The HI

[panasonic]

Or a dimmer. Actually today I tried adding an extra screen in the front of the load to sandwiche the herb, and it seems to have diffused the heat enough to not combust.

The heat island runs hot man.

Hmm okay, well do you find loading the screen to be much trouble? To me I am more inclined to load more bowls instead of one larger bowl and adding a second screen. But I am hearing even the SS tips might need stirring, so if all the tips need stirring I guess I might as well use the second screen? It seems cumbersome

 

[Diggy Smalls]

No I do not stir at all. I've been cranking it up with no dimmer and that second screen in the front really seems to work.

I'm sideways playing around with my stems and using them in different ways. The variety of stems and tips is so awesome. I want a wooden roasting tip to try that out.

BTW, my reference point is not from a true HI but with a hybrid toasty top that has the HI heater. I had no wait time since he had it already made.

 

[PB88123]

I'm looking to purchase a VVPS.

The one I have now tops out at 12.4 volts. The top of my HI is too hot to hold and the hits are the best during the warmer days outside.

But come the colder days outside the top of my HI barely gets my hands warm. For some reason it just can't retain the heat as well. So for those days I would like to turn my high up to something like 13V-14V and see if it can provide the same high temp hits I get during the warmer days.

What is the VVPS of choice now-a-days? I see the person that was making some on this forum stopped a year ago.

Thanks!

 

[ZC]

Alan actually makes his own vvps units, I'd ask him about those.

 

[flotntoke]

Alan actually makes his own vvps units, I'd ask him about those.

They are very cool looking, minimalistic and work well. I really like mine!

 

[killick]

My brand spanking new HI is here, complete with wooden VVPS, and a few dual purpose HI/Milaana stems. It's absolutely dreamy...

Pix asap

 

[Alan]

I recently started making a longer version of the stainless steel heater cover. It is pictured here beside the shorter version. The purpose was to reduce the temperature of the bottom washer so that it could be fastened to a cork ring and put into a bamboo HI. The bottom washer and ss mounting screws only reach 200F while the upper portion is 450F or more thanks to heat island technology. This is well within the thermal limit of cork, so I will be able to offer bamboo HI's w/ ss heater covers in addition to the glass heater covers. The shorter version will be used in mini HI's and Toasty Tops.

The cork rings also work well in wooden HI's. Here is a photo of a birch wood HI w/ ss heater cover mounted to a cork ring and another cork ring to close the bottom hole. It has a 1" hole bored all the way through the wood. A glass heater cover can also be held with the cork ring. Since I am able to save some time using the cork rings and not making a bottom cap, the price for a domestic wood HI is being reduced to $130. A bottom cap can still be added if desired.

Here is a side photo of my micro voltage controllers. They have a 25 watt capacity and can easily control the HI or any other 12 volt log style vaporizer.

So how big does the blank need to be if you wanted to have a custom Heat Island turned?

The wood blank needs to be 1.5" x 1.5" x 4.5" long. It only needs to be 4" long if a cork ring is used in the bottom hole. I have made them as small as 1.25" before, but the wood starts getting very thin.

@killick - Glad to hear it arrived safely and you are pleased.

 

[Alan]

Here are my latest stainless steel heater covers and heat island technology design. I have eliminated the outer sleeve that was used to hold the heater cover in place. It was transferring too much radiant heat energy to the wood which caused the heater cover to loosen. The outer sleeve was also causing certain woods to crack when it tried to shrink from being dried by the heat.
My latest heater covers are held in place by stainless steel screws so they will never become loose. The taller version stays cool enough at the bottom that it can be fastened to a natural cork ring which can then be slid into a wood or bamboo tube.
My glass heater covers are also held in place with a natural cork ring which works really well.
I have replaced the 6 air intake holes with 3 air intake slots. They are a little easier to make and it reduces the metal conduction path area so there is less heat loss to the base (which is mechanically fastened rather than welded/soldered). The roasting tube stop ring is a removable stainless steel clip ring.

 

[Perplexpercolator]

Could you do vacuum heat pipes(probably overboard haha) or even a second free standing wall would work on the outer core. Don't know much about thermo and such but would this provide a sort of insulation for the part touching the wood. I second the spinning hot air, you could do it by angling the inlet holes at the bottom, I don't think it should cause and heat loss issues seeing that theres a great deal of turbulence building up at the bottom with undirected air.

 

[panasonic]

Nice work Alan!

 

[Diggy Smalls]

3/8" id x 7/8" length

As you can see the ss bowl is much smaller; the screen is also inserted much shallower.

I really like the wooden mouthpiece with the glass tip a lot! I need to get one of those. So classy!

 

[grokit]

I really like the wooden mouthpiece with the glass tip a lot! I need to get one of those. So classy!

Yes it's my favorite roasting tube (so far!). I have now taken that ss tubing used for the micro-bowl pictured next to it, and inserted it without the screen to use as a mouthpiece; it's working out quite nicely

 

[Snappo]

Yes it's my favorite roasting tube (so far!). I have now taken that ss tubing used for the micro-bowl pictured next to it, and inserted it without the screen to use as a mouthpiece; it's working out quite nicely

I like how you can load either end, whichever desired - and use either end as a mouthpiece too!

 

[ZC]

I love it, it's an all in one dry stem!

 

[JJ420]

Goddamn Alan, your work can best be described as like "high-end audiophile". Seriously everything you've been making is classically perfect!

Been loving my handful of HI's, but you know things always go in and out of rotation. Been cozying back up to my glass cores lately after what seems like a three or for month Mighty binge. The high from the glass cores is like.. the best, warmest, most beautiful high. This must be like what having a 75 year Scotch or something feels like.


To people thinking about getting in the HIsaber game, I'll give you a few bullet points to ponder:


- This is not a beginner's vape. Yeah you can get clouds off your first try, but truly dialing this thing means knowing each individual Heat Island on a very intimate level. The window for perfection is small (like within .1 volt).

- Glass Core Heat Islands stand out. If you're having trouble deciding GC or SS, then I'd highly recommend the former. Better on every level and makes the HI stand out from its competitors.

- a Variable Voltage Power Supply is absolutely necessary. This thing is truly a precision instrument!

- like most vaporizers though especially like the Purple Days, this thing demands fully cured, top-shelf primo grade flowers. Anything less WILL result in lackluster performance. Better hope that dispensary bud had at least a month to cure (good luck on that).

 

[thisperson]

Just wanted to report that I took my HI to a friends house, and his girl has strong hands or something, cuz when I told her to carb the hole at the bottom (cork end) she really pressed and it went in but I thought readjusting it would take care of it and ever since then my HI was acting up. Occasionally it coombusted after that event and then it happened.

It randomly died. I checked through the hole in the cork and one of the leads broke off at the soldering.

I know this is user error and not at all manufacturer's fault. But just wanted to let you guys know not to press the bamboo cork in too much. I always had a gentle hand, but I guess she didn't. I'm going to be looking into getting another log vaporizer. But probably of wood this time so it's of sturdier quality.

Oh yeah are all the bamboo hi's now made with cork? I saw the picture in the last post by the JedHI Master.

 

[grokit]

That sounds like what I imagine to be the pros and cons of the cork bases; more vulnerable to mishap, but easier to service when things go awry. Personally I like having a bit of weight toward the bottom

 

[Alan]

Could you do vacuum heat pipes(probably overboard haha) or even a second free standing wall would work on the outer core. Don't know much about thermo and such but would this provide a sort of insulation for the part touching the wood. I second the spinning hot air, you could do it by angling the inlet holes at the bottom, I don't think it should cause and heat loss issues seeing that theres a great deal of turbulence building up at the bottom with undirected air.

An outer core would provide more radiant shielding for the wood as long as it doesn't touch the wood. The slots provide plenty of turbulence inside the heater cover for good heat transfer. Increasing the surface area without adversely affecting the air flow is the goal.

@grokit - Great use of the ss roasting tip as a mouthpiece. Thanks for posting.

@Snappo - It certainly can be used from either end. Nice how that worked out.

@JJ420 - Thanks for the kind words. Glad you are still enjoying your HI's.

Just wanted to report that I took my HI to a friends house, and his girl has strong hands or something, cuz when I told her to carb the hole at the bottom (cork end) she really pressed and it went in but I thought readjusting it would take care of it and ever since then my HI was acting up. Occasionally it coombusted after that event and then it happened.

It randomly died. I checked through the hole in the cork and one of the leads broke off at the soldering.

I know this is user error and not at all manufacturer's fault. But just wanted to let you guys know not to press the bamboo cork in too much. I always had a gentle hand, but I guess she didn't. I'm going to be looking into getting another log vaporizer. But probably of wood this time so it's of sturdier quality.

Oh yeah are all the bamboo hi's now made with cork? I saw the picture in the last post by the JedHI Master.

Sorry to hear about your bamboo HI. The hole in the bottom is actually the air intake hole so it shouldn't be blocked off. If you connected a small air pump to the bottom hole, it would blow hot air from the heater cover and vapor with the roasting tube attached.
I was using 1/4" thick cork rings on the bottom, but have now started using 1/2" thick rings so they will be much harder to push in.
The connection just needs to be re-soldered and you are back in business. Send me an email if you would like me to help you with it.
All of the bamboo HI's are made with a cork heater cover support and a cork bottom plug.

 

[thisperson]

Sorry to hear about your bamboo HI. The hole in the bottom is actually the air intake hole so it shouldn't be blocked off. If you connected a small air pump to the bottom hole, it would blow hot air from the heater cover and vapor with the roasting tube attached.
I was using 1/4" thick cork rings on the bottom, but have now started using 1/2" thick rings so they will be much harder to push in.
The connection just needs to be re-soldered and you are back in business. Send me an email if you would like me to help you with it.
All of the bamboo HI's are made with a cork heater cover support and a cork bottom plug.

Thanks for your reply! Nice to know there's a possibility for a pump. I figured I just needed to solder it, but I don't have a soldering iron! But I will. And I meant the wood hi's, I saw a cork style wooden hi. Sorry, I must have been high for writing bamboo when I meant wood.

Edit: And I liked carbing the intake hole. It (I thought) produced bigger clouds. Restricting the airflow that is by just a smidgen.

 

[grokit]

Been cozying back up to my glass cores lately... The high from the glass cores is like.. the best, warmest, most beautiful high. This must be like what having a 75 year Scotch or something feels like...

- Glass Core Heat Islands stand out. If you're having trouble deciding GC or SS, then I'd highly recommend the former. Better on every level and makes the HI stand out from its competitors.

- a Variable Voltage Power Supply is absolutely necessary. This thing is truly a precision instrument!

I've just switched to my redwood burl glass-cored hi for the first time and would have to concur

The ss core is a beast and I've been loving it since it arrived. I would say that the vvps isn't as necessary for that model, but it's sure nice to have. I wanted to wait until my latest was fully-cured before I fired up the glass core... I was not disappointed. The taste, omg. I just turned the ps 1/10 of a dc volt higher, and with the roasting tube pictured the flavor was as pure as the driven snow that has yet to fall this weekend.

 

[Perplexpercolator]

An outer core would provide more radiant shielding for the wood as long as it doesn't touch the wood. The slots provide plenty of turbulence inside the heater cover for good heat transfer. Increasing the surface area without adversely affecting the air flow is the goal.

When I mentioned the outer core I was talking about a free standing metal core welded to the base but still seperate from the wood. There's a few issues that could arise, one of which would be airflow restriction unless you vented it somehow or created a cone like outer core all together that would open to full diameter at the top(the end of that shouldn't create too much heat, and could be insulated with a nylon type material for stability). An additional benefit of this would be space for a larger heating element/coil since the core would be more insulated and the air could even be heated twice (once on intake and then again in the center core, this could possibly aid in uniform heat movement on its own if the outer core heater was at a lower temp, but then there's the issue of breaking two heat barriers rather than one....). I don't know how easy/hard it would be to make a conical outer core so there's that too.

In terms of surface area it's sort of a dead end because of the wood constraints unless you utilize curved/conical air paths/cores for the sake of insulation to fit more into the log.

Also in regards to the corkscrew path others mentioned how would fins on the outside of the inner core work or inside of a theoretical outer core.

Do you think any of this could work or do I need to learn some more stuff about heat and airflow.

 

[Alan]

Thanks for your reply! Nice to know there's a possibility for a pump. I figured I just needed to solder it, but I don't have a soldering iron! But I will. And I meant the wood hi's, I saw a cork style wooden hi. Sorry, I must have been high for writing bamboo when I meant wood.

Edit: And I liked carbing the intake hole. It (I thought) produced bigger clouds. Restricting the airflow that is by just a smidgen.

The bottom hole in the standard wood HI's will be cork unless a wooden bottom cap is desired. The heater cover will be connected to a cork ring. This allows the heater cover to easily be changed from ss to glass or rebuilt if necessary. There is no hot metal contacting the wood body, so there can be no charring.

Restricting the intake air can lower the air pressure in the roasting chamber which will reduce the temperature at which the oil will vaporize. Bigger clouds are possible.

Hope the soldering goes well. Look for some ROHS compliant solder.

When I mentioned the outer core I was talking about a free standing metal core welded to the base but still seperate from the wood. There's a few issues that could arise, one of which would be airflow restriction unless you vented it somehow or created a cone like outer core all together that would open to full diameter at the top(the end of that shouldn't create too much heat, and could be insulated with a nylon type material for stability). An additional benefit of this would be space for a larger heating element/coil since the core would be more insulated and the air could even be heated twice (once on intake and then again in the center core, this could possibly aid in uniform heat movement on its own if the outer core heater was at a lower temp, but then there's the issue of breaking two heat barriers rather than one....). I don't know how easy/hard it would be to make a conical outer core so there's that too.

In terms of surface area it's sort of a dead end because of the wood constraints unless you utilize curved/conical air paths/cores for the sake of insulation to fit more into the log.

Also in regards to the corkscrew path others mentioned how would fins on the outside of the inner core work or inside of a theoretical outer core.

Do you think any of this could work or do I need to learn some more stuff about heat and airflow.

Fins on the heating element are the answer. I tried adding some 1/2" ss screens with a 1/4" hole formed through the center to the 1/4" ss cartridge heater in my GTV. Had to turn the dimmer switch down almost a 1/4 turn from where I would normally have it to get the same roasting temperature. Maybe a tube of ss screen material around heating element would add surface area without adding too much air restriction.

 

[Perplexpercolator]

Sounds like that will work well, my knowledge again is limited on these things, more just bouncing off ideas that sporadically come to mind.

Good luck making your heat island better than before

 

[Perplexpercolator]

Has anyone tried out arizer Gong stems (my fear is that they might be too large but they seem like a great preload system), I'm looking for 100% glass everywhere now that I've been convinced by reading all about the Glass-core goodness


curious as to if this would work or not (its flawed in that its actually too small for the airizer)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-14MM-Wa...9?hash=item3acfa6b093:g:uz0AAOSwZJBYBk0W#rwid

However I dont know if it gives enough space for the Log element/herb, could be combustion prone

 

[Seren]

Guess whose name got called up!

What a perfect end to the vaping year!

I really can't wait to admire Alan's beautiful work in my own hands.

F*%k yeah!

HAPPY HOLIDAZE EVERYONE


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