Discontinued The Okin by D.M. Pipes

[axakal]

i don't know, what the rate for "wooden sculpture" is. yet. maybe it's even free of tax. but the worst case for Germany is 19% + x% when beyond 120 EUR and 19%, if not. so it's good to know, the Ōkin stays below the magic threshold.

Interesting! I didn't know this. This definitely makes the lower price point even more attractive to me.

Whenever I send one of my pipes out, I always label it "wooden sculpture", I think it's accurate enough. I have never heard of anyone paying an import tax on them.... but perhaps they just didn't mention it...

 

[bubbha ho-tep]

This just became my favorite thread.
Dan just made me wanna vape tea when I get home lol

 

[Dan Morrison]

This just became my favorite thread.
Dan just made me wanna vape tea when I get home lol

Hahah, funny you should mention that. At first I wanted to do that as well... it wasn't bad! But.. I will say that tea is better in a cup.

I like the idea of a nice cup of tea and a vape. Vaporizing wouldn't dull your taste buds like smoke does, and in that sense I think it's a better pair to foods and drinks. That might be getting a bit too fancy, but I like it anyhow.

 

[Dan Morrison]

An inside look at the shop, this is the half dedicated to cooking, tea, and relaxing.

 

[natural farmer]

I love your esthetics man!

 

[Dan Morrison]

Alright, update time.

Testers are coming soon.

And, some thoughts on achieving even vaporization...

Something has become really obvious through testing, and that is how much the packing of the herbs effects the uniformity of the ABV.

This is a 100% convection style vape, and like other vapes of this style, many people have found that stirring the chamber is sometimes necessary. Well, no one wants to stop and stir a chamber load. At least, I don't...

I believe the answer can be found in products that already exist. The tumble drier, and the air popper popcorn popper... they are both designed to evenly distribute heated air within a chamber. And they both constantly agitate the chamber loads.

I think this part is key.

The air that is pulled through an herb will always find the path of least resistance.

So un-agitated herb pack will never be optimal in a convection style vaporizer where the air is driven by our lungs.

A consistent grind can really help to eliminate this issue. With consistent grain size, there should be more consistency in the air pathways that evolve between the grains. Allowing for more even air flow...

But To repeatedly achieve a perfect pack is somewhat challenging, especially with all different grades of herb. Also, the smaller the pack, the more likely it is that a single path of air will form... I want the okin to evenly vape even a tiny pinch of herb, for maximum efficiency.

Back to the tumble.

This must already be a technique that is used out there in the vape world, but I am still learning.. so, bare with me if this is all old news!

Anyhow, It seems like the okin works amazingly with a loosely packed herb chamber, with plenty of room for the herbs to tumble and blow around as you slowly turn the vape in your mouth and inhale. The air agitates the particles, evenly distributing the heat. The draw weight is almost nothing.

This draw weight also seems necessary. You need the fast moving stream of hot air to agitate the herb particles.

And the stream of heat has to be substantial. With that much air rushing over the heat source, you need something that can keep up. An ember, that burns hotter the harder you inhale, seems like a perfect solution to me.

 

[stickstones]

This must already be a technique that is used out there in the vape world, but I am still learning.. so, bare with me if this is all old news!

Not at all! I am only aware of one other vaporizer that attempts to stir the load for you while you hit it and that's the Arizer Q with its cyclone bowl. That one blows air up into the bowl and attempts to keep it dancing when you draw so you get a nice even bake. It works when you get the draw speed right, which is easy since you can look to see if it is dancing. The pack is also important for it to work.

Most of us try to stir the load one way or another between one or several hits. So the idea that you can get it stirring during the hit is not only convenient but also not often accomplished. Well done!

 

[420time]

do you think itll be possible to maybe add a oil compartment? i have a feeling the oil will be really smooth.

 

[Dan Morrison]

Not at all! I am only aware of one other vaporizer that attempts to stir the load for you while you hit it and that's the Arizer Q with its cyclone bowl. That one blows air up into the bowl and attempts to keep it dancing when you draw so you get a nice even bake. It works when you get the draw speed right, which is easy since you can look to see if it is dancing. The pack is also important for it to work.

Most of us try to stir the load one way or another between one or several hits. So the idea that you can get it stirring during the hit is not only convenient but also not often accomplished. Well done!

Hmm, interesting! Well, it just seems so obvious now..

do you think itll be possible to maybe add a oil compartment? i have a feeling the oil will be really smooth.

I don't know about a "compartment" but you could add a mesh to the inside to drop oil onto. There is room for future enhancements in this department I think... like, an oil hopper hanging off the side...like a little eyedropper sidecar sort of thing..ya...ya...

 

[stickstones]

Cotton or hemp fibers will probably work great

 

[mixchu69]

If I get my hands on one of these: should I vape with it or keep it in my office desk as art. Or both???

 

[Dan Morrison]

If I get my hands on one of these: should I vape with it or keep it in my office desk as art. Or both???

Definitely vape with it. It looks better the more you use it.

 

[axakal]

if the grind should be a very fine one, i think magic flight's finnishing grinder could be a tool to consider with regards to consistency of the grind. for uniform packing, a handy measuring tool might be in order, but you probably figured it out already.

A consistent grind can really help to eliminate this issue. With consistent grain size, there should be more consistency in the air pathways that evolve between the grains. Allowing for more even air flow...

But To repeatedly achieve a perfect pack is somewhat challenging, especially with all different grades of herb. Also, the smaller the pack, the more likely it is that a single path of air will form... I want the okin to evenly vape even a tiny pinch of herb, for maximum efficiency.

 

[Madcap79]

Excited to hear some reviews from testers. Excited to get one in my hands!

 

[Dan Morrison]

Excited to hear some reviews from testers. Excited to get one in my hands!

Can't wait to get them out there!

As a side note, I've been thinking more about the box design and stem. I think, to mirror the minimalist stem design, I'd like to keep the box very simple (very minimal graphic). And I would like to encourage user customization.

I'd like to see people draw on their boxes, and perhaps the bamboo stem as well, and even using paint or textiles (milk paint would be neat) on the stem and box...

I've been looking at painted designs on vintage arrow shafts, darts, and paintbrushes as inspiration... I think they have a very neat aesthetic...

 

[axakal]

you are a true master at teasing among other crafts

 

[Dan Morrison]

you are a true master at teasing among other crafts

Hahaha, I know I know...

I'll post some actual photos later tonight, promise!

 

[Enchantre]

I love that you are exploring interactive art experience with this design... wow.

I'm watching!

 

[°k]

...And I would like to encourage user customization...

Yes!

...I'd like to see people draw on their boxes, and perhaps the bamboo stem as well...

But I thought you had decided not to go with bamboo but with something more like the first stem you've posted, no?

 

[Dan Morrison]

But I thought you had decided not to go with bamboo but with something more like the first stem you've posted, no?

The shape will be much more like the first stem I posted, but it will still be made from bamboo. The reason I like bamboo over hardwood is that bamboo is more tough, hard, water resistant, easier to drill, and IMO looks nicer.

Here are some photos of the tips getting ready for the testers.

I made a jig to bend each bronze spring, but I'm not showing it

Here is my personal tester that has been doing really well, as you can see there will be some small changes to the tip that aren't exactly obvious at the moment, but it'll make more sense later.

You can see how the heat has changed the colour of the patina on the steel to a more reddish hue nearer to the tip. I like it!

The metal screen does accumulate some ash, but it doesn't seem to go past this first screen into the herb chamber. I haven't cleaned this at all either, you could just brush it off easily.

Here is the small box that inspired my eventual box design. I've been carrying this around for a bit more than a year now. For the time being I have been using it to hold charcoals. I can fit about 50 charcoals into this box, so it could be good for about a month of off-the-grid vaping if you like to vape a couple times a day.

My box design will be about half the height of this box, but a little bit longer in length and width. I'd like it to hold about 25 charcoals and the okin. Or, perhaps more like 12 charcoals, and space for a small glass herb caddy. I feel like I could leave it open enough so you could pack it differently depending on how you want to use the okin. You could load it up with 5 charcoals, an AVB jar, a herb jar, and some matches. And that would be a very portable package!

If you did that, you may choose to glue a match striking strip to the side of the box.

You can also take the rectangular box cover, load your herbs into it, then tip the cover so that the herbs fall into the corner, and tip the corner into the chamber for loading... if that makes sense...

 

[Madcap79]

Badass! So the best way to light the charcoals will be matches I suppose? I like the idea of being able to carry everything you need in one box. This would be the shizz for camping.

 

[Dan Morrison]

Personally I think that a jet lighter is the best way to light the charcoals because its windproof. Second best would be a bic lighter, and then wooden matches. If you're camping, you could just light the charcoal from the campfire!

 

[Madcap79]

Torch lighter sounds like a winner to me! Will the patina change color with use?

Is it possible to do different colored patinas? Does either screen clog very quickly with use? It didn't look like there was much in the picture.

 

[Dan Morrison]

The patina on the steel tip will change in various ways, i can't really predict how, but it will always be an iron oxide, which limits the colour to shades of brown and black. You can heat the tip in a strong tea solution to "set" the patina, and it should become more solid black. Alternatively you can seal the patina with light oil or wax to help it from changing over time.

The bamboo will darken with age, and I find that the grain looks better with use, due to the oils coming off your hands.

I will only be doing natural iron oxide patinas, so,only brown, no fancy colours planned at the moment.

The steel screens don't clog at all, I haven't had to clean them yet, i don't see either of them needing cleaning in the next few months.

Though, I've based this design around the idea that you can replace the metal screens with regular pipe screens available at any head shop or variety store. The okin itself will shape the screen into the correct shape by placing the screen over one end of the metal tip, and then depressing the screen into the hole with the african blackwood mouthpiece. This bends the screen into a perfect puck shape. Trim the edges with scissors and you're ready to go!

 

[Breathemetal]

I am so glad this is being made