Vaporizer Principles

Newsgroups: alt.drugs
Subject: Vaporizer Plans Version 1 (VP.1)
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 1994 10:28:39 -0400

Vaporizer Principles 101

by The BonJ

This file details the construction and operation of a vaporizer. A vaporizer (for our purposes) is a device which raises the temperature of mj high enough to cause the active ingredient (THC) to vaporize, but not enough to induce combustion. The benefits include higher healthier highs and a major increase in the buzzed/buck ratio!

The vaporizer detailed here, based on a thread in alt.drugs (thanks for all the great ideas!), is low priced and easy to construct. My design criteria where as follows:

Simple to operate
Stability and ruggedness
Compatibility (easy to get replacement parts)

The plans are based on the first vaporizer I built and any suggestions for modifications and/or improvements would be greatly appreciated for subsequent revisions of this file.

Latest Revision: 9/19/94
Inception: 9/19/94

Introduction:

The format followed is for the mechanically impaired (i.e. me), so if this seems obnoxiously simple and detailed, it's probably because it is. Deviate/modify or mutilate the design however you want-but please let us know of any ass kickin' ideas that hit you.

Here are the 3 rules I found most helpful in building stuff (remnants from my model rocketry days)

Collect/buy/steal ALL the necessary parts or reasonable facsimiles of them before starting the actual construction
Buy/borrow/steal ALL the necessary tools. Try not to skimp here. Having the right tool for the right job is a MUST (I learned this the hard way) Many schools/colleges have woodshops! Take advantage!
Most importantly...PATIENCE. Don't underestimate this! It can make make or break this most precious educational device. That is:
1. Take your time buying the parts (unless you have lots of $$$), you might find stuff on sale, in trash piles, or from friends
2. Apply (i) to the tools as well
3. Before cutting, drilling, gluing, or whatever, recheck (and rethink) what you're about to do. Does it make sense? Is this the right side? Etc. It sucks to get halfway done, screw up and have to start over, which brings us to...
4. Read/reread/reread/... the instructions until you are 100% (not 99%) sure you know what to do. If you're unsure ask someone! It's amazing how helpful people can be! (Just tell them you're building a tornado chamber for a school project, model rocket, cloud chamber :) , or something equally bogus)

Phase I: The Parts

      Part                   #     Comments                          Est. Cost
      ----                  ---    ---------                         ---------
   a) 33W Solder Element     1     Radio Shack(RS) (64-2082)            $9.00
   b) Solder handle          1     RS (64-2080)                         $7.00
   c) Wood (8x8x3/4)         1     Dimensions are given for a guide    <$1.00
   d) Wooden dowel (24x1/2") 1     Check out indoor clothes racks :)   <$1.00
   e) Extension cord         1     Optional                            <$2.00
   f) 2 liter soda bottle    1     Make sure it has black base         <$2.00
   g) Small brass bowl       1     From Head shop or Plumbing supplies <$2.00
   h) Rubber Grommet         1     Auto supply (wheels, etc)           <$2.00
   i) Aluminum foil                Just need a little                   Free
   j) Wood screws            3     About 1/2" is fine                  <$1.00
   k) Clear Silicone         1(Tube) Any hardware store                 $4.00
   m) Small Block of wood    1     About 2x2x3/4 is fine                Free
   n) Rubber band            1     Should fit snuggly around the bottle Free
                                                                     ---------
                                                          Total Cost ~ $31.00
                                                          (This is an UPPER
                                                           bound for sure!!)

Phase II: The Tools

      Tool                                 Comments
      ----                                 --------
   A) Screwdriver                       For wood screws
   B) Exacto knife                      To cut plastic
   C) Saw                               Obviously for the wood :)
   D) Hacksaw (optional)                Cuts dowel nicely
   E) Drill w/1",1 1/8",1/16", [*] bits Try to get kind of close on the bits.
   F) Ruler                             Very handy!
   G) Pencil                              ditto!
   H) C-clamp                             ditto!
   I) Sandpaper (optional)              We wouldn't want any splinters :)
   J) Protractor (optional)             For fun with trigonometry!

[*] You'll also need a bit the same width as your dowel (1/2")

Phase III: Construction

Step 1: Base

Trace out an equilateral triangle on wood (c)
Cut out triangle from wood, see fig. 1
Sand down all sides and edges

    ________________
    |      /\      |
    |     /  \     |
    |    / 60 \    |<- Part (c)
    |   /      \   |
    |  /<-Saw ->\  |
    | /          \ |
    |/ 60      60 \|
    /_____________ \
    |<    ~ 8"    >|

       Fig. 1

     Hints:
       (1) Use ruler and exacto to create a "guiding" groove (v-shaped)
           for the saw.
       (2) An equilateral triangle has equal sides with 60 deg angles,
           so a protractor might be nice.

Step 2: Mount

Label one side as T (top) and the other B (bottom)
Draw (on BOTH sides) three lines as follows:
Bisect each side of the triangle and mark it. With the ruler draw a line (label l) from the bisector to the opposing vertex. The result is three lines intersecting in the center of the triangle (label it IP)
On the top side, drill (1 1/8" bit) about 1/8" at IP. This is the resting bed for the solder handle
On the top side, drill (1" bit) about 1/2" at IP
On the bottom side drill (1" bit) at IP to complete the hole. The reason for drilling on both sides is to prevent splintering on the surface
Sand any roughness down

Legs

Cut dowel (d) with hacksaw into three 8" pieces (These are the legs)
Since I didn't have a drill press, making the holes for the legs in the base was a little tricky. Here is how I did it:
1. On block of wood (m) drill a hole (with the bit of dowel width) at about 15 degrees off the normal all the way through. This is known as a jig (Fig. 2). Draw a reference line along the jig.
```
            ^ Normal
         ___|_____
        /   |    /|
       /----O---/ /
      /        / /
      --------- /
     |________|/

       Fig. 2
```
2. Place the base bottom side up on your workbench. Then align the jig with a line (l) so that the jig hole is about 1 1/2" from the vertex. Clamp it all down and using the jig as your guide, drill through the base. Make sure that the tilt of the jig points outward. Repeat for the other two vertices. Now you should be able to slide the dowels in and voila, you have a stable table! It should look sorta like a landed UFO (bearing gifts for humanity)! I didn't glue the legs in, because I liked to take them out for traveling purposes

Chamber Base

Take 2 liter soda bottle (f) and cut out a circle of about 2" radius from the bottom with the exacto knife. Take care to cut so as not to destroy the little holes around the perimeter of the base. You should be able to detach the black base (label CB) from the bottle. Do it. Put the bottle aside for step 5
Align CB onto the wood base (Top) so that it is facing up, centered, and the lines (l) can be seen through 3 of the "screw holes"
With the smallest bit you have, drill 1/4" into the 3 holes
Put silicone (k) around the bottom of CB, realign it with the drill holes, apply pressure, and then screw in the 3 screws (j) into the drill holes. Now this is fixed! Add silicone liberally to make sure it's sealed up nice and tight...wouldn't want to loose anything.

Chamber

Note:: As you can see, placing the bottle into CB gives a nicely sealed chamber. Another bonus is, no matter where you are, finding a replacement chamber is exceedingly simple.
Note:: Since I couldn't find a bowl that would screw nicely onto the tip of the soldering element and I wanted a good contact without getting to fancy...