Vaporizer

The adovocacy group, NORML¹, has released a comprehensive research study indicating that Vaporization is an effective way to reduce the harmful effects of smoking pot. The study shows that it's possible to significantly reduce the toxins associated with smoking pot by using an effective vaporizer. It seems reasonable to assume that the health benefits described in the NORML study would also apply to pipe tobacco or other smokable substances.

A high quality commercial vaporizer is available from VaporMagic²  This is an excellent device, but it's costly at about $160 (all prices USD). 

For those of a more frugal nature, there are many homespun vaporizer designs available, involving everything from soldering irons to vacuum cleaners. Prior to plowing this alternative however consider that the primary component of most high quality commercial vaporizers is a heat gun that allows fine control over the heat applied to the tobacco. A good head costs over $120 by itself.  The rest of the stuff is lab glassware and tubing that would cost you $20 or so if you could find it anyway.

So, rather than reinventing a perfectly functional wheel, my advice is this: if you smoke, you should probably consider a vaporizer, and if you need one your best bet is probably to buy a decent commercial model.

If you are still determined to roll your own vaporizer here are some pointers: 

• I've read instructions for a homemade vaporizer that suggest using a soldering iron as a heat source. The problem with this is that you don't want to ingest any lead and most soldering irons have a shiny silver glob of heavy metal on the business end. New irons usually come pre-tinned and, worse yet, the old used soldering iron on your workbench likely has aging gobs of poison gack on it. Lead has always been known to cause problems, but recently doctors have drastically reduced the levels of exposure they consider harmful to the low parts per billion. My wife is a stained glass artist and one doctor told her that he believes that any exposure at all can produce significant developmental problems in children and adolescents. So the idea of lighting your bong with a soldering iron is a really bad thing.
  
  
• Even though vaporizers by definition don't "burn" the material, they still get very hot.  So don't use anything in your construction that either burns or vaporizes at low temperatures.  Glues, plastics, paper, Pringles cans...
  
  
• Running your vapors through water or other liquids serves no purpose at all.  Vapors aren't hot enough to bother cooling, and the water may absorb some of the active ingredients and defeat the purpose.  Skip the plumbing.
  
  
• It's all about the temperature. You need to get the material just hot enough that it vaporizes but doesn't quite ignite.  That's why you need a precisely controlled heat source like a commercial heat gun which is expensive and that brings us back to square one.
  

Footnotes:
¹NORML Vaporizor Article: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=4250,
²VaporMagic: http://www.vapormagic.biz

A vaporizer is a contemporary tobacco smoking accessory. It produces clean vapors without burning your plant. It doesn't harm your lungs the way smoke would harm your lungs. A cheap vaporizer can be built in about a half hour. You'll need:

• An electric drill
• A handheld grinder like a Dremel (optional)
• A normal-sized cap from a 20 oz soda bottle
• A plastic drinking straw (preferably not from Arby's or Mc Donald's)
• A 100-watt lightbulb, transparent
• Chewing gum
• A spoon
• Your sobreity
• An ffb

The Mouthpiece:
Use the drill to cut a hole in the center of the soda cap. I used a 9/32 size drillbit in order to snugly accomodate a straw from Burger King, but as always, ymmv. Straws from McDonalds or Arby's will be too wide for the size of the bottlecap, so watch out. Drill another, smaller hole in the cap as well - this lets you suck air into the vaporizer and can act as a sort of carb. If you have a grinding tool, use it to smooth out the bottom of the cap. Once you've done this, chew some gum. Since you're an e2 noder, I shouldn't need to remind you to accept no alternatives to Wrigley's Big Red. Once it's nice and soft, wrap a small pinch of it around the center of the straw and slide the straw into the hole in the bottlecap from the bottom. Slowly twist it so that the gum forms a nice firm seal with the bottom of the cap. Then, mold some more to the top of the cap as well. Cut the straw so that about 1 inch protrudes from the bottom of the cap. Now leave it alone.

The Bowl:
We're using one of the clear bulbs, because the frosting inside of those soft white bulbs could harm your health. We're using a 100-watt bulb because I'm told they have greater heat resistance. We don't want to risk cracking this. If it breaks, you could hurt yourself and/or lose some of your legal tobacco product. Now, smash the ceramic bottom part of a lightbulb out using a spoon or cut the bottom threads off of the metal part of the bulb using a utility knife. Very carefully remove the insides of the bulb. Rinse out the bulb well in order to make sure there's no tiny glass particles inside. Remove jagged edges by pinching them inwards or, if they're glass, cutting them off. Once you're done, you should have a nice, clean lightbulb, minus the insides. The metal threading is still attached to it, with a nice big hole in the bottom.

The Vaporizer:
Grind up your tobacco product, and put the desired amount of herbal smoking product into the lightbulb and screw the cap onto the threading. It should fit perfectly. Congratulations, you have just built a vaporizer. And something that is essentially a crackpipe. Oh well. Lightly heat the bottom of the bulb for several seconds and begin inhaling through the straw. Once you start tasting the vapors, it's working. When the taste goes away and your stuff turns dark brown, you need to reload your vaporizer. Have fun, and be careful.

The Disclaimer:
As always, YMMV. This w/u is for educational purposes only. Like all homemade smoking devices, things can go wrong. Don't hurt yourself.

Vap"o*ri`zer (?), n.

One who, or that which, vaporizes, or converts into vapor.

© Webster 1913.