I finally got some money together and decided I better spend it on something constructive before I blow it all on food.

 

So after spending around 30 bucks and a few hours of assembly this is what I came up with.

 

http://home.mchsi.com/~tflex101/mantle.htm

 

 

I found the actual heating element on ebay for really really cheap, ended up costing around 17 bucks shipped. It's kinda old and junky looking but a new one would have cost 100+ bucks. For the controller I used a incandescent light dimmer, I wasn't sure if it would work or not, because the controllers usually used for these mantles are over a hundred bucks, but because the dimmer only cost around 6 bucks I thought I would give it a shot. The dimmer ended up working perfectly, very good at controlling heat, I was able to distill alcohol at exactly 174 F at a steady rate, something I could not do using a flame.

 

The wiring I did myself as you can probably tell, I tried to layer it in electrical tape to avoid getting zapped. I also used my erector set to mount the dimmer and all the wires. So what do you guys think? Is it safe to use?

it`s looks pretty good to me as long as the dimmer is of the same current rating or above that used by the mantle and it doesn`t get too hot due to it`s proximity, all should be great

here`s what I would do however, I noticed you were only using a 2 prong plug, I`de use the 3 prong plugs and get a little RCD (Residual Current Detector) or Earth Leakage breaker switch.

reason being, you`ll be using liquids in it, and if one should break by accident you risk being electrocuted, maybe get one next payday

but you`re setup looks great

Thats a ncie distillation setup you've got going there, how much did it cost you?

I got all the glassware from a lot I bought off ebay, ended up costing 120 dollars shipped, I got all the glassware in that picture and a whole lot of extra flask and cylinders.