Fancy water filter for vapor

[Progress]

SM (from VHW thread) - Progress - was hoping you could answer my question about the different percs and the benefits/drawbacks of each...Also, I edited my message above but the mushroom and dome perc look really similar. Can you see any difference?

Dome vs. Mushroom: Yes, there is a difference (the spelling JK ). Seriously, terminology varies everywhere (maybe a mushroom perc should be shaped more like the roof of a smurf house --unless it is the rarest of all mushroom percs, the cubensis ).

As far as the 'different benefits and drawbacks of different percs', that is VERY complicated. Basically, (IMO) what it comes down to is personal preferences for drag/flow/action/filtration/cooling/water-contact/concentration/dilution/etc. which is attached to their draw-speed/size-preference/temp-preference/heat-tolerance/herb-selection/etc.

I therefore extend this question to all who read this:

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE 'FANCY WATER FILTERS FOR VAPOR' ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
(why? what do you like about them? what do you use them with?...)

edit: I wanted to add some recent comments from the VHW thread because they directly answer some of the questions I posed above.

SA - My guess is the mushroom perc is pretty much the same design, but instead of walling/connecting the bottom of the 'dome', it's wide open. Usually dome percs have slits near the base, these 'slice' or split the smoke into smaller bubbles (resulting in more surface area). If you have any experience with mushrooms, the ones in the forest silly tongue, you'll recognize the similarity in the 'gills' this thing seems to have. It really does look like a mushroom.

I couldn't tell from the pic (http://www.fuckcombustion.com/viewtopic.php?pid=16870#p16870) but that would indeed be a difference from typical domes

SA - As far as the pros/cons on individual styles, I only have experience with tree and dome percs. When I smoked, they were a bitch to keep extremely clean. I've only tried them in conjunction (bong had 2 tree/2 dome) but the dome percs certainly cleaned a lot easier.

They can be tough to clean (as well as inlines, etc), but I find that filling them completely with salt (fine grain if necessary) and then adding the iso (blow salt solution up into hard to fill percs by blowing into the female)

SA - Can't comment on their individual drag and airflow

It is definitely difficult to isolate the performance of a perc when it is attached to another (the other night I used one that had melted strands of glass (which were wrapped, in coils around a small graphite dowel while being made--which was removed before cooling completely--to form a mesh of glass which was placed inside of the inline instead of the part that usually has slits or holes). It worked GREAT, but also had a Redwood Tree Perc--can't really determine how much each helped.

SA - I do think the wide open 'mushroom' style is the way to go if people are wanting percs for vaping. Too much diffusion could be a bad thing.

Everyone has different preferences. Mine is for a lot of manual cooling through the action (collisions/splitting of the bubbles) in a short time. If you picture a 3 mile bubble traveling up through the ocean (exaggerated analogy of course), the inside gasses will never touch the water and will retain a higher temperature than the outer shell of the bubble and not benefit from any particle filtration. Therefore, I feel it is necessary to break up bubbles repeatedly to have the most effective/even/thorough particle filtration/cooling. I am certain that a small degree of the vaporized material is lost in the water, so how far one wishes to take this is a personal matter (heat/ particle inhalation tolerance, etc. are factors in this decision as well). I feel that losses due to time/distance traveling through a device remove more of the vaporized material AND do not have the same benefits (even cooling/particle filtration) as the increased action does.

KC - honestly, dome percs are pretty draggy.

I agree that domes can be fairly 'draggy'. The reverberations of a large bubble escaping (like the down-stem of the de-verdamper, an old-skool JB piece and that giant vaporizer thing http://www.fuckcombustion.com/viewtopic.php?id=202 ) definitely contributes to drag (as well as dilution if the force carries over into a chamber that contains air and contributes to mixing). However, many dome percs are placed somewhere that the reverberation collides with some type of ceiling which absorbs the reverberation of the large bubble and contributes to the creation of many smaller ones (IMO. LUX, MediCali, PUR, etc. usually keep this in mind in their designs)

Again, all of these decisions (afaik) are based on personal preferences (some of which are listed in the pre-edit portion of this post--i.e. concentration/dilution, etc.). However, as may be apparent through the tip of this iceberg above (the range of available glassware being the iceberg itself), artists/engineers are working very hard to create a variety of pieces with constantly evolving technology to cater to the wide (and also evolving) range of vaporization/vaporizer-accessory preferences.

As you can see, this may be a topic with many conflicting opinions and perspectives. I look foreword to hearing them all (WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE 'FANCY WATER FILTERS FOR VAPOR' ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?--why?...what do you like about them?...what do you use them with?...). IMO, intrigue and innovation precipitate creation and evolution.

As always, toke it easy (with any fancy water filter you chose--or even none at all )

 

[stonemonkey55]

I'm getting spotty connection here in Taipei at best but first off, thank you Progress for carrying the ball on this one. Ever since your first post in the VHW thread about inlines, I've been trying to learn more and more about glass and all the different percs and diffs used. Just so I understand correctly, the diffuser is merely the downstem, and percs refer to inlines, domes, trees, etc etc...right?

I will give you my feed back on both the inline and the mushroom since these are the only two that I've used, I've used a PHX before, I remember it looking like a dome perc but it's too long ago for me to remember what it was like...

Inline - very quiet, very little drag and cooled off the vapor let's just say 10% (so that we can compare and contrast with the mushroom perc). Mine has 7 slits, so I don't know if having more will cool off the vapor even more but I have read that somewhere. All in all, I REALLY love what the inline does to the vapor experience.

Mushroom - more noisy, more drag, but even more cooling than the inline, I would say it cooled the vapor off 15% as compared to the inline. The drag was a drag, too much lung power for my tastes, some tinkering should be done to decrease the drag.

As I had mentioned on a previous thread, I've been vaping exclusively with ice and even moisturized vapor was irritating my throat. I can honestly say tthe percs did mellow out the vapor where I wasn't missing the ice as much anymore. I would say that the ice does a better job of cooling the vapor but the percs definitely aren't "just for show" or for the sake of having a sick glass piece, they really do have functional strengths. For someone like myself who has an ice maker but no ice crusher, this is a nice alternative when I don't want to bring out my blender to crush ice

Alright, off to Japan!

 

[Clear_Dome]

I'm in prosses to make them all LOL (at least it is my goal) .Yesterday I was bored and got free time so I decied to try to make an inline hash catcher (not as the sm55 one) , more similar to a inverted dome perc and to my big suprise DAMN I GOT IT ....I had to proove myself that I able to make in glass what was in my head ....fuckk I learn so much thing working on the S.A. piece that now I think I can built almost all I want (I talk about the constrution itself not color patern) ....I'll post pix of the result tonight and you'll see by your self LOL I was shocked LOL

 

[Progress]

SM - Just so I understand correctly, the diffuser is merely the downstem, and percs refer to inlines, domes, trees, etc etc...right?

Sorry, but 'no'. I feel badly, but miscommunication is common in this medium (the forum).

Afaik (and I feel confident that many of the 'kings' of the industry would agree), anything that diffuses the vapor (same as perculates vapor IMO) can be called either a diffuser (same as a perculator IMO). I feel that even objects that obstruct the pathway of the vapor act as (are?) diffusers/percs.

Someone else here also says something different that makes sense as well. He says "a perculator is something that moves a gas through a liquid and a diffuser splits the path with multiple perculators (i.e. trees/inlines/halos/etc.), obstruction (swiss perc/diffuser-beads/domes/mushrooms/etc.), or some other way, maybe? (?????).

IMO/IME, ACTION IS WHERE IT IS AT (insane action with little drag with no more space than necessary is my preference ) ACTION, ACTION, ACTION !

Enjoy Japan (If U like sushi... ).

 

[stonemonkey55]

Speaking of fancy water filters, I'm getting one of these bad boys made by StoneGlassWorks but instead of tree arms, there will be a ciculator/showerhead diffy in the first can and an inline in the second. Can't wait!!!!!

 

[WesWeed]

I think in terms of the downstem/diffuser/perc thing...

A diffuser is a device which splits the smoke into smaller bubbles, or somehow splits the airflow. If anyone's seen a honeycomb diffuser. (I'm too lazy to find a pic, but it's a flat, maybe 2-4mm tall piece of glass inside a bong, usually on a straight tube, that is shaped like very fine honeycomb and, when covered with water, forces the smoke apart into bubbles the size of the different sections, maybe 1.5 sq mm each).

So, the first diffuser (unless there's an ashcatcher with a diffuser) is in the downstem, and then there might be another diffuser (honeycomb) above it, and that's probably it as far as just diffusion goes. [Edit--I forgot diffuser beads.]

Percolators, on the other hand, are devices that pull smoke/vapor/whatever up and then down through water. This is true for dome percs, tree percs, mushroom percs...all the ones I've ever seen. I don't know about a halo perc or a circulator because I've never seen one.

Percs also diffuse the smoke/vapor. So a diffuser isn't (necessarily) a percolator, but a percolator is always a diffuser. And, if the ends of the tree percs are slitted, then you have a diffused percolator, which makes a lot more sense to me than saying a diffused diffuser.

 

[stonemonkey55]

Thanks for that description, it helps someone understand the difference between percs and diffys, much appreciated - the only question I have is, the perc in the VWT PerK has an upside down perc where the air is drawn in and thru the bottom, and is brought up through water. Would that technically make it a diff or a perc?

 

[stonemonkey55]

Thought I'd add a video here of my latest toy - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB282z7huTQ

 

[Durden]

That's a sick bubbler, couldn't find any that big and clean this weekend (that weren't over 500...), but I did find someone who could get me a SG tube. The disc diffused or gidcaps look very interesting, I'll probably get a single chamber stemless with one of those and some ice notches.

 

[NoSmoke]

Hey SM55 is it just me or do you have some funky gong VCB?? Is that new???

 

[Mark]

Someone mentioned a dome perk and mushroom perk are the same, but they are not. I don't know if this has been clarified but there you go.

Dome perk:

Mushroom perk:

Infact that first bong has both kind of percs.

 

[IAmKrazy2]

very cool glass featured.

im looking for something small 18mm that has a steady base or bottom. high quality but doesn't need to be a fancy show piece. dont even need a bowl, cause i'll use it vape only. should i go to the local headshop, or do you guys have some decent links? thanks.

 

[stinkmeaner]

very cool glass featured.

im looking for something small 18mm that has a steady base or bottom. high quality but doesn't need to be a fancy show piece. dont even need a bowl, cause i'll use it vape only. should i go to the local headshop, or do you guys have some decent links? thanks.

Ehle are great in my experience and I have been eyeballing Illadelph for a while now.

 

[SometimesY]

Y'all are making me think that my less-technologically-advanced bubblers are inferior and need to be augmented with new ones. That's ok...

As it happens, I'm traveling in KC and Lawrence, KS this month, though I hadn't even thought to try to hit up local head shops to see if there's interesting glass.

I saw someone mentioned KC, and after a quick look online I can see that there's stuff to be had in Lawrence, too. But what you guys are posting is in a different league. Anyone know of anything like that in eastern KS/KC,MO?

 

[Konrad_Zuse]

ok so instead of poluting the Vrip thec thread lets continu here to talk about complexe water filter , so here we go

diffuser = downstem with holes [url]http://s1d3.turboimagehost.com/t/1172649_PeleDiffuserBowl.jpg[/url]


arm or tree percolator = kind of octopus like this (this one is removable ...thanks ghost for tha beautiful piece of art LOLL )[url]http://s1d3.turboimagehost.com/t/1172658_tree_perc.jpg[/url]


disc or ring diffuser = this is a disc with holes that split a tube in 2 [url]http://s1d3.turboimagehost.com/t/1172739_disc_perc.jpg[/url]


swiss percolator = hummm a pix will do the job LOL[url]http://s1d3.turboimagehost.com/t/1172664_swiss_perc.jpg[/url]


inline percolator =[url]http://s1d3.turboimagehost.com/t/1172669_inlineperc.jpg[/url]


dome percolator =[url]http://s1d3.turboimagehost.com/t/1172670_dome.jpg[/url]

Halo percolator =
http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/5868/dscf0256vd5is1.jpg (thanks AofZ)

Mushroom percolator =
http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/6770/photo3dg2.jpg (thanks sm55)

I may be wrong on the name but I'm pretty sure i'm right

Sweet stuff . Yeah I guess we spammed the vrip tech page, but I must learn .

So the mushroom perc looks like a supped up dome perc. Is a swiss perc the same as a waffle? What's a halo perc, the link is broken?


Also so far I have Stonglass(Preston), Vertigo, and Sovereignty, any other good places to get glass from? So far Preston looks really good, but I would like other opinions too please .

 

[stevebeast]

halo perc is like a ring with holes on the bottom. think of it as a cross between trees and and an inline
a swiss perc is unique a waffle is more like a disc

 

[whosgottheherb]

Does Ice add moisture to your vapor? Like as much as water? I'd rather just use ice if I can cause the fucked suction on the bowl makes the weed bounce and unpack on my da buddha...

This is only on personal bowls also. If I pack it atleast 1/4 full, there is no problem.

 

[stevebeast]

the ice does add some moisture but not as good as water, it does a great job of cooling it down. you need to pull the whip to clear the tube or the water filling back into the downstem blows your bowl.

 

[whosgottheherb]

Yeah, I pull the tube... oh well. I'll just load more.

 

[Ash]

Does Ice add moisture to your vapor? Like as much as water? I'd rather just use ice if I can cause the fucked suction on the bowl makes the weed bounce and unpack on my da buddha...

This is only on personal bowls also. If I pack it atleast 1/4 full, there is no problem.

Are you using any diffusion? It sounds like your bong has a lot of "chug". If you're not, then just putting in a diffy downstem might help eliminate the bounce.

Or, are you vaping mexican herb? I know this jumping phenominon is common in mexican beans.

 

[whosgottheherb]

Well occasionally I do vape brown frown, however I always load 2-4x as much as normal... and with no "beans", so theres no problems there. I think the diffy could help out. I've been trying to find a short, metal tube that I can slip in the bowl so it has a smaller diameter. That way I could pack it a lot better with the same amount. btw, thanks for the tips guys!