Orestes
Magus Septimus
Just noticed that my wood vapor tube is cracked, longitudinally, following the grain, a bit more than 1cm long, from the base. It's still working fine but this might be a problem with the wood tubes. And I will probably have to apply some wood glue at some point so ya may as well find a good thin high-heat/moisture resistant adhesive.
But I also noticed that there's no glue or anything attaching the stem to the tube. Which is nice, but i'm fairly certain the stem moving up in to the tapered tube is what got the cracks moving.
No such problem with the glass tube. Though I still prefer the wood, if only for the feel in my mouth/aesthetics
But I also noticed that there's no glue or anything attaching the stem to the tube. Which is nice, but i'm fairly certain the stem moving up in to the tapered tube is what got the cracks moving.
No such problem with the glass tube. Though I still prefer the wood, if only for the feel in my mouth/aesthetics
Can't be having any cracked tubes Orestes. I will send you a replacement wood mouthpiece. The oak is a bit more susceptible to cracking due to the grain structure. I had to throw away a beautiful black and white ebony mouthpiece recently because it cracked. I'm sure Ed knows the challenges of making wood tubes.
gvape
Well-Known Member
^^ Good customer service as it should be!
Cant wait til Thursday... Glad to hear its gonna be hear so quickly. I honestly dont think I can have enough vaporizers... I have a few I have my eye on to buy sometime in the future. I am going to try and do a good review next to my PD with this as soon as I receive it.
REALLY glad to hear about that I-Olite mod that you made possible. My I-Olite doesn't get used much anymore, but I may start to use it more being able to use that glass Toasty Tube as a stem. Made me even more excited to get the TT.
Cant wait til Thursday... Glad to hear its gonna be hear so quickly. I honestly dont think I can have enough vaporizers... I have a few I have my eye on to buy sometime in the future. I am going to try and do a good review next to my PD with this as soon as I receive it.
REALLY glad to hear about that I-Olite mod that you made possible. My I-Olite doesn't get used much anymore, but I may start to use it more being able to use that glass Toasty Tube as a stem. Made me even more excited to get the TT.
gvape said:
The mod to the Iolite consists of tapping the existing hole in the stainless bowl for 1/4" - 28 threads per inch. That is all that needs to be done to the Iolite so the Toasty Tubes will fit. The 1/4" SS connector on the glass Toasty Tube needs to extend slightly more to reach into the Iolite bowl. The glass Toasty Tube is set up for the Toasty Top so that it just fits into the protective poly tube with the roasting tip screwed on. I have a glass Toasty Tube dedicated to my Iolite. It still fits into the protective poly tube even with the 1/4" SS connector sticking farther out because it doesn't have a roasting tube tip installed. The SS Iolite bowl is essentially my roasting tube tip. Will need to take some photos and post on the Iolite thread.
TV said:
Oh yes TV, I know exactly what you mean, I think I have thrown away more beautiful pieces away than I have spun. The Ebony look so great, they are by far the hardest specie I have ever dealt with, but are equally delicate and will crack under the right pressure. Its so hard not to just look at the damn thing after its cracked and get upset cause you just took extra extra long trying to be patient and not F it up, then push the tip in and CRACK! DAMN IT!!!!
Like I said at my thread, pls do email me lets talk trade!
Orestes
Magus Septimus
I just got to test out the unscrewing stems-- Before today the screens were cleared with a quick blow, but this time there was a bit too much residue around the edges.
I just unscrewed it and swept around with a tiny brush (the one that comes with the LB). Screen is as good as new!
At the moment all of my Zap stems are clogged to hell, unusably so. I've used the brush, tried soaking them-- Even dropped them in my ultrasonic cleaner, which is filled with vodka.
I know the screen kit is only $12 but I'd rather not have to install a new screen every week.
I just unscrewed it and swept around with a tiny brush (the one that comes with the LB). Screen is as good as new!
At the moment all of my Zap stems are clogged to hell, unusably so. I've used the brush, tried soaking them-- Even dropped them in my ultrasonic cleaner, which is filled with vodka.
I know the screen kit is only $12 but I'd rather not have to install a new screen every week.
hereatlast
Well-Known Member
Those screw cap stems look promising. 
It seems the "standard log vape stem design" (I know they're not exactly the same...) can be kept clean easily with diligence (blowing out the 'load' while its still hot). Either way, they do clog pretty easily and quickly at times IME. lwien, that's an impressive track record but considering many users might vape your monthly allotment in a day or two its understandable that clogging and cleaning can become a necessity sooner.
It seems the "standard log vape stem design" (I know they're not exactly the same...) can be kept clean easily with diligence (blowing out the 'load' while its still hot). Either way, they do clog pretty easily and quickly at times IME. lwien, that's an impressive track record but considering many users might vape your monthly allotment in a day or two its understandable that clogging and cleaning can become a necessity sooner.
Orestes
Magus Septimus
lwien said:
Cause you're a light user? I probably consume seven times more than you. Also, PD uses different screens than the Zap. Screens more similar to the TT actually. My stem from Ed is a hell of a lot easier to clean.
Your skepticism is bordering on troll levels.
Also-- Just got in my replacement tube. No cracking. And i'm playing around with the o-ring; i'm just giving it a few extra mm of room and that seems to do fine for the life of the stem pack. If I have it around the actual bowl, rather than the joint above the bowl, it gets a bit wobbly
lwien
Well-Known Member
Orestes said:
What the hell? Troll levels?
I was just askin' cause I've really never experienced the clogging issues you talk about. Even though you may use 7 times the amount that I use, I've never had any clogging in over 2 years, so I was just wondering why there is such a difference here. Maybe it's the way we empty out the ABV, maybe it's the grind. Maybe it's the screens. I also blow out the stem REALLY hard into a small muslin bag. I don't know how you empty your stems, so maybe that contributes to the difference between our experiences.
hereatlast brought up in the post above about blowing out the ABV when the stem is still hot, which I religiously do. I also empty out the stem after the first 3 hits and crumble the ABV between fingers and then reload for another hit or two. Maybe it's this process that accounts for me not having the same experience as you. What also may be true is that we use different quantities.......or maybe, it's all of the above.
As an aside, this issue has been brought up before and although there are some that experience frequent clogging issues, there are also others who are heavy users such as yourself, that don't experience this same issue, and so, being that you brought the issue up again , I thought it may be worthy of discussion, but trolling was the LAST thing on my mind.
momofthegoons
vapor accessory addict
Now boys, let's play nice... 
I also have had problems with my stock stems clogging on my Zap. But, I also got the kit and it's a snap to keep them clean. And I can reuse the screens and clips after cleaning. I clean them the same way I clean the TT screens; with 151. I find it easiest to do and easiest on the screens. The real trick is keeping up with it, especially if you are a heavy user (which I also am).
Orestes, I am a little confused as to why your stems from Ed would be easier, other than that they are removable. They are the same screens/clips Rick uses.
In any case, the removability of the screw tip on TV's tubes really do make them a snap to clean, which is a good thing for those who have the "gunk" problem.
I also have had problems with my stock stems clogging on my Zap. But, I also got the kit and it's a snap to keep them clean. And I can reuse the screens and clips after cleaning. I clean them the same way I clean the TT screens; with 151. I find it easiest to do and easiest on the screens. The real trick is keeping up with it, especially if you are a heavy user (which I also am).
Orestes, I am a little confused as to why your stems from Ed would be easier, other than that they are removable. They are the same screens/clips Rick uses.
In any case, the removability of the screw tip on TV's tubes really do make them a snap to clean, which is a good thing for those who have the "gunk" problem.
SmokingElectricity
Well-Known Member
@ Orestes
maybe your grind is too fine or maybe it's possible you are not cleaning your stems frequently enough. you should invest in a screen kit anyway. i lost a screen down the drain the other day during a cleaning and was glad that i had the kit.
maybe your grind is too fine or maybe it's possible you are not cleaning your stems frequently enough. you should invest in a screen kit anyway. i lost a screen down the drain the other day during a cleaning and was glad that i had the kit.
mlo4sho
Well-Known Member
Only time i've experienced clogging in one of my stems is when I tried vaping a full bowl of kief. Other than that, I've never had issues with clogging and don't need to frequently clean the stem either (only 3+ months of vaping, however). I've been using the same stem since day 1 and I consume anywhere from 5-10+ stems a day. Maybe it's luck? Maybe it's technique? Just saying, with flowers it hasn't been an issue yet, for me.
momofthegoons said:
lately I have been using a SS screen that has a tighter weave than Rick is using I think, I wanna say that he mentioned that to me lately also. I find that if I blow out the load as soon as I am finished with it, it clears quickly, you let that thing cool down and it gets tougher to empty.
momofthegoons
vapor accessory addict
I stand corrected. Didn't notice that you had changed screens Ed. Perhaps the tighter weave is the answer. If that is the case, it would be easy enough to change out the screens in any vapor stem to the same type. I don't think you can get them in this size without making them yourself, which is also easy with a regular sized pipe screen and a hole punch. I also agree that blowing out the stem while still hot is essential.
But, what's easy for some is a hassle for others.
But, what's easy for some is a hassle for others.
aesthyrian
Blaaaaah
lwien said:
I clean my stems even less and never have clogging issues. I think my secret is that I just make sure the screen in clean after every stem. And if it wont clean then it just needs a few more hits usually. Like Ed said, if you wait and let it cool down when you are down then it is much harder to blown the ABV out.
Orestes
Magus Septimus
I'm pretty hard on my equipment-- I like to mix kief, finely ground hash, and even earwax in with my vape loads. I'm pretty careful, placing a small layer of untainted bud on the screen, but I still can clog a screen like none other. But my wood stem from Ed is fine, as is all my nice SS stuff.
Though I did just break my glass tube. I was sticking something in the mouthpiece end, stupidly, and a chunk came off. So I gave it a tap on the tile, to crack the glass on the gasket. It came away in a few chunks, and with the remaining gasket, the stainless steel stem with the threaded bit and the surrounding rubber spacer, I jammed it on the end of my figured walnut stem from Ed-- formed a perfect, solid seal.
Forgive the horrible quality; webcam...
Bong rips on the top are... quite impressive
Though I did just break my glass tube. I was sticking something in the mouthpiece end, stupidly, and a chunk came off. So I gave it a tap on the tile, to crack the glass on the gasket. It came away in a few chunks, and with the remaining gasket, the stainless steel stem with the threaded bit and the surrounding rubber spacer, I jammed it on the end of my figured walnut stem from Ed-- formed a perfect, solid seal.
Forgive the horrible quality; webcam...
Bong rips on the top are... quite impressive
SmokingElectricity
Well-Known Member
adding kief, hash etc to your stem loads is the reasons your screens get clogged quick. a metal wand pick is your friend in these situations. before you are gonna empty the stem, give it a quick stir with the metal pick and take another hit or two to make sure you vaped all the kief/hash and then empty it. this usually will suffice, if not take a dry hit or two and run the pick around inside the empty stem. these types of vapes were not meant for concentrates so you gonna have be a bit more flexible and adapt.
Orestes
Magus Septimus
SmokingElectricity said:
Yes, I've already adapted, by buying a vape with better convection and using tubes with higher quality screens. I've been vaping with wax this evening, and all of my screens look perfectly new. My Toasty stems, and the one from Ed anyway. The rest, my zap tubes, are unusable until I get the screen kit. Not a big deal. I'm actually using my zap with the aromatherapy cup filled with flavoring oils I originally got for e-cig liquids. It's quite nice.
biojuggernaut
Snob
which stem would best suite to be shoved into my down stem? Obviously the glass will break, the plastic stems are nice. . . but the wood looks terrific. Is there any price difference between wood or the plastic?