Comments on: Wagner Heat Gun is NOT a Vaporizer

By: john smith

john smith — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:47:10 +0000

first off I’ve used heat guns with temps above the thc vapor point and they work fine! Can anyone say, “hold it back from the bowl a little!” As far as silica… well that’s another story and I’m not sure about that but it seems credible that silica could be released from the ceramic?? I would say watch out for heated aluminum. peace…

By: homemade vaporizer

homemade vaporizer — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:16:44 +0000

Haha, using this Wagner would not be my idea of fun. More like burning the crap out of my herb and lungs.

The first requirement for a heat gun is variable temperature control, and from their the quality of the heating element is up to you.

The most important element is being able to hold a constant temp around 350

By: Vaporizer

Vaporizer — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:15:16 +0000

Very Cool site you have! I really like reading it. Its true that this gun is not a Vaporizer. However, it is possible to use a heat gun as a heat source for a vaporizing chamber. For years I have used the VripTech “VripMaster” Vaporization bowl piece and its amazing.

By: Mezz Mezzrow

Mezz Mezzrow — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 15:44:31 +0000

Also: it’s not too hard to whip up a VariAC to lower the temperature of a heat gun—ask someone who knows, though, rather than figuring it out for yourself whilst high—don’t be the type of pot user that makes the anti- propaganda vaguely credible at times.

By: Mezz Mezzrow

Mezz Mezzrow — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:48:40 +0000

Hmmm, maybe it has made me stupid…or it’s the caffeine:
“high out” –> “high output”
“from their process” –> “from their processing”

By: Mezz Mezzrow

Mezz Mezzrow — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:46:53 +0000

I’m very glad to see a sensible discussion of the usefulness of this sort of tool—it helps to dispel the thought, engendered by some other pages, that perhaps pot does make you stupid.

Given the Wagner’s high heat and dodgy exhaust, perhaps you could make an heat-exchanger—say, a (safe) stainless steel tube leading to the bowl wrapped with copper (more ductile, but not good for lungs) tubes fed from the heat gun…inefficency wouldn’t be a big deal here because you’ll want to lower the temperature of the exhaust (you want to lose about a third of the heat energy, [1- (T_0/T_1), where T_x is the temperature above absolute zero]).

I’m attuned to this because I’ve been contemplating high-out hot glue guns, and quickly came to the conclusion that an entire new airpath would have to be used, rather than suck air directly from their gnarly heaters—on the plus side, the tube could be placed inside the original heater….

And remember, heat all glass and especially metal surface to red-hot before using to blow off volatiles from their process that might otherwise vapourise in use.

By: mark

mark — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 17:45:10 +0000

biggest concern with cheap heat guns is two fold: these guns use a mica sheet that is in direct contact with the hot element and the air flowing through it for insulation (because they don’t use the patented ceramic encapsulation that Steinel uses…this means that it dries out over the years and could quite likely be releasing some silica fibers (can you say asbestos) into the air flow; although it’s likely the water would catch these too it’s still not a risk worth taking in my mind…and secondly, most troublesome to me is the fact that the electronics which have exposed solder that will off gas mercury are in close proximity to the fan and air intake. This is why I only recommend the Steinels which are used in many clean rooms and medical device manufacturing facilities because they have taken these things into consideration and keep the electronics separate from the element and air flow and feature a ceramic encapsulated nichrome element (medical grade materials) and simply have better dynamic temperature control to boot.

By: mark

mark — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 17:38:12 +0000

When using a heat gun make sure it has a ceramic heating element…not metal one. Makita makes 1 for $99… saves money on the one vriptech sells…a steinel $260.

By: Another Nick

Another Nick — Sun, 25 May 2008 03:30:02 +0000

I actually used that heat gun and it works fine. You wont lose any herb if you fashion an aluminum foil cap over your bowl and punch holes in it with a needle to make a screen. That model costs $20. The $50 Wagner will give you a gun-like unit with multiple temp selectors and 2 speeds for the blower as well as a cooldown selection. The latter model doesn’t necessitate a foil cap.
You may soon find yourself using it exclusively over regular lighters. Your lungs will heal, and your apparatus’ will stay cleaner. Although the gun is a little cumbersome at first. You will be able to smoke yourself to new highs because you won’t tap out due to lung anguish.
I also fixed a broken xbox360 with mine.

By: Nick

Nick — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 22:44:23 +0000

The VripTech “VripMaster” is an awesome product. We used for years in college.

The volcano is definitely my favorite vaporizer; however the VripMaster is a close second. If you need to save some money, VripMaster is a great call.

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 05:32:14 +0000

Mobius,

Thanks for giving me the heads up on Vriptech products. Their vaporizing chamber looks extremely interesting. Now I just need to get my hands on one!

Good point about the heat guns. There are high quality, purpose built guns and then there are the units that shady headshops try to peddle. Obviously, there’s no comparison.

By: Mobius

Mobius — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 22:01:46 +0000

Its true that this gun is not a vaporizer. However, it is possible to use a heat gun as a heat source for a vaporizing chamber. For years I have used the VripTech “VripMaster” Vaporization bowl piece and its amazing. (www.vriptech.com)

A heat gun is the source of heat, but the instructions tell you which guns to buy and the settings for each. My personal favorite is the Steinel HG 3002 LCD heat gun. It has an LCD readout and the enclosure is made of porcelain so you don’t have to worry about metal fragments.

Just my 2 cents. -M