Custom CARBLESS VapCap Ti stems

stardustsailor

Well-Known Member
Accessory Maker
Thanx everyone for your replies.
As soon as I'll get that lathe ,I've plenty of thing to make .

Have a pretty nice idea about a Ti Vong ,that wiil fit easily and provide adequate sealing ,
while being a pretty solid "tool " .
Two -three grooves right on the taper and two-three O-rings will do the trick !
But its going to be pricey also.
The stem has to be made out of a 14 mm solid Titanium rod and not from tube .



Cheers.
 

natural farmer

Well-Known Member
Thanx everyone for your replies.
As soon as I'll get that lathe ,I've plenty of thing to make .

Have a pretty nice idea about a Ti Vong ,that wiil fit easily and provide adequate sealing ,
while being a pretty solid "tool " .
Two -three grooves right on the taper and two-three O-rings will do the trick !
But its going to be pricey also.
The stem has to be made out of a 14 mm solid Titanium rod and not from tube .



Cheers.

A Ti VonG sounds great! So glad to see you take on this Ti accessory endeavour for our favourite vape! I doubt I will have a use for the VonG as I like my OV dry but count me in for a future Ti VC case and an elegant way to close the carb hole maybe? A half ring perhaps, that you can rotate as well to adjust airflow? :brow:
 

SuperD

Super
Dunno what to say ...


Beautiful -awesome -stunning !
But ain't Titanium.
My focus is 1000% only to Titanium ,at least for the moment.
But nevertheless ,any link for those ?


There's always timascus. I think it's just an anodizing method. Can't wait to pick up my stem. Plan to after the holidays lol.
 

stardustsailor

Well-Known Member
Accessory Maker
The so long awaited Titanium tubing has arrived.
There are five members on a waiting list and they are already informed.
Still ,all of you 'll have to excuse me ,
but something came up at my job and I'll have to be away from home for 4-5 days.
So ,I will start making the orders at coming Wednesday or Thursday.

Cheers.
 

Prolusio

Well-Known Member
Man.. you gotta stop teasing me with these viridian vixens @stardustsailor. I really like the length of the band by the MP, seems like you got the proportions right.

Alright so I recieved my stems quuuite a while ago now.. My order was for a 63-BRK-02 and 80-STN-08. But due to a long and uninteresting tale I have not been able to post about them until now. So here is my review!

As always Prolusio posts are long so strap in OR,

TL : DR Have you seen the pics? Do you use/love vapcaps? Get one of these stems, you will not be disappointed.



Let me start off by saying @stardustsailor is excellent to work with. Response was immediate and he started work on my order just as quickly. Contacted Thursday and he had my stems finished over the weekend, shipped start of the following week. Can't ask for more!

Everything about the process was clear due to his numbering system; I was able to describe what I wanted with a single line. It's sometimes tricky trying to describe what you want with custom orders, but that naming system takes a lot of the confusion out.

SDS sent me pictures of the stems and made sure the finish and colour came out to my liking, before accepting any payment. The hue of the BRK came out between two shades, an 02/03. Nothing wrong with it, I actually think it looks even better than the original shade I had imagined.. but SDS is such a perfectionist that "almost" was not good enough. He sent me several pictures of the stem and made it clear what I was looking at because it's hard to translate into an image. @stardustsailor really wants the item you get to be the one you wanted, no shenanigans here! He also included some brown O-rings because he thought it would look sharp with my infra pink 08 stem.

Package arrived very quickly, like well over a month ago :lol:. No customs either! Each stem was wrapped securely shipped in a small padded envelope.

The stems themselves are fantastic, stunning and most importantly exactly as described :).

I am absolutely thrilled with the colour of the infra pink stem. Pink is one of those colours that can easily look tacky but the anodizing of my stem has golden hues that make it feel full and rich. More like a stunning gem than cheap coating.

What I wanted from the 80STN08 was to a stem that stands out with a bright metallic shine, but isn't too slippery. My main use for this stem is to keep on me when working in the snow. I wanted something with a finish that grips so it won't fall out of frozen fingers, and I wanted it bright so I can find it easily when it slips out anyway :lol:. This stem accomplishes all of this perfectly.

The 63BRK02/03 stem is really, really hard to describe. Sitting on the table it looks plain and unassuming, its hue a dark antique bronze, almost brown. A fragment of an ancient tree.. but the second you pick it up the light hits the peaks and valleys of the BRK texture so that it practically becomes an optical illusion!

The bronze/brown quickly fades to a more coppery/purple undertone as the gleaming dark grey/silver of Ti shines through overtaking everything else.. as you turn it further the light fades to an almost purple hue. Depending on the light and angle the stem can look just like textured Ti, or slightly lavender purple Ti, or deep antique brown; and it blends between each hue as you move it. It really is impressive how the blended anodizing turns out. It's just like owning a unique wooden piece that's grain only becomes more appealing the more you handle it. But because it requires handling to really get the full scope of it's spectrum, it's also pretty classy! I think. Doesn't look ostentatious from a distance at all. Which was my main goal for this piece.

I was a little surpised to find the BRK finish wasn't much grippier than the STN.. STN might be better in that respect actually! Not an issue at all just an observation that was interesting to me.

The Ti material itself is very nice quality. Or it feels like it at least! I dunno how to test or grade Ti, but it is extremely lightweight and strong. I really like the feel of this tubing. Especially the MP end! When I first got the stems I was worried the tapered MP end might be too thin/sharp but it did not feel this way to me. Makes it clear which side to put the tip on.

My tips fit perfectly in both stems. The fit is very similar to the M. It's easy to swap the tip but it also holds very securely with no wobble or worry it'll come loose. I think the ID is pretty near perfect. I was pleased to see the insides of the tubing were clean and smooth as well.. one thing I dislike about Dynavap is the occasional black manufacturing residue left behind at times. I think my stems were ready to go out of the box! But I gave them a seemingly unnecessary wipe regardless.

One thing I've been enjoying a lot is using them outside I get super cool hits from how well the Ti stems conduct heat. I took the condenser out because it's not really necessary IMO with this carbless construction, so all that vapour spreads out and hits the cold TI walls.. Mmm, smooooth. Very pleasant during this snowy winter!

In summary I am very pleased with every aspect of my transaction with @stardustsailor. He worked really hard, and quickly, to create something unique for me according to my specifications. The product I recieved has met/exceeded all of my expectations. His craftsmanship is excellent, These stems would make an excellent gift for any vapcap enthusiast (or in my case makes a really unique piece to add to an ever expanding collection :D)

I had one suggestion for improving the stems which was to make a more defined MP region, SDS's take on the M taper.. But SDS had already thought of that! Before I even suggested it he's already turning out a new banded design that incorporates that feature. :tup::clap: Super excited to get my hands on the new style some day.

Oh and here's some pics!
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EmsNul9.jpg


This one you can really see the golden hue on the edge of the pink stem
apU5bhn.jpg


Brown
z0btnys.jpg


Not so Brown
TePBQ7X.jpg


I dunno really hard to get the full scope of the BRK in pics.

Anyway, thanks for reading! And thanks to @stardustsailor for their excellent work and impeccable service. I look forward to following your projects, and to snagging a green stem someday :D.
 
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DirtyD

Well-Known Member
Two more " Bandid " stems.

The one has a bark texture band and is not anodised and the other
has a lime -green anodised hammered texture band.
Both are standard 62 mm length stems.





Cheers.
Tasty & juicy review !

Thank you ,for awarding me in such manner .
:)
Love the bands. Stunning. So stoked to be getting soon my second carbless ti stem! :tup::nod::clap:
 

stardustsailor

Well-Known Member
Accessory Maker
I was a little surpised to find the BRK finish wasn't much grippier than the STN.. STN might be better in that respect actually! Not an issue at all just an observation that was interesting to me.
Yes,actually it's the thicker oxide layer of the pink hue that causes that.
The pink stem feels less "metallic" than the bronze one ,right ?

The Ti material itself is very nice quality. Or it feels like it at least! I dunno how to test or grade Ti, but it is extremely lightweight and strong. I really like the feel of this tubing. Especially the MP end! When I first got the stems I was worried the tapered MP end might be too thin/sharp but it did not feel this way to me. Makes it clear which side to put the tip on.
I've read that the more easily the hue vibrance is achieved ,while anodising ,
the more pure the Titanium.Since this is Grade 2 (almost pure Ti ) and taking under consideration that the hues achieved are quite vibrant and I can go up to lime-green or even to 3rd order pink ,then I would
say that the Ti tubing used is of very high quality .I'm almost certain that it is.
Metal burrs ,also,burn with strong white flame ,as supposed to do .;)

One thing I've been enjoying a lot is using them outside I get super cool hits from how well the Ti stems conduct heat. I took the condenser out because it's not really necessary IMO with this carbless construction, so all that vapour spreads out and hits the cold TI walls.. Mmm, smooooth. Very pleasant during this snowy winter!

Well,I wanted to ask you about that :
What do you think of the carbless vapcaping ?
Did the high restriction bothered you ?
Or the mouth-pulls " came naturally " ?
How about vapor producing and final effect ?

Cheers.
:leaf:
 
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Diggy Smalls

Notorious
Just wow. I'm loving the banded stems! They look fantastic! And holy crap look at that colored tip! What does the anodized tip look like after it's been used? The bark texture looks very nice...hell they all look nice. Someday I'll have all the custom stems I want!
 

stardustsailor

Well-Known Member
Accessory Maker
Tomorrow ,I'm going on a business trip with my boss.
He has asked me for a carbless Ti stem for his M ,long ago.
He did not want any anodising .
Hope he likes it.









It's a variation of the Bark Bandid.With some additional stripes.

Cheers.
 

stardustsailor

Well-Known Member
Accessory Maker
A ) Stems : metal vs mineral/organic and length .
- Stems made out of Titanium (or stainless steel ,copper,bronze,etc) do absorb more
heat from vapor than stems made out of wood,carbon fiber,acrylic/PMMA,bone,horn,etc.
Thus,the vapor is somewhat cooler.
- The XL (79 mm) stems provide cooler vapor than the standard length (62 mm) stems.

B ) Toking : Mouthpulling vs lung inhaling
- Mouthpulls are creating a negative pressure only inside the mouth cavity ,with
the utilisation of facial muscles (mainly the cheeks ) .The range of muscle movement is quite
limited ,but the negative pressure created by mouthpulls is quite big.
My own longest mouthpull is not more than 2-3 seconds.
Smoking a cigarette,sucking liquids from a straw/tube are two examples of mouthpull utilisation.
The vapor stays for a while in the mouth cavity before it gets inhaled from the lungs.
Thus,it cools and gets filtered also.Using a carbless stem on a VapCap is the same as operating
the VC with the carb hole fully closed.So,mouthpulls is the only way to go ,at this case.

-Lung inhaling is creating a negative pressure almost
throughout the whole human respiratory apparatus.
The diaphragm and the sternum muscles are utilised.
The range of muscle movement is rather large,
but the negative pressure created by lung inhalling is quite limited.
Duration of toke can go up to 10 seconds ,
with some individuals being able to extend this limit even further.
Deep breathing ,feeling the lungs before a dive,toking from a whip /balloon are some examples.
As it is understood and probably well experienced ,any draw restriction at this case
will only cause discomfort .


C ) 4th gen / 7 fin Ti tip vs 5th gen / 5 fin Ti tip : A personal experience

The new Ti tip ( 5th gen ) has 20% less mass than the 4th gen tip.
That means that it has 20% less thermal capacitance ,also.
In practice the 5th gen tip is 20% faster than the 4th gen tip.
Quite small difference ,but with the use of different length Ti stems ,
it kinda makes a "statement" to a keen and experienced VC user.

4th gen Ti tip + 62 mm standard length stem : Quite a lot of vapor production,
with full "body" vapor .Somewhat hot also,with the aroma & taste being subdued.

4th gen Ti tip + 79 mm XL length stem : A perfect combination !
Lots of vapor production ,the body of the vapor is there,the taste & aroma also there
and the temperature of the vapor is just as it has to be.

5th gen Ti tip + 62 mm standard length stem : It's my second favourite option.
It's like the above combo,just with a bit more taste & aroma somewhat,but the vapor
also being a bit hotter with less body .

5th gen Ti tip + 79 mm XL length stem : A good combo for resin,oil,wax ,etc.
With this combo ,going a bit past the click will quickly increase the chamber temperature
to the extraction point ,but also will quickly start decreasing thus not allowing for mishappens.
The vapor is quite cool ,at least for the high temps involved .
Reminds of dabbing.
If used with herb ,this combo is the best option for aroma & taste (respecting the click ,this time),but the vapor lacks a heavy body .Very cool and aromatic vapor ,but rather " light bodied ".
Ideal for those with sensitive respiratory system.

bofc.png
 
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Diggy Smalls

Notorious
I definitely want an xl stem from you when I get another cap. I actually use the vapcap carbless with lung pulls. Granted, it's normally through water, but if I go dry I just suck long and slow. The extra bands look nice...I believe some people were thinking the banded stems were segmented with different materials, which just goes to show you how awesome the stems look. They really do look segmented!
 

stardustsailor

Well-Known Member
Accessory Maker
I;m having some issues with anodising .Thus the hues are a bit off.

The following stem is made for member #1 on the waiting list .







#1 wanted a blue hue ,but this time I was unable to achieve the 3rd order blue.
Actual hue is a bluish green.
 

stardustsailor

Well-Known Member
Accessory Maker
I did not like at all the washed off -mixed hues of the #1 stem.
:mad::cuss::shit::bang::rant:
Member #1 said stem is ok .But I still did not like the hue.Too messy.
I can't deliver such stem .No way.:disgust:

So ,I took drastic measures.Polish off the old anodising and anodise the stem again ....
:science:

Hue is a nice gun-blue or rather light cobalt blue .Under sunlight it becomes grey-blue.
Where the old hue was unable to be polished -off ,it remained as is (green-yellow ) .
Rotating the stem is quite psycedelic to watch ! ;)
Now,I'm pretty happy with the result !
Very nice anodising combo there !
It's like holding some sort of an..alien thingy ...
A real Anunnaki VapCap stem !!!:haw:

The lime-green -yellow do not show at all angles that vibrant.
Rotating the stem ,is amazing.
Both grip-wise and visual -wise .
The green-lime-yellow seems to be radiating out of the cobalt blue stem!
Pics do not do justice.In real life it's really awesome!







Now,I can take one of the following actions ,dear member #1-on-the-waiting-list :

1 ) leave it as is and send it to you
2 ) polish the two stripes /notches/band borders
3 ) polish only the mouthpiece end
4 ) polish only the tip end
5 ) polish both the tip and mp ends

(*
" polish " : take off the anodising / bring back the metal shine )

pm me an option ,please.
Cheers.
 
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Drexciya

Homage to the Deepsea Dwellers
I'm thinking about a pink one for my wife :-) it's a great way of getting one of your stems without getting the "Oh you really needed something like that ;)"kind of remarks. Yep, I am going to think about it a little more and then I'm going to make a decision.

I would personally love something like the last one. Even on the screen it looks great. it must be even better in real life.
 

stardustsailor

Well-Known Member
Accessory Maker
Got really exausted today ...
:ugh::zzz:

But things are rollin' ...

From top to bottom :
- My own Xl stem .
- Revisited stem of member #3 .More pics of this ,tomorrow under natural daylight.
-My boss gave his stem to his wife for her M.And she wanted it pink !
-But boss wanted a new one ...Anodised " Ultra Violet / Cobalt Blue (by luck ! ).
-Last is a standard one ,also belonging to my personal collection.Pinkish gold the hue .





Cheers.
 
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