The first cork is completely inside of the HI body during use so it doesn't look as long. The glass roasting chamber tube is centered on the interface between the first and second corks. There is a screen on either end of the roasting chamber. The first screen stays in the first cork when you remove it to load the tube. It can also be used without the first cork and then it is essentially a U Tube since I use the same 1" long glass tubes. This would allow you to stir if you desire.
The only concern I have with using the 3/8" x 1/4" ss ring is that if it falls out of the tube right after using, then you have a 400F ss ring bouncing around.
The glass and wine cork tube is the way to go for using a PNWT.
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GratefulVapor - I should have given you more of a sales pitch on the wine cork tube. Glad to hear your HI arrived safely.
Thanks for the feedback on the design. I have since made another change that makes the center tube very rigid and secure. The following photo shows the details of the core designs.
I included my entire collection of log vape cores to show the design progression.
The AromaZap core consisted of a solid cylinder of brass with a hole drilled through it. A brass washer with a center hole and 6 air intake holes surrounding it was soldered to a brass tube. The brass tube is flared out at the bottom to hold everything secure. The outer sleeve that was set into the wood was a copper coupling. The core was held in place with a clip ring.
The PD core consisted of a series of flat and star washers held together with a 3/8" ss tube with a bar through two holes near the top and flared out at the bottom. There were two air intake holes in the top washer which was larger than the rest. The outer sleeve set into the wood was a ss sleeve and the core was held in place with a clip ring.
The Toasty Top core also consisted of a series of flat and star washers but was held together by flaring the tube on the top and bottom. The larger top washer had a center hole that was surrounded by 6 air intake holes. This only allows the TT core to accept the small stainless steel roasting tubes. The outer sleeve was ss and pressed into the wood with a friction fit. The core was also press fit into the ss outer sleeve so that no clip ring was required. There was also a ss washer on the very bottom so that no wood was exposed to the hot air.
The UnderDog core is from one of his first units. It used only star washers for the core mass. A bottom washer was soldered to a 3/8" SS center tube that had two large holes cut into either side. The first star washer placed on the center tube had been cut and twisted to act as a spring and keep the space open by the air intake. The remainder of the star washers stacked onto the spring with a plain washer that had 4 notches at the very top. The entire stack of star washers and the plain washer at the bottom was pressed into a 3/4" sleeve. Unfortunately, the spring star washer got loose and allowed the internals to become loose. I didn't want to burden Dave with the repair, so did it myself. I just installed a full stack of star washers along with a debris screen and closed it back up. The star washers sort of acted as a screen and allowed air right through. The outer sleeve is held in place with a clip ring. He is doing something different with his cores now. I'm not exactly sure of his current configuration but I know it has changed from this version.
The first Heat Island core consisted of a 3/8" center tube that was mechanically attached to a 3/4" ss washer and 6 holes were drilled into the center tube. The 6 holes removed 66% of the metal conduction path and created an island that was difficult for heat to escape. A ss ring was first placed at the bottom of the hole to limit the amount of heat that could be conducted down. The center tube and washer was dropped in next followed by a 3/4" ss sleeve. It worked well until the sleeve got loose which allowed the center tube to become loose.
The next HI core had the outer sleeve mechanically attached to the bottom washer so that a loose sleeve wouldn't allow the center tube to become loose. Friction fit just wasn't the way to go as humidity changes could cause the core to become loose. The wood will eventually become charred from the direct heat conduction from contact with the wood. The longer it is energized, the faster the wood will degrade.
The next change was to make just a heater cover which is a 3/8" center tube that was mechanically fastened to a perforated aluminum plate. The plate was then fastened to the wood using ss wood screws so that it would never become loose. The air intake was just 3 slots cut into the sides. The slots remove about 90% of the metal at that location making it even more difficult for the heat to be conducted away. You can see the difference in the color of the metal above and below the air intake. The aluminum plate does allow some movement of the center tube as it is not totally rigid.
The current HI ss heater cover is mechanically attached to a 3/4" ss washer that has 2 notches for screws. There is also a dimple near the top to hold the screen in place and prevent the ss roasting tube from going in any farther. It is very rigid and allows no tube movement.
The glass heater cover uses the same aluminum plate to attach it to the HI using ss screws. It is important that there be a little bit of movement to the glass cover. The aluminum prongs provide support but also allow for some movement so the glass doesn't break. The glass doesn't do such a good job of conducting heat, so the aluminum only gets to about 130F. The air comes in through the bottom, so the aluminum isn't even in the air path.
Hopefully, this will also show the compatibility of the roasting tubes between the different models. It can also be used for those of you trying to decide between the glass and ss heater covers.
Sorry again for making everyone wait so long. There never seems to be enough hours in the day. At least there is no cost to get on the list other than your patience.
; having had the chance to acquire one of these (likely one of the first) with the order of my new HIsaber (which JUST came in ..more on that later!)
and great invention !
