Internal Charring in Log-Type Vapes ??

[momofthegoons]

Magic, lwien has been on this forum a long, long time. He could be taking a break from it, or just be done with it. Plus, he and Tom were real good friends. I don't believe in coincidences and would imagine that whatever was bugging Tom was shared with lwien. Maybe he was just tired of the drama. Can't say I blame him. I was pretty tired of it myself.

That said, I miss him. Hope he comes back soon.

 

[lwien]

Hey guys.

Hey mom. Naw, it didn't have anything to do with the drama. Actually, the drama can make things kinda interesting around here and I've been known to be the catalyst behind some of it.

Personally, my MO is to get really involved with something............for awhile, sometimes for a long while, but then something else has a tendency to come up and I redirect my attention elsewhere. In this case, I got re-involved with something that I put on the back burner for a few years, which is............ WoW. Yeah, I know............fucking 67 year old dude thinking he's a gamer but hey. RPG's are REALLY fun for me so between WoW on the Mac and Skyrim, which I just ordered to feed my 360, my time, which I spent here, has gone there.

Anyways, every once in awhile, I check in here and just saw that this thread got resurrected.

Regarding my friendship with Tom, I wouldn't say that we are really good friends. More like just a very good seller/customer relationship. I've REALLY enjoyed his product over the years and dealing with him and Pammy has been a true joy.

Ok, back on topic. Been using the PD exclusively for over 2 years now. Been on 24/7 and it's still working flawlessly. Love it, but...............it has developed a small rattle. First noticed it about a year ago. It hasn't gotten any worse and it hasn't affected the performance on iotta, but I still have the same curiosity regarding the possible internal charring that caused me to post this thread up in the first place. One, is does internal charring cause the heating element to fit more loosely, and more importantly, especially when the units are new, are we breathing in toxic substances from burning wood?

In the past, we have had much discussion regarding the internal parts used in various vaporizers be it from brass heat exchangers and brass tips on tubes to aluminum being used in some bag vapes on the market, etc etc etc and how those parts can pose a health issue, but there has been very little discussion on the breathing in fumes from wood that is slowly being cooked, and we DO know that fumes from burning wood IS carcinogenic, hence...............my interest in this.

I would very much like to see pics after a months worth of use from the internals of ALL wooden vapes, INCLUDING those that have claimed to address these issues and who state that no internal charring occurs with their newer models, and preferably, I'd like to see these pics from the end users and not the manufacturers, which, I have no doubt, would be pretty hard to obtain.

So, regarding drama, have I just given birth to more of it? Maybe, but I still think that this is a topic worth exploring, especially for those that vape all day, every day and may have existing conditions that may make them more susceptible to the substances that they may be exposed to while deeply inhaling from their wooden vapes. But, for me, being that I only hit it two to three times a night and being that mine is almost 3 years old and whatever charing that may have occurred, has already occurred, I will continue using my PD with loving affection for it gets me to where I want to be while using a minuscule amount of weed.

 

[Stu]

Hey lwien, it's good to see you back here. Enjoy your time with WoW, but come by here once in a while to ruffle some feathers like only you can, ok? There's a couple of threads going recently that I read and think "lwien would be ripping these guys to shreds", but WoW has kept you from your appointed rounds!!

My PD has no rattles to it yet, but just in case, I've picked up 2 used PDs in the past 24 hours that should last me well into the future.

 

[lwien]

I just got finished reading the PD thread.............a shocker to say the least.

 

[Magic9]

I too would like to see the internals after some use. Just to erase any questions. Some type of durability test increasing each time until we see the guts would be ideal, IMO. Kill two birds with one stone.

Recently acquired and sold a PD (shipped today Stu lol), and it was a decent unit. One thing I don't remember seeing much of, was the wood smell and taste of the PD. Pretty strong at first. It lessened in the week I had it, so I'm sure eventually it goes away, although my CRZ had zero taste or smell. Take it for what it's worth.

Slightly OT: Good to see you back lwien. Your posts have helped me along my vapor journey a great deal. Also great to see some older people pick up a controller. I'm waiting for the next week long blizzard first lol.

All that said, have you had a chance to try a CRZ yet, and if not, what's it going to take? After all the info I've got from you, I'd like to payback just a little. Think you would live it.

 

[lwien]

I've been away for soooo long. What's a CRZ?

 

[momofthegoons]

Oh lwien.... you know how these acronyms spring up. It's the new one for the newest version of the Zap that Rick is making. It really is the shit. Ceramic blanket surrounding a solid SS heatport. A bit warmer than the PD from reports. And time will tell whether or not it eliminates the charring and rattle. So far so good. I do think you would enjoy it.

But, I know how long it took you to get an LB so I wont hold my breath...

edited to add: and welcome back lwien... nobody makes a welcoming cookie platter like you do...

 

[darkrom]

lwien I missed reading your shit. I love when you stir stuff up, even when you gave me shit in the past. Always welcome and valid points from you.

I want nothing more than for lwien to try one of the underdogs and compare it to his BELOVED PD lol. Dave (owner of underdog vapes) even said he will be able to repair PD's so no one is left without one...thats awesome IMO.

I'd love to see what you think of the underdog because it is what made me finally get a log vape, and I feel like it is unbeatable. After seeing how much you LOVE the PD, I'd be willing to be it would be a welcome addition to you.

Talk to Dave sometime if you are interested. Welcome back pal!

 

[Gunky]

I noticed my rockzap core became quite loose inside the wood when I took a trip and left it in a cool garage for a month or so. It became completely tight again after heating up. I assume that this is due to the expansion of the stainless core when hot and subsequent shrinkage when cool - the wood probably retains the impression of the largest size the core gets... Doesn't seem to be a problem.

Somebody suggested a while back that charcoal is a better insulator than wood and that the hotter temps attainable after a few weeks of log vape usage may be due to charring.

 

[Rick]

Good to see you around lwein. There have been many changes in the log vape world over the last several months. New manufacturers and everybody does SS now.
Gunky is right on. SS expands considerably, related to other metals, with heat. Our core is welded together and is a solid SS mass. We leave a few thousandths clearance around the two centering rings that touch the wood when we install the heatport to allow for expansion when the SS mass comes up to full heat. That works(so far) to insure we do not pop the wood open when it all gets hot but there can still be a small rattle when everything gets cold for an extended period. Maybe the garage and extra humidity helped.
I would love to have Gunkys CRZ at that time so I good give it another 'final tweak' as we do here in Zapville before they go out. We heat them for a day or so, then let them cool off. At that time we re-tighten and re-torque the two small wood screws that wedge the entire insulated heatport assembly into the wood from the bottom. Not too tight but I am sure we could have got a half-turn or so on that one in the garage and it would not rattle anymore, even in the garage.
Also remember the wood expands with heat. That means the bored hole in the wood has a SMALLER inside diameter when hot. So when the heat is on, the SS inside expands and the outside wood contracts making everything very tight.

 

[Alan]

lwien - I can relate my experience with sugar maple wood on the TT. My oldest unit is about one year now. It has been operating pretty much 24/7. I had it unplugged when I drove to CA this fall. When I returned to plug it back in, the wood had taken in moisture and expanded. This allowed the heat sink to slide out of the top including the 1" sleeve with a little persuasion. The wood had become caramelized dark brown rather than charred black. It was almost glossy. I had to drive the heat sink and sleeve back into place with a hammer, so there was no loss in the fit. I have had it plugged in since that time and it is as tight as can be. The fit is tight enough that it doesn't need a clip to hold it in place. The altered wood does not appear to be causing any looseness. I will probably check it again this summer to see how it looks and be sure to take some photos.