Sticky Brick Junior

The Junior packs a 0.2g bowl, two glass pieces and the airway joining them into a block roughly 4.5 by 3 by 1 inches, so nothing sits more than an inch or two from the flame. The mouthpiece bore films over quickly on that short path, and the outside of the heat intake picks up soot from the torch.

1. Open it cold. Glass stays hot long after the torch is off, so give the intake time. Pull the magnetic cap, then separate the midsection from the base to expose the screen, inner ledge and bowl. Rare earth magnets hold both joints, so twist rather than lever.

2. Withdraw both glass pieces. The mouthpiece and heat intake swing outward from the midsection and lift free with their o-rings. Note how the mouthpiece was sitting, since it can also be run backwards through the far end of the midsection for extra distance from the flame.

3. Alcohol is for the removable hardware. Sticky Brick clears glass and screens for ISO once they leave the Brick. On the Junior that means the mouthpiece and heat intake, both extra thick Simax boro, plus the screens and the 316 stainless disc that shields the intake wood from direct flame. Dry everything before it meets wood again.

4. The wood gets a damp swab. Warm water on a cotton swab is the entire allowance for the hardwood, followed by a thorough dry, and no isopropyl. Work the chamber walls and inner ledge, and keep the flared side air intake clear, since the Junior pulls through it continuously.

5. Rotate screens instead of scrubbing. The Junior's accessory pack carries five spares, and Sticky Brick's stainless and titanium six packs fit any model in the range. Swap one in when a soak stops reviving the draw.

6. Seat o-rings first, glass second. That is the maker's order for a proper seal. Junior rings sold four to a pack and are worth stocking, since a tired one will not hold the intake at the angle you set.

7. Feed the grain. Sticky Brick Butter is the sanctioned conditioner, food grade and unscented. Work a little in with a soft cloth along the grain, leave it a few minutes, then buff off whatever has not soaked in. Monthly suits daily use, though the company reckons a few times a year still extends the wood's life.

Brush the bowl every few sessions, strip the glass weekly under regular use. Refit the restrictor disc flat face upward, cylinder aimed down toward the screen, then the o-ring, then the intake. Early Juniors have a smaller intake hole and want that disc inverted, and either way expect a slightly longer flame with it in place.