amount of hassle which old men do not like.
Old man. Yes, but very young in my soul. I always forget my age til I walk past a mirror. There are no torches passing in Zapville at this time. If that ever does happen, we will do our best to insure customers will benefit. Sure it will happen some day as all chapters end. For now though, the torch is where it always has been and it is burning bright with lots of fuel in her happy home.
Thanks to all the old and new Zapsters. Or is it Zapistas and Zapistos?
I get confused alot these days..........all these ns and ds and js. Next they will throw the fucking fs on me.

Dont worry we know you are young inn spirit Rick. And im sure youll find a design that everyone likes. You are probably right about the smooth no lines zaps with the natural wood color and all that good stuff. When I notice your signature i must click and see the zaps im missing out on, it takes much control not to

Will you please check my logic on this? Trying to tune.

Another lesson learned (probably a no-brainer to you zapheads but an epiphany to me and maybe other noobs?): Moist herbs won't vape. Check. Even herbs that "feel" dry might not be internally dry enough to produce the type of stem we all seek. Check. If your herbs are too moist (and a lack of good vapor is a strong indication), grind and dry for a night, and you can get a couple nice, milky hits. Check. BUT even then, moist herbs still dramatically limit how many hits you'll get off one stem, and the abv will be much greener.

As I type this, it seems almost so simple to be a "well, duh" kind of thing, but I think someone new to logs tend to think that the primary cause of weak vapor is a lack of heat. That was my first notion when I started having problems, and I am willing to bet this is true for others as well.

I'll post my growing understanding of what else can cause weak vape, but I would say the above is rule #1 for zapheads. Would you agree?

Oh and Rick, as a noob zapster, zapisto, whatever, I know I don't much voice in this decision yet, but I like "zaphead."

Other causes of weak vapor:

1. Packed too tightly. Heat has tough time working through the herb to heat evenly.
2. Drawing too fast. Heat moves too quickly through the herbs (like a pizza oven with the conveyor belt moving too quickly), and the airflow cools the air (?) - not sure about that one.
3. Low-quality herbs. Not as much "goodness" to vape (?)
4. Over-shaken herbs. Fewer trichs to vape (?)

Is my thinking logical here? What am I missing?

TheDudeNextDoor said:

Moist herbs won't vape.

Click to expand...

Yeah they will, just takes longer. First you get the water vapor from the moisture, then you get to the good stuff. Bud with some moistness to it also gives you better taste. Really dry bud gives you harsh hits, and also tends to turn into powder when grinding, so the best option is a nice balance-not too dry and not too moist.

Rick said:

Lots of questions about turning, Zaps, getting old. I thought the hand job with 400 grit sandpaper might get a question but...........
As for the finish, a quote from my post announcing the change........"These are finished with ZaPolish only and buffed on the lathe so the shine is not yet as brilliant......."
As for the size, we will be doing different sizes. Many folks like their wood smaller and some like bigger.....OMG? I will do my best to figure out what the general public likes and make more of those, whatever that turns out to be. I suspect all will be the natural wood color with smooth shapes and no lines. Innies or outties, maybe some straight logs like you see in the first shot of the ones I re-turned. For now there will be NO custom orders. We prefer the customer pick something they like rather than try to make something they like. That is a fork in the road with a decent amount of hassle which old men do not like.
Old man. Yes, but very young in my soul. I always forget my age til I walk past a mirror. There are no torches passing in Zapville at this time. If that ever does happen, we will do our best to insure customers will benefit. Sure it will happen some day as all chapters end. For now though, the torch is where it always has been and it is burning bright with lots of fuel in her happy home.
Thanks to all the old and new Zapsters. Or is it Zapistas and Zapistos?
I get confused alot these days..........all these ns and ds and js. Next they will throw the fucking fs on me.

Click to expand...

Will zaps no longer be polished with heat to seal it in? I personally loved that aspect of the CRZ.

I am happy to report that after a week long travel-induced Tbreak, 1 8second hit off a 1/3rd filled stem has me well into happy land.

max said:

TheDudeNextDoor said:

Moist herbs won't vape.

Click to expand...

Yeah they will, just takes longer. First you get the water vapor from the moisture, then you get to the good stuff. Bud with some moistness to it also gives you better taste. Really dry bud gives you harsh hits, and also tends to turn into powder when grinding, so the best option is a nice balance-not too dry and not too moist.

Click to expand...

Makes sense. So pulling the water vapor is probably going to feel like you're getting nothing, right? If I just keep drawing, the good stuff will eventually release. If I keep drawing methodically, my herbs will eventually give everything up and the abv will be dark. Is that right?

Has anyone ever tested the herbs with a hygrometer to find a good humidity percentage that leads to the best possible moisture level?

TheDude...

I rarely dry my herbs. Only at times when the herb seems not to grind well or is so sticky that when ground it clumps together reducing surface area.

I keep it in the freezer. when I want to vape I place a little in the grinder, which has two screens. I shake a lot and I'm not left wanting. Plus, I then have a good bit of kief that I mostly use to get me through the lean times. I also save the cleaning iso to later evaporate for wand hash (qwiso) which can easily be vaped with your Zap using a piece of cotton ball .

reece said:

TheDude...

I rarely dry my herbs. Only at times when the herb seems not to grind well or is so sticky that when ground it clumps together reducing surface area.

I keep it in the freezer. when I want to vape I place a little in the grinder, which has two screens. I shake a lot and I'm not left wanting. Plus, I then have a good bit of kief that I mostly use to get me through the lean times. I also save the cleaning iso to later evaporate for wand hash (qwiso) which can easily be vaped with your Zap using a piece of cotton ball .

Click to expand...

Interesting, I will try that! The herbs I have jarred right now have been drying/curing for about a month, but they are still hovering at about 65%. But they grind fine and don't clump when pinched. I will give the freezer a try. Doesn't putting under-cured herbs in the freezer stop the cure, though? That was my understanding.

Ah, I don't know about curing. I think of drying an curing as different. Well cured herbs aren't necessarily dry, are they (again, I don't know about this stuff). I assume my herbs are cured before I buy them. I just don't dry them any further. I put them in the freezer mainly because I've read it helps with getting more trichs from the herbs (or maybe it makes it easier to get the trichomes?). Either way, I noticed no adverse affects from freezing.

reece said:

Ah, I don't know about curing. I think of drying an curing as different. Well cured herbs aren't necessarily dry, are they (again, I don't know about this stuff). I assume my herbs are cured before I buy them. I just don't dry them any further. I put them in the freezer mainly because I've read it helps with getting more trichs from the herbs (or maybe it makes it easier to get the trichomes?). Either way, I noticed no adverse affects from freezing.

Click to expand...

You are correct that drying and curing are different. I think of it this way: drying is removing moisture; curing is aging, which allows for all kinds of chemical reactions that improve potency, taste, and aroma. Not sure about all the science, but that's my understanding.

I wouldn't necessarily assume what you buy has been well-cured, depending on how well you know the original source. Big-scale growers are more inclined to heat dry, which is faster, and not cure at all. It's all about getting it out and moving to the next grow. No valuable space and time wasted for curing. A good cure can really intensify good herbs, and I am pretty certain that freezing stops the cure. I'll have to go back and verify that.

Freezing probably would stop the cure, but I'm not attempting to cure my herbs. If they are mostly uncured, then I am still getting good vapor production. I am usually thoroughly satisfied.

If only the herbs that don't give good vapor are uncured, then the little drying I do shouldn't make a difference (I think?). Yet, it does. I think it's because I get a better grind giving more surface area.

Sometimes herbs with a good grind won't give good vapor even when dried. At times I've been able to compare with a friend using the same herbs. He smokes though. He would complain about that particular batch burning up in seconds like there was nothing there. I figured this meant they just weren't very good quality.

Argh. Looks like I'll be going out and getting so drunk I 'can't find my way home.' Not really, I try not to get in that situation anymore... Miss Elm must have gotten on the wrong train, instead of heading Northwest from her last stop she went Northeast. I have a feeling she might be sightseeing New England. It's happened before. So much for "Expected Delivery Date: January 24, 2012 ". I will get to the post office again tomorrow morning before the mail lady leaves.
Thanks for noticing NYCD...

Hey Rick:

Any thoughts on my question about the AC and new "2012" DC adapter? Is there a big difference in heat? My 12v AC adapter from my MZ (late 2010) is starting to have connection issues. Debating whether to repair the wire with your little kit or just go for the new adapter. Let me know!

@Rick- I have a feeling whatever styles/shapes you turn, will be awesome and still flying high above others. And just to throw in my opinion on design, both my CRZs (N31 & J1), I feel are the perfect shape, size, design, etc. Did I mention I love them????? lol. -

I have said (many times), that fine and DRY have worked wonders for me. Now after a good dry (cure included), 15% is generally the target for moisture content. At least for smoking. Burns nice and even, not too quickly.

With vaping, I grind enough for a day or two, then let it sit out in the air (opposed to jar). Since this has given me better vapor production (at least as far as visible vapor is concerned), I hypothesize that somewhere less than 15% is optimal for vaping. No idea how much lower, but if it is "perfect" smoking moisture level, it should be beneficial to let it dry a little more.

reece said:

Sometimes herbs with a good grind won't give good vapor even when dried. At times I've been able to compare with a friend using the same herbs. He smokes though. He would complain about that particular batch burning up in seconds like there was nothing there. I figured this meant they just weren't very good quality.

Click to expand...

As far as a smoking friends complaints of "burning up in seconds", it appears that the herb was too dry for smoking. As a reference, what I would consider "perfect" dryness for smoking, would give me 2-3 hits out of a full sized one-hitter (you know, the dugout type?). Now a product that I had that was too dry for smoking, in the same one-hitter, would burn up in less than a full hit.


Long story short, for me, what is "perfect" dryness for smoking, needs to be dryer than that for vaping. At least as far as visible vapor production.

EDIT** I have zero experience with models prior to CRZ, but I do notice a difference with the 12v DC, and I suggest switching to that if anybodies AC happens to shit out on you.

Magic9 said:

reece said:

Sometimes herbs with a good grind won't give good vapor even when dried. At times I've been able to compare with a friend using the same herbs. He smokes though. He would complain about that particular batch burning up in seconds like there was nothing there. I figured this meant they just weren't very good quality.

Click to expand...

As far as a smoking friends complaints of "burning up in seconds", it appears that the herb was too dry for smoking. As a reference, what I would consider "perfect" dryness for smoking, would give me 2-3 hits out of a full sized one-hitter (you know, the dugout type?). Now a product that I had that was too dry for smoking, in the same one-hitter, would burn up in less than a full hit.


Long story short, for me, what is "perfect" dryness for smoking, needs to be dryer than that for vaping. At least as far as visible vapor production.

Click to expand...

No, the herb wasn't what one would call dry. To me, it seems it just didn't have much to it. When I vaped it, I maybe got one decent hit. The same herb smoked burned super quickly.

I just remembered. Most times this would happen with herb from a particular source. We stopped going there and the problem doesn't happen much any more. Now if/when I don't get much vapor it is usually fixed by adjusting my technique a bit.

As for needing to be dry for visible vapor, that has not been my experience at all. There are other vapists here at FC that do not dry their herbs. I'm not talking curing. At least one gets his herb at medical shops in California. I would guess that herb is properly cured. He doesn't dry it any further.

The herb I get goes straight into the freezer until I use it. I try not to grind more than a couple or three stem-fulls at a time. Any stem after the first does sit in the grinder until I need more so it does dry some. But the first stem is vaped very soon after taking it out of the freezer. Visible, tasty vapor. More tasty to me than dried herb.

Some say the herb is tastier when dry. It must be an individual thing. I don't like refrigerated fruit. I can't taste it. My wife says she refrigerated fruit has more flavor.

I really hope CRZ's remain heat-polished. Thats a huge plus for me.

THCMuscle said:

I really hope CRZ's remain heat-polished. Thats a huge plus for me.

Click to expand...

Newbish question probably, but what's the difference?

Yes im not quite sure either but I LOVE whatever finish my Ambrosia maple zap has! very smooth and everything, and no fragrance to possibly offend me(zapolish is too strong for me, i dont use any finish nowadays). I would be so grateful if this method could be kept but i understand things change in zapville :/ just my

Hi DEEZ!!! My BL is smooth and lovely to hold, but the AM is especially so. Feels like warm marble. Can't describe it with words, but I think you can feel what I mean.

yes, i do, maybe its that heal seal or whatever they were talking about. which im still curious about. the AM is so smooth i cant get enough

Auralis said:

Hey Rick:

Any thoughts on my question about the AC and new "2012" DC adapter? Is there a big difference in heat? My 12v AC adapter from my MZ (late 2010) is starting to have connection issues. Debating whether to repair the wire with your little kit or just go for the new adapter. Let me know!

Click to expand...

Auralis, I do not feel the DC adapter make a difference in heat. I think the difference is more in retention of heat.

cluffy, I'm so sorry to hear your wait has been prolonged! Just think how much fun you are going to have once that CRZ comes home!


And a thought on dryness of herb; I think it is strain specific. I have found that some of the strains just don't make vapor as well. Then, if I let someone who combusts try it, they say it's great. Or, there are some strains that vape well fresh and some that need drying. I think that if you are having trouble getting vapor, it can be several variables; grind, pack, dryness and strain (or in some cases strength of material, i.e. mids).

And, a trick if you need to dry out your herb in a hurry and have a whip vape; put your nug in the whip for one quick hit, then crumble and use in your log vape. If you are careful not to vape too much out of the nug with that first draw, the material is the perfect dryness for logs.

edit to add:
NYC, the Zapolish Rick uses now has no scent; it's just beeswax. From my understanding, this is the finish that Rick will be using now as he lovingly gives each Zap a hand job.

I still like dry as a bone. I get lots of flavor and very good vapor production. Definitely dryer than what folks like for combustion. Zaplady likes hers a little moister. Whatever works best for you as it is a preference thing not a rule thing.
I'll bounce around here for a bit.
There is no reason I cannot use the 'heat sealed' finish as we see on most CRZs. It is heat sealed in that after it is applied to the piece we turn the wood at high speed and use a soft cotton cloth to 'heat dry and cure' the finish. It is a FRICTION HEAT finish. It is also an actual wood finish so it seals the wood. The beeswax/oil that I used on the first seven re-turns is a wax and must be re-applied and rubbed in/polished to get a good shine as the wood will absorb the wax. We use a very small amount of natural oil in the beeswax to soften it for easy application. We also do not use any scent in the ZaPolish now.
Remember, I am now taking over a job that was done by a highly skilled wood turner. I have lots to learn, meaning doing. I have seen all the processes many times but am just now actually doing them. We also have to get my turning room finished before I take off again. That project will start today. Just a few hours Sunday turning and sanding messed up my sweet clean work area. I have been dusting/vacuuming for two days getting it back the way I want it. I'll give the friction finish a try once the wood work starts back up this weekend.
AC or DC? We are using and shipping the heavier DC transformers only these days. It is hard to explain but seems to be related to torque rather than horsepower. Torque is the oomph behind the horsepower or the size of the hose behind the nozzle as opposed to the actual water pressure. The new ones are bigger and heavier which can be unhandy but we think they just make more consistent heat.
cluffy, your girl is in her home town now and will be to you today. She should have been there Monday but experienced a USPS fuck up. Seems things get confusing on the East Coast. WTF is going on? Is it the water? Air? Anyway, you will get to see her in person today AND suck her hot...............................air. That one really surprised me that she sat for so long as she is a real beauty.
gobrian, your Chatoya 1 arrived safe and sound, still just as pretty as ever. The slight rattle from a drop was fixed in minutes by re-tightening the two wood screws that hold the center assembly tight in the wood, a very simple fix after removing her bottom covering. She hits like a dream too. I'll wait for a new address from you to ship.
chib, I began taking your returned walnut CRZ apart to get her ready for liposuction by chisel and found a broken heater. The actual heater wire was still intact but the ceramic had broke in half. I have installed a new heater and am giving it a try before going any further. I'll keep you posted. If it is good, I may send it back with the D15.

I'm sure I forgot something.

Today will be fun. All the plowed roads get and have had 40 degrees and wind. It will be a literal ice rink everywhere. Chains on the boots before I even step out today.
All orders made this last weekend and into the first day or so of the week should ship today for an expected Friday delivery. That shipment includes the Sumac for THCMuscle and special OOAL to an old customer from Oregon.
Da train is chugging nicely now with flat ground ahead.

Touch to View the vid

"Out for Delivery, January 25, 2012, 8:30 am"
oof, I didn't make it out to greet Miss Elm at 8:30 this morning. I got some good news last night so the birthday celebration turned into a tequila sunrise... My head now feels like an unbalanced cement mixer...

I almost stayed up when I saw that it was 5:30 AM when I decided to try and sleep but it didn't happen. At least now I have time to straighten up a little before Miss Elm arrives. Happy days are here again....

After the little bit of snow we had over the weekend we got our "January thaw". Rain and mild temperatures. I'm supposed to go skiing on Sunday, hoping for a power-storm before that. I love this warm Winter but we really need some snow. The Maple sugar business will take a big hit if we don't get some before Spring.

Vito, your video rocks, I was hoping you'd get up and have a dance with your little lady! I got a brown q-tip just waiting for Miss Elm, but I'll start her off gently with some fresh green dried herbs. I should be Zapping in 3 hours or so!!!
CHEERS!