Seed Beads: affordable, available, and effective vapor diffusion!

[Progress]

Seed Beads like the ones in the link below are an affordable, extremely effective, and versatile/customizable alternative to expensive diffusers.

Many companies sell beads http://rainboweyecenter.com/stones/index.html that are much larger than the seed beads http://www.shipwreckbeads.com/catal...u/itemsPerPage/20/page/4/item/10SB212#10SB212 and MUCH more expensive.

I recommend between 6/0 and 12/0 http://www.landofodds.com/store/seedsize.htm . They pose virtually no risk to glass pieces and downstems, get shuffled around by the vapor that is traveling through the water, and provide excellent diffusion of the vapor, splitting it into carbonation-like tiny bubbles (due to their size, the holes in the center, and the spinning/shock-absorbtion of the shuffling beads).

I am hoping that this thread will become THE place to share ideas about using beads for diffusion, to provide links for those trying to find beads, to discuss experiences using beads for diffusion, and to seek insight from others who have used beads for diffusion. What kinds of beads have people used? How did they work for you? Does anyone have a video of seed beads in action?

Thank you in advance for contributing to this thread and helping to keep it 'on topic'. I cant wait to hear the experiences and ideas of others.

 

[minnesnowta]

I'll bite. I use then as well. I use quite large ones but they're still light enough to bounce around. I puchaced Them from stonesdiffusion.com. These were so large that they won't even fit though my ice pinches. They cut all of the unwanted chug outta my tube which was what I was goin for. I'm still thinking I'm going to still probaly going to buy a diffy just so I can watch the bubbles form. Gridlines and showerheads are pretty amazing but beads get the job done for the time being

 

[Progress]

Minnesnowta,

Thanks for contributing your experience and link.

I agree that inlines, waffles, trees, etc are fun to watch.

Have you ever tried stacking the beads that you have well above the water level (the water in my piece climbs up a 2' straight tube -- water contact all the way up to 3" from the top)?

Definitely try the 'seed beads' too if you have the time to pick some up (they are a little more expensive than the larger ones but much less than many non-bead diffusers, and IMO provide much, much more diffusion than the larger ones -- cleaning sticky beads in some grain alcohol is also pretty nice ).

I love this topic (keep the comments y'all !).

 

[vtac]

Credit goes to Survivalism for these pics.

 

[minnesnowta]

Yup I have as many as I can possibly fit in my beaker. It's about an inch over the normal water level. Just to keep me covered as water rises. It was a pain in the butt with that many so I don't know how much harder it would be with more. Smaller beads would probaly work better. I'm fine with it for now. It does seem to make the water frothy on the top.

 

[Progress]

Minnesnowta,
I am glad that the beads are giving you frothy waters , but I can imagine those beads being a pain in the ass (especially with an internal down stem). Besides, the seed beads increase the diffusion of the vapor bubbles soo much more.

Vtac,
Thanks for the contribution to the thread

Survivalism,
Thanks for the original post/pic (are you still using the beads, Sur?--I believe that StoneMonkey tried some in some sort of set-up).

Here are some links to other threads on FC that discuss using beads for diffusion or have pics/vids (the first one can probably be sent to ABV ).

http://fuckcombustion.com/viewtopic.php?id=565
http://fuckcombustion.com/viewtopic.php?pid=43722#p43722
http://fuckcombustion.com/viewtopic.php?pid=39803#p39803

And for those who use a pile of seed beads in a pre-cooler, bubbler, or bong; don't worry...those are not soap suds building on the surface of the water.

Toke it easy!

 

[Durden]

I'd love to see some pictures of how the beads diffuse when someone can get around to it. My thinking about why this isn't more popular is that the near random and dense placement of beads and the decrease in volume for the vapor to pass through make the bubbles break up more frequently and into too small of pieces. This could reduce taste and for vapor cause more condensation (though that seems easily fixed with an iso soak of the beads), but I don't have enough experience with beads to actually say if this will happen.

Before I picked up my SG I almost grabbed a 9mm stemless by a local blower with the intention of putting beads in for the diffusing, seemed like a really solid idea considering the price but I didn't find many pictures or videos to show how it actually functions.

 

[stonemonkey55]

I think the reason they aren't more popular is that it lacks the "wow factor" that the percs/diffs provide.

I thoroughly enjoyed the effect of the beads when I had the regular Vriptech water tool but I broke the stem on that puppy so I haven't been using beads for about a month now.

A echo the sentiments of Prog when he said not to worry about the foamy stuff that kinda looks like soap. That was my first reaction as well but after thoroughly washing and rinsing my beads, I noticed that I would still get it and realized it was just bubbles.

 

[StickyShisha2]

I got a bubbler for vaping and i'm using beads for the first time. I also put beads in my friends smoking bong.

we find it amazing how much it improves the smoke. He had been trying a carbon filter but found that it just restricted the flow too much, making it hard to hit. Neither the beads nor the carbon seemed effect the potency.

In the bubbler, I don't notice as much difference. The vapor may be too smooth already for me to notice the change.

The smoking beads held the dirty taste and need to be cleaned sooner than expected. Rinsing them and changing the water wasn't enough.

The vaping beads still smell kind of fresh and clean even though they are beginning to get sticky. I plan on putting the beads in a SSTB and running butane to collect the honey.

 

[DeepFried]

Anyone have a good source of clean glass beads with a hole in the center?. By clean I mean no added any thing, just pure glass. The stones mentioned above are too large for me, looking for 4-6mm and maybe sharper edges to break up the bubbles best.

 

[Progress]

I am glad that people are helping to spread the gospel of diffusion beads (as some glass companies have turned people away from them by making them overly expensive and not nearly effective as the tiny seed beads mentioned earlier).

Iso should clean smoking and vaping beads spotless (add some fine grain salt to act as an abrasive if there are tricky spots).

I had composed a lengthy post with all sorts of ideas, but somehow lost it before I actually was able to submit it. (I am sure that I will post the things that I had tried to post as they come to me).

What kinds of beads have people used? How did they work for you? Does anyone have a video of seed beads in action?

Thank you to everyone who has contributed information, experiences, pics/vids, etc. to this thread (and in advance to everyone who will contribute as this thread develops).

Toke it easy, fuckers!

Seed beads can be found at many craft stores and through an online search (just soak them in isorinse in water, and bake spread on a cookie pan to ensure that they have no coatings or residual packing powders).

 

[Progress]

I just wanted to share a pic of beads in action that I recently came across (I hope that this poster, The Electrician, comes here to share some of his ideas).

http://www.fuckcombustion.com/viewtopic.php?pid=48340#p48340

Enjoy!

PS: Sorry about the double-post (feel free to merge them)

 

[the electrician]

Hashbean's take on diffusion caught my eye: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5YDg1SfN20 . I can attest to the positive effects of beads, i need a few more to get the most out of them though.

 

[Survivalism]

I use the beads when vaping / smoking but seed beads + oil DO NOT MIX, i had beads stuck in the bottom of my tube / in my downstem / on my downstem because they REALLY collected oil.


For someone that smokes / vapes i would highly recommend picking up some of the glass seed beads, when i was using them i got a lot of comments from people about how cool the beads are and how good it works.

 

[the electrician]

I said this in another thread, but here are my thoughts on the matter. I'd like straight tube ash catcher for some obviously diffused water filtration, for example http://www.everyonedoesit.com/online_headshop/EHLE_PreCooler_Bottleneck.cfm?iProductID=5890 . Then have that hooked to a bong with a sphere or dome chamber, you know the type, thats full of ice. Correct me if im wrong but thats gonna be a nice hit.

 

[Whale]

Would airsoft BBs work or are hollow beads essential to quality diffusion?

 

[Progress]

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread.

I am not exactly sure what airsoft BB's are, but think that they are likely to work (just make sure that they are made out of something that is safe for both your glass and your body).

I prefer the glass seed beads because they clean up easily and safely with a variety of solvents, and they move a great deal due to the holes in the center of them.

If you try any type of beads (including BB's) please share your insight with us.

As always, toke it easy.

 

[Progress]

Sorry for the back to back post, but I had to post a recent phenomonon I have observed.

Many people have gotten cheap, undiffused ashcatchers to fill with seed beads to (and use on their bubblers or tubes).

After this cheap and impressive experiment some of them are getting bulk seed beads for other compatible pieces (don't try to put seed beads into a 16-legged tree chamber ).

Adding a cheap little undiffused ashcatcher full of seed beads to a nice bubbler can bake a world of difference!

Toke er easy yall's!

 

[Konrad_Zuse]

Sorry for the noob question, but I'm kind of new to this whole thing, so what exactly are "diffuser beads?" I kind of get what the name means, but an overall description would be nice .

 

[the electrician]

Theyre just your bog standard beads, small spherical things that you put in the water to help it better diffuse the smoke.

I've been thinking about getting an ash catcher for a while, that way you can fill the entire bong with vapour, like a big pipe that also allows water filtration. When you say cheap, how cheap are we talking? I saw a diffused one for $40 online but im sure theres cheaper.

 

[DevoTheStrange]

don't buy just any beads. Was looking for glass beads the right size, Found some red ones. The red color actually chipped itself away as I was using them. Had thousands of little colored particles coat my bong. I then went back found some clear beads and didn't have that problem a second time

 

[Progress]

Konrad,
Diffuser beads are balls of glass that companies sell to put in the water around the downstem of a bong and obstruct the pathe of the rising bubbles, causing them to split (diffuse).

What I recomend are glass seed beads, which are small glass beads with holes in the center of them (although you can find marbles much cheaper than those from glass companies too if you wish).

Read the thread and click on some of the links in it for more information.

Devo has a good point. Be careful that the beads are not too fragile, and have no coatings/powders/oils/etc. (by iso, then water, then bake on 225F).

Electrician, you can get a non diffused one and a bunch of seed beads (it would rock )

These one is just a few examples of what I am talking about:
http://www.head-nature.com/seite?id=XgBvVST2&wg=2953 BUY LOCAL!

 

[DevoTheStrange]

I ended up putting my Beads in ISO and threw them in a ultrasonic for an hour, shook all the stuff off of them, my ISO turned bright red. (beads were red) and there was what looked like glitter... after that I havn't had any problems.

 

[Konrad_Zuse]

Thanks for the info guys, much appreciated .

 

[toxicc]

I was looking on ebay for glass beads and noticed that they call them crystal beads. I looked what material it is and those contains high amount of lead. If someone know a vendor for cheap glass beads that don't contain lead i'd like to know.