So
@coolbreeze in order to get this convection end-of-the-session roasts
@tatbock looks for, don't you agree on widening the lighter distance and invest in patience?
Or breathing slowly otherwise? I don't bet for the breathing: then you hear no whistle, and I look for it!
I can't figure out a better tek (this not counting on restrictor disks that gives you a conduction extra and helps for sure)
4 edits after: I think it's ok now :-)
Yes, exactly. Speed or intensity of your pull along with flame length, distance to the intake, and angle of attack all make a big difference and are all useful in moderating your hit. In this case pulling the flame back and slowing your hit can build heat more safely than aiming the torch deeper or straighter, for sure.
A straight intake is always going to be faster, with higher (or quicker) potential for combusting. With the OG Brick, it's easier to get used to a straight intake because the setup is always the same and the feedback is fairly direct. With a Hydrobrick I use whips, hydratubes, whipped rigs and bigger waterpipes, etc, so the hit varies a lot. More direct methods (hydratube or std mouthpiece) are pretty manageable while the whipped waterpieces can be easy-to-challenging.
Generally, a hydrobrick with hydratube and a straight intake (as an example of something fairly direct and responsive) I would use a bushy flame about .5 or .6 inches long (inner blue flame) aimed at a low angle with the inner flame almost touching the inner rim of the intake and a relatively slow pull; the whistling should start when you've found the spot, but it too will vary in distinctness. (if you can't find the spot or get it going, try swirling the flame around the rim, you will find a spot. Easiest way is to imagine the intake as a clockface, and aim across the open intake to a spot just inside the intake's bell; for instance, aiming from 10 o'clock down to 5 o'clock across the mouth of the bent intake.) When heat, flavor, or the first substantial glimpses of vapor indicate, I increase the rate of my pull and possibly begin to swing the torch into a more upright position without going deeper into the intake. I make sure to pull the torch away or shut it off before the end of my breath capacity weakens the strength of the pull, which is a very common time for combustion to occur.
It's all a lot of words for something that is mostly feel. Playing with the parameters will help you get a feel for them and you'll naturally gravitate to those which work most comfortably for you.
So to answer the original question, you can slow down the heat by drawing slower, but you have to really be on top of the indicators to avoid overheating, especially with the quicker straight intake. Slowing down the heat allows it to build in the chamber and produce a darker roast. With a bigger flame and straight intake, this can happen all too quickly. If you sense the possibility for combustion, pull away the flame, draw faster, kill the flame, etc. With practice, your adjustment will be enough to let you ride the line or to quit the hit before it gets out of hand. Just keep at it until it's as dark or thoroughly extracted as you like.
Hope I've answered you both--I've been practicing. ; p
