The Toasty Top
This is the launch of the Toasty Top. It's a new spin on a 3 decades old convection style herbal vaporizer (log vape) design. Many thanks to those who have previously advanced the design and inspired me to create the Toasty Top.
I am a terminally unemployed mechanical engineer. I had been doing HVAC and plumbing for commercial buildings until the great depression hit. I also had worked at a nuclear power plant for 15 years. My primary hobby is wood turning, although I have many other interests. I recently had the opportunity to experience herbal vaporization. It was quite amazing. I wondered why it had taken so long to discover this method. I wanted to get a vaporizer. My buddy told me of a device that was extremely efficient and compact. It only used 12 volts and could be plugged in 24/7. He told me that I could probably just make one rather than buy one. I like a good challenge. I didn't have physical access to any of the previous designs, but saw pictures and descriptions. I make wooden toy spinning tops as a hobby and thought why not make mine look like a spinning top. It made the design and assembly much easier too. It worked so well that I thought why not try to make a living selling them. My work experience and hobby had sort of come together. I was encouraged that the vaporizer style was popular and that I was starting from a solid design concept (identical heating element). I was concerned in the beginning about the power plug getting too hot and melting the plastic insulator. I thought that is why it had never been done before. The temperature of the conductor at the ceramic heating element is hot enough to melt lead-free solder. The temperature drops quickly as you move away from the heater. It is not too hot by the time it connects to the power plug. The center wire is also thermally and electrically insulated with glass beads. I was pleasantly surprised that the power plug does not over heat. I placed a wooden button over the metal so there is no chance of accidentally touching the hot metal. The shape and temperature feel really good on my sore hands and give me a calming sensation. It also works really well for a heat massage since there are no sharp edges. Stealth was also an important design parameter. If anyone asks the purpose of the device, it is undeniably a hand warmer / heat massage device. The Toasty Top only smells of warm beeswax during operation. Wish I would have had one of these during my college days. I wanted to use a type of wood that is used in smoking meat to ensure a good flavor. I have only used sugar maple wood so far, but will give other hardwoods a try. The shape will remain as a top for now (it is a Toasty Top after all), but I will constantly strive to make improvements and advance the design.
The roasting tube is very unique in that it is threaded to the mouthpiece via a 1/4" connection tube. This allows complete access to the stainless steel screen in the roasting tube. The threaded roasting tube makes cleaning much easier too. The mouthpiece is approximately 3/8" in diameter and 3" long. Food grade polypropylene, glass, and hardwood mouthpieces are available. It is possible the roasting tubes will fit some of the other convection style herbal vaporizers (hope someone will try). I'm not able to do a comparison with the other convection style herbal vaporizers, but believe it may possible to get slightly higher temperatures as the roasting tube can be placed closer to the heating element than the other designs.
I plan to sell the Toasty Tops, Power Supplies, and Roasting Tubes shopping cart style where they can be purchased separately. You only have to purchase what you want.
Toasty Top $120 (includes stand, aromatherapy cup, beeswax beads, and roasting tube cleaning tools)
Power supply $20 (12 volts / 2 amps with right angle end connection and heavy cord)
Stainless steel roasting tube with polypropylene mouthpiece $20 (almost unbreakable)
Stainless steel roasting tube with glass mouthpiece $20 (provided with polypropylene protective tube as the glass is breakable)
Stainless steel roasting tube with hardwood mouthpiece $30 (purpleheart, bloodwood, osage orange, and oak currently available)
USPS priority shipping is free if your order includes a Toasty Top, otherwise it is $5.
I'm still working on the website Toasty Top (which has more information) but have some Toasty Tops for sale now. My contact information is alan@toasty-top.com
i never woulda thought the bowl was threaded until i seen it lol. gotta love that shiny heat exchanger nice mass but with lockwashers to maximize surface area 
good combination of both, plus you can wash it cant get much better. is there a roasting tube included with the initial unit? or do your order the unit the power adaptor and roasting tube seprate? cant wait for the website to get up to speed then i can order one 
