I remember in science 10 when we where meant to be doing something with 9volt batteries and conductivity in salt water or something or the sort I used a couple wires and batteries to make a toaster (or it appeared to be) like apparatus and lighting some stuff on fire. Now, I ended up failing science 10, and dropping out of school, so I'm not really knowledgeable about such shit. Anyway, I've been considering making a homemade marijuana vaporizer and thought that this might be a way to heat the pot. What I want to know is

1. Can any type of wire be used
2. Will this heat up hot enough to vaporize the weed (365-380° F I seem to remember being ideal)
3. Is there any health risks from heating this type of wire/will it release harmful fumes
4. Any comments/suggestions?

End result will hopefully be a battery powered, portable vaporizer.

Something like this:
http://i34.tinypic.com/vxfc4g.jpg

I once used a auto cig lighter element.
worked good

How good? I might pursue this.
And vapes can't be battery powered. I'm no electronic genius, but I think it would just take ridiculous amounts of amps or something that you can only get through your wall. Look up nichrome wire though, I think that's what someone suggested in the last vape thread.

Nichrome would be relatively easy. spatula or someone else will help you out with the electrics/gauge.

-N-

If I had ever picked up the habit of smoking this stuff I'd go with a vap too.

(ONE OF THE ADS IN MY TABS IS PLAYING THOSE FUCKING NIGGER MINSTRELS AGAIN FUCK FUCK FUUUUUCK )

I'd use nichrome wire wrapped around a small glass container to hold the pot. The glass container should be made of thin glass so it transfers heat quickly. I'll look into what digikey has so I can recommend an electronic circuit to use. Ideally I would make it to be small, so that its easy to carry around, but that's up to you. If I didn't care about seeing the pot or not, I'd wrap the glass container and wires in some high temperature insulation to help it heat up faster.

(Hmmm, a metal thermoz might be an interesting way to keep it insulated.)

__________________
Stalker: sentenced to life.

Looking at how to make the control circuit. I see a KTY84 thermistor that has a resistance around 1640 ohms at 374 *F. I was thinking a voltage divider to turn on a power BJT. This BJT would be between a high voltage DC power supply (~24-48VDC) to operate the heater coils.

You'll want to have some ceramic standoffs over the circuit board as well to isolate the heater coils from the board. Not sure how you would isolate the heat coming to the board form the conecting wires, though.

One the heater end it's just the power supply inline with the heater coils, a 500 *F thermal fuse, and the BJT. On the BJT input side its just a voltage divider arrangement with the base tapped off the thermistor to ground. The input voltage to the base side can be a 5VDC or it could be powered off the heater power supply if the voltage remains fairly constant once the heater turns on.

The HVDC supply would be something simple, robust, and, of course, fused.

Fairly simple stuff.

__________________
Stalker: sentenced to life.

Would insulating the outer container really make that much difference to the temperature inside the inner (vapor holding) container? And even so, it's not really ideal that that the air in the "holding" chamber be hot, as you've got to inhale it. Or did you mean insulate directly around the wires and glass container holding the pot?

I'll grab a bit of nichrome wire tomorrow and start experimenting. I should be able to buy it at a general hardware store, right?

I mean around the outside of the wire and container. I mean I assume that you will be wrapping the nichrome around the container, right? That way you keep the heat around the pot and keep it away from the control circuit.

__________________
Stalker: sentenced to life.

you could make it battery powered but the battery would be bulky and heavy. if you want to make it portable then make it run on 12V DC and plug it into your cars cigarette lighter.

if you really want it to be portable then you could put in a small lead acid battery but that would add several pounds to the unit.

Nimh or LiPo batteries would be much smaller and lighter but would cost a shitload of money.

Alright, I'm doing this. Where can I get nichrome wire? I think I'll do the smallest set up possible, styled after the box/whip type vape.
I already have a bong slide I I'm thinking I'll just make a wooden boxish lined with nichrome, and have the slide fit into that. Actually, I'll have the slide sit in a hole, then have a plunger a little smaller than the bowl tipped in nichrome come down and be pushed onto the nug. Drawings shall follow soon!

Note- I am a retard at electronics. Argon, could you suggest something to read up on? Or just let me know exactly what to do if it isn't very difficult. I have a soldering iron and I can get free electronics stuff at my hardware store, and I'll order stuff online if it's necessary.