Arizer Solo

[Vaped Ape]

I mentioned this several pages back but got no response. The snug fitting stem is nice in that it won't fall out when the Solo is turned upside down nor will it spin easily. The looser stems draw better though. What if one or two very slight notches were cut into the side of the alum cap hole, a serration if you will. The stem could stay tight and still allow for draw around stem. Starting with one notch and progressing to the ultimate number/size equidistant apart. Yes you could just enlarge the existing holes in the cap but this plan would put the draw right down the side of the stem into the chamber. A shorter path.

Another thing that could be tried would be to remove the rubber chamber plug and that will free up another vent hole. If you felt like you needed that rubber plug it would be easy to mark and drill a new hole for it.

Who wants to go first ? Wonder if Arizer would cough up a cap for trial?

Da Ape

 

[GoGlass]

Da Ape, i see that you are thinking much....like me !

I love the snug stem also, and in my quest for a stem with a bigger bowl, i have already
ordered a stem at my glassblower with :
-1) Tight stem, so it cant fall out
-2) Bigger bowl
-3) 8 holes all around the stem for the airflow, and maybe i hope, also for better
vaporizing of my new (bigger) bowl...

Effectively, i had not thought about notches..... maybe 8 holes will be too much?
I will have this stem at the beginning of October, cause i'm not at home actually.
But yes, if Arizer can make this kind of stems, it will be nice.

 

[dorkus_molorkus]

@goglass- any chance the next time you are speaking to your glass blower friend that you could ask about a
cloud like tube/waterpipe that could sit on top of the solo ala cloud? Shouldnt need to be anything too elaborate, just a proof of concept type of thing.

Now that would be the shit!

@ da Ape- only have 2 screens & being stainless, my scissors arent quite up to the job. the tobacconist is open all the time, but the guy I need to speak to is a bit hard to track down and the screens are not part of their normal stock. But yes, the second i can get more screens, the 1st thing i will do is cut a few down & experiment.

 

[smokecity]

Just received this update from Arizer regarding the new stainless steel replacement solos...


Hello,

Thank you for your email. The new units have just arrived and we are working hard to get all replacement units shipped as quickly as possible. I will email you again soon with your shipment information.

Best Regards,
Kevin
Arizer Tech
service@arizer.com


Should be shipping anyday now.

 

[Vaped Ape]

All this experimenting with screens could also be done with cheapy brass screens too. Once the g-spot is discovered then go to stainless or like I said see if Arizer will jump on board and produce the rimed ones.

Da Ape

 

[dorkus_molorkus]

the screens I am using can be found here.

Dome screens

Just got about 20 of them. I am going to introduce them to my grinder to change the size & see what happens.

stay tuned.

 

[OhTheAgony]

Vaped Ape, I pulled the Silicon plug off weeks ago because I never used it and it got in the way at times. If you do it careful it won't damage and you can put it back whenever you want to. Just screw the cap off end press from the other side while you're pulling at the same time.

It doesn't make any difference though, I even doubt if the holes in the cap do much for the airflow at all. It looks more like the air just gets sucked in through the big hole along the glass stem. I should try blocking all holes with something just to try but I'm not sure with what. I did use my Solo without the cap entirely though, for a few weeks when I only had a glass stem that was so think that it wouldn't fit otherwise. I also noticed no difference then.

I have only loose stems now btw, but I preferred the tighter one I broke in the beginning. My current ones move a lot and I'm not entirely sure, but it feels like there's a little to much airflow with the loose ones.

 

[Vaped Ape]

@GoGlass

"Effectively, i had not thought about notches..... maybe 8 holes will be too much?

I would start with small incremental increases in air path as you can't go backwards very well. Now we are talking two things here. 1) Increasing the flow to improve the draw on the existing stem and
then 2) applying the same percent of increase to a larger bowl stem. Two separate experiments. Also not sure the chamber itself can keep up with the increase in airflow without dropping too many lights on a hard draw. That is why I say it would be nice if someone could get their hands on a spare cap to experiment with. Arizer has all these returned Solo's so I bet they may be open to some well intended re-engineering. My guess is they have already done their own experimenting to some degree.

An easy way to increase flow a hair would be to take a very small rectangle shaped rat tail file, turn it on edge and file a V no more than 2 notches where the cap meets the stem...just a bit.


@OhTheAgony

You could run a bead of silicone caulking around the exterior of the cap vent holes and let it set up over night to do your experiment. Then just pull it back off if it doesn't work. Taping them shut would not stand much heat but you might try that first too. But this is just to see how much the vents effect flow. You can't take holes away and then add holes near the stem I wouldn't think.


This flow issue is a bit like the radiator on a car. Running a car without a thermostat will usually run hot because the water is not going through the radiator slow enough for the radiator to do it's thing, which is to pull heat out of the water.

Too fast on the air path = impaired vapor.

Da Ape

 

[max]

Too fast on the air path = impaired vapor.

Getting good vapor isn't just about draw speed, it's about the combination of draw and temp. And how well a vape can maintain temp is also a factor. When you're depending on the heating element alone, then draw speed is much more critical. If the vape has a heat exchanger/thermal mass, then draw speed is less of a factor. The log vapes do well with a hard draw, and the Cloud can deliver a huge amount of vapor and doesn't blink with a hard draw.

 

[u bwade wunner]

 

[OhTheAgony]

I tried just holding them closed with my fingers yesterday, but I already should have known it wouldn't make a difference after I've been using my Solo without a cap as well as explained in my previous post. I think you're on a dead end here Ape. Imo the airflow is controlled by the two holes in the glass stem itself. Even when I just made them a little bit bigger I was already loosing 2 or 3 lights on the heat indicator in a good draw and I got much thinner vapor. Play around if you feel like it, but don't I think it will be easy to change the airflow in way that it would be an improvement.

 

[Egzoset]

Maybe if the heat source were halogen then it would favour implementing a larger airflow without degrading its quality too much, all the sudden.

 

[VapeNStone]

Da Ape, i see that you are thinking much....like me !

I love the snug stem also, and in my quest for a stem with a bigger bowl, i have already
ordered a stem at my glassblower with :
-1) Tight stem, so it cant fall out
-2) Bigger bowl
-3) 8 holes all around the stem for the airflow, and maybe i hope, also for better
vaporizing of my new (bigger) bowl...

Effectively, i had not thought about notches..... maybe 8 holes will be too much?
I will have this stem at the beginning of October, cause i'm not at home actually.
But yes, if Arizer can make this kind of stems, it will be nice.

If it does infact work I would like to discuss with you about him making more. Could start a little side business lol. But really, if it works I want one!

 

[Vaped Ape]

^^^^^OhTheAgony

"I even doubt if the holes in the cap do much for the airflow at all. It looks more like the air just gets sucked in through the big hole along the glass stem."

Experiment with a cold solo: I have taped the vent holes in the cap with tape. I then draw on stem and simultaneously remove the tape and you will notice an increase in draw. I felt certain the vents holes contributed to the draw before I began. To date I know of no one on FC that has increased the size of the vent holes themselves. Some members have been able to move back and forth between tight stems and loose.

Members with tight stems. Try this with a cold Solo and a clean stem. Seat the stem and begin your draw. Now while still steadily drawing,lift the stem a few thousands of an inch from it's seated position in the bottom of the chamber. You will feel a measurable increase in draw.

The biggest restriction is where the stem meets the floor of the chamber. It has been established here in earlier pages that loose stems draw better and I take that at face value. The draw around the glass stem feeds the floor chamber in the most direct route and is a very critical component of the total draw IMO as you have also alluded to. As I have said, all my stems are snug but even the snuggest of stems can be rocked back and forth and raised a bit to increase draw and resulting cloud (still not convinced that it takes big clouds to get stoned).

I agree too that the 2 holes in the stem create a bottle neck that is critical for overall performance. The vent holes in the cap also serve as a way of metering the air that gets to the floor of the chamber. Where the stem meets the floor of the chamber meters the air flow to the herb and the 2 holes in the stem further meters the air that gets to your lungs.

Enlarging only the holes in the stem will not allow the drawn air to "backup" in the chamber and extract the resins in an effective way. What is most important is that the draw must not overpower the heating element and you alluded to that too in the dropping of lights. I see no way that increasing air flow can be effective without necessitating the need to bump up a light or two on the unit from the stock Solo personally preferred setting.

The experimenting with the Solo is far from over IMO. I am skeptical about a great deal of improvement with air flow but I also believe that in its current state that it a bit short of optimum. Further, I believe that the optimum flow rate may only call for as little as a 5-10% increase in flow.

Having said all this I wouldn't be surprised if the stainless chamber thermally performs differently than the first version. We can only wait and tell with side by side comparison to find out if it is better,worse, or the same.

OhTheAgony, I think all this is really a fun challenge for me and I personally would be ok if no improvements are found in the draw because my style is a slow draw on low heat. Through experimenting and exchange of ideas Dorkus has found some performance gains in the bowl area and this is encouraging.

Da Ape

 

[VapeNStone]

Ok guys and gals. I finally got around to take some pics of my domed screen on my solo. I just have normal sized SS screens that I cut to size. I got a good dome without sacrificing much bowl space.

Oh and me and the solo are going to have a blast tonight!!!!!!!

 

[VapeNStone]

@ Vaped Ape

This is exactly what I do with my Da buddha. I like a fast easy draw. So I crank the heat full blast and just draw really fast. I can get huge cloud hits in seconds! I was hoping to increase flow in the solo and do this as well. I would just then turn it from 5 to 7 and run it there with the increased flow.

 

[Vaped Ape]

VapeNstone

This is about the degree of dome I had envisioned. Now if we could get a rimmed version from Arizer this would make the screen consistent among users and would hold shape when pulled out for cleaning.

Da Ape

 

[GoGlass]

@dorkus_molorkus : i have never thought about this crazy idea, but it's really interesting.
But do you think about a piece who is doing stem AND Water filtration , like a kind of hydratube,
but with the herb inside, at the bottom ? Or Two pieces elements ?
Yep may be possible, but i think it will be expensive (very long time to make it), but also very convenient....! I'm gonna ask him and we will see...
For know i'am very happy with my custom Solo stem (see my previous post) with Glass On Glass standard 14,4mm attachment. I can now use my solo with the vast majority of glass bongs/pipes/and other Water filtration systems...

@Da Ape : you have condensate all the 66 pages of this Topic and have done a great post! A must read for all users and for understanding the Solo! I think also it should exists some ways to have a (little) better airflow, with higher temps, but that's meaning less battery, and personnaly the draw of the Solo is ok ! ...so not so interesting IMO ....

 

[Vaped Ape]

VapeNStone

I'm only about six hours south of you so if you could hold up on vaping that chunk til I get there we could do some collective research. I'll vape it for you and you take notes.

Da Ape

 

[dorkus_molorkus]

@ goglass- i was thinking 2 piece, one with the stem & GonG attachment (probaly just like the one you had made, just really short.) Then a tube could fit the male GonG joint similar to the cloud without the need to invert the solo or tube to load it.

Then just imagine a smaller hydratube than whats on the cloud, I would want a carb hole to negate the need to seperate the tube & the vape to clear the tube.

I wish I knew a glass blower here. I reckon it would be a really interesting project. Just for shits and giggles.

 

[VapeNStone]

VapeNStone

I'm only about six hours south of you so if you could hold up on vaping that chunk til I get there we could do some collective research. I'll vape it for you and you take notes.

Da Ape

lol. Your going to really shit when I tell you that I got that whole chunk for free!!

 

[Vaped Ape]

Yes that's usually the best kind.

Da Ape

 

[McNerdius]

This is too weird. Some kinda backwards deja vu. I wasn't gonna say anything, but after seeing your pic, VapeNStone, which, is identical in configuration to mine, albeit a much better-quality photo, i figured i'd put it out there:

Was my picture so shitty that no-one quite knew what the hell was going on, or did the Uber-Dome that dorkus is using just grab people's attention ? Cuz not a single person said jack about the dome screen concept i posted over a week ago... Y'all had me thinkin i was some kind of whacko eccentric oddball freak ! lol...

 

[VapeNStone]

lol. I think I seen that picture but didn't know what the hell I was looking at.

 

[McNerdius]

lol. I think I seen that picture but didn't know what the hell I was looking at.

I need to either

A) make a poster reminding myself how to use my camera's manual focus [its easy to do, but easy to forget, and hard to re-figure-out]

or B) get a new camera.

Probably neither will happen.