The e-cig/mod/vapors/boxes, trend...!

[robutacion]

G'day peoples,

I have been wondering, how many of you do use these gadgets...??

I did not know much about the issue until about 6 months or so, when I found out that, someone from Poland, did buy some knife Resifills from me and made some e-cigs/mods/vapors and, the only reason I found out was because, this Polish fellow, contacted me by email, asking me to make some more Resifills that resembled some of the pen blanks casts, I have listed...!

I was very surprised when I saw a pic of one of his original pieces, made with some Truffle Resifills blanks I had listed at the time, he was really well made and finished.

Since, has been a constant enquiries about me making Resifill blanks, to suit one of the many sizes I have until encounter. Indeed, that is probably one of the most annoying aspects of it, when I think that I have made a few extra that would put me in front, someone comes along and says that, he/she had saw the pics of my listed blanks but, none is of the size they want/need...!

Anyway, I always get over that and, have made a good selection of new molds for each of the sizes I have requested so far, other times, in only a matter of using a small spacer on the larger molds to get within the required sizes.

I was not aware of how popular the vapours/e-cigs are amongst young people (20th's and over...!) and the ridiculous number of styles, sizes and shapes, these things can be found at. I should also say that, I was not less surprised when I found out the prices these things can fetch when done.

I'm told that Malaysia is the main "powerhouse" of e-cigs, but that is spreading very rapidly to all around the world, and that is the reason why I decided to bring the subject in here, and find out, how many of IAP members, are either vaping or making the units..!

So, if you are one of those people, let is know and share your experience with us, did you start as an substitute for smoking real nicotine cigarettes or, something else...???

What are your thoughts on the issue..???

Cheers
George

 

[maxwell_smart007]

I think the dangerous thing about these is that they're essentially unregulated. They're touted as a safe alternative, but who knows what you're vaporizing and inhaling.

People have even started smoking them indoors, as they say 'it's not nicotine' - as if that makes it ok. They come in a multitude of flavours, which seems like it's marketed toward kids...

Nicotine gum seems like a safer way to quit smoking....

 

[robutacion]

I think the dangerous thing about these is that they're essentially unregulated. They're touted as a safe alternative, but who knows what you're vaporizing and inhaling.

People have even started smoking them indoors, as they say 'it's not nicotine' - as if that makes it ok. They come in a multitude of flavours, which seems like it's marketed toward kids...

Nicotine gum seems like a safer way to quit smoking....

Well, I have asked the question a few times, to some people that I see vaping, if they were substituting the "true" cigarettes and therefore getting slowly off smoking or other reason and so far, I got more people saying that, they never smoked before but they wanted to however, they (the younger generations) become aware to the negative health risks and extremely limitations to where, they can lighten up a cigarette so, this is their replacement to it.

With that said, I'm not sure what the rules are about using the e-cigs in places where, people can not smoke (traditional cigarettes) and I would believe, the limitations would be the same so, the only thing they would be reducing, is the possible health risks of the nicotine, if it is correct that, as many people claim that, vaping is not harmful to one's health.

I have serious doubts and scepticism about that why..?, because I would like to believe that, vaping is not harmful and could possible replace the heavy smoking habit that so many people still suffering from, I should know, I was one of them, together with my wife as equally heavy if not heavier smoker than me.

It has been nearly 10 years since we both stop smoking, and I certainly do not wish to experience the withdrawals I experienced for many months however, the wife and I, we are in that category of people that actually enjoyed very much to smoke and, never left our minds nor the natural reaction to get close(r) to someone smoking because, the smell still attracts us, making the whole situation, a lot more difficult to ignore.

So, while I'm happy that we stopped the nicotine addiction, I wait anxiously for the day that, scientific tests can prove that, vaping is not harmfull to humans so that I can try it, and find out for myself it, vaping can replace the enjoyment of smoking a cigarett...!

In the mean time, I'm spend a great part of my time, creating blanks that people use to make this units with and that, some are a magnificent piece of art as I seen in so many of them, would it be comparable to showing off your beautiful hand made pen...??? I don't see why not and in some way, I tend to believe that, one of the attractions these units have amongst younger people (20ths and 30ths) is in a way no different than the phenomenon of the modern mobile phone that appart from its obvious uses, I see often personalized with many accessory/covers options that identify in some way, with the personality of that person(s).

Will it last..??? maybe not, will see...!

Cheers
George

 

[maxwell_smart007]

I got more people saying that, they never smoked before but they wanted to ...this is their replacement to it.

Even scarier, in my mind...an entry level slippery slope!

 

[BSea]

I was contacted by someone who wanted me to make him blanks out of alumilite. He wanted a blank 3" X 3" X 6". When I told him it would start at about $90, he kinda hit the roof. I explained to him that a blank that size was equal to about 16 pen blanks. After I showed him a few links to larger alumilite blanks, he understood. But I never poured him anything. I'd have gone broke at the prices he wanted to spend.

 

[Smitty37]

I think the dangerous thing about these is that they're essentially unregulated. They're touted as a safe alternative, but who knows what you're vaporizing and inhaling.

People have even started smoking them indoors, as they say 'it's not nicotine' - as if that makes it ok. They come in a multitude of flavours, which seems like it's marketed toward kids...

Nicotine gum seems like a safer way to quit smoking....

I don't think most people are using them to quit smoking Andrew. They are available both with nicotine and without. The last I knew, they have not been proven to be harmful to health. Many countries including the FDA in the USA are offering or proposing regulations. Most users are Cigarette smokers or ex-smokers.

 

[robutacion]

I was contacted by someone who wanted me to make him blanks out of alumilite. He wanted a blank 3" X 3" X 6". When I told him it would start at about $90, he kinda hit the roof. I explained to him that a blank that size was equal to about 16 pen blanks. After I showed him a few links to larger alumilite blanks, he understood. But I never poured him anything. I'd have gone broke at the prices he wanted to spend.

I'm not surprised, I get requests all the time and the sizes they ask are ridiculous. Ridiculous because, 98% of people sourcing for this type of blanks, are doing so to sell them to the mods makers/cnc machinists and not because the actually know what the blanks sizes is going to endup at, and instead of finding out and then request blanks that are closer to the final sizes, they think that, blanks need to be a lot bigger to be machined, having no idea of how that, complicates things for the cnc machinist.

I have them asking me to make blanks that have 2/3" ( 20mm) over the finished sizes when, 5mm or less is all its required, on certain blanks, removing that much will also remove most of the blanks best features, particularly when blanks are made by position the material(s) to be cast, so that they become the focal feature.

There seems to be also the ignorance to realise that, asking for blanks to be made much bigger than necessary, will also affect significantly the price of the blank and also the extra weight that will be multiplied normally by 20 to 30 times (the average number of blanks I'm asked to make per batch/person), causing the shipping costs to be a lot higher, than otherwise necessary.

Interestingly, all around the world the "Alumilite" resin is known as one of the best and strongest bonding resins to wood and or other materials used in the castings, they don't know what kind of resin Alumilite is (Polyester, Epoxy, Polyurethane) however, they seem to have learn that, these type of highly machined blanks, need to be very strong but easy for the cutters to make a clean cuts but, they have no idea of its origin and/or costs.

And while around the world people are machining these type blanks, they soon learnt that, not all resins are the same and that Polyester is not suitable for these type of blanks, particularly if they are made of wood and resin, separation and shrinkage, have become the main problems they confronted and what to avoid any any cost.

Myself, being a Polyester user for over 9 years, had to re-think the fact that, Alumilite not being available in Australia/to me, I had to look for alternatives to the Polyester and the only 2 options were the Epoxy base or Polyurethane base resins, this lattest, the most expensive of them all at nearly $70.00 per litre therefore, cost prohibit for making such large size blanks

One thing that I have learn in the process of testing suitable resin types is that, the Polyurethane resin available in Australia, is not the same as the Polyurethane Alumilite made in the USA, the one in Australia has a curing schedule that put me off and surprised me, being the more expensive resin I ever worked with, they made it so that, it will require a post-cure of air drying of 5 days at an average of 25°C or, 13 hours in the oven at 50°, I did not like that, at all...!

In the end, the Epoxy 2/1 based resin, prove to be the most desired resin to be used by me, it bonds to anything beyond believe, is flexible, no smell and cures fast, there is, after the gelling starts, I have waited for over 1 hour to pour my resins/colours and still, blends the colours far too much, the temps up here have been quite low, early ten's and the resin is taking too long to start curing so, the other day I decided to made my mixes, 2 x 500ml cups of this Epoxy resin, go and have dinner and come back 1 hour later but, after a hot shower and some dinner in the presence of the firewood place warmoth, I become too comfortable and totally forgotten about the resin in the workshop so, 2:15 hours had passed and when I got to the resin, the cups were hot and the resin showing some flexibility but, far too late...!
Attached is some pics I took of it, at $32.00 per litre, was a wast that I didn't need nor, I cut slice it as pendant blanks, the damn wood stick in stuck in the middle of the resin...!

I have went and wait 1:15 hours before pouring my colours and I don't seem to get the colours to separate as I did with the Polyester, I know that gelling times will vary depending upon the ambient temperature of where the mixes are made so, as the weather will warm up, the gelling time swill change considerably, how much, I'm yet to find out.

I have a proper temperature logger with various probes and I'm considering to attach the probes onto the plastic cups and take readings of the temperatures and they increase and go as far as to the gelling point, that should give me a good indication of how long I have to wait to get the precise moment of the beginning of the gelling. Knowing what that temperature will be, I can attach the probes to the cups as the weather/temps change/increase and monitor the amount of time it will require to reach that critical point, this way, winter or summer, I will know when the gelling will start, well, that is the idea...!:biggrin:

Cheers
George

 

[BSea]

Wow George. Having to wait an hour or more to pour would have me looking elsewhere, or not at all. I've had enough cups like that from PR pours (well, I planned on them being pours). I'd hate to have that happen to resin that cost 3 or 4 times as much as PR.

The vapor chamber (if that's what it's called) the guy asked me to pour was a lot smaller than the blank he was asking for. I'm guessing he was going to cut the blank into smaller blanks. He originally told me that he'd pay no more than $30 for a blank. The last thing he asked for was a worthless wood blank for $50. It was a smaller size, but he wouldn't give me enough details on the final size. I finally just told him I wasn't interested.

 

[robutacion]

Wow George. Having to wait an hour or more to pour would have me looking elsewhere, or not at all. I've had enough cups like that from PR pours (well, I planned on them being pours). I'd hate to have that happen to resin that cost 3 or 4 times as much as PR.

The vapor chamber (if that's what it's called) the guy asked me to pour was a lot smaller than the blank he was asking for. I'm guessing he was going to cut the blank into smaller blanks. He originally told me that he'd pay no more than $30 for a blank. The last thing he asked for was a worthless wood blank for $50. It was a smaller size, but he wouldn't give me enough details on the final size. I finally just told him I wasn't interested.

Well, there is a big difference at the moment, between your dollar and mine however, I have been told that most Alumilite blanks made for the average e-cig box, have a charge about US$55.oo each, these are off-course, burl hybrids, as they like to call them.

As for the time to pour this resin I'm using, I don't particularly have to wait 1 hour or more to pour, I can either use a single or double colours and pour as soon as mixed and put them in the pressure pot, the colours will blend and there is no variation definition in the colours and even after 1 hour, with the plastic cups starting to feel warm(ish), the resin still very liquid for some time, the viscosity goes from 100cps pouring consistency (in this cold weather) to about 700cps about 1 hour later but, the colours still blend and I don't seem to get the colours definition I was used to with the Polyester.

The problem with waiting too long and pour with the gelling in advanced stages is that, you may have colour definition but 2 things will be compromised, one is the adhesion strength to wood and secondly, the one I need to avoid at all costs, is the poor penetration the gelled resin will have in woods that have many voids and crevasses to fill, even at 100 PSI, by the time the pours/colours are mixed, the molds put into the pressure pot, closing the lid tight and filling with air, the resin would be far too thick to more around much, at all...!

Interestingly, the samples I made with the most expensive resin I ever used ClearCast Polyurethane 1/1 ratio, I did not have any problem in achieve colour definition, using similar mixing and pouring times as the Polyester, factory suggests 9 to 12 minutes working time but this Epoxy I'm using 2/1 ratio seems to be quite slow to cure, particularly at low temperatures.

Attached is a pic of a 2 colour blank poured 1:15 hours after part A & B was mixed.

Looking at for info from some date sheets I've got, some of the information provided is quiet unique to see and goes like this;

Handling Properties
Mix Ratio Resin : Hardener by weight 100 : 50
Resin : Hardener by volume 2 : 1

Usable life
(200g mix) @ 15°C 60-70 minutes
Peak Exotherm 110ºC

(200g mix) @ 25°C 30-40 minutes
Peak Exotherm 125°C

(200g mix) @ 35°C 10-20 minutes
Peak Exotherm 150°C

Demould Time 3 hours

From my experience of the 5 x 7.5lt containers used of this resin, the demoulding time is not correct nor it could be, environmental temperatures do change the curing times, the hoter the temps, the quicker it sets and cures so, demolding time has to be different on the 3 temp examples they provided in their "TDS". Maybe 3 hours, after the resin has set (reached Exotherm temps), maybe...!

I also have to have into consideration that, I'm using the 500ml plastic cups and on each cup I use 300ml part A and 150ml part B so, 450ml mixed resin will get hot faster, the 1:15 hours at approx, 15°C is still not sufficient to achieve colour separation so, I know that, will be a very fine line in between being not gelled enough to too gelled, I'm expecting a matter of a couple of minutes and that will be an extremely difficult thing to control, a few degrees difference in the ambient temperatures can throw you out and, endup with a few more of those solid resin cups with mixing sticks and everything, I never had a single mix using Polyester, to get solid in the cups/mixing containers.

It's a major improvement on other areas, no smell when mixing or curing, no smell when cutting/sanding, something that can not be compared to Polyester, a great difference is that respect.

Sorry, one may think that, this thread is about "casting" when in reality is not, it can be expected to have the casting issue mentioned in this general purpose, e-cig discussion but, the main purpose of this thread is to find out, it there are any e-cig users amongst IAP members any issues they may want to discuss, they can go from the health aspects, it can be the significance/meaning of vaping to them, it can be the type unit they use, size shape, etc.., and if possible, to know if there are any IAP members that do actually make these e-cigs mods...!

I have the impression that, from the lack of members participation that, there may not be many at all that will be involved in the issue, the one way or the other, and if that is the case, that is fine also, I wouldn't be that surprised...!

Cheers
George

 

[Jimmykoko2]

I'd like to make an e-cig for my wife out of alumilite. She uses one to stop smoking. She had smoked for over 30 years. Using the vapor cigarette she has not smoke a regular cigarette in over a year. The smokers cough is gone and her doctor is happy.

Anyone know how to make one or where to get information on how to make one?

 

[robutacion]

I'd like to make an e-cig for my wife out of alumilite. She uses one to stop smoking. She had smoked for over 30 years. Using the vapor cigarette she has not smoke a regular cigarette in over a year. The smokers cough is gone and her doctor is happy.

Anyone know how to make one or where to get information on how to make one?

I don't use Alumilite as I can't get it here in Australia, I use Epoxy now, for making these e-cig blanks but, if you tell me what sort of e-cig you model you would like to make, I could assist you with making the blank however, it would be easier to find someone on IAP that uses Alumilite in their castings, and if you know what size blank you require, is going to be quite easy to find someone that can make that blanks for you...!

You don't mention any wood/burl as part of that blank/e-cig you want to make so, if you want wood and resin, what type wood you like and what colour or colours, would you like on the resin mix...???

Cheers
George

 

[OLDMAN5050]

I bought a e cig November 14th quit smoking November 16th after 40 years of smoknig, I don't know if it is any healthier or not but no more smokers cough not near as much sinus problems and a heck of a lot cheaper. Carton of cigs $45 30 ml bottle of vape juice that last around 10 days $5. carton of cigs lasted a week. Can use in the house with no odor wife is happy. Our insurance was to go up $50 bucks a pay period if I was a tobacco user. they say vaping is not tobacco use so insurance didn't go up. Wife happy, I'm happy and tobacco free.........

 

[robutacion]

I bought a e cig November 14th quit smoking November 16th after 40 years of smoknig, I don't know if it is any healthier or not but no more smokers cough not near as much sinus problems and a heck of a lot cheaper. Carton of cigs $45 30 ml bottle of vape juice that last around 10 days $5. carton of cigs lasted a week. Can use in the house with no odor wife is happy. Our insurance was to go up $50 bucks a pay period if I was a tobacco user. they say vaping is not tobacco use so insurance didn't go up. Wife happy, I'm happy and tobacco free.........

I'm happy for you mate and pleased to know that, vaping is m"tagged" as smoking by insurance companies and possibly other government departments..!

I wonder if, all the places where you are not allowed to smoke, if the same rules apply to vaping because, I had a few blokes that said that, they don't vape outside and in public view, to avoid troubles...!

If vaping is not smoking, what stops people from vaping in non-smoking areas...??? very curious...!

Cheers
George