TommyDee
Vaporitor
Okay guys and gals, this is my first shot at an official tree to make stems from. These require a little seasoning like any good tobacco pipe. I chose Rosewood as this is a common tobacco pipe material.
The finish is "optional". I protected the wood with Shellac on the exterior of the stem. Shellac is a food-safe all natural finish which uses alcohol as a thinner. If you drink hard alcohol or get wild with ISO, this finish will be affected. However, it can be removed easily by wiping it with a cloth damp with alcohol. This allows the owner to use whatever finish is preferred including simple wax to any elaborate process desired. Basically, if you hurt it, you can fix it.
Please note that because I offer the option to finish this to your liking, I have put no wax on the stem either. Oils and wax make refinishing more difficult. Consider the Shellac a basic protective coating sufficient to weather our use-case with the exception of contact with alcohol.
Wood is a great natural insulator. The interior of the stem will eventually get a good seasoning of vape resins sealing the remaining unprotected wood surfaces. Until such time, you might get a flavor coloring of a wood shop. I am sorry that I can't seal that up for you up front. This becomes a very personal undertaking.
Please note that wood stems without liners are somewhat sensitive to splitting in case the tip's o-rings roll out of their grooves. Some tips are worse than other. Never force a tip into a wooden stem. I always promote twisting the tip in and making sure things are not too sticky.
Cleaning the bore of the wooden stems is easily done using a Shish Kabob skewer (the thin ones) to push out any access vape oils. Combustion events are managed similarly. Very little maintenance is required in this regard.
Who wants to be the first to try one of these long-stems? It won't be the last one I make but I'd like some feedback before resuming more turns.
First commitment with a pledge of understanding the above limitations of unlined wooden stems is welcome to this fine specimen at an introductory price.
Thank you for looking.
The finish is "optional". I protected the wood with Shellac on the exterior of the stem. Shellac is a food-safe all natural finish which uses alcohol as a thinner. If you drink hard alcohol or get wild with ISO, this finish will be affected. However, it can be removed easily by wiping it with a cloth damp with alcohol. This allows the owner to use whatever finish is preferred including simple wax to any elaborate process desired. Basically, if you hurt it, you can fix it.
Please note that because I offer the option to finish this to your liking, I have put no wax on the stem either. Oils and wax make refinishing more difficult. Consider the Shellac a basic protective coating sufficient to weather our use-case with the exception of contact with alcohol.
Wood is a great natural insulator. The interior of the stem will eventually get a good seasoning of vape resins sealing the remaining unprotected wood surfaces. Until such time, you might get a flavor coloring of a wood shop. I am sorry that I can't seal that up for you up front. This becomes a very personal undertaking.
Please note that wood stems without liners are somewhat sensitive to splitting in case the tip's o-rings roll out of their grooves. Some tips are worse than other. Never force a tip into a wooden stem. I always promote twisting the tip in and making sure things are not too sticky.
Cleaning the bore of the wooden stems is easily done using a Shish Kabob skewer (the thin ones) to push out any access vape oils. Combustion events are managed similarly. Very little maintenance is required in this regard.
Who wants to be the first to try one of these long-stems? It won't be the last one I make but I'd like some feedback before resuming more turns.
First commitment with a pledge of understanding the above limitations of unlined wooden stems is welcome to this fine specimen at an introductory price.
Thank you for looking.