Copacetic
Somewhere North of The Wall
I didn't bother asking for one
I felt I had enough to go on from all the others that I'd seen, sorry!
Rest assured that I'll deffo be posting some pic's once I have it though.
The Nomad From Morwood
- Thread starter Dan Morrison
- Start date
I felt I had enough to go on from all the others that I'd seen, sorry!
Rest assured that I'll deffo be posting some pic's once I have it though.
sixstringsmash
Well-Known Member
As someone who doesn't use any of that social media stuff either, I would also love to see pics and progress on this thread! I noticed it seemed like we were seeing less and less progress pictures on this thread as time went on, I guess they're all on the instagram now
Someone who uses the instagram should copy and paste everything from their onto here so we could all see what's been going on in Dan land!
yeswecann
Well-Known Member
You don't need to 'use' Instagram to see Dan's stream: https://www.instagram.com/morwoodco/?hl=en and a beautiful stream it is!As someone who doesn't use any of that social media stuff either, I would also love to see pics and progress on this thread! I noticed it seemed like we were seeing less and less progress pictures on this thread as time went on, I guess they're all on the instagram now
Someone who uses the instagram should copy and paste everything from their onto here so we could all see what's been going on in Dan land!
Vaporware
Well-Known Member
@abracadaver the third batch is well into the planning stage, so I’m pretty sure the second batch is nearing completion.
@sixstringsmash I’d love to see some batch 2 pics too, but I don’t think he’s been taking as many since he documented just about the whole process in the first batch.
I’m sure he’ll take pics of the finished products at least, but even on Instagram there haven’t been a lot of pics from this batch. There are some good ones though, so I’d use the link above to check it out anyway.
@sixstringsmash I’d love to see some batch 2 pics too, but I don’t think he’s been taking as many since he documented just about the whole process in the first batch.
I’m sure he’ll take pics of the finished products at least, but even on Instagram there haven’t been a lot of pics from this batch. There are some good ones though, so I’d use the link above to check it out anyway.
Ramahs
Fucking Combustion (mostly) Since February 2017
Past readings in this thread have convinced me that when there is a low volume of updates from @Dan Morrison, it usually means that there is a high volume of work being done.
No worries from me.
No worries from me.
Vapeur Rogue
Est. 2013- Never Lookin' Back
@abracadaver the third batch is well into the planning stage, so I’m pretty sure the second batch is nearing completion.
@sixstringsmash I’d love to see some batch 2 pics too, but I don’t think he’s been taking as many since he documented just about the whole process in the first batch.
I’m sure he’ll take pics of the finished products at least, but even on Instagram there haven’t been a lot of pics from this batch. There are some good ones though, so I’d use the link above to check it out anyway.
Thank you for posting a bit regarding the batch numbers- I'm on the painful end of the waiting list hord, where the only silver lining is that I have time to save up the funds, so this discussion lends a welcome tangibility to what stages things are in here.
little maggie
Well-Known Member
I have no idea what batch I'm in- just that I'm #50. But Dan did contact us a while ago saying that he'd planned to have all the current nomads done by the end of October but wouldn't be done by then@abracadaver the third batch is well into the planning stage, so I’m pretty sure the second batch is nearing completion.
@sixstringsmash I’d love to see some batch 2 pics too, but I don’t think he’s been taking as many since he documented just about the whole process in the first batch.
I’m sure he’ll take pics of the finished products at least, but even on Instagram there haven’t been a lot of pics from this batch. There are some good ones though, so I’d use the link above to check it out anyway.
Vaporware
Well-Known Member
You’re batch 2 which is delayed a little but close to done, right? I’m batch 3 which is just getting started.
KeroZen
Chronic vapaholic
There are 25 Nomads in the wild, yet I have the impression I am the only one reporting about it! Of course I'm exaggerating, but we definitely didn't read 25 reviews in this thread...
So where do we stand now that the honey moon is far behind? It's still my favorite portable, but when I'm outside walking or when I attend parties where I know I'll drink a bit, and as much as it saddens me, I prefer using the iHeat because it's effortless and idiot-proof. It saddens me for reasons I'm not even allowed to tell on this forum, been warned already so... but never-mind!
I don't have dicky contact problems anymore and if ever they were to come back, I know how to fix them with confidence. The taste with the low power heater is fantastic. Every-time I use it, it feels really delicious. Vapor is cooler than with most of my other convection vapes (but the fact you need to draw super slowly helps, you're not sucking a lot of hot air)
But that low power heater is still finicky. I can't use it while walking and I still have to focus on my technique to get consistent hits every-time. If I could change a single thing in this vape, it would be to replace that heater with one with a variable air intake or at the very least, the same heater but with smaller intake holes to create more restriction.
For those following the 18650 battery safety thread, you might remember that I ordered a large pack of A123 LiFePO4 cells to test. The idea was as follows: they charge only up to 3.6V and are 3.2V nominal, so when you start using them, they fall quickly to 3.2V which is about how low you can discharge your normal Li-Ion cells in practice. But then they have a very flat discharge curve down to 2V. They also have an incredible cycle life and you can charge them up to 4A (way faster than a Li-Ion fast-charge) On top of that it's a much safer chemistry, with much less risks of fire and/or explosions. Ah and they are dirt cheap too, if that matters, less than our usual cells.
So my idea was to use them with the high power heater, turning it de-facto into a low power one since the voltage starts already super low. These cells are super high discharge (30A continuous) so they don't sag at all under our smallish load, making for a very consistent experience all the way down the discharge curve. It feels very repeatable and consistent. The downside is that they are super low capacity.
In practice I'm only getting 1.5 sessions out of a charge (with my limited testing so far and also with my particular usage pattern, you might be able to get much more if you cash your load under 10 hits where I do upwards of 30 on average) But that session is very pleasant and the high power heater is tamed down enough to feel usable for me (yet still shows surprising power...)
The cell datasheet says it charges in 15 minutes at 4A but that's not what I experienced, it was a bit more (I need to keep testing, forgot the figure but let's say under 30 min) So with two cells and a fast charger (a special one able to support LiFe cells though) you should be covered as long as you have access to a power outlet.
Conclusion? Interesting experiment but I wouldn't recommend it either if you are a heavy user. Or well unless you like to have a pocketful of cells with you everywhere you go or if you know you can plug in your charger all the time...
So where do we stand now that the honey moon is far behind? It's still my favorite portable, but when I'm outside walking or when I attend parties where I know I'll drink a bit, and as much as it saddens me, I prefer using the iHeat because it's effortless and idiot-proof. It saddens me for reasons I'm not even allowed to tell on this forum, been warned already so... but never-mind!
I don't have dicky contact problems anymore and if ever they were to come back, I know how to fix them with confidence. The taste with the low power heater is fantastic. Every-time I use it, it feels really delicious. Vapor is cooler than with most of my other convection vapes (but the fact you need to draw super slowly helps, you're not sucking a lot of hot air)
But that low power heater is still finicky. I can't use it while walking and I still have to focus on my technique to get consistent hits every-time. If I could change a single thing in this vape, it would be to replace that heater with one with a variable air intake or at the very least, the same heater but with smaller intake holes to create more restriction.
For those following the 18650 battery safety thread, you might remember that I ordered a large pack of A123 LiFePO4 cells to test. The idea was as follows: they charge only up to 3.6V and are 3.2V nominal, so when you start using them, they fall quickly to 3.2V which is about how low you can discharge your normal Li-Ion cells in practice. But then they have a very flat discharge curve down to 2V. They also have an incredible cycle life and you can charge them up to 4A (way faster than a Li-Ion fast-charge) On top of that it's a much safer chemistry, with much less risks of fire and/or explosions. Ah and they are dirt cheap too, if that matters, less than our usual cells.
So my idea was to use them with the high power heater, turning it de-facto into a low power one since the voltage starts already super low. These cells are super high discharge (30A continuous) so they don't sag at all under our smallish load, making for a very consistent experience all the way down the discharge curve. It feels very repeatable and consistent. The downside is that they are super low capacity.
In practice I'm only getting 1.5 sessions out of a charge (with my limited testing so far and also with my particular usage pattern, you might be able to get much more if you cash your load under 10 hits where I do upwards of 30 on average) But that session is very pleasant and the high power heater is tamed down enough to feel usable for me (yet still shows surprising power...)
The cell datasheet says it charges in 15 minutes at 4A but that's not what I experienced, it was a bit more (I need to keep testing, forgot the figure but let's say under 30 min) So with two cells and a fast charger (a special one able to support LiFe cells though) you should be covered as long as you have access to a power outlet.
Conclusion? Interesting experiment but I wouldn't recommend it either if you are a heavy user. Or well unless you like to have a pocketful of cells with you everywhere you go or if you know you can plug in your charger all the time...
Copacetic
Somewhere North of The Wall
Thanks for filling us in on your battery experiment, and for the Nomad report.
I too am surprised that there's such little discussion among owners here, but hearing that yours is so good with flavour is exactly what I hope for with mine.
I think you and I must vape quite differently though, as you seem to get many more draws from a loaded stem than I do.
For instance, If I fill my usual Millana stem (which is a DIY wood stem with a chamber a little smaller than a conventional 18mm stem, but not as small as a 14mm) I can get about 5, maybe 6 draws before the flavour is unpleasant, and the herb is spent.
You seem to get far more than that.
How many of the draws you describe produce visible vapour?
KeroZen
Chronic vapaholic
I re-counted again the other day to be sure, and be it with the Zion or the Nomad I can get easily 30+ draws from a 0.12g load (my average but I'm between 100 and 150mg) and I get visible vapor exhale till the end.
What surprises me is that my hits feel huge compared to say what I got back then with my conduction vapes. But they have to be smaller than yours... the strange part is that I draw for about 10+ seconds like all of you guys seem to be doing. Or well, okay, nowhere like the elephants in there who claim to be able to draw for 30 seconds to one full minute through water (how do you manage to do that without your face turning blue is beyond me lol)
So either my material is different than yours (unlikely but who knows?) or you deem the load cashed way before I do? Or your hits are much larger, it's so hard to compare and quantify after-all. One thing is sure, I don't stop when the taste degrades. Maybe I learnt to like that taste from my conduction days? I remember @pakalolo saying he tended to push his loads much further than other people and actually enjoyed the ABV'ish taste and its fine nuances...
I know that there are still actives when the terpenes are gone. In fact I think that as long as it produces vapor, it's still potent. So maybe it's just that you stop early?
What surprises me is that my hits feel huge compared to say what I got back then with my conduction vapes. But they have to be smaller than yours... the strange part is that I draw for about 10+ seconds like all of you guys seem to be doing. Or well, okay, nowhere like the elephants in there who claim to be able to draw for 30 seconds to one full minute through water (how do you manage to do that without your face turning blue is beyond me lol)
So either my material is different than yours (unlikely but who knows?) or you deem the load cashed way before I do? Or your hits are much larger, it's so hard to compare and quantify after-all. One thing is sure, I don't stop when the taste degrades. Maybe I learnt to like that taste from my conduction days? I remember @pakalolo saying he tended to push his loads much further than other people and actually enjoyed the ABV'ish taste and its fine nuances...
I know that there are still actives when the terpenes are gone. In fact I think that as long as it produces vapor, it's still potent. So maybe it's just that you stop early?
Copacetic
Somewhere North of The Wall
Could be,
I do feel as though I keep going until I get no further effect though.
It wouldn't surprise me in the least if your material is far better than what I often get.
Beggars can't be choosers and all that.
Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely grateful for what I do get, but I can't expect the kind of frosty miracles I see so often on IG etc
I do feel as though I keep going until I get no further effect though.
It wouldn't surprise me in the least if your material is far better than what I often get.
Beggars can't be choosers and all that.
Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely grateful for what I do get, but I can't expect the kind of frosty miracles I see so often on IG etc
It's update time!
For everyone wondering, imgbb is my new favourite image hosting site for use with this forum. I like it even more than imgur.
Here are some eye candy shots of the buttons before they were capped with lenses, and also the process of finishing the bronze parts before they were joined up with the wood bodies.
@little maggie Your walnut body is pictured here.
Punching out lichens.
For everyone wondering, imgbb is my new favourite image hosting site for use with this forum. I like it even more than imgur.
Here are some eye candy shots of the buttons before they were capped with lenses, and also the process of finishing the bronze parts before they were joined up with the wood bodies.
@little maggie Your walnut body is pictured here.
Punching out lichens.
The bronze back track ready to be pressed into the inlay slot.
It's a nice snug fit with no gaps. This would be so much easier to just screw together, but a silver solder joint provides the best electrical connection, no worries about the connection point oxidizing in the far future.
I use a tiny punch and hammer to 'dimple' the bronze on either side of the joint. This smooshes (that's a technical term) the bronze and locks the joint so it doesn't move.
Notice the smoosh. This locking joint is the only way to perfectly align the two parts so that after soldering they go back into place exactly the same.
If this joint is too loose, it won't lock. So, each of the back tracks need to be milled to the perfect width to fit the slot. At this scale even a hair off would be too much.
With the joint firmly locked, I'm able to remove the bottom screws and take the bronze components off.
The backside of the joint, ready to be soldered.
Applying flux.
A successful joint!
After a clean up with baking soda and soap.
The leftover is rough sanded away flush. Once this surface is finish sanded the solder joint will completely
disappear.
The back of the joint is cleaned up with an abrasive wheel.
The back of the button plate is also finish sanded.
I use 3M Trizact abrasive belts to round over all of the edges and faces on the bronze. This is where I stop with the power sanding.
After semi-rough shaping on the belt sander, I need to go to finish sanding with sandpaper sticks.
After finish sanding the bronze I match it up with its wooden mate and begin to shape the rounded edges of the wood to match the bronze. I use a tiny plane for this, it's the fastest and easiest method I've found so far.
For all of these stages I am using a combination of a 1" belt sander, a soft 2" disc sander, hand files, and hand sanding. No one tool will do it all from start to finish, and getting to know the fastest combination has been quite the learning experience.
It's a nice snug fit with no gaps. This would be so much easier to just screw together, but a silver solder joint provides the best electrical connection, no worries about the connection point oxidizing in the far future.
I use a tiny punch and hammer to 'dimple' the bronze on either side of the joint. This smooshes (that's a technical term) the bronze and locks the joint so it doesn't move.
Notice the smoosh. This locking joint is the only way to perfectly align the two parts so that after soldering they go back into place exactly the same.
If this joint is too loose, it won't lock. So, each of the back tracks need to be milled to the perfect width to fit the slot. At this scale even a hair off would be too much.
With the joint firmly locked, I'm able to remove the bottom screws and take the bronze components off.
The backside of the joint, ready to be soldered.
Applying flux.
A successful joint!
After a clean up with baking soda and soap.
The leftover is rough sanded away flush. Once this surface is finish sanded the solder joint will completely
disappear.
The back of the joint is cleaned up with an abrasive wheel.
The back of the button plate is also finish sanded.
I use 3M Trizact abrasive belts to round over all of the edges and faces on the bronze. This is where I stop with the power sanding.
After semi-rough shaping on the belt sander, I need to go to finish sanding with sandpaper sticks.
After finish sanding the bronze I match it up with its wooden mate and begin to shape the rounded edges of the wood to match the bronze. I use a tiny plane for this, it's the fastest and easiest method I've found so far.
For all of these stages I am using a combination of a 1" belt sander, a soft 2" disc sander, hand files, and hand sanding. No one tool will do it all from start to finish, and getting to know the fastest combination has been quite the learning experience.
We are at final finishing!
With this batch I had a lot of very light coloured box elder. I noticed that my traditional beeswax + mineral oil finish really wasn't working with these woods.... it turned them too dark/yellow and looked slightly blotchy.
So, perfect excuse to up my wood finishing game. I experimented with all of the practical, food safe, wood finishes that I could get my hands on..... I've been wanting to do this for a long time now...
I narrowed it down to shellac, then experimented within that. And after far too much time invested into this tangent... I finally landed on a process that suited this type of work.
I'm using a blonde shellac in multiple thin layers. This is applied over the wood that's been hand sanded to 2000x and then "burnished" with a stiff nylon brush. The burnishing step polishes the wood fibers slightly and removes the fine sanding dust from the wood pores. These little extras turn out to be very important in the look of the final finish..... or maybe I've gone a bit mad with this finishing business...I don't know.
Compared to beeswax + mineral oil (my old wood finish), the shellac doesn't muddy or add any blotchyness to the wood. It preserves the natural colour much better, especially in the lighter woods. It gives much better moisture resistance, while still being totally breathable. And it brings out the grain just that little bit extra.
Usually shellac is an "on top" of the wood finish. But the unique way I'm applying it makes it an "in the wood" finish. So, when you handle the piece, it feels like wood.
Another important thing was that this method preserved the true grain texture of each different wood. A finish that is applied too thick will tend to start to fill in the grain, which I personally don't like the look of. This can make wood look more like plastic, nasty.
After drying, the shellac is hand buffed to a satin sheen, not too glossy...not too matte.. just natural.
Oh baby look at that cocobolo.
Box Elder Burl.
Notice how the shellac keeps all that glowy whiteness in-tact, yum.
Something about this box elder looks like light bouncing around in a creek.
Cherry. This is actually the first and only cherry body, and damn it looks nice! Has a very nice creamy quality to it...both in looks and feel.
The most subtle olive hue somewhere in there... The shellac preserves what other finishes would cover.
@little maggie walnut.
This is the fine grain texture I was talking about. Notice how crisp they are, without any buildup of finish. Even a soft paste wax will tend to clog the pores and cover this up.
This cocobolo is just sweet. The 'feel' of it is like silk.
The polished and blued screws.
With this batch I had a lot of very light coloured box elder. I noticed that my traditional beeswax + mineral oil finish really wasn't working with these woods.... it turned them too dark/yellow and looked slightly blotchy.
So, perfect excuse to up my wood finishing game. I experimented with all of the practical, food safe, wood finishes that I could get my hands on..... I've been wanting to do this for a long time now...
I narrowed it down to shellac, then experimented within that. And after far too much time invested into this tangent... I finally landed on a process that suited this type of work.
I'm using a blonde shellac in multiple thin layers. This is applied over the wood that's been hand sanded to 2000x and then "burnished" with a stiff nylon brush. The burnishing step polishes the wood fibers slightly and removes the fine sanding dust from the wood pores. These little extras turn out to be very important in the look of the final finish..... or maybe I've gone a bit mad with this finishing business...I don't know.
Compared to beeswax + mineral oil (my old wood finish), the shellac doesn't muddy or add any blotchyness to the wood. It preserves the natural colour much better, especially in the lighter woods. It gives much better moisture resistance, while still being totally breathable. And it brings out the grain just that little bit extra.
Usually shellac is an "on top" of the wood finish. But the unique way I'm applying it makes it an "in the wood" finish. So, when you handle the piece, it feels like wood.
Another important thing was that this method preserved the true grain texture of each different wood. A finish that is applied too thick will tend to start to fill in the grain, which I personally don't like the look of. This can make wood look more like plastic, nasty.
After drying, the shellac is hand buffed to a satin sheen, not too glossy...not too matte.. just natural.
Oh baby look at that cocobolo.
Box Elder Burl.
Notice how the shellac keeps all that glowy whiteness in-tact, yum.
Something about this box elder looks like light bouncing around in a creek.
Cherry. This is actually the first and only cherry body, and damn it looks nice! Has a very nice creamy quality to it...both in looks and feel.
The most subtle olive hue somewhere in there... The shellac preserves what other finishes would cover.
@little maggie walnut.
This is the fine grain texture I was talking about. Notice how crisp they are, without any buildup of finish. Even a soft paste wax will tend to clog the pores and cover this up.
This cocobolo is just sweet. The 'feel' of it is like silk.
The polished and blued screws.
superdang9000
Flameo Hotman!
..................I can't even begin to find the appropriate adjectives for your art, Dan. Your photography shots alone are worth the view, even if I was not #47. Its got to be really Winter for you up there, thank you very much for sharing these latest updates. I feel so fortunate to be a part of this vision!
Mr. Me2
Well-Known Member
Once again, OMG @Dan Morrison!!! With the beauty you’re creating, sounds like you’re really having fun!
And @little maggie, you’re sooooo lucky!
I LOVE this thread!!!
And @little maggie, you’re sooooo lucky!
I LOVE this thread!!!
^^ Thanks! 
It feels so good to post again on the forum, it's been a while... Not having imgur really put a dampener on my image posting abilities. Glad that's sorted!
@Copacetic I know eh... I don't get @kerozens technique either... It just goes to show how different everyone is with their vaping style.
Case in point, @KeroZen , I did test various airflow restrictions incorporated into the bottom plate of the Nomad, and it does regulate airflow more easily.... but personally I don't like the feel of the restriction. My personal style is to ramp up my draw speed near the end of a draw... and when I do... I don't want any restriction at all.
So, for me, I would need some sort of variable resistance aperture that I could adjust on the fly as I am taking a draw... seems tricky to do.
If you want to experiment with draw resistance, it's a simple task of covering the bottom hole with tape, and poking holes into the tape with a pencil. I know... it's not elegant.. but perhaps it could inform future design modifications that could help improve the performance. You're practically the official third party Nomad tester at this point,
It feels so good to post again on the forum, it's been a while... Not having imgur really put a dampener on my image posting abilities. Glad that's sorted! @Copacetic I know eh... I don't get @kerozens technique either...
It just goes to show how different everyone is with their vaping style. Case in point, @KeroZen , I did test various airflow restrictions incorporated into the bottom plate of the Nomad, and it does regulate airflow more easily.... but personally I don't like the feel of the restriction. My personal style is to ramp up my draw speed near the end of a draw... and when I do... I don't want any restriction at all.
So, for me, I would need some sort of variable resistance aperture that I could adjust on the fly as I am taking a draw... seems tricky to do.
If you want to experiment with draw resistance, it's a simple task of covering the bottom hole with tape, and poking holes into the tape with a pencil. I know... it's not elegant.. but perhaps it could inform future design modifications that could help improve the performance. You're practically the official third party Nomad tester at this point,
Copacetic
Somewhere North of The Wall
Holy freakin' MOLEY 
Beeeeeeautiful shots and work Dan.
I absolutely LOVE the attention to detail that you're employing, I can't get enough of this, stunning stuff.
The wood, the figuring in them and the finish you've developed all look really top drawer
I wonder if one of those box elders is mine
.
Your mini-plane is great too!
I have one around the same size, but unlike yours it's kinda trash, works ok though.
So pleased to see all these, very very happy to be in on the Nomad with all you other folk, YAY US!
Beeeeeeautiful shots and work Dan.
I absolutely LOVE the attention to detail that you're employing, I can't get enough of this, stunning stuff.
The wood, the figuring in them and the finish you've developed all look really top drawer
I wonder if one of those box elders is mine
.Your mini-plane is great too!
I have one around the same size, but unlike yours it's kinda trash, works ok though.
So pleased to see all these, very very happy to be in on the Nomad with all you other folk, YAY US!
Ramahs
Fucking Combustion (mostly) Since February 2017
Beautiful, @Dan Morrison
And, to those who were complaining about the break in updates, Are You Not Entertained?!?!
And, to those who were complaining about the break in updates, Are You Not Entertained?!?!
Last edited:
KeroZen
Chronic vapaholic
Still, we don't hear from the 24 other users much...
I'd like to know for instance if I'm really the only one wishing for slightly more restriction with my low power heater. I'd like to hear alternative techniques, experiences, appreciations, comparisons... Whether I'm crazy or not... wait, nevermind, I know the answer to that one!
I'd like to know for instance if I'm really the only one wishing for slightly more restriction with my low power heater. I'd like to hear alternative techniques, experiences, appreciations, comparisons... Whether I'm crazy or not... wait, nevermind, I know the answer to that one!
