Tinymight stem loading technique

[T.Airz]

I wanted to make a dedicated thread for discussion about how you load your Tinymight stem. I have found random bits of this information scattered about in the endless pages of TM discussion. But I wanted to save some new TM owners some of the trial and error that I And I’m sure many others went through to achieve those massive TM rips everyone is talking about.
There are really 3 variables involved that I think are the most valuable to mention here. Any additional information is welcome of course.

• Position of cooling unit in stem (bowl size)
• Tightness of packing
• How fine/coarse grind are you using
  
  
  I’ve been using about an inch deep bowl (from screen to tip of glass stem) loading it 70 percent full with medium-fine grind and packing it pretty much as loose as possible. Then I give it a quick pull with my mouth to situate the material. I find this to give me the biggest rips. I get one delicious Huge rip and after I stir I get one more smaller less delicious rip. But man does it smack me
  Ive also realized that better bud makes more vapor plain and simple. More cannabinoids to vaporize equals more vapor.

 

[fidget]

Ordered mine yesterday so will be devouring the main thread and this one.

 

[T.Airz]

Ordered mine yesterday so will be devouring the main thread and this one.

Get ready to have your lungs busted! The thing rips. I have actually adjusted my technique I’m using a tighter pack now with the included dome screen and getting MASSIVE smoke like rips without combustion. I’m using 6.5-7.5 max any more and I get a little char atop my bowl. You need to take a pretty long draw to get the biggest rips with the TM. Long and slow draws seem to work best for me.
The cooling unit will get dirty very quickly because the rips are so huge. A quick shake in a baggie warm ISO and coarse salt ,rinsed with water and paper towel dried, cleans it right up. Just make sure you take out the 2 O-rings and only use soap and water on them.

Can’t wait to hear what you think about the little Finnish beast!

 

[Siebter]

My loading technique is simple.

• Stock setup, no extra screens etc.
• Medium coarse grind (BCG with medium plate)
• Light, tender tamping, being mindful for even pack
• No space between herb & heater screen, filling to the brim

Works literally every time. My loads are usually ~.1g up to ~,2g, but even .05g or .3g is okay with this approach. I do not stir and only brush the glass walls of the chamber with a small MFLB brush (after blowing out the abv). This way the chamber stays clean for a long time. I clean my cu every two weeks but haven't really experienced build up to the point where it affects the draw resistance yet.

 

[T.Airz]

My loading technique is simple.

• Stock setup, no extra screens etc.
• Medium coarse grind (BCG with medium plate)
• Light, tender tamping, being mindful for even pack
• No space between herb & heater screen, filling to the brim

Works literally every time. My loads are usually ~.1g up to ~,2g, but even .05g or .3g is okay with this approach. I do not stir and only brush the glass walls of the chamber with a small MFLB brush (after blowing out the abv). This way the chamber stays clean for a long time. I clean my cu every two weeks but haven't really experienced build up to the point where it affects the draw resistance yet.

Are you pushing the cooling unit up for smaller loads? So that way the herb is flush with the tip of the glass?
Im going to try this method right now. I haven’t tried filling it up to the brim.

 

[BrianTL]

Thats what I'm trying to figure out - first time with it last night, all other things equal with the load, would it be better to have it flush with the tip of the stem or like a 1/4" gap? Thinking for smaller loads is it a better idea to have the gap or push the CU down further

 

[Siebter]

Are you pushing the cooling unit up for smaller loads? So that way the herb is flush with the tip of the glass?

Exactly, and same goes for the other way around: instead of packing tighter I'd rather increase the chamber size. Packing fluffy is key.

Thats what I'm trying to figure out - first time with it last night, all other things equal with the load, would it be better to have it flush with the tip of the stem or like a 1/4" gap? Thinking for smaller loads is it a better idea to have the gap or push the CU down further

When I got my TM ~6 months ago it just never occurred to me to leave a gap and even today I have a hard time coming up for a reason for it. To me it makes tamping evenly easier when I'm able to level it to some kind of edge, leaving a gap would make me create a bowl like load. Which is not a problem per se, but I like things to stay in line I guess. Some say leaving a gap makes avoiding uneven roast / the dark ring easier, but I find the grind and pack being the actual parameters leading to uneven spots.

I mostly microdose, but my way works great for all kind of amounts (for me).

 

[T.Airz]

Thats what I'm trying to figure out - first time with it last night, all other things equal with the load, would it be better to have it flush with the tip of the stem or like a 1/4" gap? Thinking for smaller loads is it a better idea to have the gap or push the CU down further

I just tried filling it all the way up and I keep scorching the top. I don’t have this problem when I use the screen, packing enough material (tamped down gently) that the screen fits into the stem lightly pushing on the herb, creating a slight dome in the material, and I get Absolutely massive clouds with no char. I will keep experimenting With other methods but, for me, this is how I get my huge clouds from my TM. And I have to stir with this method, so hearing about this method of loose pack no stir no screen makes me curious enough to try it again.

 

[BrianTL]

I had 2 stems last night, the 2nd was with more bud so closer to the edge of the stem and it definitely was less even like that and more scorched towards the heater. But, I also did a few others things differently the 2nd time so I cant say for certain what the reason was.

 

[Shit Snacks]

I never stir, even extraction temp stepping from 2.5 to 6.5, taking a hit at each .5, my use on average. Feeling basket screens' position varying depending on the stem, but I never have much difference between them extraction wise... They're all pretty close to the tip, this is in RBT stems used through 18 mm female glass mouthpieces. For the stock stem, I was using the included basket screen in front of the cooling unit, loading the basket for smaller bowls (medium coarse ground not packed too tight)

 

[Siebter]

I just tried filling it all the way up and I keep scorching the top. I don’t have this problem when I use the screen [...]

Most likely the screen is the reason why you get an even roast here, not the position – screens are a great way for getting a very even result without having to fiddle too much, and they work well even when placed to the edge. They probably do a good job of spreading the heat or something. I myself don't use screens just because they are one more piece to take care of (I'm an expert on loosing small pieces and things), also I'm okay with a 90%-95% even roast instead of 100%.