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Oh holy mother of mercy those tanks are AWESOME! You have outdone yourself, man! We have any idea what sorta price point they're gonna be listed at? I can't afford my coveted wooded indulgence yet, sadly, but crossing fingers I can get one of those tanks! Bet it would look sharp on my stainless lava till I get my woody! 
When I first started using the stabilized burl I was going to make two types. One that had the CA finish that you all have seen and another that just had the stabilized wood sanded and buffed. The one with out the CA finish would be more durable and would not have any issues with the CA fogging over.
I tested the stabilized wood with water and it appeared that water absorbed into the stabilized wood slightly. I took this as a sign that the e-liquid would also absorb into the stabilized wood and stain the wood. After seeing this I never did any further testing.
I do not personally use a LG wood mod every day because I work construction and my PV gets a lot of abuse. A CA finish would just not hold up. I use the first one I made(riva 650mah in brown ebony) when I go out to a party or event, which is rare. I really want one that I can use all the time.
I still want to make a wood mod that does not have a CA finish that will fog over if dropped or hit hard. My thought now is to sand the stabilized wood to 400 grit then apply one coat of thin CA. Then sand with 400 - 12000 grit and buff. The one coat should absorb into the stabilized wood and hopefully seal it against absorbing the e-liquid. The sanding should remove the CA on the surface but hopefully leave to wood sealed.
In this picture the wood has been sanded to 12000 grit. It has not been buffed and has not been sealed.
In this picture the wood has a CA finish and buffed.
I think the shine on the wood will be 3/4 of the CA and the deep glass look will be gone.
If this works these will still be fragile. They will still chip and scratch. If you hit them hard enough the wood will break. However they will not have a finish that will fog over and chips and scratches will not be nearly as noticeable. Over time the scratches will all blend together. The best way I can describe this would be when you first buy a gold ring it is shinny and buffed. After a year it is scratched up and looks dull. However it is still a gold ring and looks nice.
I am guessing there are others out there that have the same concerns with the CA finish just like me. Hopefully this will work and open these wood mods up to a wider group of people.
I tested the stabilized wood with water and it appeared that water absorbed into the stabilized wood slightly. I took this as a sign that the e-liquid would also absorb into the stabilized wood and stain the wood. After seeing this I never did any further testing.
I do not personally use a LG wood mod every day because I work construction and my PV gets a lot of abuse. A CA finish would just not hold up. I use the first one I made(riva 650mah in brown ebony) when I go out to a party or event, which is rare. I really want one that I can use all the time.
I still want to make a wood mod that does not have a CA finish that will fog over if dropped or hit hard. My thought now is to sand the stabilized wood to 400 grit then apply one coat of thin CA. Then sand with 400 - 12000 grit and buff. The one coat should absorb into the stabilized wood and hopefully seal it against absorbing the e-liquid. The sanding should remove the CA on the surface but hopefully leave to wood sealed.
In this picture the wood has been sanded to 12000 grit. It has not been buffed and has not been sealed.
In this picture the wood has a CA finish and buffed.
I think the shine on the wood will be 3/4 of the CA and the deep glass look will be gone.
If this works these will still be fragile. They will still chip and scratch. If you hit them hard enough the wood will break. However they will not have a finish that will fog over and chips and scratches will not be nearly as noticeable. Over time the scratches will all blend together. The best way I can describe this would be when you first buy a gold ring it is shinny and buffed. After a year it is scratched up and looks dull. However it is still a gold ring and looks nice.
I am guessing there are others out there that have the same concerns with the CA finish just like me. Hopefully this will work and open these wood mods up to a wider group of people.
When I first started using the stabilized burl I was going to make two types. One that had the CA finish that you all have seen and another that just had the stabilized wood sanded and buffed. The one with out the CA finish would be more durable and would not have any issues with the CA fogging over.
I tested the stabilized wood with water and it appeared that water absorbed into the stabilized wood slightly. I took this as a sign that the e-liquid would also absorb into the stabilized wood and stain the wood. After seeing this I never did any further testing.
I do not personally use a LG wood mod every day because I work construction and my PV gets a lot of abuse. A CA finish would just not hold up. I use the first one I made(riva 650mah in brown ebony) when I go out to a party or event, which is rare. I really want one that I can use all the time.
I still want to make a wood mod that does not have a CA finish that will fog over if dropped or hit hard. My thought now is to sand the stabilized wood to 400 grit then apply one coat of thin CA. Then sand with 400 - 12000 grit and buff. The one coat should absorb into the stabilized wood and hopefully seal it against absorbing the e-liquid. The sanding should remove the CA on the surface but hopefully leave to wood sealed.
In this picture the wood has been sanded to 12000 grit. It has not been buffed and has not been sealed.
In this picture the wood has a CA finish and buffed.
I think the shine on the wood will be 3/4 of the CA and the deep glass look will be gone.
If this works these will still be fragile. They will still chip and scratch. If you hit them hard enough the wood will break. However they will not have a finish that will fog over and chips and scratches will not be nearly as noticeable. Over time the scratches will all blend together. The best way I can describe this would be when you first buy a gold ring it is shinny and buffed. After a year it is scratched up and looks dull. However it is still a gold ring and looks nice.
I am guessing there are others out there that have the same concerns with the CA finish just like me. Hopefully this will work and open these wood mods up to a wider group of people.
I've dropped mine several time onto a hardwood floor and it hasn't chipped or fogged over at all! Still looking as nice as when I got it.
Any other clear coat finishes that would work? Perhaps automotive clear coat designed for urethane bumpers?
FWIW, my 14650 is now three weeks old and still looks like the day it arrived. Unlike my black anodized IPro, it fits nicely in hand and pocket, and is not slippery at all. Now the IPro is one rugged PV. By three weeks, I had dropped it numerous times, had it fall out of my pocket almost daily, and even drove over it with my truck after having it fall out of my pocket only that having made any marks at all.
I've made it a habit to store my 14650 in a leather cigar tube when not in active use. So my PV gets the same treatment as a Montecristo.
FWIW, my 14650 is now three weeks old and still looks like the day it arrived. Unlike my black anodized IPro, it fits nicely in hand and pocket, and is not slippery at all. Now the IPro is one rugged PV. By three weeks, I had dropped it numerous times, had it fall out of my pocket almost daily, and even drove over it with my truck after having it fall out of my pocket only that having made any marks at all.
I've made it a habit to store my 14650 in a leather cigar tube when not in active use. So my PV gets the same treatment as a Montecristo.
Those tanks are really nice and a good price. I will probably be getting one even though I'm not a big carto tank fan but these are just to unique and pretty to pass up. How are they made inside? What keeps the juice from leaking into the wood or picking up a wood taste?
It's just a DCT Tank with a wood exterior, Lewis does the same thing to this as he does to the XL3 or Indulgence.
The liquid is held back with the acrylic tank. Nothing ever touches the wood.
I'll let him explain though cause I'm talkin' out my *** LOL
It is good to hear that they are holding up well.
Hardwood has some give to it and it is flat which helps. The wood on the cone is thin, if you continue to drop it I would be worried that the cone will eventually break. If you drop it on tile, concrete or asphalt I would guess the finish is going to suffer. Also hitting it on a corner of something hard will do damage. LordDavon is making a video where he will be destroying the finish on the XL3mini that was used in the contest. Hopefully this will let everyone see what it takes to kill the finish. I just hope he doesn't do to much damage to the wood After this he will send me the XL3mini I will refinish it and mail it to the winner of the contest. I will also send LordDavon before and after pictures of the refinish.
CA falls in the category of durable clear coats. It acts and holds up similar to lacquer, drying oils and other hard clear coats. All of these coatings hold up about the same and they will only take so much punishment. The advantage with CA is that I can apply activator. This allows me to apply a coat of CA every 30 second or so. This makes it possible to put on 10-20 coats at a affordable cost. CA is also used to fill voids and cracks that naturally occur in the burl during and prior to turning. Other finishes take hours to days between coats. Due to time these just are not practical.
Other coats that are fast and commonly used on wood lathes are friction polish (shellac and wax) or carnuba wax. Neither of these retain the shine or seal the wood for a long period of time.
With stabilized wood it is very common to not have any finish. This is common on knife handles, game calls and pens. The stabilized wood buffs to a very nice finish.
I drill a hole in the wood and glue the plastic tube from the tank inside. Then I turn and finish the wood. The process is pretty much the same as turning a battery tube. Nothing functional or seal related is changed on the tank and the fluid never comes in contact with the wood.
Hardwood has some give to it and it is flat which helps. The wood on the cone is thin, if you continue to drop it I would be worried that the cone will eventually break. If you drop it on tile, concrete or asphalt I would guess the finish is going to suffer. Also hitting it on a corner of something hard will do damage. LordDavon is making a video where he will be destroying the finish on the XL3mini that was used in the contest. Hopefully this will let everyone see what it takes to kill the finish. I just hope he doesn't do to much damage to the wood
After this he will send me the XL3mini I will refinish it and mail it to the winner of the contest. I will also send LordDavon before and after pictures of the refinish.CA falls in the category of durable clear coats. It acts and holds up similar to lacquer, drying oils and other hard clear coats. All of these coatings hold up about the same and they will only take so much punishment. The advantage with CA is that I can apply activator. This allows me to apply a coat of CA every 30 second or so. This makes it possible to put on 10-20 coats at a affordable cost. CA is also used to fill voids and cracks that naturally occur in the burl during and prior to turning. Other finishes take hours to days between coats. Due to time these just are not practical.
Other coats that are fast and commonly used on wood lathes are friction polish (shellac and wax) or carnuba wax. Neither of these retain the shine or seal the wood for a long period of time.
With stabilized wood it is very common to not have any finish. This is common on knife handles, game calls and pens. The stabilized wood buffs to a very nice finish.
They are this tank Dual Coil 510 Chrome Tank Cartomizer
I drill a hole in the wood and glue the plastic tube from the tank inside. Then I turn and finish the wood. The process is pretty much the same as turning a battery tube. Nothing functional or seal related is changed on the tank and the fluid never comes in contact with the wood.
Thanks Lewis. What if the tank cracks like some do especially if you use certain juices? Would the new metal tanks work better?
Sounds like yet another option tab to the options tab may be in order. No coat, one coat, and deep gloss?
Me, I'm good with the deep gloss. It's freaking awesome.
Me, I'm good with the deep gloss. It's freaking awesome.
I didn't know the smoketeck DCT had that problem. I am really glad you posted this info. Which tank is it that has a metal tube?
I think the options would be no coat and deep gloss. The one coat of CA will be sanded off. Hopefully this will mainly absorb into the stabilized wood and help to seal it so the e-liquid won't stain the wood when clumsy people like me get the juice all over it.
I am with you. I love the CA finish. Unfortunately for me and I assume for some others it is just not practical. I really hope the one coat of CA works because I want to be able to use a LG mod too
I didn't know the smoketeck DCT had that problem. I am really glad you posted this info. Which tank is it that has a metal tube?
I think the options would be no coat and deep gloss. The one coat of CA will be sanded off. Hopefully this will mainly absorb into the stabilized wood and help to seal it so the e-liquid won't stain the wood when clumsy people like me get the juice all over it.
I am with you. I love the CA finish. Unfortunately for me and I assume for some others it is just not practical. I really hope the one coat of CA works because I want to be able to use a LG mod too
I'm not sure that they do crack. I have never used them or had a tank crack but I hear that some tanks do. I will check with a friend that has been using the smoktek dct for a long time and has lots of them.
txtumbleweed, Its my understanding (I have researched it some, but by no means am I an authority) that all acrylic tanks can be corroded by certain juices like the red hot cinnamons, and anything with high malic or citric acid content, like citrus. And NEVER EVER use wintergreen juice in an acrylic tank, cause it literally dissolves the mattank material, and it gets into the juice. But that's a very very small percentage of juices that you have to worry about. The only tanks that flat out won't corrode with those are the very heavy duty pyrex glass ones. They're incredibly durable and breakproof, like plastic/acrylic, but much much more expensive. Would probably drive the cost up a good $30 or more. But if you avoid those citric/malic/redhot cinnamon/wintogreen flavors, you shouldn't have any problems. You can find out a whole lot more in some threads in the tank forum.
Same with metal tanks... Very high cost on the all stainless ones.
edit... I've almost never heard of a smoktech tank cracking, unless the wrong juices were used. They're incredibly durable.
Same with metal tanks... Very high cost on the all stainless ones.
edit... I've almost never heard of a smoktech tank cracking, unless the wrong juices were used. They're incredibly durable.
Thanks I am glad you like them!
My first DCT tank that is for sale. It is also currently on its way to Eric.
DCT in cocobolo.
I'm thinking this would look pretty nice on a black bolt.
I found the thread in the tank forum and I'm also checking with Jewell she is an expert on the dct I think if I remember right.
I guess it is the polycarbonate tanks that were having the cracking problem. I'm sure these must be polypropylene which is better and shouldn't be a problem.
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