OIC thanks for the info kalison. It's a ceramic paint then. Lol I'm going to let my new provari steep, as someone else put it, when it gets here.
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OIC thanks for the info kalison. It's a ceramic paint then. Lol I'm going to let my new provari steep, as someone else put it, when it gets here.
Thanks for the great information on the Provari finish! In the one statement I quoted above, you indicate ease of repair using airdry cerakote, but this leads me to ask one other question ... is it possible, if one orders the basic SS model now, to color-coat it at a later date? In other words, can you get a basic Provari and custom color it yourself? Or is this not something that can be successfully done DIY without special tools, materials, skills, etc.?
Thanks again for the super information. It's just for this reason that I always turn to ECF for knowledge to help me make informed vaping decisions.
Yeah it was a joke.
Love my ProVari. It's the one I will end up with in my hand every morning. I don't know why, just ends up there.
As to the finish, cerakote is very durable, although I know provape is sending them out as fast as possible and they still need some time to cure. I have a few cerakoted firearms and the finish can be very lasting.
Is it worth the extra cash? I would say yes, because I like colors. I already have too many chrome or silver mods.
In fact I just topped mine off with yet another silver/chrome piece....
Great looking setup! What is the thing that looks like an O-ring between the Provari and the atomizer? That's not the natural top of the Provari, is it?
Until he pops in and gives you an answer. I would say that is probably just an O-ring to control air flow. I of course could be wrong though as I have no idea what atty configuration he has going on there.
Very cool ... what is the atomizer on top? I think I've seen it before, but can't recall the name ... thought at first it might be a Spheroid, but now I don't think so ...
atomizer looks like a Steam Machine.......no,....really....... that's the name of it
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/rebuildable-atomizer-systems/308550-steam-machine-vst.html
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/rebuildable-atomizer-systems/308550-steam-machine-vst.html
atomizer looks like a Steam Machine.......no,....really....... that's the name of it
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/rebuildable-atomizer-systems/308550-steam-machine-vst.html
If that is a Steam Machine, who sells them in the US?
Ok, while I'm sitting her enjoying my new black provari and wondering why I unconciously pronounce it a certain way... I'll try and clarify this a bit. Sorry if it ends up being a bit long winded but I'm in a very cheshire cat mode atm
First, the air-dry kit and a 'easy' repair I'm envisioning, is a dab touch up for a scratch, a gouge you'd need to probably air brush it, and that would look better either way than a buffed out gash in a silver model.
Now, for recoloring your silver one yourself, yes it can be done DIY, no it won't void your warranty, but will it take special tools? Yes, and probably, maybe.
You should use a airbrush to apply it, so a gravity feed cup airbrush & compressor, with an inline air filter recommended. Gravity feed cup, not a siphon bottle, since you're spraying ceramic particles, not just pigment. If you dont have a compressor/airbrush, and don't know someone that does, you may be able to rent something at your local autoparts store, (I'm thinkin compressor here, you don't want a huge car volume spray gun).
A airbrush like this may work just fine too:
Aztek A320 Airbrush Set (tesa3205) Testors Airbrushes and Airbrush Sets
You might be able to find cheaper locally (sort of like a 1/2oz tube of noalox from provape is 7.95, and 2.72 at homedepot
)But if you ask someone that applies these coats for a living, I'm sure you'd get a 'you need this type of 200$ gun, and this, and that and...." And that's an understandable answer from them. But we're talking DIY ya know? A firearm coating is meant to withstand much harsher treatment than I'd see most people doing to thier provaris. Would you really carry yours in a kydex holster? (a kind of hard plastic). Ok so that's pretty much it for special tools I think.
Before you spray your provari down, you should test and practice on some other metal. Test an application on a smooth chrome'd pipe, let it dry a week then see how it looks and if you can chip it off easily. This is where you practice your painting technique.
Next, you'd set about prepping your provari for a paint job. As far as preperation of the unit itself, depending on how your previous tests did with the cerakote sticking to a polished metal tube, you may or may not want to surface prepair. I'd think a higher grit sandpaper would work fine to get the surface ready. Maybe something in the 800 range? Depending on how you'd do it, doing it by hand woudln't be out of the question, since I doubt you'd want to muck up the top cap.
Now, once you have it prepaired, you'd very, VERY carefully degrease it. I'm talkin damp Q-tip careful around the window area. The degreaser could scar the plastic on the window, so I'd stick some tape over that before hand. I found that something like this, allowed more precision:
Fasmask Liquid Paint Mask 4 oz (par40281) Parma Painting Mask Tape
But you'd not want to get degreaser on it. When you're done, put your latex gloves on, tape off/coat the top cap, window, screw heads, and the threads on the bottom cap. Then you want a nice undisturbed, clean area, with good ventilation, and get things ready to spray. Normally things are hanged from wires; since you don't have that ability, I'd say have them snug on dowels that fill the interior of the tube and you spray down on them, not up. Use a dowel smaller diameter than the provari, wrap that with papertowels to make it snug, so the provari won't slip down onto the dowel and harm the insides. Stick the dowels into somthing like a square peice of plywood. As you spray, just turn the whole thing around, so you get good even coats. Spray, tac(45min) spray, tac (45min, spray, tac (total 2.5-3hrs-ish?) Once you're done applying 2-3 light coats, you want to remove the protective tape from the edges, so the overspray doesnt harden like a rock pining that underneath. A dental pick works well enough for that.
Then once you've finished, try and keep the area at 70f and dust free, and go away and don't bother it for 5 days....
Eh, long looking post, but it's really not quite so complicated really, it would take some time though.
I'd have to say though, if you're looking to get a provari, the extra money for the color you want is worth it. If you have a silver and want to recolor it, it's doable for 40-100$~ depending on what kit you have access to, and not all that difficult.
KuroCz—
I won't quote that long post about re-finishing the Provari, but that is super information and I have it bookmarked. I may never color my own Provari, but the same technique should work on lesser mods, and I'm an experimenter! Thanks again!
I won't quote that long post about re-finishing the Provari, but that is super information and I have it bookmarked. I may never color my own Provari, but the same technique should work on lesser mods, and I'm an experimenter! Thanks again!
Is there any REAL advantage to buying an extension cap and an 18650 battery other than vape time? I want the stain black ProVari and I really like the chrome cap at the bottom. The extension cap is all black. What do ye say?
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I'll agree that the chrome looks nice. I had the foresight to order the chrome extension cap before the new colors were released. It didn't take long for them to sell out, and they may never be offered again.
Whether you would see the difference by having the extension depends upon how heavy of a vapor you are and how much of it is with higher voltages. Obviously this would put more drain on a battery's life. If you don't mind changing the batteries a little more frequently, the standard size w/o the ext cap works fine, too. Its all your preference.
I got the extension for the vape time. The chrome cap is nice looking, you can always order a cap and batteries later if you find you need a longer vape time.
The chrome cap also allows you to signal aircraft overhead if you're stranded while you're camping. Of course I can always carry the chrome cap in a pocket for that. The converse is, it could give away your position when you're trying to stay hidden but need a vape.
The chrome cap also allows you to signal aircraft overhead if you're stranded while you're camping. Of course I can always carry the chrome cap in a pocket for that. The converse is, it could give away your position when you're trying to stay hidden but need a vape.
Agreed, the whole unit is just so solid, then they top it off with a button from the Mattel toy company.
^^
Hum, can't edit the other post, but I just got some more info from Cecilia regarding thier cerakoting. The finishes they use are tweaked from cerakotes listed colors, for a "slightly more matte finish".
So if you have some cosmetic scratches you want to touch up, it will not be a exact paint match like getting your car fixed. Maybe if you ended up in a position of needing repairs, you could contact cerakote for some sample chips to compare, before you spent 40$ on a bottle of coating.
Or ,at least with a black one, there is the sharpie fix
So if you have some cosmetic scratches you want to touch up, it will not be a exact paint match like getting your car fixed. Maybe if you ended up in a position of needing repairs, you could contact cerakote for some sample chips to compare, before you spent 40$ on a bottle of coating.
Or ,at least with a black one, there is the sharpie fix
Hmmm, my button is solid, no play in it. TMMP can ruin your whole day. The MTBF of the switch is probably much higher than a 'mechanical switch'. The switches on the chinese tubes, now those are from mattel, or maotel. The paint peels off them under regular use ~_~'
I think they might have addressed this issue because my newest provari, the one that just arrived today, has zero play with the batt in or out. My first that I got a couple weeks ago does have a little wiggle though but not that much.... not even as bad as wiggling my ps3 controller button.
Nobody, yet. I got in on the CO-OP that just ended.
Otherwise kalafan might be able to direct you to where to order them, from Greece.
I absolutely love mine.
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