Discontinued Pandora Kit from Purple-Days

[Purple-Days]

Great pics. Yes, that's right, a bit of gap. Plenty of wood to wood contact for the two pieces to glue together permanent (as you point out). A perfectly tight fit isn't needed, and would give folks trouble. And when it's centered it's less than 1/16", pretty close.
The glue in the next step

fills in the gap and the leather goes over, a solid bottom when you are done.

I figured you were bouncing when the flare wouldn't bend. Yes, experience talking there. One day nothing was happening, whack-whack-whack... nothing... I had moved my work out into the middle of my bench and the flex of the plywood bench top was bouncing, took a couple of minutes of head scratching to figure out what was happening. A solid support solved the problem for me and seems to have been the solution in your case too.

Ring pliers... I use a cheap set everyday. Have a backup set that has been in my toolbox forever. Not sure why you are having trouble, it's a pretty simple device and about $10 for a set. Hard to find any tool cheaper than that.

Your posts will help others who come across these questions. There really haven't been many questions which makes me very happy. Not that I mind answering questions, but people are saying it's an easy build and the instructions are good.

 

[panasonic]

Yeah I'm not sure what was up with the ring pliers I got, but every single pair except the last one had a poorly built hinge, causing the tips to deflect outwards along the axis of the hinge. Also, to other builders: it really helps if you just find a pair of ring pliers that isn't interchangeable. The interchangeable ones usually have bulky jaws that make them a little too short to work with.

 

[Old Marine]

Thank you Tom and Pammy

Got my Pandora kit about a month ago. No problems putting it together.
An absolute wonderful project for the do it yourself vaporist.

I love it. My extreme is now in the cabinet for storage.
As everyone says it is very economical with your herb and
very easy to use. I leave mine home and on 24/7.

The experience kind of reminds me of a super one hitter,
but you get more than one hit out of a stem.
Can't say enough good things about it.

The craftsmanship is wonderful as is the design. Pammy and Tom
are just all round wonderful people.

I also purchased the "Billy Bowl", and I really like it for the desk. Looks great and very functional.
Also got the Tulip type tube holder. The Tulip tube holder ended up bringing out
some sentimental emotions between the three of us. But that's another story.

Throw a few pencils in with your tube and all looks normal.
It is all on my desk but no one could guess what it is all for. Very stealthy in my home office.
But, all extremely handy in a moments notice.

The overall Pandora and PD experience is one I would highly recommend
for anyone looking for a first vaporizer or just another to add to their collection.

After all A man has to have a hobby......

 

[Lo]

After all A man has to have a hobby......

+1.... and women too I loved putting mine together!

 

[jeffp]

the billy bowl is perfect for stash, it's beautiful and dignified - i'm glad i have one.
i fucked up a heathkit 3 tube radio kit as a child so i'm a little hesitant to attempt to assemble another electrical appliance;
although that was a long time ago and i did, following the radio debacle, do pretty well building Estes model rockets later on, if
anyone remembers them.

i don't have a dedicated tube holder for my PD but I picked up a desk accessories "lazy susan" type organizer by rubbermaid at the discount store and it's perfect
for tubes, pokey sticks and other accessories.

 

[Old Marine]

the billy bowl is perfect for stash, it's beautiful and dignified - i'm glad i have one.

My sentiments exactly.

 

[Gink]

I've been surprised at how hard it is to find ring pliers locally. I've still got 2-3 weeks before my kit gets here, but thought I'd get prepared. Only found 1 pair so far, pretty big and bulky and $20.

Looking around online I see a wide range of types, sizes, and prices. I'm guess we need the ones that work opposite of normal pliers? The jaws spread open when you squeeze the handles? Any particular size?

I never mind picking up new tools. When a new project requires a new tool it is a good excuse to add to my tool collection, they usually come in handy again down the road somewhere. So, no problem picking up ring pliers I may not use again for a few years, just don't want to end up with a pair that won't work for this project, since it seems I can't just run out to any hardware store and pick up another pair.

 

[panasonic]

Gink, you need ones that *close* when you squeeze the handles ("internal ring"), not open.

Look for ones that:

*Have a sturdy hinge. If it looks like you can convert it from internal to external by removing the hinge axle, avoid it. Anything that looks like it was made from some thinner pieces of stamped metal that were poorly finished, avoid.

*Has less bulky jaws. I wish I'd gotten the ones Tom has but after running around town so much I broke down and bought a pair with much thicker, bulkier jaws.

*The tip size should be 0.047" or less. 0.070" won't work.

These are all crap:

This is the one I ended up getting after going to 4 different hardware stores (!!):

They're not bad but the tips are bulky which make them difficult to maneuver near the top of your PD. I put a few little dents (not really a big deal) in the top of mine but if you wanted to avoid that, I'd look for something like what Tom's got:

 

[Gink]

Thanks Panasonic! Those last ones look like a cleaner version of the ones my dad has had in his tool box for the last 20 years. If he lived closer I'd just borrow his.

Nice to get the specifics on internal/external and the size. I saw I needed ring pliers, was like, oh, I know what those are, then started looking for them and coming across tons of differences in sizes, tips, and how they function.

 

[Purple-Days]

Yes, I think they are the ones my Dad had even, (style anyway). A totally ingenious system that handles Internal and External rings.

I purchased one set at an Ace Hardware and my back-ups at a True Value.

These are about 6 inches long. Pretty common but not in every tool chest.

 

[Gink]

Nice, those look simple and durable, the mechanism to switch internal/external isn't overly complicated.

My neighborhood Ace closed about a year ago. Now all we've got are the big home improvement stores. There's bound to be another Ace or True Value in some area nearby though, I'll have to hunt one down and see if they stock those or similar.

 

[mlo4sho]

Hello, I have been looking at this kit recently. I'm dying for a PD but as they're not available, I want to try making my own (Pandora Kit). Now I know it says soldering skills/mechanical skills required, but how hard is it to put one of these things together? I am a technically inclined person, I am very literate and can follow directions well. My only concern is that I have not worked with tools much in my life, so I don't feel confident in being able to build one myself. Am I accurate with this belief? Or is it something that anyone who can follow step-by-step instructions can do? I know this is a silly question and there isn't a yes/no question, but I'm just looking for someone possibly in the same boat as me who was able to build one of these just fine. Thank you for reading.

 

[DevoTheStrange]

Hello, I have been looking at this kit recently. I'm dying for a PD but as they're not available, I want to try making my own (Pandora Kit). Now I know it says soldering skills/mechanical skills required, but how hard is it to put one of these things together? I am a technically inclined person, I am very literate and can follow directions well. My only concern is that I have not worked with tools much in my life, so I don't feel confident in being able to build one myself. Am I accurate with this belief? Or is it something that anyone who can follow step-by-step instructions can do? I know this is a silly question and there isn't a yes/no question, but I'm just looking for someone possibly in the same boat as me who was able to build one of these just fine. Thank you for reading.

its a total follow step by step instructions. The directions are really good and tell you exactly what to do.

 

[minnesnowta]

^^^x2 plus Tom includes videos of most of the steps which I thought were the most helpfull. If you can follow directions you'll be ok.

 

[Lo]

Yes the videos are very helpful and I'm not terribly handy with tools but had soldered a little bit years ago. You can read the written instructions, watch the videos and there are pictures with things noted/shown in close up. You're hand is really held.

I read instructions/watched the videos ahead of time, prepared and then watched again as I was getting to each step. There is also some timeframe when you receive the package that you can go through the instructions (NOT OPENING PACKAGING OF MATERIALS) and if you feel in over your head you can return it... Read the site for details on that but really if you can read and follow directions well.... It should be a snap.

I only had to ask my husband for help once and that was because my snips weren't sharp enough.

The ring pliers - I asked my husband, he didn't have them, asked the neighbor - no go. I went to Lowe's and got the one shown in the 2nd picture with blue/yellow handles. Comes with extra bits and are reversible. Worked very well for me and the next week my neighbor came over to borrow them lol They were not expensive...I think $12.

 

[Purple-Days]

Thanks fellows. Oops you snuck in there Lo, thanks all.

The Pandora front page:
http://purple-days.com/Pan1.html
now contains some music.
The off button is right there so you don't have to search for it.
Just a backing track that I can jam on guitar with. Digital musicians always show up, always have equipment that works, never leave a mess.

 

[mlo4sho]

Cool, thanks for the reassurance/encouragement, guys and girls. I think I will be just fine with the right tools and enough preparation. Now I just need to decide on exactly which wood/leather I am going to use and we're off to the races.

 

[Lo]

hehe... Well! Selecting your wood & leather - that's going to be the toughest part of all I suspect lol! Thankfully I got mine before the choices or I'd still probably be trying to decide. Good luck with it!

 

[OrganicVapor]

mine's shipp'D

perfect timing, i picked up a solder iron this weekend, and all my tools are organized at the moment, so i'm good to go...

 

[panasonic]

Yeah I'm not sure what the heck was with mine, but they simply wouldn't compress the rings all the way :/

 

[Gink]

I managed to find a new True Value inside a new Wilco co-op farm supply place. They had the same ring pliers Tom posted pics of up there, though most of their sets had the angled tips, I found one last pair of straight tip 6" .038 for $13, and they definitely feel sturdy enough to do the job.

 

[Plant]

mine is also shipped can't wait

 

[bstar]

Ring pliers... I use a cheap set everyday. Have a backup set that has been in my toolbox forever. Not sure why you are having trouble, it's a pretty simple device and about $10 for a set. Hard to find any tool cheaper than that.

I couldn't find any at Walmart or a computer/electronics store (had a lot of similar stuff there). My kit came before I got to a hardware store so I just used my fingers to squeeze the ring. Got it in diagonally, then carefully pushed it down the rest of the way with a pair of tweezers. (I dinged the wood around the ring. Will sand out but still annoying. USE THE INCLUDED WOODEN PEG PIECE. Didn't realize it was for that til it was too late. : P)

mlo4sho, if you have some mechanical aptitude and can follow directions, you'll be able to do it. Some of the work I've never done before, but I can't think of any spot where I had to guess at what to do. (I did mess up as stated above but that was due to impatience. ) I only needed to check I think two videos; the pictures and text were clear enough for me.

If you haven't soldered before, it's not hard. I have a bit and this was the easiest thing I've done. I do recommend getting one of the "instant heat" gun style irons though. I had a cheap stick style from radio shack and I've never gotten it to work well. Got a new gun style for cheap, tried it out, and the difference was amazing.

The hardest part for me was probably cutting the little metal bar. Thought I had good wire cutters but I guess not. Messed up a few tools before borrowing a good pair, ha ha. So with the right tools I think most people would be fine.

 

[Purple-Days]

Oops... sent a few kits out the other day without the hook-up wire. Just realized it making up an electrics pack yesterday.

The electronics pack has two things that look like wire. One is solder the other is the hook-up wire. The solder is coiled like a spring, the wire is not. If you see the coiled solder and no wire shoot us an e-mail (include name and address) and the wire will go out right away.

I swear I am gonna hang a picture on the wall, like they do at fast food joints. Bun, check, Burger, check, Pickle, check, Onion, check.... Duh ! Feeling like an idiot... :/

 

[minnesnowta]

its ok tom, your only human. people make mistakes.

me and IC had a little get together last weekend and I got my wall adapter for my laptop today so i uploaded some pics.

First is our pdps, mine is the black walnut and his is the alder.

the whole set up we were workin with

and this is a morning milk shot i took a bit ago.. can you tell i like my circ and camera????? lol