Some wood mods

[Karltinsly]

I'd like to add my thanks, as well, asdaq! I'm gathering parts for my first mod and I think it'd like to do this presta valve switch. Thanks so much for the added details! Could you tell me a little more about the finishing washer and the knurled nut? Where might I find those? Thanks again!

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[Karltinsly]

Sorry to post again so soon, before you've even had a chance to respond to the last one, but I have just reread the whole thread and examined all the pictures closely, and I realized that I've been so enamored of your brilliant presta switch that I have no idea of how you're doing the atty side. It appears to be recessed, but I'm having a hard time envisioning how the connector is mounted.
I want my first mod to be a bottom feeder, and I'm not an experienced woodworker, so it will probably be a simple box with a 510 connector embedded and epoxied in the top, but I love your design and hope to perhaps try it next. Could you provide some details on the atty mounting?
Thanks - you experienced modders are a real inspiration!

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[Apostlyte]

asdaq: I just went through this whole thread and what a journey! I think I caught once that you posted one up on a website and it went inactive and you decided to just keep it fun? I know that like others, there is definitely an interest from the community to actually own one of these. I would love to own one. But you do not make these to sell, right?

 

[asdaq]

Sorry to post again so soon, before you've even had a chance to respond to the last one, but I have just reread the whole thread and examined all the pictures closely, and I realized that I've been so enamored of your brilliant presta switch that I have no idea of how you're doing the atty side. It appears to be recessed, but I'm having a hard time envisioning how the connector is mounted.
I want my first mod to be a bottom feeder, and I'm not an experienced woodworker, so it will probably be a simple box with a 510 connector embedded and epoxied in the top, but I love your design and hope to perhaps try it next. Could you provide some details on the atty mounting?
Thanks - you experienced modders are a real inspiration!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Karltinsly, The knurled nuts are from Lowes and the finishing washers are from Poland, but I think a #12 is a close match. Some are actually stamped brass but some are plated steel, it would be good grab a magnet off the shelf in fasteners and test them when shopping.

As for the connector, there isn't any 510 or similar. I found that when recessed, these can be a bother to remove an atty from as the atty can come apart. The mod itself only has a 5/8" brass tube running through it, the atty and booster pod are modular and are made to fit this tube. The pod is in this thread post #4:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/modding-forum/303215-brass-bikini-booster-beast-v2.html

Since then I changed it up a bit, the washer on the top of the pod is now inside a slightly longer tube as it is stronger this way and the washer on the bottom is just left out of the assembly.

The atty pics are no there, so they are reposted in this thread post #7:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/modding-forum/517640-30-penny-pipe.html#post12640942

You can of course use a 510 and a bottom feeder setup, just that if the 510 is somehow recessed, It is a good idea that the part of the atty you can hold is quite solid in relation to the threading so that it doesn't accidentally come apart.

Apostlyte, thank you for the interest and while it was indeed true, that was a full year ago and I have decided to keep it fun.

 

[Karltinsly]

Oh man, custom genesis atty and connector! Wow. Well, maybe one day I'll be able to attempt something like that. Thanks for the links to the other threads - lots of good info and ideas. Thanks for sharing your tips - you're a true artisan!

 

[Karltinsly]

Hi asdaq! I know this is an older thread, but I'm thinking of trying to build a mod of this design, and I had another question. What size are the brass tubes you're using for the inserts? 7/8 is the closest I can find in SAE to having an ID that fits. Is there a metric size that fits better? Thought I'd ask you before I spend a lot of time searching for something that might not exist. It is surprisingly hard to research metric materials here in the US. Thanks as always!

 

[asdaq]

Old is relative, I'm still making these, here's three finished in April- early May: a nicely figured Koa, Cherry and another Pacific Madrone.

The Cherry and the Wenge with brass dust finish are a bit longer so there is room for 2 18350's and a PTR8100 which I have been exclusively vaping for the last while, real nice vape and longer battery life than a boosted 18650.

The brass tube insert is K&S Engineering 5/8" OD tube, very easy to get at Ace for example. They also make a telescoping size just below this 19/32" that I use for the power module tube, that has a 15.1mm OD. The metric part is the 15mm plexiglass and aluminum tube for the atty, which would be hard to get in the states. You could substitute for that 15.1mm size if you can find it. Omnimodels on ebay is a good source for brass and alu tubing, but I don't see they have alu in that size. If you get real close with everything else, I'm coming to the states in under a month and could bring you a foot or so of each.

 

[chefjoosie]

With brass accompaniments, I tend to like a higher gloss finish on wood. However those mods, from the design, to the materials, to the craftsmanship, are outstanding.
I won't be able to look at my plastic/aluminum mods the same from now on.

 

[asdaq]

Hey thanks! I know what you mean by the gloss, but I really wanted the feel to still be wood and not too plasticky. Of course the sealing is important too. I might have a look at high temp wax and some Renaissance wax soon too.

 

[something_vague]

For nice feeling easy to do finish on wood you just can't beat shellac brushed on and rubbed out to the desired sheen. I apply maybe 5 coats of shellac in one sitting, takes maybe a total of just over an hour as the alcohol evaporates very quickly. I do this one more time the next day. I let project sit for a few days so as to allow some cure time and start sanding out the imperfections until I reach 800grit paper. Then I switch over to a good paste wax and a good quality 0000 steel wool. The sheen off of the steel wool is where I like to stop as this is relatively forgiving as far as scratches and fingerprints goes. You can use vehicle polishing creams to get a high gloss that looks like glass but I like the more natural look and feel of the steel wool. This method sounds more difficult than it really is and produces great results. I always fall back to using shellac in my woodworking, it is just such a nice finish to work with.

 

[something_vague]

Without hijacking your awesome thread asdaq here is a link to an example of the finish I am refering to. This is my first DNA30 mod and the last picture is the best one I have of it that shows somewhat the finish Im talking about. I hate a plasticky feeling and looking finish and have grown to really like this method as I get a very natural look with a great feel to the wood.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/battery-mods/572696-my-first-dna30-wood-mod.html

 

[asdaq]

SV, that is one great looking mod and I really admire the joinery and the finish too. One thing I noticed from my pics and yours too is that we really don't have any shots that capture the reflective quality of the wood such as holding the mod in front of a light source at an angle just off from lengthwise to look along the surface of the mod.

The other day I looked into violin finishing as those are pretty glossy and still natural whereby guitars are past the natural feel IMO. There's lots of recipes where the shellac resin is cooked into ether tung or linseed oil along with other ingredients and it is quite the elaborate process. One method I thought intriguing was to distill amber (which I have good access to in abundance, the beach is very close) and use that in the finish. My wife would kill me though so I doubt it will ever happen. One thing that is held secret throughout history is the ground one uses for finishing.

I do like the clarity of linseed oil and it has a nice vapor barrier rating. Not our vape, but the sealing quality. And beeswax has all sorts of carpentry merits too.

 

[something_vague]

I've actually built an acoustic guitar a few years back, am in the planning stages of another one at the moment, and agree with you about the extreme most guitars are taken with the gloss of the finish. So my first guitar I made I used a similar finish as I have on my DNA mod but certainly took much more time with it. I pore filled the Indian Rosewood on the back and sides with an epoxy so as not to get the grain lines reading through the finish. I love the feel of the guitar pore filled but bounce the idea back and forth about not filling the pores on my next one. I love wood and hate hiding its' characteristics with finishes and feel that most modern finishes do this. The DNA mod, along with most of the furniture pieces I've made, all have the sense that these are real pieces of wood and haven't been dipped in plastic. I will say that a high gloss French Polish done correctly has beauty in of itself that just can't be explained. I'm not big on high gloss finishes but do not dismiss a good French polish.

I'm not sure I've heard of distilling amber for a finish. Any references you can point me to?

I find the history of finishes to be very interesting and am always looking at new ways to achieve a well finished piece. I am not at all interested in modern methods for the most part, something about the skill and craftsmanship our forefathers displayed with the materials at hand to them is fascinating.

 

[StereoDreamer]

I know mamu likes to add Pixie dust to her mods and this increases their value, so I thought I would give it a try too. Wenge has a nice grain to it, and one aspect is some pitting that gives it more character. After applying linseed oil and while it was still wet, I sprinkled brass dust on the outside and then wiped off the excess with a tissue. Once the oil had cured for 24 hours, I sanded it with 800 grit paper which cleared off the smooth surface, while leaving the dust trapped in the pits. After wiping it clean I sealed it with beeswax and once this had cured gave it a good buffing.

In the end it is just as smooth, and the dust stays put in the finish and when looking close with a naked eye you can make out particles in the veins. The bottom of the mod is sloped so that it stands up straight and has room for more battery. What is not so easy is capturing this all with my phone's camera, so mix of direct and indirect sunlight:

I did notice after all this I still haven't polished the the spine tubes, but the sun was shining!

Your work is beautiful, but I have one question.

How do you connect that atty to the mod? There doesn't seem to be any sort of 510 connector. Did I miss something earlier in the thread? I am very confused... ;-)

 

[StereoDreamer]

Never mind--I just found your thread on the "30 Penny Pipe Mod" where you detail the construction of this custom atty.

Wow.


You have some SERIOUS skills, and WAY too much spare time... ;-)

 

[Karltinsly]

Yeah, that custom gennie is awesome. I'm slowly trying to gather the parts to build one now. Since we've brought it up again - asdaq, how do you secure the coil to the "posts"? It looked like some sort of screws, but they would really have be small!

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[asdaq]

Thanks guys, unfortunately there is not enough spare time lately, but some is due. Today I start a three day weekend and next week a four. Funny, but there is not a lot of spare time in those either.

They aren't screws but pins/needles. The 18G syringe needles are 1.2xxx mm OD and ~.9mm ID. Using 32G kanthal it was easy to find a pin that fit, 30G not that bad, but with 28G a real PIA. I haven't used 32G in a long while and 28 is what I now like.

My favorite solution is to use a John James #9 embroidery needle. The regular all purpose sewing are OK, but the embroidery style have larger eyes which is helpful.

To prepare them heat the middle of the needle until glowing with a lighter so it will bend without snapping. Bend it in the middle and cut off the sharp half and make a loop from the bend. Done.

Needles are made in pairs by stamping two eyes in the center of a wire and sharpening the two ends, separating the two needles and removing the excess material. The eye end winds up chisel shaped and makes it really easy to get started in the hole of the syringe needle.

If there is any slack in the fitment you can make a slight bend near the loop so the 'pin' is no longer straight and has extra tension inside the syringe needle. Servicing a coil with these is a breeze.

 

[rudy4653]

Old is relative, I'm still making these, here's three finished in April- early May: a nicely figured Koa, Cherry and another Pacific Madrone.

The Cherry and the Wenge with brass dust finish are a bit longer so there is room for 2 18350's and a PTR8100 which I have been exclusively vaping for the last while, real nice vape and longer battery life than a boosted 18650.

The brass tube insert is K&S Engineering 5/8" OD tube, very easy to get at Ace for example. They also make a telescoping size just below this 19/32" that I use for the power module tube, that has a 15.1mm OD. The metric part is the 15mm plexiglass and aluminum tube for the atty, which would be hard to get in the states. You could substitute for that 15.1mm size if you can find it. Omnimodels on ebay is a good source for brass and alu tubing, but I don't see they have alu in that size. If you get real close with everything else, I'm coming to the states in under a month and could bring you a foot or so of each.

Love the Koa!!
Here is a pic of my Koa bottom feeder!

 

[asdaq]

Rudy, that looks great, such a figured piece. What finish do you have on it? I'm thinking of increasing my supply of curly maple and koa, they are easily becoming my favorites.

 

[Visus]

I so wanna make some wood mods but due to divorce saws, files, all that jazz, except my electrical tools are there lol

I have the wood ready to go an african black with gold and red veins its awesome, among many other awesome uber rare and some extinct wood blanks and blocks
School taught carpentry but became an electrician lol.. I can wait, in apartment now, til home..