The Nomad From Morwood

[Hogni]

That would become VERY large! Have the length of the mp in mind which has to be covered. But beside of the MP should be some space for that

 

[GreenHopper]

Hope you know what I mean? Top sleeve should be closed at the upper site. For using the Nomad you can turm around the 2nd sleeve and slip it over the main sleeve from the bottom side.

I was thinking more like a cap the same width and depth as the sleeve that acts as a top cap, to protect the mouthpiece and to help contain any possible smells.

If you wanted it to go on the bottom you could by having an extra band that overlaps at the seam but you'd then have to allow for an air port which would negate any smell protection.

 

[Xelatsok]

That would become VERY large! Have the length of the mp in mind which has to be covered. But beside of the MP should be some space for that

Not larger than Mighty, by raw volume.

 

[delloy]

The slip top cover doesn’t sound too bad. But forget the storage idea, its something I feel isn't needed when everyone probably has plenty of storage containers already. I dont want the device made any bigger and feel fine with the way it is and how it was designed rather than sticking on any “afterthoughts” as such. The leather pouch will do me fine.

 

[duff]

While the button was a bit firm at first, I can feel it becoming easier to depress.

I was also experiencing the tight heater modules so I took a rolled-up piece of sandpaper and gave it a few turns in the module hole and they once again drop in freely. I think that shrinkage from the wood drying out, especially by the heater, is the culprit.

It should settle down though once the wood is totally dry.

 

[VAPEHUNTER]

While the button was a bit firm at first, I can feel it becoming easier to depress.

I was also experiencing the tight heater modules so I took a rolled-up piece of sandpaper and gave it a few turns in the module hole and they once again drop in freely. I think that shrinkage from the wood drying out, especially by the heater, is the culprit.

It should settle down though once the wood is totally dry.

Did you take off the bottom plate before you sanded? I was thinking of removing the bottom plate and drilling the hole larger but i like your idea better.

 

[namasteIII]

Geez guys wait for Dans reply before you go tearing stuff up.

I mean do what you want, but when I get my nomad, I ain't sanding shit or taking the buttons out. Such a nice piece no way I'm gona mess with it.

 

[duff]

Did you take off the bottom plate before you sanded?

Nope. I figured it wouldn't hurt the plate with the very small amount of sanding required.
By the way, sanding was Dan's suggestion!

 

[Dan Morrison]

Word of Warning:

For those of you making your own body screens, please read.

I thought about a potential issue. If the heater module shell, and the center pin, touch the body screen at the same time, the electrical path WILL choose the screen over the Nichrome.. and it will instantaneously melt your screen. The screen material will melt within' a fraction of a second, and then the connection is broken. So it's not really a safety issue... but it's an issue non-the-less.

The "ridge" that the screen sits on, is about 1mm above the heater module shell. So.. if the screen is properly made, and seated correctly. This should never happen.

BUT, if the screen were improperly placed into the body, on an angle maybe.. and if it was domed so much as to make contact with the center post... then I could see this happening.

So just be aware of this, until I send out proper screens.

Have any of you guys noticed the heater module sticking once it warms up after a session.
It doesn’t get stuck but the heat expansion definitely is in effect.
Once it cools down it slips right out.
I’m not complaining just curious if anyone else has noticed it.

This is definitely a tolerance issue. I was riding a fine line between a fit that felt perfect... and one that wouldn't allow for the shrinkage/expansion of the wood when it goes through the initial break in period.

Most of the dimensional changes in the wood happen in the first few weeks of use.. and it can be tough to troubleshoot this before sending them out. And every block of wood is different in this regard.

SO! What's the solution? Well, I did test for this, and experienced the issue in my testing. The solution is to take a piece of fine sandpaper wrapped around a pen, so it fits into the heater module hole just barely snug, but not so snug that you can't twist it. Then just twist it a few times, for maybe 10 seconds or so.

This will open the hole up a fraction of a millimeter, but it's all that it takes. And you should be good to go. This is a permanent fix, and after the break in period, the wood settles out and doesn't move so much anymore.

I also seem to be having a few issues with the button and making contact. It seems quite sporadic and doesn’t always seem to make a decent connection. Or maybe I’m not pressing hard enough, but it hurts my thumb I’m pressing so hard sometimes.
When holding the button and looking down through the intake sometimes it glows red almost instantly other times nothing happens or takes a time for it to get glowing. I’m not sure if this is user error or a problem with the connection. I have taken the button out and cleaned the contact pad and contact point on the button with iso and still having the issue. @Dan Morrison I did notice a small ridge to the rear of the brass button housing. Is this meant to be machined flat or is that small ridge supposed to be there? Regarding button stiffness I have also adjusted the thumbscrew to hopefully help.

Would it be possible to get some sort of tutorial for servicing the Nomad please. Hopefully I put the spring and spring insert back together in the correct orientation

If you hear a 'static' 'hissing' 'arcing' sound coming from the button area, and the bronze back plate heats up, then you are definitely experiencing a connection issue in the button.

If this happens once, the connection will arc, the arc deposits residue on the contact, and this residue will make the problem worse and worse. So if it happens once, it's best to clean it right away.

Fortunately this problem is rare, I only clean my button about twice a year.

It sounds like, possibly, the initial getting-used-to the button press period has caused an arc, most likely from not pressing the button down all the way. And that's what started the chain effect.

The 'ridge' on the back of the button, is normal. That ridge is what makes electrical contact. It's better to make contact on a pointed ridge, than a flat surface. Less change of dust getting trapped between the two surfaces.

For cleaning, ISO will not remove the tarnish that is causing the poor connection. Use a pencil eraser. It contains a fine abrasive that will shine the brass right up. You should clean the inside of the bronze back plate, and the back of the brass button. Also. While you're at it... make sure I didn't miss a burr on the top of the brass button.. where the screw thread is cut. If your button feels tight...could be a burr there. But I'm fairly certain I wouldn't have missed that.

I might be able to get some custom springs made for the buttons... that way it could be easier for everyone to press. I tested many springs.. and decided to go for one that leaned on the safe side... one that was difficult to accidentally press in your pocket.. but not so stiff as to be hard to use. But of course everyone is different, so maybe customizing spring pressure would be a good thing.

I am currently working on the usage/care tutorial. Hang tight!

I'm going to try my best to get these initial hiccups ironed out for everyone, I know that they are easily solved.. and have back-up plans for sure fixes if the issue crops up again. Thank you, brave pioneers, for sharing your experiences!

I've already got a nice list of things that will be improved for the next batch.. I'm sure it'll keep growing. heh.

 

[Dan Morrison]

Warning to those with African Blackwood Heater Modules:

I forgot to put this in my Quick Start Guide, but it's important!

The African Blackwood heater module insulators might shrink as they are put through the initial heating cycles. This is normal. The tiny hex screw on the side is there so that you can monitor and tighten the connection point if needed.

After the break-in period, the blackwood should remain stable, and won't require adjustment.

If your blackwood insulator shrinks too much, it's possible to pull the insulator out accidentally if you were removing the heater module. This could pull the center pin, along with the heater coils. If pulled hard enough.. this will permanently deform the heater coils, and your heater module will be toast.

Those with PEEK insulators, no need to worry about this issue. But something to keep an eye on... it's possible the hex key could loosen... for whatever reason. Though, I have not experienced that.

Did you take off the bottom plate before you sanded? I was thinking of removing the bottom plate and drilling the hole larger but i like your idea better.

Omg, don't do that. hahaha.

First of all, the bottom plate is permanently attached. It can't be removed.

Second, a drill would eat that hole for breakfast, 100% failure rate. All that is required is a rolled up tube of fine sandpaper (anything in the 200x - 600x range will work). Spin the sandpaper tube in the hole a few turns, and give it a try. It really only takes a few seconds.

It really is only a difference of maybe 0.001".

I'll be sending out sandpaper in my little care package of repair and care items, to everyone. I just need a little time to gather more initial reviews... and put together the packages. I'll include the body screens, sandpaper, a tamping tool, hex keys.... etc..

 

[delloy]

@Dan Morrison I will give the sandpaper a quick spin in the hole. Thanks Dan. I didn’t want to attempt any alterations until I heard back about a fix.

All minor issues and just teething problems. I am totally happy with my device and it is a wonderful piece.

@namasteIII The button assembly is designed to be taken apart for cleaning/maintenance purposes. Dan even supplies an allen key/wrench to facilitate removal.

 

[wall]

For the people who have tried these how open is the draw path, I don’t do well with a super free flowing draw path, I like to make my lungs work a little

 

[delloy]

@wall The air path on the Nomad is wide open. When holding it on its side you can see all the way through to the mouthpiece. No restriction whatsoever. The only way of restricting the airflow would be tamping the material a little but this may cause hotspots or charring. As its a fully unregulated vape this may take a little practice to achieve a good result that suits your draw speed/restriction.

 

[wall]

@wall The air path on the Nomad is wide open. When holding it on its side you can see all the way through to the mouthpiece. No restriction whatsoever. The only way of restricting the airflow would be tamping the material a little but this may cause hotspots or charring. As its a fully unregulated vape this may take a little practice to achieve a good result that suits your draw speed/restriction.

Thanks for the quick response! Hmm yeah it would be a matter of figureing out a good method or maybe.... hmm come to think of it maybe putting some hemp fiber or cotton infront of the intake could help. I’m actually kind of impressed with that logic, look at me being creative

 

[VAPEHUNTER]

Thanks for the quick response! Hmm yeah it would be a matter of figureing out a good method or maybe.... hmm come to think of it maybe putting some hemp fiber or cotton infront of the intake could help. I’m actually kind of impressed with that logic, look at me being creative

I was using it yesterday in the park when it was kind of windy so i used my pinky finger to block the intake and add a little draw restriction. It worked great to quickly get up to Vaping temp.

 

[Vaporware]

Thanks for the quick response! Hmm yeah it would be a matter of figureing out a good method or maybe.... hmm come to think of it maybe putting some hemp fiber or cotton infront of the intake could help. I’m actually kind of impressed with that logic, look at me being creative

That could work, I was also going to suggest a little plug sized to the intake with a smaller diameter hole in it. I’m not sure exactly how to make it work best since I don’t have a Nomad yet, but maybe a flexible material with small overhangs at the top and bottom to hold it in place so it becomes almost a part of the sleeve that you can still easily remove if you want to?

If you wanted to order one with a smaller hole in the sleeve or smaller holes in the heater module, Dan could probably accommodate you too so you wouldn’t have to come up with your own solution.

You might want to do some testing first though so you could tell him the right size to make the hole(s) since he’d otherwise have to guess at what you wanted and put a lot of extra work into figuring it out.

At least one person reported a little bit less free airflow than vapes using 18mm stems, but I think you might be looking for something closer to a VapCap and this is certainly not in that range.

 

[wall]

Have a vap cap and it is nice though it could flow a touch more but that’s just me trying to be a perfectionist, I think the restriction I have had best luck with in my vape line up is the firefly 2, I have seemed to figure that restriction out

 

[Diggy Smalls]

@duff man that's a beautiful one you have there. The simplicity of the cover is pretty cool. It makes me wonder what a solid color one would look like. A soft and weathered looking color.

It looks real nice with your wood body vapcap.

@delloy I'll bet some fine sandpaper and not much pressure would make it fit better.

 

[Fat Freddy]

The "ridge" that the screen sits on, is about 1mm above the heater module shell. So.. if the screen is properly made, and seated correctly. This should never happen.

BUT, if the screen were improperly placed into the body, on an angle maybe.. and if it was domed so much as to make contact with the center post... then I could see this happening.

So what's to prevent the MP from slowly, just from regular use, "concaving" the body screen that 1 mm distance between ledge and heater? Hardly seems like an adequate safety margin?

.

 

[little maggie]

I am totally unhandy. I wouldn't even know where to begin in unscrewing a part of the nomad. It's great to watch so many of you experiment with different aspects of the Nomad so that when mine comes it will not need any adjustments.

 

[Vaporware]

So what's to prevent the MP from slowly, just from regular use, "concaving" the body screen that 1 mm distance between ledge and heater? Hardly seems like an adequate safety margin?

.

How would it be pressed down in the middle during use?

Yes the tolerances are tight, as are most tolerances in this vape and other small vapes, but if the airflow was enough to bend it the deformation would be convex since you’re pulling air from below, and the stem shouldn’t be able to do it since it’s only touching along the outer rim where there’s wood support.

The only way I can see anything pushing it down during normal use is if you have the internal screen in place along with the screen at the end of the stem, but with that screen sticking out of the end. Even then, if the internal screen is rigid enough it would just push the other screen back into the stem rather than being pushed down into the heater.

Some screens are flimsy, but the ones Dan’s using don’t appear to be. If the internal screens are like the double-weave titanium screens I use in my FlowerPot bowls, I wouldn’t worry at all about them being pushed down 1mm unless you’re really trying to push them down.

He could move the ledge up so it’s not so close to the heater, but that could hurt performance. Maybe he will move it a little in future builds if he finds that a little more space isn’t a problem though...we’ll have to see what he thinks.

As it is now though, we do have the option of only using screens in the stem which (as long as they’re fully inserted) eliminates that potential issue, or you could use a screen that’s intentionally domed away from the heater (as long as you made sure the stem couldn’t accidentally invert the dome).

I think a flat internal screen should be fine though, as long as it’s pretty rigid, and screens that would work are available.

 

[cpk]

For those of you considering leather for your beauty this person can make custom stuff plus has exotic leathers. I have a couple of pieces and they are great. I am ordering a custom size pipe sock for SBL JR and a Lil Bud. I have his walkabout and that thing is very nice quality leather.

www.smokingholsters.com

 

[Hogni]

Sorry, your link doesn't work for me!?

Edit: Found it, w/o "g":

http://www.smokinholsters.com/

 

[VAPEHUNTER]

Sorry, your link doesn't work for me!?

Edit: Found it, w/o "g":

http://www.smokinholsters.com/

Wow those are pricey. But i'm sure the quality justifies the price. Although for the same price as a big bag I can almost buy another Nomad.

 

[Hogni]

Look at Etsy. there are a lot of leather workers wo are also offering custom pieces on demand