DIY heated top/heating mantle

Hash and Stuff Distillation
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I am about to make a heated top mantle for my 22L short path and wanted to hear yalls thoughts before I order the parts, as well as maybe turn this into a guide for future folks wanting to do the same type of project. Ill link two useful youtube videos about it at the bottom of this post.

Here are the parts I am leaning towards using:

$40 - PID controller with solid state relay and thermocouple (doesn’t have to be purchased as a package)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N1ZUGUZ/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_2?smid=A1RUFFFCQ74BCW&psc=1

$90 - High temp heat tape/chord
https://www.ebay.com/itm/BRISKHEAT-HTC451003-Heating-Cord-120VAC-260W-12-ft-Max-Temp-900-F-482-C/223590820202

$30 - Insulating rope
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075PWQY12/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=A1CNE3X0R959VU&psc=1

$12 - 20ft stainless steel wire (to wrap everything and hold shape)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/10-FEET-16-GAUGE-1-2mm-STAINLESS-STEEL-ZINC-FREE-WIRE-BIRD-TOYS-JEWELRY/272539378942?epid=27007282079&hash=item3f749ce4fe:g:7o0AAOSw44BYjr9p

Ill still need a small metal project box to house the electronics in and a few other small pieces, but I think ill be able to build it for right around $200. The idea would be to first coil the heating tape into a hemisphere, use some stainless wire to secure that shape, than wrap the insulating rope around the heating tape and again use the stainless wire to hold everything together and keep shape. I may double back the wrappings to make it so that it can open and close from one end like this:

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260w heat tape isn’t gonna work for 22L boiling flask. Hell my 250ml mantle is 260w lol. A 22L boiling flask I’d want maybe 1500-2000w preferably 240v

Electrotherm 22L is 3000w

Screenshot_20200503-170257_Chrome
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OP isn’t suggesting building their primary mantle just yet…and even 260W will be better than just fire rope insulation.

and probably better than this $600 glascol insulator only mantle cover.

edit: glas-col uses 650W in theirs…
https://www.neobits.com/glas_col_100a_mo1183_fabric_heating_top_side_p1755441.html?atc=gbp

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Lol well that’s what I get for not reading carefully :joy:

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Precisely, I already have the mantle, and was debating getting the glas col heated top, but for $820 for just the top and no controller I should be able to build one for pretty cheap. Glas col 22L heated top uses 650w of power so Ill look around for some higher power heat tape. I also might just run two of the 250w’s

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All good, I was implying that one could use this same method to also make their own heating mantle (although I have no plans on doing it), my apologies for the confusion.

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I love this idea
Maybe get some puffy insulation like

Screenshot_20200503-164121_Chrome
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And some fiberglass tape to wrap the whole thing

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That and the fabric that is inside those across mantle covers is pretty cheap just gotta learn how to sew

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