Salutations PPN,
Thank you passing by!!
Hi Egzo, can I assume you are calling you're mod hybrid cause it transfers heat both by conduction and convection?
Actually conduction comes last as a delayed/degraded mix of captured and re-converted energy... Primary convection heat gets carried into the Flame-Catcher via hot H
2O & CO
2 exhaust gases while projecting intense radiative heat that also degrades in ways i can hardly explain myself. The trick solving this puzzle was to proceed with successive iterations until i could decide what to try next, e.g. by trial & error until a "Sweet-Spot" configuration was found. It's all based on subjective criterias at each new step, compounding acquired skills in the process. Months were necessary to simply perceive some vague impressions in the begining, which is why i kept tweaking for years, literally. Besides such aspects i should equally mention that i exploited my own limitations as a "radar", trying to figure out when i had reached one boundary of an applications range that seemed to "move" with time. In other words there were human variables in the equation as well!
So, the reason why i called it a "Hybrid Core" simply revolves around VG's contrasting monolithic design: based on 1 single SiC Puck. That's 1 component with only 1 set of properties. My core has many.
At 1st i thought of the "composite" label but feared confusion so that's how the word was prefered instead. A set of materials with very different properties are juxtaposed and this causes interesting hybrid properties to emerge that weren't possible before. Creating a "solid-state" heat valve operated by airflow: shield (and temporary storage) when idle, radiator when dynamic.
Does this mean less or no stirring?
That's a relevant question, i just wish i could compare with the genuine VG pipe. Yet i'd have to reply there are 2 modes: "Plan-A" with Induction Heat as the main power source, then "Plan-B" where butane is a fall-back option with stirring made necessary. N.B.: "Plan-A" offers provisions for ultra-sonic stirring, at least in theory.
My VG didn't see a lot of use lately, but I'm happy to say I reccommanded it a few years ago to some friends and they still use it! Although I'll consider to test your mod in order to see the difference, I'll keep you updated!
Truth is i failed to operate my 1st genuine VG pipe in 2012 and never succeeded with a few more tries ever since. By chance it made a lot of sense to pick VaporGenie for their selection of materials which proved most appropriate all along. It's a mystery to me how the company appeared to stop development before they evaluated a hybrid core of their own.
Anyway i realize there's been so much modifications it won't hurt posting instructions. Hence here come my "10 commandments" (...):
0) About Bowl loading,
Always Fill and Never Pack. Keep in mind the Support Loop located right under a pipe's Cannabic Bowl needs to be "flipped" after removal as this greatly eases reinsertion, simply by screwing it in clockwise. Bowl size/weight is ajusted using that Support Loop.
1) With butane and/or it's related compounds present in the lungs path just make sure there's
ALWAYS a clean burning flame to convert butane from such stream into relatively safe superheated Water Vapor and Carbonic Gas, while taking care to
inhale with much less force (by lifting the thumb over a pipe's PinHole)
to pre-heat the Hybrid Core of a customized Sphere.
2)
NEVER let a flame touch anything as this will result in the addition of soot plus other nuisances. All that is required to be captured by the Flame-Catcher to inject a "Heat Charge" (or "Energy Bubble") has to do with the Energy-Carrying Exhaust + some Radiative Heat.
3)
NEVER light up or extinguist a butane lighter
close to the Flame Catcher. Flint-Wheel Yellow-Flame models generate health-hasard particles in the spark while the Blue Flame ones may fail to consume butane cleanly (extinguish at random and/or spitting out liquid butane droplets not converted by fire)... Briefly put,
ALWAYS wait for a flame to
stabilize before it's taken close to the Flame-Catcher Aperture.
4) When a primary PinHole is available lift thumb during Pre-Heating. Once the Sphere is sufficiently energized, e.g. between 2~5 seconds depending on a butane lighter,
use its stored heat which has just been temporarily injected into the Hybrid Core
WITHOUT any butane and/or related stream present near the Flame-Catcher Aperture. This indirect/residual energy-source alone suffices to proceed with the actual Vaporization process.
5) While vaporizing try obstructing the PinHole
in brief pulses, in very short bursts at first then increasingly longer to compensate for lost heat from the Hybrid Core as its energy reserve gets depleted. The periods with no PinHole-obstructive thumb in action contribute to oxygenation of the cannabic stream while promoting early detection of vaporization signs, especially hints as aroma/taste. Think of some method vaguely similar to "pumping" a car's breaks in an emergy maneuver situation, the goal being
to probe using a sequence of short pulses instead of attempting to get it done in 1 single long pulse. The start/stop transitions appear to cause turbulence which helps with stream movement.
6) A ~125 mg Bowl provides about
5~6 tokes, the left-over can be made useful at a later time to produce relaxing cookies. Don't forget that once in a while even an empty cannabic Bowl can provide some satisfying toke (or two) from a sticky screen alone. Evidently stronger cookies should result from leaving more THC behind from vaping. These days i just vape it dry: used vegetal substrate falls off easily...
7) It's time for cleanup maintenance when the pipe stops working as usual. Pick a pipe stick wetted with 94 % pure grain alcohol to clean wood VG Handles fast.
NEVER allow the wood to absorb water as this would promote cracks in the wood. Metal models are to be prefered when condensed noble molecules need to be "reclaimed", though these feel heavier in the hand while wood's near organic-like aspects would prove more "sexy". Alternately, wood is an absorbing material so this makes it less desirable if/when resin reclaims are desired. The back face of metal pipes proves handy for quick torch-cleaning of a screen with no risk of a skin burn. Choose the "Classic" look Aluminium for superior aroma/taste performance.
8) Initially i found the genuine layout with VG's DuckLips MouthPiece was getting uncomfortably hot, the addition of a half-ball stainless steel object down under my cannabic Bowl paved the way to lower-temperature cannabic vapor being sent towards the lungs; as an option it may also help to capture particles in the cannabic vapor using a tiny cotton ball which somewhat adds to the cooling action after getting moist. This half-sphere screen was gradually dropped in more recent versions though, in favour of an auxiliary PinHole located on the MP base...
9) When attempting to reconfigure DuckLips MouthPieces to reflect the side-wise preference of an operator (e.g. right vs left
rotation) try to never forget about twisting it lightly while pulling on it with care as its stem proved very brittle. Somehow an
helix motion seems more gentle.
10) The need for eye-contact on a flame tip may require some Flexible Plastic PVC Tubing Extension. A length of 12.5 cm will do and that's a better place where to install the optional
cotton ball (strongly recommended), unless a plastic/metal Mating junction is available of course. Last but not least, clear plastic makes it easy to monitor butane consumption based on water vapor condensation creating droplets in the tube after a potential abuse situation, or operating error, etc. The Tubing Extension will
opacify if/when abuse continues, ultimately. End the session and re-evaluate operator skills if this occurs, don't forget to shake off liquid water droplets after removing that tube. Consider this a true "Harm Reduction" self-awareness feature.
Good day, have fun!!
