The Nomad From Morwood

Copacetic

Copacetic

Somewhere North of The Wall
BTW, the advice I've offered to anyone earlier, that they should get the high heater is based upon the assumption that they can't afford to get more than one. The advice offered by others, that it is better to buy both heaters is definitely the best option!

I still think that if buying only one, the high (new high, that is) offers the option of controlling heating in a similar way to the low by simply feathering the button.

Dan tells me that the new high heater is a close match to the experimental 'medium' heater he was good enough to send me to try when I placed my order for both back in the day.
I tried all three, obviously, and almost immediately settled on the medium as my preferred performance as it allows me to draw at my chosen speed without having to feather the button until the end of what I'd consider a medium/long draw (about 7-9 seconds give or take).
Both the low and original high (which I shall henceforth call the 'highest' lol) heaters work very well, and there's not a huge difference between them all, but the new high will be what I order with my next Nomad (I recently re-joined the waitlist BTW 😃).
 
Elfstone

Elfstone

Mew
Modnote: Quoted images edited out and 5 back-to-back posts merged. You may click the quoted post link to view the images in their original posts.

Dan Morrison said:
Here is a slightly improved heater design. African Blackwood air inlet.

Ribbon used is Nichrome. I am currently using nichrome because it's basically the only material I can find in the size I need. This may change to SS down the road.. but I'm not sure that SS will work quite the same... We will see.

The ribbon I am using is very wide.. you can't see it, but it extends down into the heater module shell. Huge surface area.

Resistance is 0.6 ohm. Which means this will run anywhere around 20-30 Watts depending on battery voltage, and pull a max of 7 amps. I've found this to be a great middle of the road heater module. Heat up time is ~2 seconds.

This HM is still powerful enough to overpower a strong draw speed, but slow and cool enough to keep it under control and easily avoid scorching.

A slower/cooler HM is definitely possible, and would give more control to newbies in group sessions.

Lichen button is still holding up nicely!

Pencil for scale. The glass stem shown here is a tad long, I am going to shorten it a bit.

I had been thinking for a while about making the switch to the 20700 or 21700 battery size that's just coming to market. A kind soul has recently urged me to do so as well...

But, I am still holding on to the small size..and just can't bring myself to make the leap yet. Even though it's just a tiny size change...

Thoughts?
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I know, I know, old ass post, however, call amazed! I’m so glad I decided to start from the beginning, it’s like a taking a trip on a time machine. Reading this thread, is like stepping back in time and already knowing what outcome is, ha! Thank you for shearing the process and the progress with us Dan the Man. 😎

Dan Morrison said:
Alright, well, the day is upon us!

I will be announcing the pre-orders today via the mailing list, with all the order details, prices, options, etc...

You'll have the weekend to think it over, and on Monday I'll be filling the pre-order list.

I will be taking about 25 pre-orders.

With a ship date 3 months from now.

One small change has been made. I was thinking that bronze wouldn't be as nice as sterling silver, for the exposed metal parts... but now that I've lived with the bronze prototype for a while, I actually prefer bronze. Functionally the two metals should be the same, but aesthetically I like the bronze for it's near endless patina possibilities. With silver, you have only three options, silver, black, gray.

Of course all of the Heater Module components, and electrical contacts will be solid sterling silver or Stainless steel (I actually really like the qualities of Stainless for the Heater Module shell, it doesn't suck away heat as much as silver). No bronze in the air path. All bronze will be ROHS compliant lead free.

Here are the newest images of the production model.


Looking down the stem, you can see right through the entire airway. Pretty cool.
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Absolutely gorgeous Dan, wow! 😎

Dan Morrison said:
Okay! It's time for a little update. I've been behind on my photo editing... and need to play catch up. So I'll start from the beginning here.

I surprising number of you ordered the burlwood option, 9 people to be exact. So a few days were dedicated to burl wood harvesting and drying.

First I have to find the burl. They grow on choke cherry trees. I happen to live in a rare bubble of choke cherry tree habitat... not sure why they like it here, but they do. If a tree has a large burl like this, it's almost certain that it will soon die, or is already dead. So cutting it down to use for something that will last a lot longer than the tree itself ain't a bad way to go.


The burls are cut down and chainsawed into smaller sections, being careful to cut out the bad spots, and avoid areas that are prone to cracking, like the very center of the tree. There is a ton of waste, more on that later.

I may get 2 or 3 good Nomad blocks out of a burl like this.


Rough cut.


These chunks are hand cut into smaller sections, ready for the drying stage.


To properly dry a burl without cracking the hell out of it, you'd need to wait a couple years at least... so that's not going to work for me.

I go with the microwave approach.

Microwave drying is a way to get the same end result in a few days.

The blocks are heated in short bursts, then placed in a cooler to rest for 30 minutes. This cycle is continued till the block is dry, usually around 6-8 times for a block this size.

Each block is weighed periodically to record loss of water.

The heat and humid environment allows the wood to move and dry without excessive cracking.


Much experimentation went into the process. This is the result of a failed attempt, too much heat, lots of cracking.

A block can also be over-dried and start to burn in the center.


A successful run looks like this, no surface cracking.


Still, there are parts of the burl that are almost guaranteed to crack or open up. Voids that were closed up when the wood was wet, transitions between heartwood and sapwood, etc..etc...

Even after I had the process down, there were still a lot of failures. The four blocks on the desk represent the good blocks out of all the rest in the background that were unusable for making Nomads.


I dry the blocks oversized, so surface cracking can be cut away later.


The block on the left is about the size I need to make a Nomad. The block on the right shows the size I start with in the microwave.


After the blocks are cut to rough size, I leave them in the shop to acclimate, and weight them daily to make sure they are no longer loosing weight.


And a sneak peak at the finished abalone discs, ready to go into the buttons.


Thanks to everyone for being so patient, it's been a lot of work getting everything together, always more than you expect! ha.
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Shit up and take my money already! 😎

Dan Morrison said:
Brass button internals with their matching Delrin (with embedded Teflon) sleeves.

Little counterbore for the negative terminal screw to seat snugly into.

The Delrin makes for a perfect dry running bearing surface for the brass, it shouldn't wear over time, and since this special Delrin has Teflon fibers embedded in it, it's self lubricating.

Turning the little acrylic lenses. Rounding over the dome by hand.

It helps to have the small lathe setup for this operation!

Pre-polishing.

Post-polishing. With an Abalone disc.

All assembled into the button housing. Both the Abalone and Lichen look awesome, and have completely different vibes!
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I don’t think I can take anymore of this wood porn, it absolutely magnificent. Every little detail is flawless.

Dan Morrison said:
@stickstones :) Thanks!



Long Overdue. I'd like to make a more polished one, with audio, and better lighting, but this will do for now.

Here, the Nomad is assembled with a medium/low power Heater Module. A couple hoots are taken. This was from cold, no pre-warm up.
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Okay, I’m done for the day here, I’m seeing Nomad’s II in deferent woods combinations, body wood, top and bottom woods and pull out woods. I’m over dosing all this beautiful wood and the prospect of what can be. 🤪

Fat Freddy said:
Is it wrong to want to finger a Nomad's holes?

I would be gentle! :brow:

.
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Heck no! I’m down with it, the workmanship just ask to be touched to be appreciated 🙃

Dan Morrison said:
The little outside shop tonight.
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Wow, its right out of a Hallmark’s Christmas card 😊
 
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Elfstone

Elfstone

Mew
marduk said:
I'd like to see someone try. :rofl:

nsotQ5x.jpg
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This^^^ x 100 I do not see anyone putting their heart and soul into trying to duplicating any of Dan’s working art. I can only imagine a heartless copy without the soul of the original creator.
 
Elfstone

Elfstone

Mew
Dan Morrison said:
Some quick shots to tide everyone over. If yours is not pictured, It's because I am adding the custom touches to it.

More in the morning, I'm going to bed! ha.

Some things I changed that has caused the most recent delays:

1. I wasn't happy with just a wax coating on the sleeve. The lighter papers were too prone to stains and dirt from every day use. I tested a ton of finishes and landed on a protective matte acrylic, applied with a super special technique, that gives the paper much much better protection against every day handling. It still looks and feels the same as the bare paper, but ages better. The sleeve is much more water resistant as well.

2. The brushed finish on the bronze. The brushed looks great when it's new, but after a day, it will get scratched and look not so good until it ages. I changed to a random scratch pattern satin finish. This finish hides scratches from everyday use a lot better.

3. I changed some heater module design features to make them just all around better

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OMG! Just when I thought I could relax and read the progress of the final product, bam! I get blind sighted with some of the most gorgeous set of Nomad’s, finished and ready for their new homes. As I mentioned in another thread, I dare anyone to try a duplicate any of Dan’s working art, especially trying it in mass production! No way, no how. That’s all I have to say about that. 😎
 
Elfstone

Elfstone

Mew
Well good people, I am on page 103 and still reading how the Nomad was conceived and it’s progress up to the date September 09, 2018. So far, it’s been an amazing journey with it’s up and downs, trial and errors. A rollercoaster ride is the best description I can think of. Reads like a living novel as a family goes back and forth to come to terms with the creation and production of the Nomad.

It’s somewhat frustrating knowing how the story will end. I am still on the second batch of the original Nomads to be completed and mailed out to their adopted families. The read is just about three years old and I feel like I am so late to the family gathering.

It’s mind boggling that I am in 2018 and its now 2021. I am looking forward to read how much the Nomad II’s have evolved since then. I feel that those of us whom have been adopted into the Nomadic world of Dan’s making will benefit immensely from those who came before us.

l would like to thank Mr Dan Morrison for his creativity and Ingenuity and all the wonderful people for all they have contributed to the creation of the Nomad and this thread. I will continue to read on till I catch up to current time. 😊
 
Dan Morrison

Dan Morrison

Well-Known Member
Manufacturer
@Elfstone Hahah! Oh man, you posts are the best. Here I thought I was making vaporizers this entire time...when actually... I was writing an epic novel!

I should just quit woodworking and hire an editor to convert this FC thread into the next New York Times best seller....

"From Dan Morrison, acclaimed author of the Okin thread on the FC forum, comes a new journey of epic proportions! Travel to a distant past, where the Nomad was born, walk in the footsteps of a tormented maker... and answer the age old question - Did they ship yet?" :lol:
 
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madhockeydad

madhockeydad

Art is beauty
Yesterday I tried a different glass stem with a simple screen in it. I had been using the wood capsule Dan is making for the glass stems. It's different without the capsule First off it seems like I'm using less battery. That makes sense since with the wood capsule some of the heat is going to heating the wood. Also, with just a screen I believe the depth of the pack is actually shallower without the wood capsule but it's wider since the wood cylinder is not there. All in all I think the volume of material is close to the same but shallower meaning I'm getting a more even roast. Also, I'm finding the edges close to the glass stem are roasting more than with the wood capsule. The material that was packed touching the wood capsule never roasted very dark.

I'm preferring the simple screen set directly into the glass stem. I think this will be my preferred setup.

Also, definitely order the high heater and if you can only choose one I'd recommend the high!!

David
 
Mr. Me2

Mr. Me2

Well-Known Member
madhockeydad said:
Yesterday I tried a different glass stem with a simple screen in it. I had been using the wood capsule Dan is making for the glass stems. It's different without the capsule First off it seems like I'm using less battery. That makes sense since with the wood capsule some of the heat is going to heating the wood. Also, with just a screen I believe the depth of the pack is actually shallower without the wood capsule but it's wider since the wood cylinder is not there. All in all I think the volume of material is close to the same but shallower meaning I'm getting a more even roast. Also, I'm finding the edges close to the glass stem are roasting more than with the wood capsule. The material that was packed touching the wood capsule never roasted very dark.

I'm preferring the simple screen set directly into the glass stem. I think this will be my preferred setup.

Also, definitely order the high heater and if you can only choose one I'd recommend the high!!

David
Click to expand...
If you want a larger load, push the screen in a little further. As long as you don’t pack tight, you’ll find it cooks evenly and you don’t have to reload as often.
 
seriousTone

seriousTone

Well-Known Member
Nice to hear more as you refine your techniques.

I'm not sure why I never put two and two together but I just got a thought that the Nomad is a portable log vape? This idea excites me even more.

I really loved my e nano but the wonkiness of the cord always turned me off and I eventually sold it. Still have my scoop n stir tool though which I'm thinking might work perfectly for the Nomad as well!
 
seriousTone,
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Dan Morrison

Dan Morrison

Well-Known Member
Manufacturer
I originally introduced the wood capsule because I felt like it gave a more even roast. The wood walls, in theory, help to insulate. At the time I was using mostly a fine grind.

But recently, with my preference changing to 'hand torn' coarse bits, I don't find that I need the insulative properties of the wood anymore.

Pretty much the only thing I use the wood capsules for now is to make the chamber smaller. I don't see much of a performance difference with a coarse grind. With a fine and medium grind I still feel like the wood chambers do help even oit the roast a tad around the edges.

@madhockeydad , If you're used to a really dark abv, try shooting for a lighter straw coloured abv and see what happens... You may be surprised that you can reach almost full extraction without needing to go into the brown abv range.

The uneven extraction around the edges you're reporting could be from too much heat too quickly. Perhaps drawing too slowly. It could be that when you switched to the new glass stem with clean screen, the air restriction was reduced...resulting in a faster inhale speed...giving you a slightly lower temp...and acheiving a more even roast as a result. Just a theory!

@xtraclipsforxtrashit , It totally IS like a portable log.
 
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