Discontinued Lil' Bud by Vapwood

[Bravesst]

Long day, still feel really beat up. I did learn something through all this, LB can get much cooler with 5 potential tube mods. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention, and Alan is quite the inventor.

1. Glass insert for smaller ID, as well as telescoping effect (2 mods in 1)
2. 19/19 taper length (slice 3 or so mm's off a 19/22)
3. 1/2 inch hole bored 1/2 inch deep for screen mounting depth and precision
4. Ball of hemp fiber, to your density selection, inserted into glass tube
5. Vent holes at the tip of the taper

Sweet Jesus! Even with the delicate throat / lungs, I'm doing okay. This particular inner glass tube and wood tube fit loosely, really easy to telescope in and out to increase distance. I think the glass can vary a hair, because I know the wood is dead on every time.

I would imagine, the glass inserts are also easy to keep clean, and installing hemp is visibly under control (nice feature of the glass is the control of the hemp). The taper adjustment is quick on my disc sander, and the drill press makes easy work of the half inch hole bored in the tip.

I'm getting a different looking ABV and that's how you know something on the heat transfer level is being affected. I think I'm getting a browner / golden roast, interesting enough. I'm sure @Alan could explain in scientific detail, but maybe more air added to the mix from around the sides of the insert at the top down. I also think the glass tube sucks up some heat, as I can feel it on my lips a bit. Whatever is exactly happening, I've always thought the tube is where it all happens, and Lil' Bud's job is too place an energized coil just in the right spot.

I can lean on the switch, a lot, so I'd think in all honesty, I might loose some battery efficiency. But at those times when I need cooler hits, I'll probably be taking less of them, so I won't notice.

In all reality, what we may be talking about here is a special *Manually Regulated Roasting Tube* made especially for LB, complete with glass insert, hemp, short taper, vent holes, half inch bored tip.

 

[Vapeur Rogue]

@Bravesst
Respiratory issues are no joke. When I was facing those it was one of the few times I was more acutely on edge about my health then I had been in decades.

I'll have to try at least the hemp mods when I can give my beauty a go! Contemplating the stems of my MVT2 and Mi2 in relation to Lil'Bud is overwhelming at times, but sounds like good ideas to apply/test.
I'm not in a place where I want to bore my own stems, but sending them in to/ or ordering from one or more of the many talented wood artists here is possibly in my future!

 

[HerbieVonVapster]

What Batch is your LB @HerbieVonVapster ?

Do you generally roast darker then this with other vapes ? That's pretty dark ...
I'd say try slowing down your draw, like realll slowww but I know you are an experience vaper.

I think you mighta missed my point. With the 19/22 stem I can get avb color of pic you posted. I tend go that dark of AVB if need the sedative medical benefits. When I was able to re vape ABV in the switch for sleep and would go much darker that what you picture.

With 19/19 stem felt like I topped out in a temperature range of 400-410degrees.
With 19/22 stem closer to 440 degrees.
This is part of the reason I feel the cooling is partial due the the shorter 3mm of the stem. I'm sure the glass size and dimpled effects also helps with the cooling stems like with LX8R. Just to compare with a 3 mm longer stem and say it is cooler is more like comparing apples to oranges.



Would not recommend vaping these high temperature. I do for the medical benefits of CBC and needs over 428 degrees to vaporize. I have a motor neuron disease so willing take the risk of high temperature vaping.

https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/blog-cannabichromene-cbc-the-third-most-common-cannabinoid-n634

 

[P.A.M.]

I think you mighta missed my point. With the 19/22 stem I can get avb color of pic you posted. I tend go that dark of AVB if need the sedative medical benefits. When I was able to re vape ABV in the switch for sleep and would go much darker that what you picture.

With 19/19 stem felt like I topped out in a temperature range of 400-410degrees.
With 19/22 stem closer to 440 degrees.
This is part of the reason I feel the cooling is partial due the the shorter 3mm of the stem. I'm sure the glass size and dimpled effects also helps with the cooling stems like with LX8R. Just to compare with a 3 mm longer stem and say it is cooler is more like comparing apples to oranges.



Would not recommend vaping these high temperature. I do for the medical benefits of CBC and needs over 428 degrees to vaporize. I have a motor neuron disease so willing take the risk of high temperature vaping.

https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/blog-cannabichromene-cbc-the-third-most-common-cannabinoid-n634

So you get close or to the color abv you like with the stock stem and the 19/19(3mm shorter then stock) is cooler and not as high temperatured compared the stock stem ?

Is this how this goes ? Apologies for missing your point .

 

[nonbeliever]

Folks, first of all, thanks to all of you who have been sharing. It’s really helped me accelerate my learning to drive the Lil Bud better....

Mike, I hope you recover quickly... I’m starting to feel my change of season cold coming on, time to break out the brandy and orange juice

With my latest batch of Blue Dream, I’ve noticed it was hard to get bigger clouds. Two things have helped immensely:

1) I thought the herb was a little moist, so I decided to try the light bulb dry out treatment, combined with
2) a bit more packing of herb in the screen

This has made a huge difference and really helped (the herb definitely needed to be dried out a bit, and the packing actually helped trap a bit more heat while drawing, I can tell by the little bit more resistance).

3) interestingly, today I was actually thinking about a point mike made, that the lil Bud really is the heater unit for the roasting tube, and about things that could be make the roasting tube more efficient. Mike, when you are feeling better and have a chance, would you be kind enough to post a picture of a modified roasting tube. I’m trying to get my head around the changes you are describing (though at least now, I’m caught up on 19/22-19/19 lol).

Something I’ve used for mixing applications in the past is something called an Eductor. It used flow pressure and nozzle design shape to create massive mixing motion. Though I’m not sure how it could be applied directly, I thought I’d throw it out there to see if anyone interested can think of something.

 

[Bravesst]

Good morning, and thanks for carrying on in the thread without me. Interesting conversation about temp control. Basically it's all about size and distance, adjusting shapes to be in the right place with the right heat balance transfer. Things like a shorter taper are simple ways to achieve big changes, as is the glass insert with small ball of hemp fiber. Boring a half inch hole in the tip might be a bit more involved, but still pretty simple overall. I've been emailing Alan about it, and there is more to come.

I'm definitely feeling much better. Still coughing a bit, run down, but nothing like yesterday. The cooler stem allowed me to stay medicated while I needed the meds most. I'm looking forward to even more ideas come to life with the Manual Regulation Custom Cooling Stem.

 

[SpudBob]

I believe there are many variables to consider in this equation. MP material, distance from heater, diameter of the MP, condition of the screen, condition of your material. There are still things to figure out for sure.

 

[beyond6strings]

I believe there are many variables to consider in this equation. MP material, distance from heater, diameter of the MP, condition of the screen, condition of your material. There are still things to figure out for sure.

I agree. It's a simple device for a highly complex system. I'm finding that how well the material is cured is huge. Too wet and it's hard to vape, too dry and it's easy to char/combust.

I've taken to putting everything I get into airtight jars with a 62% Boveda and getting most consistent results from that. I've got a CVault that holds a 1/2 oz, a glass mason jar that holds 1/2 oz, and then a bunch of smaller glass jars that hold 1/8oz. I got a 10 pack of the 4g size on Amazon cheap, and they fit well in all the different containers.

I have had noticeably better results since I started using the packs just a few days ago.

 

[HerbieVonVapster]

Good morning, and thanks for carrying on in the thread without me. Interesting conversation about temp control. Basically it's all about size and distance, adjusting shapes to be in the right place with the right heat balance transfer. Things like a shorter taper are simple ways to achieve big changes, as is the glass insert with small ball of hemp fiber. Boring a half inch hole in the tip might be a bit more involved, but still pretty simple overall. I've been emailing Alan about it, and there is more to come.

Another ideal I noticed was the use of a SS spiral inserts that tubo evic offers. The SS foil used to line lil bud heater could be bent into some neat shapes. Could be a fun rainy day project I be curious on how well it works. Or if it just ends up as a pain to keep clean.

 

[SpudBob]

I agree. It's a simple device for a highly complex system. I'm finding that how well the material is cured is huge. Too wet and it's hard to vape, too dry and it's easy to char/combust.

I've taken to putting everything I get into airtight jars with a 62% Boveda and getting most consistent results from that. I've got a CVault that holds a 1/2 oz, a glass mason jar that holds 1/2 oz, and then a bunch of smaller glass jars that hold 1/8oz. I got a 10 pack of the 4g size on Amazon cheap, and they fit well in all the different containers.

I have had noticeably better results since I started using the packs just a few days ago.

I too keep all my material in mason jars with Boveda 62's, however I usually let it sit out a bit before I vape it. I use them to cure bud too. I usually get the humidity down to 75% then throw in the Boveda's to get it down to 62% and it stays put there. You do need to check them periodically because they do dry up. I usually take bud out and leave it air for a bit. Not because I believe it needs more drying but because I just don't get to it for a bit. Ill try vapeing straight from my containers and see if that works best though. I DO love the Boveda's and, even, have 2+ year old bud that is still at 62%! I like the 8gm ones because they fit nicely pushed into the lid of mason jars and stay put! They work!

 

[HerbieVonVapster]

I too keep all my material in mason jars with Boveda 62's, however I usually let it sit out a bit before I vape it. Its not because I, necessarily, think it needs more drying but because I usually don't get to it for a while. Ill try vapeing straight from my containers and see if that works best though.

Not sure of what my jars humidity are at. There vacuumed packed to remove the air for storage. I like to keep a assortment of strains on hand and feel they stay fresher if the air has been removed from the mason jars.

Still degrades just at a slower rate. Depending on how close to my legal limits i'm at it's normally used within a year. After that it tossed into the next magic butter batch.

Some strains seem to improve with time the haze type strains benefit. Where others theres a more noticeable degrade.

I find blueberry strains last the longest and since I mainly use them in small doses they tend to stick around the longest. I just used up the last of some that was dated 10/17 and it still vaped well. It lost some thc effects but still gave me the desired hunger effect.

If you wanted or needed it to last longer the best bet is to make a tincture out of it. Self life in the years is possible with tinctured made using alcohol distillation.

 

[SpudBob]

Not sure of what my jars humidity are at. There vacuumed packed to remove the air for storage. I like to keep a assortment of strains on hand and feel they stay fresher if the air has been removed from the mason jars.

Still degrades just at a slower rate. Depending on how close to my legal limits i'm at it's normally used within a year. After that it tossed into the next magic butter batch.

Some strains seem to improve with time the haze type strains benefit. Where others theres a more noticeable degrade.

I find blueberry strains last the longest and since I mainly use them in small doses they tend to stick around the longest. I just used up the last of some that was dated 10/17 and it still vaped well. It lost some thc effects but still gave me the desired hunger effect.

If you wanted or needed it to last longer the best bet is to make a tincture out of it. Self life in the years is possible with tinctured made using alcohol distillation.

I agree its best to use it as soon as you can. My problem is I had a bunch, I grew a bunch and I don't use that much. I, actually, give a lot away too! I wish i could vape and vape and vape the way many of you can.Its funny how you mentioned tinctures, Bluberry and Haze's. I just harvested Blueberry Kush and Liberty Haze!!! Im getting ready to do a few batches. of oil to make tinctures and some balm for pain. AK47, Harelequin and Harle-Tsu heading for the Still!

 

[SnowDome]

Happy to say my LB has arrived in the mail today, haven't had time to test it out yet. Once i have some time ill take some pics and finally give it a good test run.

 

[Jill NYC]

Another ideal I noticed was the use of a SS spiral inserts that tubo evic offers. The SS foil used to line lil bud heater could be bent into some neat shapes. Could be a fun rainy day project I be curious on how well it works. Or if it just ends up as a pain to keep clean.

I tried these several times with the LB and I felt that it effected the taste negatively. It could have been my imagination, but it tasted metallic.

 

[Bravesst]

Boveda 62 and Mason jar or c vault for long term storage 100% of the time. Even a week or two stored like that helps pre prep for me. I'd be afraid to go long term (six months) without them. I was vacuum packing, but found wasn't necessary for how long I was turning stuff over (3 to 6 months).

I am crawling out from under the cold. I think full rest was the way to go, but I'm bored and need to do something. I attempted assemblies twice while sick, not good, pure frustration. I went up stairs and made tea. I need to be on coffee to build.

My lungs will forever benefit from what I've learned about how cool LB can get with just a few simple tricks. Today, I will play with tubes, combing various mods, and testing. I think I need to get lots of glass inserts from @Alan for myself and all future customers. I'm considering offering the option of a *cooling tube*, and at this point that would be the glass insert, the bored half inch hole, shorter taper, and a bit of hemp. I know Alan has many options and we'll be speaking about those as well. More on the cooling tube soon.

I ordered my CNC router for the Elite manufacturing, but it should come in handy for the Classic as well. I need to learn the CNC language, so another challenge at my doorstep. The machine should arrive tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm be assembling a couple of recent sales and repairs, and preparing for shipping what I guess is batch 9, as well as anyone who was owed stems or gauges. I apologize for the gauge wait, it is a great little tool.

Updated the website, removed sold sweet deals. There aren't many left accept beaded walnut units, and two purple hearts. First person to take a beaded walnut off my hands, I'll throw in a free walnut mouthpiece.

 

[el sargantano]

The CNC will be a game changer & time saver.
Can't wait for you explaining us the learning process, tecnique improvements and new tricks to come.

 

[Bravesst]

Hello Boys and Girls...

Yes, @el sargantano , I will be explaining things, sometimes in long boring detail, guess it helps me learn as well. The unit should be here tomorrow, but lots to figure out before turning to an actual job. I see it as a great help for the Classic, possibly the battery / back plate mortises, as well as inside the switch box.

I have another bunch of orders packed up and ready to ship, getting almost completely caught up, that's scary. Time for me to build some more Classic and Blend bodies. I've got material for some cool Blends and Cherries, and need to pick up some Figured Walnut.

More success with the cooling tube concept. I'd like to narrow it down and determine what's doing what. Whether we go with 19/19 or 19/22, I don't like burying the screen too deep, maybe 3/8 is better than a half inch to bore the half inch hole. I feel it gives a more even roast when you can load nearer the tip (without just adding more product), versus a gooey ABV. I don't like gooey ABV. To me that's like a car burning oil, a sign of inefficiency. Nice dry, brown to dark brown, even roast.

The glass insert gets a bit hot, so that's absorbing some heat. The 19 mm taper, while burying the screen an extra mm or so, gives us 4 mm of extra clearance over a standard roasting tube. This is definitely high on the list of heat separator. Not sure if the hemp cools, or just makes sure no particulate matter makes it across, but it definitely slows the draw a bit, especially on a fresh set up. Can't wait to hear what else Alan is doing here.

On the negative side, the hit winds up being a bit airier, but far cooler. I'm impressed, as the Classic needed a Lil' boost.

 

[Bravesst]

Good morning FC,

I am very, very excited about this *discovery*, and I apologize for not putting a greater effort into using @Alan's glass inserts sooner, but that nasty cold was quite the motivator. Right now, I'm feeling much better, but completely hooked on the cooling tubes. I've asked Alan to send me more glass inserts, and we'll also talk about modifying tubes for LB at 19/19, with a half inch hole bored 3/8. A small ball of hemp in the glass tube finishes it off. If you wanna share your LB with friends who have no idea how to vape, these manual regulation cooling tubes can help tame the heat, make combustion impossible, and virtually stop coughing, even with a sensitive throat. I'm going to offer for sale on the site. Please note, I was still able to pull vapor on a battery under 3.4, even with the cooling tube.

Long emails are being exchanged, with the Elite's inner workings being feverishly discussed. While that is happening, I must press forward with building some Classics and Blends. My cooling tube will be offered as an option with every unit. After I stock up, I'll build a few, and offer for sale on the website as well. But in order for all this to continue to happen, we need to sell a few Lil' Buds.

More changes on the website. All Classics will come with a mouthpiece in the listed price. The Bare Bones unit is back at $169 (cherry) and $20 bump up for figured walnut - you wind up saving $10 overall on a completely bare bones unit. I'm not sure this set up will hold, but for the holidays I'm trying to simplify.

 

[DirtyD]

Sounds great!

 

[beyond6strings]

Mea Culpa

I got my @Alan glass-lined 4" roasting tubes about 10 days ago. They were both equipped with screens seated 1/2" into the tube and are the 'resting' spot for the glass tube to sit on.

And I have to admit that I thought that was the screen's only purpose; support for the glass. No way could the screen be effective 1/2" away from the coil. Ha.

After reading @Bravesst post I finally got it and this morning I took out the 2nd screen I had been using at my usual depth and used the screen seated at a 1/2". Wow. That is how I will use the glass-lined tubes from now because it's way more manageable. Way better for daytime use for me for sure, and I can see how they're much easier on an inflamed throat and lungs.

And I agree-this is the one I will hand newbies that want to self-regulate. It's hard to fuck up, but really easy to get right. And it's tasty, and almost as cool as going through water with my other vapes.

I'll still use the short tubes from time to time, especially at night, but now that I'm using the glass-lined tubes the way Alan designed them to be used I'm getting such great consistent results with no charring. Charring was something I had to really watch when I had the second screen seated close to the coil. Not anymore.

Mike, you're smart to offer the glass-lined stems through Vapwood.

EDIT: I just finished my session in the 'deep-seated' glass-lined tube and I'm really happy. Perfectly even ABV, gorgeous, and extracted nicely. I realized one of the great benefits of seating the screen deeper is that it allows you to really stir much better after a few draws. I'm going seat the screens deeper in my short OG stems as well as my first batch of 3.5" unlined stems. I won't go as deep, but I'm going to seat the screens in a way that makes stirring easier, and make use of the increased control the distance provides. What I won't change is the dosage. I think I've got that figured out.

2ND EDIT: (Hey, my back hurts) I had a session each with my OG stem and my 3.5" stem with the screen about 5/16"-3/8" deep and I believe I have the magic placement. I'm getting really even ABV with absolutely no charring and the best extraction. I've not used my other vapes much at all as I've been practicing, futzing, and experimenting. Now that I've found the magic formula (for me) it may be a while before I use my other vapes much. Partly because with the 3 different lengths with one glass-lined, the LB Classic offers me three different vaping profiles, and partly because I just enjoy it the most. There's a certain satisfaction in getting a great session with the LB for me.

I've also discovered that I can use a different stem for each of the three sessions I do on a battery. On a fresh batt I use the glass-lined stem. For the second session I use the short OG, and for the final I use the long un-lined stem. Each seems to provide the perfect draw restriction and coil to flower distance for that phase of the battery and how long I pre-heat for each of the three seshes.

 

[Bravesst]

For those asking for the glass inserts, I'm speaking with Alan about it now. Something is being worked out, and the cooling tubes should be available for batch 10. I love the idea of a LB Manually Regulation Mouthpiece, he deserves his own.

I just modified another brand new maple stem. This time I left at 19/20, bored the 13 mm hole 3/8" inserted a glass stem with a little ball of hemp inside. Sweet!

 

[SnowDome]

@Bravesst Testing out the LB, liking it sofar. Got two quick questions, one of the battery door magnets came unglued. Any specific glue i should use to fix that? and is there a specific stem size to use, my 19/22 stems seem to sit a bit high.

 

[Bravesst]

@SnowDome
The magnets doors can be finicky, and I use as little glue as possible. They are held in place with guerrilla glue. Make sure polarity is correct. Just use the tiniest drop. I put a drop of glue in the hole, wipe the magnet with a damp rag, and drop in. Make sure you apply some pressure for an hour or so.

The stems sits a bit high sometimes, as long as the seal is tight and the distances down below are on the money - should be about 10 mm's from coil to stem with a 19/22, just right for most of us. If you'd like to shorten a 19/22, it'll come off the tip, won't sit any deeper, but just be a few mm's further from the heat. I actually have grown to like the extra distance.

Back to work today, first time since I've been sick. Pretty much past the cold, but every once in a while I'll cough and be reminded. The cooling tube has been a life saver. The right amount of cool vapor does not seem to have a negative impact on my chest and lungs. I feel like I'm getting past this rather quickly, without resorting to *drugs*, though I did take Advil one day for the body aches. Actually reinforces your faith in your bodies immune system when you can go from feeling so horribly, to so good in a few days. What really *cured* me was bed rest for the days I was crushed.

 

[Vapeur Rogue]

@SnowDome
Back to work today, first time since I've been sick. Pretty much past the cold, but every once in a while I'll cough and be reminded. The cooling tube has been a life saver. The right amount of cool vapor does not seem to have a negative impact on my chest and lungs. I feel like I'm getting past this rather quickly, without resorting to *drugs*, though I did take Advil one day for the body aches. Actually reinforces your faith in your bodies immune system when you can go from feeling so horribly, to so good in a few days. What really *cured* me was bed rest for the days I was crushed.

"The Right amount of Vapor" has been known to help my lungs and body aches! Nice to know Advil still works for some folks! Glad to hear you are getting through your ick. I truly feel you on resisting rest, mentally at least.

 

[Bravesst]

Good morning my favorite vape community...

I've been experimenting with the manual regulation cooling tube. I shortened the taper from 19/22 o 19/20.5, everything else the same, not nearly as easy to control. This is more of what I was feeling when I just went with the glass insert alone. The distance tames it, the glass cools it. I just put my 19/19 stem back in, and I can draw almost at will, even feel the air rush past the material, and he herb does not want to jump the hurdle to combustion, so the greater distance is the key to control.

Also been talking about the size of the bored hole in the tip. Currently, a 12 mm hole goes through the tube. At the taper tip, we bore 1/2" (13mm) 3/8 to 1/2 inch deep. I've been preferring the 3/8 depth, keeping everything loaded nearer the tip seems to produce a cleaner vapor, drier ABV, regardless of the distance from the coil. Interesting fact. Alan feels we can go as large as 14 mm, leaving even less wood. The basket screen will easily adjust to the larger hole. This gives us a bit more room for weed with a thinner tube. We'll see when I get a 14 mm bit. The unit I'm testing now also has the 8 tiny holes drilled around the circumference about 2 mm's from the tip. I wasn't sure if this contributes to the effect, but it may help with even vaping, which is essentially taste and smoothness. I really feel the tube is the key, especially with manual regulation on demand convection, a mouthpiece that helps you tame the beast is called for. All adjustments are simple, but quite effective. I'm gonna give the spiral ss a shot as well. Seems logical to pack the glass up with material that will help absorb, hopefully the taste is not too affected.


Hmm...