What materials are considered safe to be used as a heating element?

[rokinsokin]

Hello there! I'm designing a vaporizer and wanted some opinions from more experienced builders. Below is the list of materials I feel comfortable using at vaporization temperatures.

• 316l Stainless Steel
• Ceramic
• Glass
• PURE Brass
• Quartz?
• 304 Stainless Steel?

Am I mistaken on any of these materials, or did I forget any materials? Thanks

 

[Hippie]

Welcome aboard

Halogen bulbs are a great place to start as the element itself is encased in a glass bubble and fittings are readily available.

A few others I've tried
Heater cartridges
Soldering iron elements
Ohmite resistors
Nichrome, Kanthal, SS ... ecig wire or mesh

 

[KeroZen]

Brass can be of concern.

Ceramic is too vague of a term, some are very porous, you'd have to know the exact composition which is pretty hard when it comes from Asia. Glazed ceramic is definitely better, you want the surface as close to glass as possible.

For steels the jury is still out. But SS cookware does release some chromium for instance. People with Nickel allergy can have problems with it. There are alloys with less or no Nickel content though like SS430, but usually it comes at the cost of less corrosion resistance, so it depends on the type of application (heater element, vapor path, stem?)

There is some lead in some types of glass but it's unclear whether it's perfectly trapped or if it can leach out.

 

[Hippie Dickie]

materials: borosilicate glass tube for heater oven, nichrome 80 ribbon for heater, thin stainless steel sheet for heat shield. airflow is entirely within glass.

 

[GetLeft]

Hey everyone, NewFC has opened a materials thread where the always relevant discussion of material safety can be focused. It's under the medical discussion. Spread the word if you run across simliar conversations. It will be valuable to have a common place to discuss these issues and others related to them. Thx

 

[Chemdog]

Speaking of halogen bulbs..
I remember seeing a vape that had a light bulb swing over the bowl to "vaporize" the herb.
No idea if it was a diy or on market.
It was years ago.