who needs mica sheets? maybe after this post no one will!

[language scent]

so i was searching for quartz crystal sheets for my new heater so i dont have to play with mica and even have to smell the mica and i stumbled upon these!! a game changer!!! sapphire is the hardest material after a diamond!! easy to clean and .8mm thickness available! i am gonna grab a couple for kinam and for agarwood also. easy cleaning, no aroma, quick to reach the temp needed ( i think, not sure if sapphire has an issue insulating)

0.8/1.0/1.2/ Thick Flat Sapphire Watch Glass Round Crystal Replacement 18 38mm - Etsy

This Watch Findings item by Redroosteruk has 19 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from United Kingdom. Listed on Mar 7, 2024

www.etsy.com

 

[Chip Burns]

so i was searching for quartz crystal sheets for my new heater so i dont have to play with mica and even have to smell the mica and i stumbled upon these!! a game changer!!! sapphire is the hardest material after a diamond!! easy to clean and .8mm thickness available! i am gonna grab a couple for kinam and for agarwood also. easy cleaning, no aroma, quick to reach the temp needed ( i think, not sure if sapphire has an issue insulating)

0.8/1.0/1.2/ Thick Flat Sapphire Watch Glass Round Crystal Replacement 18 38mm - Etsy

This Watch Findings item by Redroosteruk has 19 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from United Kingdom. Listed on Mar 7, 2024

www.etsy.com

intriguing … gonna have to check this out!

 

[McOudtrade]

Isn't sapphire an insulator?
Worth checking out but there's probably a reason mica is the industry standard

 

[Mr.P]

I think mica is an insulator as well but it is transparent to infrared energy so it works. I recall kyarazen writing about the infrared heating specifically when discussing the design of the subitism. In a nutshell, the subitism is primarily an infrared heater not a conduction heater.

So the question might also be, will the sapphire filter out infrared?

 

[language scent]

I think mica is an insulator as well but it is transparent to infrared energy so it works. I recall kyarazen writing about the infrared heating specifically when discussing the design of the subitism. In a nutshell, the subitism is primarily an infrared heater not a conduction heater.

So the question might also be, will the sapphire filter out infrared?

whatever the case i feel that the plate will heat up for sure, now as far as temps go, one would have to check with a lazer pointer thermometer to see how off it might be. but less than a mm thickness i doubt there will be any heating problems

 

[language scent]

Isn't sapphire an insulator?
Worth checking out but there's probably a reason mica is the industry standard

mica was cheap and can be cut super thin reusable etc, but for some reason for me glass surface is far superior and so if ceramic.

 

[Breakthrough]

I grabbed one tp try

 

[The Scent Guru]

I grabbed one tp try

Please report back how they work on a subitism or and coal!

 

[Breakthrough]

Please report back how they work on a subitism or and coal!

Will do 😀

 

[zahir]

Even if heating it up does not cause any unpleasant aromas, I do think that the oils released from the wood would have to be cleaned immediately afterwards and over time that can lead to a residual aroma of their own, no? @language scent
The benefit of Mica sheets is that you can just toss them out after each use and not to clean up after them.

 

[language scent]

Even if heating it up does not cause any unpleasant aromas, I do think that the oils released from the wood would have to be cleaned immediately afterwards and over time that can lead to a residual aroma of their own, no? @language scent
The benefit of Mica sheets is that you can just toss them out after each use and not to clean up after them.

cleaning will be extremely easy. mica is like a book, you can split it many times before throwing it away. problem is they do smell a bit. the sapphire being super hard and easy to clean will be a much better thing i believe. only problem is im not sure how it will do going from cold automatically put on a red hot charcoal and i really dont understand why the need for a plate to be on a charcoal to begin with lol

i dont think there is need to use sapphire on cheap daily burn woods i mean the aroma isnt anything special so pointless. this is aimed at kodo and more intimate relationship with special woods

 

[Mr.P]

Like the silver bordered mica squares that are traditionally used in kodo - those are cleaned and reused repeatedly. I remember the old US baieido rep David Oller talking about cleaning them using spent oolong or other whole leaf spent leaves. That sounds like a really quaint/charming way to do it. 95% alcohol is probably more effective. I have no idea why tea leaves of all things, but why not?

I’m imagining some session where there’s incense and tea, and at the end the mica squares are set in the spent tea leaves for a while and then it’s all just cleaned up in one go and the leaves provide a little abrasion

 

[Maunamoku]

Synthetic sapphire sounds more hygienic than the manufactured mica sheets most commonly used. The unnatural mica is most often full of resins and fillers

 

[zahir]

cleaning will be extremely easy. mica is like a book, you can split it many times before throwing it away. problem is they do smell a bit. the sapphire being super hard and easy to clean will be a much better thing i believe. only problem is im not sure how it will do going from cold automatically put on a red hot charcoal and i really dont understand why the need for a plate to be on a charcoal to begin with lol

i dont think there is need to use sapphire on cheap daily burn woods i mean the aroma isnt anything special so pointless. this is aimed at kodo and more intimate relationship with special woods

It would be used on top of the subitism heater so the oil from the woods doesn't drip on the heater. What about plain old aluminum sheet? I mainly use the mica sheet for the ease of not having to clean up the heater. The only other use is to tone down the heat of the coal or heater since it is an insulator.

 

[mesOUD]

İ use microscope slides for sub
Very cheap alternative for mica

 

[mesOUD]

İ use microscope slides for sub
Very cheap alternative for mica
View attachment 35405

My sub is diy,theee is no mica,a metal body for putting these
100 piece is about 2$

 

[The Scent Guru]

Like the silver bordered mica squares that are traditionally used in kodo - those are cleaned and reused repeatedly. I remember the old US baieido rep David Oller talking about cleaning them using spent oolong or other whole leaf spent leaves. That sounds like a really quaint/charming way to do it. 95% alcohol is probably more effective. I have no idea why tea leaves of all things, but why not?

I’m imagining some session where there’s incense and tea, and at the end the mica squares are set in the spent tea leaves for a while and then it’s all just cleaned up in one go and the leaves provide a little abrasion

I used spent tea leafs to clean my mica. Alcohol doesn't work as well. Saliva works best but degrades the mica while tea does not. I assume it's a protein or similar that's at work. A soak in Tea leaves makes removing the burned on residue wipe right off. Thank you @RisingPhoenix JK for the tip

 

[language scent]

Synthetic sapphire sounds more hygienic than the manufactured mica sheets most commonly used. The unnatural mica is most often full of resins and fillers

No wonder they stunk man

 

[-Renton-]

No wonder they stunk man

Funnily enough, when I put a mica on charcoal there is smoke for like a few seconds and smells weird. Then it goes away. I am gonna try the Japanese big round micas or whatever. I am definitely trying these sapphire micas for coal.

 

[Eoin Saad]

I’ve never used mica plates but I’ve heard about them.

They seem pretty expensive, like £10 per when I looked. Are they worth adding £10 per burn? And does the smell get in the way?
The sapphire crystal idea seems neat, are they very expensive and are they reusable forever?