u/pbiscuits

The Rhodia A7 (3x4.75”) is the largest notebook that will comfortably fit in the Lochby Sidekick wallet without modifications. I love that because it makes the most of the space provided by the wallet.

The problem is that the Rhodia A7 only comes in graph paper and it’s $5/notebook. Nobody else makes a notebook the same size, so there are no options for blank, lined, or dot grid paper. I don’t mind graph, but I prefer blank and the Rhodia grid is way too dark.

Rite in the Rain Mini is close (3.25x4.65”), but it’s wider and requires modification to fit. They are lined and also kind of pricey at $10/3-pack (and only have 12 sheets).

All other A7 notebooks are either ~2.9x4.1” or ~2.5x4”. Which makes sense as these dimensions are roughly half of an A6 sheet (or slightly less). No idea how Rhodia came up with their A7 notebook size. Possibly scrap paper from another product?

Regardless, I wish Lochby would make a notebook that utilized the full space of the Sidekick. A 2.9x4.8” notebook would be perfect.

Guess I’m going to have to try making my own notebooks once I get through my stock (someone here told me this would happen lol).

Today I received a Park Sloper Junior wallet from One Star Leather Goods. It came with the Fisher Stowaway pen and a couple One Star Leather A7 notebooks. I bought this as an alternative to the Lochby Sidekick v2, which I’ve been carrying for the past 6 months or so.

I like the Sidekick a lot, but I wanted a smaller option so I took a chance on the Park Sloper Junior.

The Sloper fits the Lochby A7 notebook perfectly (image 2 & 3) or you can use the notebooks provided by One Star Leather for a slightly slimmer carry (image 4).

The Sidekick is a little thinner, but also taller and wider. If I’m wearing jeans, I’m probably carrying the Sidekick as it fits the larger Rhodia A7 notebook and my favorite compact pen, the Parker Jotter.

If I’m wearing shorts or wearing something formal/business, I’ll probably opt for the more compact and classy Park Sloper. The leather and the craftsmanship is really nice on this wallet.

I kind of wish I had waited for One Star to release a new batch of wallets and got a Park Sloper without the pen loop. That would make this wallet even more compact and I could just clip my Jotter to the fold of the wallet or to my pocket.

I’ll give the Fisher Stowaway a chance though. It fits pretty damn tightly in the pen loop and is a pain to get out, but I assume that it will loosen over time. I’m tempted to jam my Jotter in there, but I’m not to that point yet.

Overall first impression is that it is a compact, high quality, and sharp looking leather wallet that fits an A7 notebook. Will have to report back after carrying for a while.

Lochby should definitely make a Sidekick Mini though that is the same size as this!

From left to right, started with Tennendo Waterwheel. I really like how simple this stick is. Just a nice cedar scent that is easy to enjoy.

Moved onto Kousaido Hyakurakukou Sandalwood. Gave me a fresh sandalwood note with good strength and little smoke. The box note on these sticks is pretty perfumey, but I didn’t get much of that in the burn.

Ended the session with Tennendo Kukai, a “rich and spicy” aloeswood blend. It didn’t disappoint. It had just a touch of sweetness which was a welcome way to end the session.

Got these new sticks and a bunch of other stuff in a recent haul from Wa No Kouri. Will have to do a haul post at some point.

I built this precision heater (aka "subitism") a few weeks ago and it's been working great. Total cost was $85. Here's all the details on how I built it. Feel free to ask questions.

##0. Safety

These DIY heaters (or even commercial ones) are inherently unsafe. Don’t be dumb. Keep away from children, pets, and anyone that can’t be trusted. Remember to shut it off (use some kind of automatic shut-off timer if you have trouble with that). Don’t use a metal tool to place incense on the heater as you could accidentally short the heater and damage the power supply. Build and use at your own risk.

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##1. Educate yourself

This entire build is based on the design by Kyarazen. Do an internet search for "how to build an electric incense heater" and read the blog post. He provides a lot of good information, but also leaves out some key details. There are some posts here in the subreddit that I found helpful as well. Once you understand the basic idea of the build, this post will help you fill in the gaps.

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##2. Shopping list

Holder

• I used a small 5" bowl from a china set I own.
• Something with 2" of flat space at the bottom is ideal

Raw Mica Sheets (2x3")

• Two sheets for the build and one sheet to heat on, which can be used multiple times but will need to be replaced from time to time
• Only place I could find raw mica was Etsy

Nichrome 80, 32 gauge

• You'll only need 27cm for the build
• Purchased from Amazon as a 33' roll

DC Variable Power Supply

• Adjustable voltage is key, the one I purchased is 3-24v
• Check cord length before you buy to make sure it suits your needs
• I purchased the "Shnitpwr" brand from Amazon, works fine but the voltage drifts down over time, also the control is very sensitive

Female power plug with leads (2.1mm x 5.5mm)

• Purchased from Amazon

M3 brass standoff kit

• I used four 20mm stand-offs with studs, four 10mm stand-offs with no studs, 8 screws, and 2 nuts
• Purchased from Amazon

Small neodymium (rare earth) magnets

• These are used to secure the heater to a ceramic dish and to secure your heating mica sheet on the heater
• Purchased from hardware store

2” metal fender washer

• Placed under the ceramic dish to hold the rare earth magnets to the dish
• I like this solution as it allows me to secure the heater without using glue
• Purchased from hardware store

M3 washers

• Used for clamping ring terminals and nichrome wire to the stand-off studs
• Purchased from hardware store

Ring terminals

• Crimp these to the leads of the power supply plug and then you have something that can be cleanly clamped to the stand-offs
• Any basic wire stripper tool should have a crimping tool on it
• Purchased from Harbor Freight, but auto stores probably have them, just make sure they include small enough ring terminals for your stand offs

Awl

• Very simple, cheap tool to put holes in mica
• No need to mess with a dremel/rotary tool, a sharp nail would probably work well too
• Purchased from hardware store

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##3. Build Notes

Punching the holes for the stand-offs

• This is where you are most likely to break the mica sheet, so do these first before punching the much smaller holes for the nichrome wire.
• Go very slowly with the awl and test to see if the studs/screws will go through the holes before making the holes too big.

Connecting power plug leads to nichrome wire (see image #3)

• I stacked everything on the stud of the bottom stand-off post in this order: mica sheet, washer, power supply lead with ring terminal crimped on, washer, nichrome wire with a little hook to secure around stud, washer, top stand-off screwed down tightly. Overkill perhaps, but I like clean connections.
• Do this on one stand-off, then thread the nichrome through the mica sheet, and then repeat on the other stand-off.

Threading the nichrome wire through the mica

• The awl just barely needs to go through the mica to make a hole big enough for the wire.
• I made a template based off of the Kyarazen design on a piece of paper, then taped a piece of mica over the template and made my holes.
• The passes were 25mm long and 3mm between each pass, you don't want the passes touching each other.

Do you need a precision (subitism) heater?

• No, you don’t. A simple electric ceramic heater works just fine and is available for cheaper than the parts to build this precision heater. You can get an adjustable tea-light heater for even cheaper, which also works great.
• The main advantage of the precision heater is it gives you instant and precise control over the heat. This is nice as you can much more easily play with the heat and see how it changes the experience of the incense.

Been enjoying this haul on my new DIY heater (will have a post about that once I get all my notes together).

Really enjoying the resins - both frankincenses, the myrrh, and the copal. Copal feels a lot like frankincense to me, but a little more balanced, rounder. The myrrh is subtle and great by itself. Seems to get drowned out a bit when heated with the other resins, but still a nice combination.

The only one I'm not big on is the agarwood powder. It has a sourish note to it that I don't enjoy, but maybe it will grow on me. I've been heating it low and slow, might be better if I crank up the heat and create a little smoke, but I've never experienced agarwood outside of Japanese incense sticks. This powder is very affordable ($22 per 1/2 oz), so there's that.

Ordering from Apothecary's Garden was pretty easy. They ship from Ontario, CA and shipping to the midwest was decent. I ordered on a Tuesday morning, received a notification that it shipped Thursday morning, and received the package the following Thursday. Would definitely order resin from them again, but will look elsewhere for agarwood when I'm ready to drop some $$.