Quartz Thunderbolt - all-quartz torch powered ball injector vaporizer in 19mm and 14mm- shipping from EU

[Haze Mister]

The curious may wonder why I suddenly got a Manufacturer tag. ... After taking WAY too long, I am very happy to offer you ...(drum roll)

(rough prototype- finished product looks different)

Quartz Thunderbolt !
(affectionately also called Quartz Thunderfuck in honour of this forum)


CHECK MY PROFILE PAGE FOR PHOTOS (TO BE UPDATED)
(Thread will also be updated with photos when shipping.)


$100/$120 - €95/€115 PRE-ORDERS ! ETA: APRIL/depending on demand


The Quartz Thunderbolt is a unique all-quartz, metal-free, high airflow, high power ball injector herb /concentrate vaporizer available with a 19mm or 14mm male connection, to work with any standard injector glass bowl or suitable 18/19mm or 14mm adapter;

-designed to be heated with a chef's torch, with reliable temperature control options
-based on a simple but tried-and-tested-over-2 years concept
Pricing:
-V1- no lid - (similar to what you see in video) with optional titanium wire top screen: €95/$100 empty housing, €120/$125 including gems (various options)
-v2 -with perforated threaded quartz lid, gems and unprecedented flexibility (details TBA!): $170/€165
-a custom bowl designed for the Quartz Thunderbolt is in the works.

(These prices can only go up later so order now!
I want to get at least 15 pre-orders before manufacturing more pieces or ordering the gems and accessories)

The Thunderbolt v.1 is a one-piece injector housing with removable gemstones held in place by an integrated highly perforated quartz screen. The lack of a removable quartz lid at the top end is simply so as make this piece as affordable, as simple and as durable as possible. It will handle the repeated thermal shocks of being fired at, and will stand a good chance against an accidental drop on a hard surface. The more machining is done on a quartz piece, the more fragile it gets... This piece is mostly hand-made with the screen laser-drilled with a CNC machine for a uniform airflow.

-made of 100% quartz and containing quartz stones/balls and ruby balls, and allowing for easy temperature control without electronics. With the Quartz Thunderbolt's design and the recommended gemstone configuration, the ruby's naturally present colour-changing behaviour happens to be an excellent indicator of the right temperature for vaporization.

-Open bottleneck top allows open airflow and keeps gems in place in the main body of the heater - can be optionally screened with included titanium wire ball. This part also cools down faster than the main body, providing a handle cool enough to pick up with bare fingers about a minute or two after finishing a bowl.

-dimensions carefully considered to promote a combustion-free, user-friendly experience while allowing for raw power if and when needed.


Designed for:
-Gas Efficiency
-Vapor and not combustion
-Airflow
-Durability
-Affordability

DETAILS
What you see in the video is the quick and rough prototype. The final product will not feature the two rings you see around the main tube and will have a straight tube rather than a conical chimney at the top.


Unlike all but one (coil-heated only) product out there (that I'm aware of), the Quartz Thunderbolt -from now on also referred to as QT- does not have a metal screen under the gems to hold them in place- a metal screen which would get very hot - which I find undesirable ( no doubt this has been discussed somewhere on this forum ). The option of a metal-free air path provides the purest possible vapor and the quartz unlocks the flavour and potency of your material.


There are larger ruby or quartz balls snugly packed together at the top of the main body partially blocking the chimney hole, usually preventing all but a few of the smaller gems from rolling out if the piece is accidentally laid on its side or inverted. However, with a base stand ( I will have these available when the first batch is ready, along with the recommended gems) it is easy to keep the piece upright and keep the gems in place.

The v.2 design with a removable perforated quartz lid (and more) has been OK'd by the factory, including a 14mm version, and will be manufactured if there is enough interest. The price with gems is expected to be $170/€165. It may also be shaped to be more compatible with 25mm coils if there is enough interest. (feedback required)

I do not personally use a lid or top screen and have been doing fine with lid-less injectors for the last 2.5 years... however the novel, TBA feature of the v2 will be very appealing to many here judging by what has been discussed.


Neither version is a copy of an existing product but has unique features and is tuned for torch use.

For those who want to take no chances, the v1 comes with a pre-fired titanium wire ball which acts as a screen at the open top end (which will stay at much lower temperatures as it does not need to get fired at) and can be kept in place permanently.

A spare Ti wire ball will be also included. Single-weave titanium screens available in the USA should work ( may have to be cut to size). Dynavap's titanium Dynacoil can be used, as the chimney is the same diameter as the Dyna bowl! (Final product has a straight tube)- pictures to follow as soon as I have all items in my hands. To repeat: a metal screen is not necesary- this is only suggested for safety against accidental drops.


TEMPERATURE CONTROL

Quartz is very forgiving and provides a soft heat that will not burn your material unless you really push it. The distance of your material from the heater is critical here.

The QT can be provided filled with the recommended 3mm quartz beads and 6mm ruby balls- the latter is essential for consistent results- read on!

There are two reliable ways to achieve tasty and massive clouds of vapor without combusting:

1-The inclusion of rubies provides the most elegant and reliable way!
Once the rubies have gone a very dark red, this is your queue : this is the equivalent of the click of our favourite lighter-fired portable vaporizer.... You are around the right temperature to stop heating. Fire for another few seconds and you are ready to inhale cool and tasty vapor. Or .... continue firing for up to another 12 seconds for the Thunderfuck experience.... ( a good bubbler will be needed.)
The actual timing will of course depend on your rig, the depth of your bowl, and your herb. If you keep these things constant while paying attention, the timing will soon become second nature. For very dry herb, use less heat.

2- You can use a digital thermometer to learn how to drive the QT. It'a a little like training wheels. After a while, you learn the timing and the thermometer becomes obsolete. The BBQ thermometers with steel sensors seem like a better choice than IR thermometers to me, but you may want need to look for one that can go up to 500C. Most go up to 300C which may be adequate. I used an IR thermometer and only just discovered the BBQ devices. The frosted chimney top of the QT is frosted in part so as to provide an opaque surface that cheap IR thermometers can read from, as they do not work on transparent items.

Even if you have over-heated the QT a little, avoiding combustion is easy with a little technique which eventually becomes second nature. Basically: inhaling fast and hard brings cool vapor, slow and low brings heat. What you see in the video above is what I call flash vaping- surfing the temperature wave very close to combustion. At high temperatures, you must stop inhaling as soon as the bubbler milks up.


---------------------------------------

THANKS

I embarked on this trip over two years ago using borosilicate adapters and modified quartz bangers. This should have been made available much earlier but extremely unsavoury global affairs intervened with my plans....

Respect to all those who contributed to the refinement of the ball injector vape tech, since the colossal Glass Symphony. You know who you are, but Inverted, Hippie and Stuey from this forum must be thanked for their work/ contributions / advice/ sharing/ info and links.

A big thanks to all involved in running this fine forum to which I am making this available exclusively for now.

 

[Haze Mister]

AVAILABILITY & PRICING

I am now taking pre-orders via PM in this forum only.

For now, I want to get at least 15 pre-orders before manufacturing more pieces or ordering the gems and accessories.


Contact me now if you want one!


The final product will look slightly different from the prototype in the video, with an optimised shape.

The price for a bare bones QT (19mm or 14mm version) WITHOUT the gems and WITH 2 titanium wire balls and 2 silicone tube handles is $100/€95.


A set of gems (more than enough quartz pebbles and three ruby pearls) is €20 .


Simple glass stands will be around €5.


My specially designed injector bowl which is better for the QT than what is currently available for coil-based designs - currently in the pricing stage - stay tuned.


The above items only for sale to people who buy a QT!


Olive wood stands are in the works and will be available to all.


Even though I have this "Manufacturer" tag, I am only the designer- the QT is manufactured by hand by scientific quartz blowers.


This price is for a small batch of pieces manufactured in China. I also have a European manufacturer but the price will be more than double.

Please only pay if you are committed. Cancelling a pre-order for a refund will not be possible after the manufacturing costs have been paid.


Shipping costs will be paid for separately, when I am ready to ship.


Shipping will be via DHL, DPD or national post.

Shipping will be from Spain. I am open to discussing the customs issue to destinations outside the EU.


In the unlikely event that the manufacturer does not show photos of the completed lot within the time frame they have promised (4 weeks), I will return people's money and/or wait or look elsewhere according to buyer wishes.


I do not use reddit, instagram or any other social media at this point. I have written a bit more on using the QT and the philosophy behind it which will be posted below.


Thanks for looking!

 

[Haze Mister]

MORE INFO


The QT can be provided filled with quartz pebbles (not perfect spheres) and three ruby terp pearls which act as temperature indicators, or your choice of terp pearls ($$). Pictures to follow...


When hot, a small piece of silicone tube or silicone "vape band" (two pieces will be provided) can be used as a handling sleeve. The frosted chimney provides some grip and cools down quickly (around a minute after finishing a bowl), becoming a handle to remove the still hot QT from your rig with bare hands, if needed.


A silicone or foam earplug (provided) or just a piece of soft tissue, cotton wool etc. stuffed inside the chimney provide additional safety for transport or storage with the gems inside.

Using the v.1 without a top screen (recommended) means the QT will need to be kept more or less upright to avoid spilling the gems. This is easy with a base stand- this can be any stable object with a hole big enough to hold the QT upright- I used a ceramic candlestick for a while. The shape of the housing and the placement of the large gems on top can minimise any spillage if the open QT is placed on its side or briefly turned upside down by curious fingers.



The production v.1 model has a straight rather than conical chimney at the top, so that the titanium wire ball / Dynacoil whatever else may be used as a top screen stays in place by simple friction; and the balls are less likely to come out when no screen is used and the QT is turned sideways. The rings you see around the prototype piece are NOT present. I included them in the prototype for added durability and to act as heat sinks but they just increase heat-up time and manufacturing cost. It was a case of over-engineering. The quartz will not crack, and the rings are not needed.


(I once dropped a cheap Chinese quartz carb cap on a ceramic tile floor from a tabletop- it just bounced like a ping pong ball and there was not a crack on it...)


These pieces are not mass made- they will be made by hand at a small factory in China that makes labware. This means some variations on the design (eg a 14mm version) are possible.


All pieces will be cleaned, filled with gems and fired at least once by myself before sending to buyers.

19 mm female to 14mm male borosilicate adapters with the right funnel shape (as in the video) can be used as bowls for the 19mm version, or any of the deeper (XL size) injector bowls in the market will work.

Suitable 14mm bowls are not readily available.

Herborizer Micro Bowl is the only available decent 14mm option, at least outside the US. Stay tuned for the Elixier QT bowl coming soon!



Using only larger (4-6mm) quartz/SiC and/or ruby balls throughout would alter the performance of the QT by increasing the airflow even further - this may be desirable for bubblers with tight airflow or just personal preference. I am also offering the Quartz Thunderbolt without gemstones as an option.

 

[Haze Mister]

*HYPE*

The metal-free heater - and especially the quartz- unlock the full flavour and potency of flowers as I have never experienced before in almost 30 years of using the herb.

It simply cannot get much better than this, IMO. I am not a fan of materials that do not exist naturally (that might have better thermal properties). Quartz has a special mojo and transmits heat readily, while also storing heat long enough for the purpose of vaporising the contents of a bowl.

With the Quartz Thunderbolt there is no waiting around for a device to get hot before you can enjoy your material. It consistently reaches full vaporisation temperature in around 90 seconds (indoors/no air movement) when fired with a chef's torch.
Once the rubies turn dark red, the time to stop firing is within 5-15 seconds. The QT can store enough heat to fully extract anything worth extracting ( down to brown or black leftovers) from a fully loaded bowl, with a good bubbler and some technique. This is similar to to having a dab, but with the full flavour of your herb.

So long as you respect the visual cue of the colour change and stop firing soon after the ruby goes very dark, you will get vapor and will not combust.

There is no automatic temperature control and this forces you to be mindful of what you are doing if you want to avoid combustion; mindful use of the herb is important to me.

Once you learn how to drive the QT without a thermometer, it becomes your instrument and delivers sublime satisfaction. Consistent results are certainly possible, and mindful use will allow you to learn exactly how much to heat and how long to inhale for.

In short: this is a connoisseurs' end-game vaporiser - the kind of connoisseur that avoids gadgets and electronics and favours simple devices where he/she has the complete control as well as the responsibility for optimal use. Most definitely not fool-proof and not for dummies!

No electronically controlled vape will feel the same again...


Rapid delivery of large quantities of vapor is not the only thing I love here, however; it is the purity of the experience, the electricity-free, wire-free nature of it, the flavour, and the effect. ( Firing the quartz and ruby with the torch is also fun

The Quartz Thunderbolt can deliver powerful psychoactive effects if used with high THC herbs at high temperatures and will redefine your relationship with cannabis if you have not used a quartz /ruby ball injector vape before...



DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

-Efficiency
-Airflow
-Durability
-Cost

Using larger quartz balls will make spillage even less likely, will give an even more open airflow but will require more gas to get up to temperature from cold and there may be a reduction in performance overall.
However, I like leaving this option open to the user and I think a housing that can be easily filled with the user's preferred choice of heater core material allows for a more flexible as well as more affordable device.

I have used this open top design daily for over 2 years and I have only spilled (some of) the contents once or twice, despite being clumsy and having cluttered tabletops.... It is easy to simply put the QT back on its base stand after every use.

This is the result of 2.5 years of testing, reading, and thinking. Time spent studying physics in the past also helped


Additional comments on the design of the Quartz Thunderbolt and on using it

This first version of the QT is designed with structural integrity ( the less machining, the less chance of breakages) and low cost in mind.
Since myself (and probably others here) usually live a good distance from any shops, the need for efficiency of gas usage also informs the design. Every feature is there for a reason.

Every aspect of the QT has been carefully thought out in the context of a balance between airflow, efficient use of gas (rapid heat up time), aesthetics and durability.

Transport
Secure transport is possible by plugging the top end with a silicone earplug, or tissue paper, cotton wool etc..... The titanium wire ball may not stay in place if the QT is shaken around a lot in its container. The gems are stuffed in the housing snugly and if you push a soft stopper of some kind down the open end they will more or less stay in place during transport. (The position of the rubies is not important to the function of the QT).

Firing
Learning how long to keep firing ( or waiting ) past the point of the colour change for your required results (which can range from gentle to thunderfuck) is easy and the behaviour of the heater is consistent. The exact behaviour will vary with different bubblers. With my RBR bubbler for example, I know that stopping as soon as the ruby goes dark will give me a tasty, easy to handle vapour, with about 10 seconds of firing past that being the end of the safe zone before combustion becomes possible, the temperature zone where the real power of the Quartz Thunderfuck is to be found. At those temperatures your glass piece milks up with vapour as soon as you hit it, and being mindful of how you draw will give incredibly flavoursome AND powerful blasts of vapour with only short but fast tokes. Slow or long inhalations will burn your herb- you can do those at a lower temperature and still get satisfying amounts of vapour.


Transparent bubblers help here- if you see the bubbler milking up with opaque dense vapor instantly, stop inhaling immediately to prevent combustion and wait 5 seconds or so for the temperature of the QT to drop. Short and fast inhalations deliver lower temperatures and prevent combustion while inhaling slowly and lightly encourages combustion.

For a more relaxed session, a re-heat may be needed to finish the bowl. Re-heating is best done after the rubies have returned to their normal colour, until you get a feel for the timing involved. For a convection-free experience (less roasting and chance of combustion), remove the QT and re-heat on a stand before carefully placing back on the bowl using the silicone tube handle.

 

[Haze Mister]

USING THE QUARTZ THUNDERBOLT

While a mild effect is easily obtainable with low temperatures, The Quartz Thunderbolt (a.k.a. Quartz Thunderfuck for reasons discerning users will appreciate) allows you, if you are so inclined, to go beyond. With the right cooling equipment such as a recycler dab rig, it is possible to surf the temperature wave just below combustion so as to achieve full vaporization of cannabinoids AND all the flavours present in your material in the same inhalation- as opposed to weaker vaporizers that force you to inhale multiple times, with some light flavour coming first, followed by somewhat harsh vapour on subsequent inhalations as the device heats up. With the QT, what you get in your taste buds is what your herb smells like, even at higher temperatures that turn your herb a very dark brown .



The QT could be heated on its stand and picked up with a pair of metal tweezers to be placed on the bowl in case of using something like a j-hook, but for tabletop bubblers it is easier to heat the QT sitting in the bowl already attached to the rig.

First, the bowl is loaded without compressing the herb then the cold QT is attached to the bowl on the bubbler and fired while rotating the bowl by holding at its base-, in a similar manner to heating up a Dynavap. (see video)

A medium-to-high flame only directed at the zone where the gems are , while slowly rotating to evenly heat the piece for around 90 seconds is sufficient. If the bowl and/or bubbler have frosted joints and there is sticking, very slightly lifting the bowl off the bubbler will allow easy rotation.

Or, the entire bubbler rig can be rotated.

There is no need to waste gas heating the frosted top part.

I prefer to avoid letting the most intense part of the flame touch the quartz for more than a moment.

For intense flavour and intense dab-like effects without (much) coughing, I recommend "flash vaporization"- which is riding the line at the threshold just before combustion and taking short and hard 2-3 second tokes to begin with.
High temps allow you to avoid / reduce throat irritation by taking rapid but short tokes, like smoking a joint, while getting dense mouthfuls of vapour. Throat irritation from vaporizers comes from taking long inhalations in an attempt to get enough vapour.....and it is rarely enough with the most advertised devices, which is why most Europeans are stuck with combustion.

The bowl I will be offering is designed to work with the QT and recycler bubblers for maximum efficiency and airflow. I do not recommend the shallower injector bowls that are out there.

The closer you get the herb to the heater the less forgiving the heater will be if you overshoot the temperature and combustion will be more likely. Unlike coil heated injectors, the QT has no shortage of power but this will be delivered more gently if you keep your distance.


The QT, once heated as described, will hold enough heat to fully extract all but the biggest and most resinous loads of herb without the need to reheat. I have never really needed to reheat more than twice with any amount of herb.

Stirring is not usually necessary.

Once you learn how to ride your rig like this you are likely to experience some pretty nice feelings of satisfaction

I recommend a recycler bubbler with an open airflow for this.

Using oils and solid concentrates/hashes is fine with a pad (sold for many commercial vaporizers), piece of cotton, or a layer of herb (recommended) to soak up the oil as it gets hot and stop it from clogging your screen or running down your stem.


AFTER USE
Put your rig down on a stable surface immediately after finishing a load. If you use potent material, the effects are rapid and intense. I have caught myself falling asleep with the rig in my hands a few times....
The frosted chimney at the top of the QT will cool down first and will allow you to pick up the QT with bare hands a minute or two after use (depending on ambient temperature).

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

Good luck with your endeavour mate. I have been playing with some torch powered ball DIY myself for the last couple of months and it is one of my most used,they hit really good. I use borobeads and a simple glass adapter and compromise using metal screens,cause i have zero desire to deal with glass blowers . It is nice to see that you are ready to go full length on the all glass thing . Cheers !
P.S I am curious is production also based in the EU ?

 

[Abele Rizieri Ferrari]

P.S I am curious is production also based in the EU ?

This price is for a small batch of pieces manufactured in China. I also have a European manufacturer but the price will be more than double.

 

[BakedDiogenes]

Good luck with your endeavour mate. I have been playing with some torch powered ball DIY myself for the last couple of months and it is one of my most used,they hit really good. I use borobeads and a simple glass adapter and compromise using metal screens,cause i have zero desire to deal with glass blowers . It is nice to see that you are ready to go full length on the all glass thing . Cheers !
P.S I am curious is production also based in the EU ?

Yea, the minimal amount of metal used in similar devices to hold the balls seems pretty negligible in terms of purity of taste, but cool to see someone finding ways past that.

 

[Haze Mister]

The Quartz Thunderbolt is Holier Than Thy Injector - just kiddin!

i have zero desire to deal with glass blowers . It is nice to see that you are ready to go full length on the all glass thing .

Thanks for your comments! Quartz manufacture is a different ball game and a few things you can do with glass are just not possible. It was some work finding a manufacturer to take this on. I tried several and still keeping an eye open for a better price. I am liking the communication with this guy and it's an interesting experience as it is hard to meet Chinese people in person around here. His English is good, or his translation software is very good!

He has sent me a certificate for their quartz (meaningless I know, but still nice to see the gesture) and has offered to make some 3mm polished quartz cubes as an alternative to balls so that's nice too.

I have asked them to make a prototype of the v2 which should be here in about a month. This is going to be a dual injector- fill in the gaps!

I have been putting the 0.1 prototype through some INTENSIVE testing and feeling OK with offering this- I believe it is something worth selling !

Yea, the minimal amount of metal used in similar devices to hold the balls seems pretty negligible in terms of purity of taste, but cool to see someone finding ways past that.

OK, this may sound like marketing but one of the reasons I've done this is that I was experiencing a persistent irritation in my throat for the last few years -and I had been vaping daily with devices including steel screens) and I decided to eliminate all possible causes. As it happens the irritation is now gone and there is a loose correlation with removing the steel screen from the equation here....
I am not trying to imply that heaters with steel in them are bad, we just don't really know.

I do think I can get better flavor compared to my quartz injector with a steel screen in it, in an entirely subjective assessment!

It's probably worth repeating that - regardless of where the QT is manufactured- all pieces will be cleaned with alcohol and fire, then filled with gems and tested by myself before shipping.

 

[Haze Mister]

Apologies to the mods for chain posting- I am getting requests already so here 's a request:

People, if you contact me please remember to let me know:

-what size injector (19mm or 14mm ) you are interested in (or if you want to know more about the v2)

- whether you would order the QT with the gems and/or a glass base stand, or just the empty piece to use your own gems (terp pearls etc).

-If you want a bowl

This will help me get organised for now but setting up a webshop seems to be in my near future

Cheers!

 

[vapormachina]

looks nice!

were you the people involved in DK Haze vaporizer from Spain??

 

[Haze Mister]

looks nice!

were you the people involved in DK Haze vaporizer from Spain??

Nope! I'm just one guy!

I am not this guy either but this needs to be here- We all stand on the shoulders of giants!
The OG OG torch fired injector vape: You do not know the meaning of "OG" and "awesome" until you have watched this video, yes man.

 

[Haze Mister]

Temperature control is about as simple as can be while being satisfyingly hi-tech-looking and wireless, and you get a bonus light show if you shoot the lazer at the gems (cannot capture with phone camera!)

I recommend to buyers who just want to get started with control for low temperature vaping and/or folks who plan to use no rubies, to order one of those inexpensive IR lazer thermometers from their choice of shop - without the rubies OR a thermometer there is no way to tell how hot the piece is other than learning the timing through trial and error and success!

I used that IR gun for about a couple of months before I no longer needed it because I had learned how long after the ruby colour change I need to fire for. and will just inhale as soon as the colour change appears if I want a mild effect.

I am keeping the thermometer around as i find myself more likely to get distracted and overheat in a social situation, and when you are trying to show to friends how wonderful this is, you really don't want to combust or deliver no vapor!


Cheap IR thermometers like this one do not work on transparent materials and this is one reason why the top of the QT is frosted. You measure the temperature always at the bottom of the frosted part, and always from the same distance. This will give you consistent, repeatable results.

320C is a good safe starting point. This is of course not the temperature that will hit your material. All you need is a reading to calibrate your use. Combustion will occur if you inhale with a reading of over 420C when measured as shown in the video.

Big rips with a klein recycler and temperature check (~360C), with almost zero throat irritation .
(apologies for terrible audio quality)

Heat up time from cold: 75 seconds

The darkly roasted AVB in the end is only about half of what was in the bowl. I repeat- this 360C reading is not the temperature that hits the herb !

UPDATE ON AVAILABILITY:

These will be made by hand so we are not doing mass manufacturing with molds etc. I am trying to keep the cost down for everyone by ordering several pieces at a time. This does not decrease manufacturing cost but shipping costs. Get your order in ASAP!

Update on bowls: I have a response from one of the several people i contacted and we are negotiating.

Communications with the glass bowl folks in China are difficult as I cannot work with a phone and the dhgate website is still broken for me, and Instagram on a desktop is garbage.... It is likely the QT itself will be ready to ship before any bowls are ready! ( I already have silicone handles).

One Chinese supplier of related gear that I contaced wants me to pay for the bowl mold- however, their business revolves around copying designs so I am not particularly interested in paying for a mold that he will then use to make more money off and totally under-cut me....

Unfortunately I am not in a position to offer American-made bowls.

Olive wood stands for the QT are in progress and since this is done locally I expect to have photos very soon.

V2 Prototype is being manufactured!

 

[DgN'R]

Oh it's great what you do, I love non -electric vaporizer, heating of a flame is magic

I wish you a lot of success, I don't have a budget currently but maybe one day.

Question: sorry, that has nothing to do with the QT, What is this musical bomb that we hear in your video? that's great!

 

[Haze Mister]

Question: sorry, that has nothing to do with the QT, What is this musical bomb that we hear in your video? that's great!

Lee Scratch Perry : "I am a madman". An epic by a legend! RIP!

Also check out Dub Syndicate, African Head Charge- both on ON-U Sounds label.

 

[Haze Mister]

UPDATE: PROGRESS, GEMS AND COIL COMPATIBILITY

Impending price rise
I don't want to keep folks who are down for a QT waiting and am not ready for the job of taking this to a wider market (redddit, webshop, IG ) for another month at least, so it looks like we're doing smaller batches for now. This means more shipping (and possibly customs ) costs for me. I want to use a courier to get things from China fast and safely.
This may mean a price increase in the very near future. Folks who have already told me they want one can pay the prices I posted in the first page ( which I cannot edit) but future orders may see a price increase of $20 at least. I am working on reducing manufacturing costs.

I have drawn up a new design for the v2 and accessories, which may also reduce manufacturing costs/time, and will make the QT v.2 compatible with the Dab Ready static coil being produced by Old Head.

The QT v2 ( no longer a one-piece design) will be compatible with all 25mm coils with a base heating spiral ( the standard design) and a suitable stand for the coil will be produced.

A suitable piece of nice Spanish oIive wood is ready to be cut and made into bases!

RUBIES

Large ruby balls (8mm) seem less resistant to thermal shock than quartz and can crack if placed at the top, near the air intake. This may have been a bad batch of rubies (i bought them from a random DHGate shop years ago) but simply placing the rubies at the bottom of the stack , beneath the quartz balls, prevents this. I will hence be using larger quartz balls at the top of the stack to act as partial barriers for the smaller gems beneath, and placing the rubies at the bottom, which also happens to look cooler, and looking cool is important

(With this knowledge, I would never use a ruby insert in a torch-fired banger)

I am now sourcing the ruby balls from JCVAP who seem like a decent business, and testing faceted synthetic corundum rubies and sapphires from other suppliers ( because looking cool)

 

[Haze Mister]

 

[Cheebsy]

Ok, I'll bite!

Is that quartz, Boro, ceramic, or fossilised mammoth snot?

 

[RustyOldNail]

A tiny Chinese SPY BALLOON……

 

[Haze Mister]

It is thick borosilicate double wall. There is a reasonable solution inside for getting the screen where it needs to be.

Would you like a small ball on the side as a handle? I will never use a post as a handle, it offends my aesthetic sensibility! A ball is about as much as I can tolerate.

Colours available: Snow White (as seen) , Classic Amber, and Opal.... I cannot wait to get my hands on these babies!

I am trying to get some 14mm ones made - hang on in there!!

Also, I had not realised before that titanium foil is available so I will be cutting thin strips to make some coils to replace the wire ball for those who want a top screen. This will look neater, but the wire is stil an option if you prefer the wilder look! (the frosted chimney is frosted also to hide any screen ).
I would like to make pretty wire balls with spirals etc, once I have the right tool, but a finer wire would be needed too...

The Thunderbolt will (SOON!) be available with a choice of gemstones, including faceted sapphires and rubies, maybe purple and pink quartz ( if it doesn't crack during testing). Unfortunately only synthetic quartz is pure enough to resist cracking. Natural quartz of comparable purity would be super expensive.

Contact me now to reserve a QT and a bowl before prices go up! Coil-ready version in the works!

 

[Haze Mister]

Progress update:

-First Pre-orders are coming in!
-Shipping delay blues.
-V1 Production model arriving this week(end). Photos will be posted as soon as !

Mass production of the QT design with the integrated screen will likely never happen and only a small quantity of pieces will likely be made before the manufacturer gives up and I give up looking for another manufacturer who can make this affordably I will try to push for it to get made if people ask for it... Welding the screen at a precise position inside a small tube seems to be an unattractive proposition for quartz manufacturers !

A removable quartz screen is less efficient (and is small and transparent so can be easily lost if you disassemble the heater ) but makes sense in various ways so I am moving in that direction, much as I love the one-piece design.

All other injectors coming from me (or anyone else, I bet) in the foreseeable future will most likely consist of several pieces. QT v3 (under a new name ) will be posted in a separate thread as it will be coil-heated and somewhat more advanced than what is currently available by other designers (Torching will remain always an option but will require more gas due to the separate screen and added mass required for the design)


My Philosophy behind the Quartz Thunderbolt:

The herb is a sacred plant given to us by Mother Earth, who is a literal Goddess in material form (any human figures appearing as gods/goddesses are just mental projections).

I favour conscious instead of mindless, casual use. I am not concerned with precise digital control of temperature- I am concerned with the grace of the ritual and with the effect of the medicine in my mind, body and soul.

A torch-fired heater forces you to pay attention. If you miss the moment of the ruby colour change and carry on firing you will not have a clue as to how hot the piece is and may end up combusting (unless you lose style points by using a basic IR lazer thermometer as shown earlier!)

In light of the above, electricity, technological devices and cables are out of place. Only fire, and crystal - for a pure experience. I never liked the idea of having to use an electrical device to enjoy the herb. I took me years to reluctantly get into vaporisers because of this.
The Dynavap was the end-game for portable vaporizers for me, and the Quartz Thunderbolt enjoys the same simplicity of a torch heated vaporiser:
No electricity, no cables dangling off your rig, no gas inhalation, you can easily pass the rig around a circle of friends (who can handle it), no special batteries that soon run out, no hot coils that can potentially leave permanent burn marks on furniture or yourself if you get clumsy. My living room table is not a lab bench!

There is something inherently awkward in using a hot metal coil wrapped around a breakable device full of hot stones, and the trouble people seem to have getting a good fit on non-metal heaters is not for me. Also, coils simply do not deliver the rapid power of the QT because of physical limitations and safety considerations.

The beauty and sparkle of quartz and ruby is not just visual. I feel there is a vibration that is imbued into the vapor from the flame-heated stones, which leads to a higher, long lasting high that approaches psychedelic substances with certain strains. This is a very long way from combustion even though it is very close!

The firing of the Quartz Thunderbolt itself is an enjoyable ritual of primal purity- fire and crystal!

 

[Haze Mister]

Here is the production model of the QT v.1 in all its minimalistic beauty!

This design is as good as it gets for torching (for now).
There are no rings, external ridges or other added features so as to keep the mass and the machining and welding to a minimum. The point is to get the heat from your torch to the balls inside and not to the housing itself, and to have a durable piece.


LAST 2 WEEKS OF PRE-ORDERS BEFORE PRICE INCREASE TO $120/€110 !

The first pre-order units will be sent out next month.

I will then be producing this and subsequent versions in small batches depending on demand and eventually putting it all on a web shop along with other goodies in the pipeline such as a COIL-HEATED VERSION.

To re-cap:
Apart from the screen which is lazer drilled with a CNC machine, these are essentially hand-made pieces. There will be slight imperfections and small variations between units but all will be tested before shipping to buyers.

Rubies, sapphires, emeralds and quartz will all be here soon so I will be offering the QT with different gemstone fillings (optionally and at extra cost)...

Quartz: fast heat-up, less gas used, less heat retention.
Corundum gems (rubies and sapphires): slower heat up, more heat retention, more gas used.
Have not looked into emerals but gotta have some green in there!

A bit more on gems and gas:

I am using at least 50% synthetic quartz pebbles instead of just synthetic ruby balls not just because quartz is cheaper. There is no corner cutting here if at all possible My reasoning is that quartz is good for torching because it picks up the heat from the quartz housing faster than rubies. This should help extend the life of the piece (estimated: years if not decades of careful use!) and save gas. Gas is not too expensive but if you live far from shops, running out can be a problem.

Running out of gas really is to be avoided but I recently was able to get the QT hot enough by standing it directly on a vitroceramic hob and turning that up to the max and waiting for 15 minutes; an extremely inefficient way to heat up - but it's there if needed . I then just used a pair of steel tweezers to grab the hot piece from the frosted neck and insert it into my bowl **MORE ON THAT LATER**

A ruby-only assembly will take longer to heat up and use significantly more gas, but will keep that heat for longer and allow for a longer/ slower session at lower temperatures.

A medium-high flame is probably the most efficient here in terms of gas consumption.

Steel clamps for safely handling the hot piece if needed are on the way.

Other Items for heating the QT on stove tops, hot plates etc are on the to-do-list!

 

[coolbreeze]

Here is the production model of the QT v.1 in all its minimalistic beauty!

This design is as good as it gets for torching (for now).
There are no rings, external ridges or other added features so as to keep the mass and the machining and welding to a minimum. The point is to get the heat from your torch to the balls inside and not to the housing itself, and to have a durable piece.


LAST 2 WEEKS OF PRE-ORDERS BEFORE PRICE INCREASE TO $120/€110 !

The first pre-order units will be sent out next month.

I will then be producing this and subsequent versions in small batches depending on demand and eventually putting it all on a web shop along with other goodies in the pipeline such as a COIL-HEATED VERSION.

To re-cap:
Apart from the screen which is lazer drilled with a CNC machine, these are essentially hand-made pieces. There will be slight imperfections and small variations between units but all will be tested before shipping to buyers.

Rubies, sapphires, emeralds and quartz will all be here soon so I will be offering the QT with different gemstone fillings (optionally and at extra cost)...

Quartz: fast heat-up, less gas used, less heat retention.
Corundum gems (rubies and sapphires): slower heat up, more heat retention, more gas used.
Have not looked into emerals but gotta have some green in there!

A bit more on gems and gas:

I am using at least 50% synthetic quartz pebbles instead of just synthetic ruby balls not just because quartz is cheaper. There is no corner cutting here if at all possible My reasoning is that quartz is good for torching because it picks up the heat from the quartz housing faster than rubies. This should help extend the life of the piece (estimated: years if not decades of use!) and save gas. Gas is not too expensive but if you live far from shops, running out can be a problem.

Running out of gas really is to be avoided but I recently was able to get the QT hot enough by standing it directly on a vitroceramic hob and turning that up to the max and waiting for 15 minutes; an extremely inefficient way to heat up - but it's there if needed . I then just used a pair of steel tweezers to grab the hot piece from the frosted neck and insert it into my bowl **MORE ON THAT LATER**

A ruby-only assembly will take longer to heat up and use significantly more gas, but will keep that heat for longer and allow for a longer/ slower session at lower temperatures.

A medium flame is probably the most efficient here in terms of gas consumption.

Steel clamps for safely handling the hot piece if needed are on the way.

Other Items for heating the QT on stove tops, hot plates etc are on the to-do-list!

Looks awesome!

 

[Haze Mister]

And It Tasty Rips as well!

Looks awesome!

14mm version in the oven!!! Get your orders in now!!

 

[Haze Mister]

Updatum

There are some language barriers to get past but the first bowls are getting sent-

A second potentially more efficient quartz manufacturer has been sourced- NO PRICE INCREASE for now!