Did you try to use a triple flame? I get punched using a triple flame till third line in the Vi with 2,5 zirc or the second line with 2,5 glass balls
Thank you!
I have always hated the triple torch, I got one as a freebie many moons ago. It was a pain in the ass, trying to use a triple flame with the dinovap I was using at the time, so I shelved it & would have never thought to pick it back up had you not said anything - so thank you.
Using a triple flame torch with the Tempest is my new favorite way to use the Tempest... the heat transfer is quick and efficient, significantly faster than with an induction heater. I wasn't really successful using a Triple torch or any torch on the Tempest without the calibrated VI, but with click discs and a working VI, using a triple flame torch is pretty easy and is the first way I have found to get those really solid "stoney" hits - I wasn't totally sure this was possible to be honest -
@Duba there is a way
.
Configuration:
I had my Tempest set up with the Helix tube, ebony wooden sleeve, almost completely closed airflow on the Tempest's cap and the airport was closed by my fingers.
I played around with both the 3mm Zrcs and the 2.5mm boro over several attempts. I found the 3mm Zrcs worked the best and I got the most "stoney" effect from them, but you have to be aware of the lag between when you remove the heat from the Tempest and when the oven stops heating up.
The Zrcs take longer to stabilize across the oven and therefore the VI & discs can take a few seconds to catch up, if you keep heating with the torch right up until to hit the mark (last VI mark) you have a chance to scorch the bowl or combust. When you remove the flame from the Tempest, it takes ~2-5 seconds for the heat to stop rising and then another ~2-5 seconds before the VI starts to retreat - I wait for the VI to start retreating before I start to draw air through the device.
I tried a bunch of configurations and the above was the best. I tried it with the cap airflow half open (with the 3mm Zrc) so see if that made a difference and it seems to negatively effect the performance, it took 3 heat cycles and I still didn't quite get the effects I was looking for.
When I was using the 2.5mm boro I noticed it heated up much much faster, but the first time I drew air through the device I didn't get the vapour I expected, I have to play around with the boro more, as I found the Zrc's were so much easier to manage I stuck with them until I got the feeling I was chasing.
Method:
I heat the Tempest with the triple flame, past the first click until the VI is getting close to the final mark, but I remove the heat before it gets there, before the second click happens. I let the heat stabilize across all the balls in the oven by waiting a few seconds. The VI continues to rise and the cap clicks a second time & the VI is at the last mark. I watch the VI and as soon as it twitches, as soon as it starts to retreat, you start to hit the Tempest.
How you hit the Tempest seems to be important. The best effects I got was by taking slow, long draws. By slowing the flow of air through the device it seems to allow the herbs to heat up better and you feel the vapour as it starts to build and tickle the back of your throat. I keep going like this until the vapour becomes whispy and / or the VI retreats back below the first mark and then reheat it again with the Triple torch.
However this time, when heating with the torch I am aiming much higher on the cap (at the very top of the oven below the VI) but I do the same thing (however as I haven't allowed it to cool, the click discs haven't reset) I take it again to just before the VI reaches the top, take away the heat, let the oven stabilize and then as soon as the VI twitches in retreat I start to hit it again.
Challenges :
When heating the Tempest with the triple torch, the heat transfer is quick and the VI jump starts. It was at zero as I spun it around and then all of a sudden it jumped up ~2mm to about 1/2 the way to the first mark on the VI.
The same sort of thing happened at the very end, the click from the click disc seemed to cause the VI to jump to the very end, even though there was about a ~1mm or so left from the last mark on the VI, so It can be a little tricky determining when to pull the heat from the oven, as you want to remove the heat before the second click and before the VI reaches the very end to avoid any scorching.
both minor and things and not really issues, just something to compensate for.
Anyway, I am going to go back to playing with the Triple Torch