'The Misty Log' - DIY wooden Log Vaporizer

[blokenoname]

So! Tested out the star washer base with the 11mm UD tubing. Worked out reasonably well for a prototype. Tried to pull it apart with considerable force applied; even threw it against the wall... mechanical connection holds up!

Used an M10 external star washer here with an ID of 10.5mm to 10.77mm. It's about 0.9mm thick and has an OD of ~18mm.

Procedure is basically the same as working with the flat M10 washer I'm usually using for fastening the 11mm OD heater cover. Bit less trimming of the tube necessary here , as ID tolerances of the star washer seem to be less strict than for the flat washers. Meaning... didn't even need to fire up the bench grinder here, but simply used a big hand-file for a minute or two, until I could feed the tube into the washer's hole and give it a go with the hammer.

Also... the nudges of the star washer are a perfect fit for my M3/16mm round head wood screws

 

[jackrod]

Thanks to some great tips here, I completed my second log, this one with a halogen heater.

Square-ish walnut body, 11mm OD/10mm ID heat island style heater cover, 12V 10W bulb.

The heater cover has 3 hacksawed slits at the bottom, and is fixed to a 3/8 washer by filing the end of the tube, hammering it in and peening (?) the rest over flat, as shown in this thread.

I used @Alan 's method of removing the insulation from the crimps on the G4 bulb socket, and using that insulation tab to re-crimp some solid core wire (22AWG tinned copper). Then stabbed these wires though a #1 cork, which is shoved into the bottom of the heater core. The socket sits on top of the cork, and the cork insulates the wires.

The cross section looks about like this:

Parts used:
heater cover: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B099QMDZRY
bulb: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BC9NQGR
socket: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CXL6MLD
barrel jack: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MPS3QD8
screens: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QF5TLZV
2x2 (1.5inx1.5in) walnut from Home Depot
3/8 316 SS washer, filed hole a bit larger
2x #6x3/4 SS wood screws
#1 cork

 

[blokenoname]

@jackrod... Ah! That was kind of a quick evolution, I'd say! That walnut unit looks already like a pretty solid build. Well done
And good job on the heater cover!

We've to see how the cork takes the heat buildup over time though, being that close to the heater. If the connection you formed between the socket's leads and the copper wire is solid and straight enough, the cork isn't probably needed anyway, as the heater assembly should then easily support itself and w/out causing a short out, once it's soldered to the DC connector.

You might consider dimming the glare of the bulbthough, as it's not really fun to stare into the harsh light when using a direct draw stem. When using the log upside down with a WPA that's of course not so much of an issue, but still can be improved by simply adding several layers of ss fine mesh to the debris screen in the crimp. You can cut several fitting disks of the right size from ss fine mesh cloth, stack them on top of each other and then trap them between two basket screens, which you then use as a bit 'fatter' debris screen.

Dimming the glare even more, you could also get some 0.1mm thick ss foil and either cut (nail clippers) or punch out (leather puncher) a single ~5mm wide disk out of it and set that on top and into the center of the ss fine mesh disk stack right under the top debris screen basket.
It'll also help to diffuse the air flow away from the center of the tube and force it around its sides, which prevents hot spotting.
Haven't any active Halo Log at the moment to show you pics, but you'll find some in Alan's thread, somewhere in the page number vicinity, where you probably found his method working the halo socket.

Short notice on the bulb: @brainiac has probably a link for you for getting 'infrared' halo bulbs. They are used in heating appliances and emit a good deal less visible light.

Here are links to the ss fine mesh cloth and the 0.1mm ss foil:

https://www.amazon.com/YAGJIA-Stainless-40x120cm-Screen-Project/dp/B0CDPCRZZ2

I use the 200Mesh x 0.05mm

Amazon.com: 304 Stainless Steel Foil Plate Thickness 0.01mm-0.5mm, Metal Strip Sheet for Machinery, Stainless Foil Sheet 1pc(0.01x100x1000mm) : Industrial & Scientific

Amazon.com: 304 Stainless Steel Foil Plate Thickness 0.01mm-0.5mm, Metal Strip Sheet for Machinery, Stainless Foil Sheet 1pc(0.01x100x1000mm) : Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

 

[Hippie]

Nice work

A ring of rubies around the nipple of the bulb can help cut down the glare and diffuse the heat too

 

[jackrod]

You were right on target with all these suggestions - I rebuilt the core after noticing the same issues. After thinking I had broken the bulb, when I had really just knocked the power supply loose

When taking it apart, I noticed the cork had scorched a bit. After some more investigation, I saw that the crimps inside the socket had built up some dark oxidation, so they were getting pretty hot. I think my crimping job or the connection to the bulb must have had some pretty high contact resistance. The glare was pretty bright, too.

For the replacement, I skipped the socket entirely. I just tightly wrapped the wires around the bulb leads about 5 times, and smashed/crimped these wraps down hard. Seems to give a lot better contact area, and is actually pretty secure. Then the wires went into a larger cork, which inserted into the hole in the wood, rather than the heater cover.

For the glare, I tried stacking 5 1/2" finer pipe screens at different angles, and it seems to help. I do like the night-light aspect, so I didn't want to eliminate it entirely. It could be a little dimmer, but it's not bad now, especially at 10V/7.7W. The foil or rubies sound interesting too.

 

[brainiac]

I use #400 ss mesh for glare reduction but @blokenoname 's #200 works fine, too. Cut a strip 1.5cm wide, about 6cm long, fold it over 5 times, trim the four corners slightly, sandwich it between two debris screens and insert it into the heater cover. So that's your standard debris screen and glare protector. Those 5 layers will also provide some heat diffusion.

@Hippie your ruby option sounds interesting. What diameter rubies would you suggest?

I skipped the socket entirely.

If you're confident about the connection that may be fine. If there's any play or rattle from the bulb you may get a loose connection over time. I use the Sinolec sockets placed within the heater cover slightly above the base of the heater well - ie not in contact with the wood.

Short notice on the bulb: @brainiac has probably a link for you for getting 'infrared' halo bulbs. They are used in heating appliances and emit a good deal less visible light.

IR halo gives off less glare, though glare reduction is still required. I got them from AliExpress but they might not ship to the US. Functionally, I havn't found any difference between the IR bulbs and the standard ones. If you want to read a bit about this issue check out p47 of this thread.

 

[Hippie]

I usually use 3mm
Depending on the bulb (and heater cover diameter) sometimes there's space for a bigger one in the middle too.

 

[Cheebsy]

The foil or rubies sound interesting too

You seem to be on a roll! Great to see you having fun. If you have any DV screens to hand before your foil comes in, you can use one of those to reduce glare too.

 

[jackrod]

If you're confident about the connection that may be fine. If there's any play or rattle from the bulb you may get a loose connection over time. I use the Sinolec sockets placed within the heater cover slightly above the base of the heater well

I feel pretty good about it, at least for Mk. 2. The wires are stiff and held close to the center of the tube by the pins and the cork. The bulb can't rattle, since its tip is contained by the screens. But there is always room for improvement, this isn't at the point I would feel comfortable giving away yet. The empty socket might work pretty well as an insulator, since it's like a bead with 2 holes.

Next version I would also like the bulb or heating element to be more easily replaceable. I thought that the sockets would do that, but the ones I got were poorer quality, with vinyl insulation, which I don't feel I can trust not to melt. Didn't try for a better US source for sockets. Thinking maybe using a screw connection in the base could work.

@Hippie How transparent are the rubies? Seems like you could do some cool things with colored glass beads as well.

 

[Hippie]

Transparent enough to give the bowl a rosy glow
I can see through them enough to see when the soldering iron element is glowing in my life saber heater cover build
Zirconia and Silicon Carbide are other options that will block more light, if that's the plan.

I like the glow of a halo with a glass bowl so I usually use clear borosilicate and either a few layers of mesh or sandwich a punched disc between 2 screens. If that's the plan, quartz is another option.

You can pinch crimp connectors into shape to make your own socket
I bought some of these connectors when I was looking for a more secure power connector

352 PCS Waterproof Electrical Connector Kit, 1 2 3 4 Pin Waterproof Car Wire Connector, Automotive Electrical Plugs and Connectors for Motorcycle Scooter Car Truck Boats : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive

Buy 352 PCS Waterproof Electrical Connector Kit, 1 2 3 4 Pin Waterproof Car Wire Connector, Automotive Electrical Plugs and Connectors for Motorcycle Scooter Car Truck Boats at Amazon UK. Free delivery on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

and discovered that the female terminals are just the right size for the bulb terminals
There's probably loads of other crimp terminals you can repurpose

 

[blokenoname]

I feel pretty good about it, at least for Mk. 2. The wires are stiff and held close to the center of the tube by the pins and the cork. The bulb can't rattle, since its tip is contained by the screens. But there is always room for improvement, this isn't at the point I would feel comfortable giving away yet. The empty socket might work pretty well as an insulator, since it's like a bead with 2 holes.

Next version I would also like the bulb or heating element to be more easily replaceable. I thought that the sockets would do that, but the ones I got were poorer quality, with vinyl insulation, which I don't feel I can trust not to melt. Didn't try for a better US source for sockets. Thinking maybe using a screw connection in the base could work.

I'd guess, the wire wound connection will rather hold up fast and 'bake' to the bulb's leads over time, so that it becomes hard, if not impossible to change the bulb alone in case of failure without replacing & re-soldering the whole heater assembly.
Which btw, might be even the easier and more pragmatical way to do it, than relying on the G4 socket for a replaceable heating element. Over time, the ceramics just slowly disintegrates & the terminals oxidize, so that it becomes harder to replace the bulb and get a good connection.

That's the thing with halo heaters. Though I really like them (especially for the ambient lighting effect) & they were one of my primary choices when I set out with log building, they're just not very durable. Having a G4 socket in your ceiling lamp, you'll replace a bulb maybe every couple of years.
Logs, on the other hand, tend to topple over, roll from the table and hit the ground. Do that once or twice and you'll already need to replace the bulb
So if you're not careful, you'd need to replace the bulbs in the log more often, degrading the ceramic socket a lot faster, than in your ceiling lamp.

Won't happen with a heater cartridge or resistor for a heater. I've logs here with cartridge/resistor heaters, that I've literally abused for a couple of years now (be it running them 24/7 for a whole year or so, or dropping them from the table dozens of times, that still work solid as a rock

You could of course make the through hole smaller (10mm) and then tap it out for the DC connector to thread in. Soldering your wire wound bulb assembly straight upright to the poles of the connector and thread the whole assembly in from the base well, like with this replaceable resistor heater here.

This is one of my earliest Sapele logs. I was lazy here and didn't tap out the wood itself, but rather found a fitting flat washer and circlip, to hold the nut in place, that came with the DC connector
Much better to tap out the wood instead and thread in the heater assembly directly, without the washer & nut.
Only caveat with this method is, that you'll need a right angle plug then and drill/file a kind of 'mouse hole' into the base of your log then, for fitting the cable through.

 

[blokenoname]

@Hippie

Nice find!
Thank you

 

[jackrod]

@Hippie Using bare contacts might be the ticket. You can get them gold plated, sized for many different pins. 100% proper crimping is a bit tricky, requires special tools. But probably a decent contact that is easier to crimp or solder could be found. Then you could use any stranded high-temp insulated wire you want.

@blokenoname I was thinking that the cork/bulb/wires would have to be exchanged as well. Sort of treating the wires as extensions of the bulb pins. Cork could probably be reused a few times. This could work if the connection in the base could be separated without soldering. A small terminal block, small wire nut, or even 2 screws with nuts, could probably enable that. Or, depending on how hot the bulb wires get, the socket could be set into the wood and wires inserted directly. I also like the screw-in cartridge using the DC jack.

I like the idea of halogen, but my main concern is just using safe high-temp materials. I'll have to try the classic resistor heater build sometime too. It's such a clean solution, and hard to break. Much better for giving to someone, etc, and having it work without any fiddling. It would be nice to get the halogen more robust like that, with an easily replaceable bulb, just because it looks cool. But it might be too many parts.

 

[Flotsam]

as far as crimping goes this may be overkill for this application, but i bought this to crimp automobile battery terminal connections as well as stainless steel cable i am using for cable railing. 10 tons of force, you usually just buy the set of dies that is required for a particular application

https://www.amazon.com/Brileine-10-Ton-Hydraulic-Crimping-Tool/dp/B0DT6W8M28/ref=sr_1_3?crid=H5DCX3J2PA9G&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.IdtNPMbl2qbspbuQ3pJ6MujORWqQcHllxAYgKcWPs-dvz8Qc2UjC7yzO6yXDPX5mT_s6SswEB3NkJ5n49u9unIMghtI0HpOFoyL-kK9ME8u-IMk4p6CWw-hu9n0IklhChcf4nrFN1Ouj_EtBU77jlEtm2gOKCshsokIcWN58dfFUgYa0D-66eW50PDvqViGnfQPuuwj8uWGKKD1JfxUEX0kp5fvbtE5WsaN7v-5btDM.gjtb_ee-0G5vXLYVsOY3QpffRholKNzbK4WspRx8slc&dib_tag=se&keywords=crimp%2Bconnection%2Bhydraulic&qid=1751498797&sprefix=crimp%2Bconnection%2Bhydraulic%2Caps%2C86&sr=8-3&th=1

if you have a bench vise that might suffice for such a smaller application.

 

[blokenoname]

if you have a bench vise that might suffice for such a smaller application.

Wow!
That is probably indeed a bit too much for working on such a small scale here. I usually simply use my needle nose pliers for a rough fit and then use the bench vise with a moderate amount of force applied to crimp my 0.75mm ferrules.
You'll break the copper wiring first, before you could separate it from the crimp by pulling. Doesn't look so nice, but does it's job

Another option is this very simple crimp tool for 0.25 to 2.5mm diameter:

Knipex 97 62 145 A Crimping Pliers with Trapezoidal Profiles for Ferrules, 97 62 145 A : Amazon.de: DIY & Tools

Knipex 97 62 145 A Crimping Pliers with Trapezoidal Profiles for Ferrules, 97 62 145 A : Amazon.de: DIY & Tools

www.amazon.de

 

[darkstar72]

It is great to hear from all you log builders.
@jackrod – Impressive progress and nice work! Looking forward to how your builds evolve.
@Alan – Great discovery with the star washer base. Your magnanimous sharing of design improvements over the years on this forum is very much appreciated.
@blokenoname – Nice job on jumping in on testing the star washer base concept that Alan offered up and sharing details about which size and how easy it worked out.

 

[blokenoname]

I think, there's something in the air tonight...

Or rather on its way from our wood wizard @brainiac to meet one of Dave's @underdog 1/2" Alpha Cores... and finally give it a proper housing in a Afzelia body
Will post more pics, once it arrives and I've waxed & polished it and set the core in.

@darkstar72
I love the idea with the little M10 star washer for a base of the 11mm & 7/16" OD tubing. Though I personally don't have the spacing problem with the screw heads of the 7/16" base fitting an 1" (or in my case a 26mm) diameter heater well, as both the M8 and M10 flat washers I use for a base for the 3/8" (9.5mm) and 7/16" (11mm) cover have the same 20mm OD, the M10 star washer is much more workable and lightweight. My flat washers have a thickness of 2mm in comparison to the 0.9mm of the star washer.
In combination with the remains of my original 11mm OD tubing with the already very delicate 0.3mm wall, this new heater cover weighs virtually nothing

 

[jackrod]

Fixed up my first bamboo log with a new heater assembly. Tried out the uninsulated butt splices with glass beads. Little tight, but feels secure.

Next log, I'm going to try out making my own simple socket for the halogen bulb. Bought some tiny 1mm OD, 0.15mm wall SS tubing. I'm hoping it will make an acceptable socket/support/wire for a halogen bulb if i put a crimp in it, but it depends on how springy it can be. If it's not enough, there are lots of gold plated sockets that might work on Mouser/Digikey, from Keystone and Mill-Max, that could press into an SS tube. All made from leaded brass, though I think the gold plating, and nickel underplating, would make that OK?

Also considering a 2-piece design for the log body, for access to the bulb. Might try out some threaded inserts to use machine screws, so repeated disassembly does not strip the wood.

 

[blokenoname]

Fixed up my first bamboo log with a new heater assembly. Tried out the uninsulated butt splices with glass beads. Little tight, but feels secure.

That looks good and shall work out, me thinks
But that's why I use the little ferrules instead of butt splices: once you pinch them, they're flat as a sheet of paper and easier to manage within that tight spaced heater environment.

Next log, I'm going to try out making my own simple socket for the halogen bulb. Bought some tiny 1mm OD, 0.15mm wall SS tubing. I'm hoping it will make an acceptable socket/support/wire for a halogen bulb if i put a crimp in it, but it depends on how springy it can be.

Interested to see how that works out . Had that idea some years ago, but never followed through with it.

 

[jackrod]

Well, the tubing I used was too small, some of the pins on the bulbs are a bit too large to fit the 0.7mm ID. About half do fit, though. Seems like the nickel plating varies a bit in thickness. This size, very close to the pin size, is not really suitable for making a socket. Though I did manage to shove the tube onto a pin and crimp it on, as well as crimp the other side to some copper wire. Both connections seem fairly tight and permanent. So this strategy may be viable for extending the pin leads, similar to the wrapped wire currently used. This allows the vapor path to be all SS and glass, and the tubes stay nice and straight. They are also less conductive to heat than the copper wires, which might help with any hot jacks.

Still wondering if a wider tube (maybe 1.5mm x 0.2mm wall, or even 2mm x 0.1mm wall, could allow an SS socket to work. But after working with this tiny SS material, I don't think its as likely. 0.15mm wall at this size is still pretty stiff, and liable to split when worked. I couldn't cut the tube without crushing it closed, and it was difficult to file that end off and allow for the pin to be inserted. Using ferrules, crimp contacts, or pin sockets is probably a better idea. Pin sockets could possibly be combined with the SS tube idea. Something like https://www.mouser.com/new/mill-max/millmax_beni/ might fit well.

 

[blokenoname]

Well, you'd probably have a better chance working these tiny diameter ss tubes with a cutting disk and a Dremel tool instead of the tube cutter to avoid the crushing issue.

Still doubting here though, if the effort is really worth it. Though the bulb is a relatively clean heat source and is also pretty convenient due to its wide diameter (compared to the diameter of the resistor or cartridge), fact remains, that the glass and especially the filament are very fragile.

My oldest DIY logs with the ss cartridge or vitreous enamel coated resistor are nearly a decade old now and still running w/out issue, while all my halo logs failed at one point or the other and needed to have the bulb replaced.
I personally think, that the halo concept maybe works out better in an injection style desktop vape with a wider girth heater core that is more accessible and probably puts less stress on the bulb (like a 19.5mm ground glass joint) and if you have the resources, to procure some custom made socket for it, that guarantees an easy replacement.

 

[jackrod]

Good idea on the dremel. I did manage to file off the deformed part of the tube, and push it onto the pins of one of my bulbs. Then pinched it on with pliers, to connect it permanently. Did the same with copper wires on the other side of the tubes. Used this as a replacement for the wire-wrapped bulb I had used before.

I do think it has some benefits over wire-wrap, or sockets with replaced wires:

• The connection is more secure (Though unfortunately permanent)
• The tubes stay straight, so should be less likely to short anything out
• The SS will be much more resistant to oxidation. I didn't really like that the copper/tin got a layer of dark oxidation on them. Not sure if the wires were getting excessively hot from contact resistance, or just oxidizing from roasting temp. See the picture.
• Since the bulb leads are completely covered, vapor path is 100% stainless and glass.
• The jack remains cooler, and heat damage to the cork is reduced, since the SS is much less thermally conductive.
• Resistance of the connection is possibly lower, as I am getting more current (about 0.82 A vs 0.77 at 10V). Not sure if this is caused by variation in the bulb, though.

However, I agree that the effort may not really be worth it. The bulb cannot be replaced without forming new SS leads on it. If it was easier to do this and get the bulb back into the log, then it is not so bad. But it does add a lot of complication. I don't mind this tinkering around, but it does take away from the simple, reliable nature of logs which makes them so good.

If anyone else tries this, definitely use a bit larger ID of tubing. 1mm x 0.1mm wall might be a good direct replacement, I think that the extra 0.1mm on the ID could be enough to allow the tubing to slip on. I am going to try again with some 2mm x 0.15mm I ordered, to see if a tight replaceable connection can be formed, but that may end up being permanent as well.

The 2mm x 0.15mm tubing should also be about the right size for this: https://www.mill-max.com/products/datasheet/pinsrecs/0303-0-19-15-26-27-10-0. It's a gold plated, machined brass socket, with a gold plated BeNi contact, which is supposed to remain springy and low resistance at high temperatures. Should hold up to repeated insertions, rated for 1000 cycles. Made to be press fit into a PCB, but I want to try out pressing it into the 1.7mm ID of the SS tube. From the specs it seems like it could make a great socket. I requested a sample, not sure if they will approve, but you can also buy them at mouser.

 

[blokenoname]

Love it
Apart from the long levity discussion concerning the bulb, these tiny diameter ss tubing extensions and machined inserts for the bulb's leads look really good! Like to get some for experimenting .

I see the oxidation problem with the direct wire wrap around the leads, but take into account their mere distance from the heater's core. Every millimeter you get away from the core proper, you make life easier for your electronics!
Here's the (still rather crudely done) replaceable 30w/24v ss cartridge heater, that lived for 2-3 years in the old Sapele body now, before I replaced it with the resistor heater recently. The crimp in this case is one of your common (and still too fat) tinned butt spices pressed flat, that merely got a bit goldened & blued over the years, sitting about 1cm away from the core. The soft soldering spot, sitting just another cm below that is completely unharmed from the heat.

With the cartridge heaters, it's always a kind of gamble, how long their leads are (depending on manufacturer & batch), while with the bulbs, it's just 1cm or so, which is quite unfortunate
Bottom line: make your heater covers longer and get the connections as far away as possible from the heat source. That 'll solve a lot of problems from the get go

And please don't ask me, how I managed to solder the connector pole to the nichrome... had s/thing to do with me getting pissed with the soldering iron & taking the jet flame to it

Btw: what kind of glass beads you're using there? They look rather more like disks, than beads.

 

[jackrod]

It's a good point about the distance from the heater. My cartridges were quite short. But the SS tubing extension trick could work for them too. To that point, it might be better to just crimp on some thin tubing to form an extension, and run those down to a socket in the base. The socket could then stay cool and be out of the vapor path, so it could be something simpler, with larger contact area. Maybe a screw terminal. With appropriate size tubing and a good cutting method, you could make a few extended bulbs quickly. Or try crimping to a resistor or cartridge, to swap and try different heater options. That eliminates any concerns about the plating of the pin sockets scratching off and exposing some leaded brass or other nasty material too. So I might like that better than the sockets, actually.

I got that 2mm x 0.15mm tubing, and it can be crushed into a pretty decent bulb socket too. I slipped it over the bulb leads and crushed it as much as I could. This resulted in a flat section which was close to the pin diameter, but still larger. I used some diagonal cutters to then gently crease the flat area, and form contact points for the pin. Going slow and checking the fit. I was able to get a very tight but removable hold on the bulb leads, when pushing them in. Seems to hold up to several cycles of taking the bulb in and out pretty well. This did rub off some of the nickel plating, but I think that better deburring of the cut, and only actually inserting a bulb once, when installing, could prevent that.

Replacement could be a bit tricky once integrated into a log, since the tiny tubes must be gripped very tightly for insertion/removal. A 2-piece design allowing for the main heater well to lift off might be necessary, or some method of fixing the tubes tightly to the body. But this simple setup works better than I thought.

The beads are pretty spherical, actually. A little bit oblate, but not disks. Disks would be nice. Picked them up from the craft store michaels, they were called Faceted Rondels: https://www.michaels.com/product/clear-faceted-glass-rondel-beads-by-bead-landing-10594115

 

[Flotsam]

So this thread has me real psyched to build one of these. I am a big fan of Halogen heaters and have a good number on hand so that is probably the technology i would use. I've been using a couple of bulbs simultaneously to get faster heat up

So i think my first step is to find an appropriate wooden host . I do like the railing idea as one option.