Discontinued herbalAire

[onigiri1692]

Thanks a lot for doing us all a service. How is the tetra compared to the stock pump? I'll be waiting for your review of the 700 before I do anything.

Well the stock pump I have is different (and crapier) then the pump they have been selling with the HA for the past few years, so I can only really comment on the Tetra. I can say that the stock pump I have is so crappy, and fills bags so slowly that I have not used it since day 1 of vaping with my HA.


The Tetra60 is pretty good, although louder then I would like, it fills a reynolds turkey oven bag in 4 minutes (picture for size reference below).

And just for the hell of it (and because I took a picture of it), a side by side comparison of the Tetra60 and JW Fusion 500:

 

[darkrom]

Thanks. That is one hell of a bag. Might have to check those out. Anything special to look for when choosing oven bags safe for a vape?

 

[onigiri1692]

Thanks. That is one hell of a bag. Might have to check those out. Anything special to look for when choosing oven bags safe for a vape?

I figure anything that is approved for use in the oven for food purposes is also safe for our purposes, simply because it is designed to be used at high temperatures. The plastic (actually nylon polymer) that is used in Reynolds bags actually melts before it burns, so you will know if something is wrong...not that you would reach that point with an HA, just saying (nylon melts at around 500F).

I typically buy 'reynolds oven bags' because they are available at all the grocery/walmart type stores around me, plus they are cheap. They also sell the bags in different sizes, ones for chicken, another turkey, etc. Each box costs about $2.50, you get 5 in a box for the smaller ones, and 2 for the larger turkey bags. I highly recommend them, and at $2.50, there is not much to lose.

 

[CentiZen]

I don't know where you live but I have been to multiple different chains of grocers and I still have been unable to find reynolds turky bags anywhere. Reynolds aluminum foil; yes. But turkey bags are nowhere to be found and every employee I ask about them looks at me with a blank stare. What aisle are they in? Are they not usually kept with the rest of the bags or are they in some obscure place?

Who knows, mabey Turkey bags just didn't sell in Ontario so they pulled them. :S

 

[Egzoset]

Hi,

...I'm glad you're happy.

Indeed you can bet i am happy about it - and proud nobody thought of that before! - considering the cost of the replacement switch i've specifically mentioned...

It sure does feel good to be the only HerbalAire owner on earth to actually know what it does after risking electrocution and/or burning up in smoke, just because it could be done!... Please don't try this at home if you fear the side-effects of a phase-shift or something, there's no telling what the outcome could be in a different context!!!

To those who might still dare check the facts i have the following disclaimer: use as suggested only, i can't be blamed for substitutions since i shouldn't be expected to experiment with every possible variation.

As you pointed out: it works for me. Sharing the results was NOT necessary, yet here it is to be ignored and rejected - AGAIN.

Go figure why i do such foolish things!...

 

[dorkus_molorkus]

obtuse much??

'' As you pointed out: it works for me. Sharing the results was NOT necessary, yet here it is to be ignored and rejected - AGAIN.''

Fear not, now we have an actual ignore button, and it works like this................

 

[onigiri1692]

@CentiZen It sounds like you are looking in the right place, I typically find them around the foil, plastic wrap, and such. Maybe you can look for a slow cooker/crockpot liner, I know Reynolds makes one that is made out of the same material as the oven bags.

 

[OF]

Indeed you can bet i am happy about it - and proud nobody thought of that before!

To those who might still dare check the facts i have the following disclaimer: use as suggested only, i can't be blamed for substitutions since i shouldn't be expected to experiment with every possible variation.

As you pointed out: it works for me. Sharing the results was NOT necessary, yet here it is to be ignored and rejected - AGAIN.

Go figure why i do such foolish things!...

I'm sorry to bring facts into the discussion, but they are in fact facts. Now that we've discussed a few of them around your (somewhat strong) advice and you've modified it considerably with the warning (did you go back and add it to your former posts????) I feel better too. Isn't that a happy turn of events for one and all?

Sorry to bring up what might be a sore subject, but you really weren't the first guy to come up with the idea. In the mid seventies (like 35 years ago?) I did just that on a fan on my workbench to blow solder flux fumes away. I put a ID aftermarket line switch in series with the one already there (down the cord) and soldered a (then fairly new) one Amp rectifier diode across the switch contacts inside (had to nibble out a cavity for it) so that in the 'off mode' the diode would be active, slowing the fan (which itself then ran hotter.....). I didn't think of it either, it was suggested to me by another Tech. I'm guessing before you were born? For sure it was long before the part you used even existed as a product (we had to 'invent' that part). Hard, really, to be the first at anything.

As to what might be motivating you to make such posts, I'll leave that as an exercise for the students.......

OF

 

[Egzoset]

This reply is misleading, biased and insulting. You won't get the same from me.

 

[JustOnCloud9]

@Egzoset

I was looking through this thread recently, you mind telling me which vaporizer you got the glass extension for a better fit for the solo stem so it seals better in the herbalaire?

 

[Egzoset]

Salutations,

The space between my HerbalAire v2.1 oven's wall and its crucible's external surface is about the thickness of a paper sheet. Since my Arizer Solo glass stem happens to fit nicely inside that crucible then this implies there's even more space between my HerbalAire v2.1 oven's wall and the surface of that glass part, obviously.

It would seem suitable to have that space sealed where top opening of the teflon disc meets the glass stem but i don't have one easily available to me.

 

[OF]

It would seem suitable to have that space sealed where top opening of the teflon disc meets the glass stem but i don't have one easily available to me.

I haven't been following this at all well, not having the stem nor desire but if I'm following the question is how to seal the glass tube going into the top of the HA? Why not a wrap of the PTFE tape plumbers use to seal threads? I'd build up a 'stopper shaped' cone of the stuff on the tube and poke it in??

Easy to get, compliant, cheap and safe (same material as the HA is already using....).

OF

 

[notmyrealUSERname]

I haven't been following this at all well, not having the stem nor desire but if I'm following the question is how to seal the glass tube going into the top of the HA? Why not a wrap of the PTFE tape plumbers use to seal threads? I'd build up a 'stopper shaped' cone of the stuff on the tube and poke it in??

Easy to get, compliant, cheap and safe (same material as the HA is already using....).

OF

If you look back to January sometime, I tried using a solo stem in my ha. I used a silicone ring from my sv1 in order to "seal" the solo stem inside the ha's oven. It turned out, that it only really sealed when I had my hand on it keeping constant pressure on it. I decided that it's easier, quicker, more reliable, and therefore less stressful to use in the stock configuration. The taste benefits (if here are any) aren't enough of a reason for me to use the solo stem in the ha as a direct draw vape. let's remember that by using a solo stem we're only eliminating 1 or 2 inches of Teflon in the vaporpath.

 

[OF]

If you look back to January sometime, I tried using a solo stem in my ha. I used a silicone ring from my sv1 in order to "seal" the solo stem inside the ha's oven. It turned out, that it only really sealed when I had my hand on it keeping constant pressure on it. I decided that it's easier, quicker, more reliable, and therefore less stressful to use in the stock configuration. The taste benefits (if here are any) aren't enough of a reason for me to use the solo stem in the ha as a direct draw vape. let's remember that by using a solo stem we're only eliminating 1 or 2 inches of Teflon in the vaporpath.

Thanks very much. That fits well with my recollection. I recalled guys fiddled with it (but being happy with the stock deal and not having the Solo stem (or the Solo to use it with) I kinda ignored it???

Then it seemed 'guys were still messing with this' and having what seems like an easy seal issue so I opened my mouth with a suggestion when I shoulda just kept ignoring it......

Thanks, I'll go worry about something else then.

OF

 

[notmyrealUSERname]

Thanks very much. That fits well with my recollection. I recalled guys fiddled with it (but being happy with the stock deal and not having the Solo stem (or the Solo to use it with) I kinda ignored it???

Then it seemed 'guys were still messing with this' and having what seems like an easy seal issue so I opened my mouth with a suggestion when I shoulda just kept ignoring it......

Thanks, I'll go worry about something else then.

OF

my piece of silicone didn't seal quite the way i wanted it to, but it was more of an experiment anyways - it was just what i had on hand that would work. if i really wanted to use the solo stem mod all the time, then i would try to find my own high temp silicone and make my own seal. the guy that made his hakko into a vape made some references about where he got his silicone, it might be worth it to have a look through that thread?

 

[OF]

my piece of silicone didn't seal quite the way i wanted it to, but it was more of an experiment anyways - it was just what i had on hand that would work. if i really wanted to use the solo stem mod all the time, then i would try to find my own high temp silicone and make my own seal. the guy that made his hakko into a vape made some references about where he got his silicone, it might be worth it to have a look through that thread?

Thanks. Like I said, I'm not really in the race on this one.

However, sounds to me like a short length of the 500 degree Silicone tube you can get from US Plastics (makes excellent whips, BTW) would do a great job?

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23884&catid=799

OF

 

[onigiri1692]

my piece of silicone didn't seal quite the way i wanted it to, but it was more of an experiment anyways - it was just what i had on hand that would work. if i really wanted to use the solo stem mod all the time, then i would try to find my own high temp silicone and make my own seal. the guy that made his hakko into a vape made some references about where he got his silicone, it might be worth it to have a look through that thread?

I previously posted about this, but was told it was not nessesary to use with a solo stem...but it sounds like you think it is.

My idea is get a silicone stopper, such as the one I link to below, and cut a hole in the middle, big enough so that a solo stem can fit through it, but small enough to maintain a good seal.

To all those using Solo Stems with their herbalAires, I think I may have found the perfect accessory to ensure a good, safe seal between the glass and the HA unit.

It is a silicone stopper (like for scientific glassware) that has a peak operating temperature of 428F (220C). The stopper is size 00 in the US or 15D in the european system and measures 10.5mm at the bottom and 14.5mm at the top. I measured my HA unit and I believe this is the optimal size for the stopper.

While the stopper in the following link does not have a hole through it, you can probably find some with holes, or you can just drill one yourself.

http://www.amazon.com/High-purity-s..._2?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1330833663&sr=1-2

 

[OF]

My idea is get a silicone stopper, such as the one I link to below, and cut a hole in the middle, big enough so that a solo stem can fit through it, but small enough to maintain a good seal.

It turns out to be pretty hard to cut a hole into that material. The normal way is to force a sharpened tube through, usually twisting it as you go. Very hard to keep straight as the material flexes and grabs. It doesn't drill with conventional tools. In view of the thin wall we need (almost all hole, no stopper) I'm not sure it's possible, such a part would no doubt be molded with the hole already in it.

In an act of despairation we once machined up a clamp block to hold a frozen stopper (Liquid Nitrogen) and tried to machine that.....it didn't work either.

OF

 

[onigiri1692]

It turns out to be pretty hard to cut a hole into that material. The normal way is to force a sharpened tube through, usually twisting it as you go. Very hard to keep straight as the material flexes and grabs. It doesn't drill with conventional tools. In view of the thin wall we need (almost all hole, no stopper) I'm not sure it's possible, such a part would no doubt be molded with the hole already in it.

In an act of despairation we once machined up a clamp block to hold a frozen stopper (Liquid Nitrogen) and tried to machine that.....it didn't work either.

OF

According to links at the bottom of my post, it is quite possible. The hole does not have to be perfect either, because silicone stretches and will naturally complete a seal if done correctly.

I won't be trying this because I don't have a solo stem, just throwing ideas out there for people. For anyone who might want to try, the amazon link I posted is for 10 stoppers for around $15, so if you screw up once, you have 9 more chances to be successful.

How to drill holes in silicone stoppers: http://www.metallab.net/stopperdrilling.php
Message Board Disscussion of it: http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=15653

 

[OF]

According to links at the bottom of my post, it is quite possible. The hole does not have to be perfect either, because silicone stretches and will naturally complete a seal if done correctly.

Yup, like I said, traditional techniques for the job (sharp tube, freeze the stopper). In extreme cases (like we have here) even making a support fixture. The missing element from the above examples is the fact we're talking near zero wall thickness. We don't have 90% of the material left to support the cut.

Like I said, with a full shop at a National Lab we failed in this effort.

BTW, another option is to cast one. Rubber stoppers are actually cast and molds are easy enough to make, wax works great as a release agent. You can easily cast Urethane parts from pencil eraser soft to shoe heal hard. That's what we finally did, but I can't recommend that either.

OF

 

[onigiri1692]

Yup, like I said, traditional techniques for the job (sharp tube, freeze the stopper). In extreme cases (like we have here) even making a support fixture. The missing element from the above examples is the fact we're talking near zero wall thickness. We don't have 90% of the material left to support the cut.

Like I said, with a full shop at a National Lab we failed in this effort.

BTW, another option is to cast one. Rubber stoppers are actually cast and molds are easy enough to make, wax works great as a release agent. You can easily cast Urethane parts from pencil eraser soft to shoe heal hard. That's what we finally did, but I can't recommend that either.

OF

Nice insight. You have a point about the wall being really thin. Another approach that I think would work much better would be to use a scalpel or something else super sharp to carefully cut the silicone.

Molding one yourself would also be very easy with the product I linked to below. I have actually used the stuff before to make molds for food and supposably can withstand temperatures up to 450F, not to mention it is also food grade silicone.

http://www.makeyourownmolds.com/silicone-plastique

 

[OF]

Nice insight. You have a point about the wall being really thin. Another approach that I think would work much better would be to use a scalpel or something else super sharp to carefully cut the silicone.

Molding one yourself would also be very easy with the product I linked to below. I have actually used the stuff before to make molds for food and supposably can withstand temperatures up to 450F, not to mention it is also food grade silicone.

http://www.makeyourownmolds.com/silicone-plastique

Most cool, we're in sync for sure on this now.

Funny you should mention carving one out, several of us tried just that while others were beating themselves up with machine tools, fancy fixtures, liquid nitrogen and dirty words (when they'd foul up yet another part...). It sure wasn't easy, and we made a couple that sure looked like they'd work but we came up with leakers every time. This was a vacuum system, so the requirements were pretty tight WRT no flaws on working surfaces. In the end, casting saved the day.

Fun memories of a dark and frustrating (at least for a while) project.

OF

 

[darkrom]

Is this the pump you are talking about trying? For under $20 I think I can give it a go if you expect it to fill the bags nicely and be silent or at least less noisy than the stock pump.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ils?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1331508237&sr=8-1&seller=

 

[onigiri1692]

Is this the pump you are talking about trying? For under $20 I think I can give it a go if you expect it to fill the bags nicely and be silent or at least less noisy than the stock pump.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ils?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1331508237&sr=8-1&seller=

That is the one I was looking at. It is supposed to be twice as powerful as the 500 that I tested, and if the 500 was any indication, the 700 will be very quiet as well, not silent but quiet. Check out this video, it compares a bunch of air pumps by the amount of bubbles they produce in 48" of water. The Fusion pumps are towards the end of the video and look like they perform well compared to the other pumps, I only wish they had included the Whisper models and a noise test in it as well to make a tetra vs fusion comparrison easier for me.

 

[Egzoset]

Regarding the sealing matter (in presence of an Arizer Solo glass stem), if one single piece won't the trick then maybe two: