Joe Kellogg

I'm building a reel to reel electric furnace 6 meters long as well as two 24" cubic muffle furnaces, so I've found a few places to add to this list.

Cheapest furnace mortar is on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/MEECOS-DEVIL-611-Refractory-Cement/dp/B002OU2Y62/ref=pd_sbs_petsupplies_6

Insulating fire bricks are cheapest if you live near the supplier. Best supplier in the Northeast: http://www.ceramaterials.com/insulatingfirebrick.html $2.10 per brick
This place also has a great price on ceramic blankets if you live near enough for shipping to not cause an issue.

High temp wire and ring terminals both are cheapest on Amazon.

Heating elements are cheapest on eBay (search furnace wire).

Good temperature control unit for a good price: http://www.ebay.com/itm/AC-110-240V-Digital-PID-Temperature-controller-25A-SSR-K-thermocouple-Sensor/141021325676?rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D261%26meid%3D2824700559778313667%26pid%3D100005%26prg%3D1088%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D330897116869%26
I'm using three on my reel to reel furnace (three zone heating) and one on each of my other two furnaces. I have an additional three lab scale muffle furnaces that are powered by this same controller. I've been using it for years with no troubles.

Hope this helps someone!

It's certainly possible to build such a pot, but it would cost several hundred dollars. I'm pretty sure you could make something almost as good out of aluminum for a small fraction of the cost.

Thanks! I couldn't seem to get the HTML to work on this message board.

Max Kennedy wrote:The main problem with nitinol engines is durability. Though it can be built they don't last. There was a lot of research into this at one time.

You're right, there was a lot of research done into this. As a result of being a part of that research, we can offer nitinol that is optimized against shape memory fatigue and, under most circumstances, the nitinol will out last you. If you're interested in discussing this in greater detail, please come on over to the nitinol discussion forum at www.KelloggsResearchLabs.com

Who would I talk to about buying advertising space?

The difference between superelastic and shape memory nitinol is pretty basic, but it throws a lot of people off. On the visible level, superelastic nitinol is very springy--you would have a very hard time putting a kink in it. Whereas shape memory nitinol can be bent at low temperatures and then heated to be restored to the original shape. Unfortunately, this process is very complex on the microscopic level, so it is tough to use in engineering aspects. Right now, we're trying to build some good Q&A message boards on our website to really help people work with nitinol, so feel free to drop by and ask some questions. Thanks!

Nitinol engines are a fairly elusive thing. Most people just build their own. Just a word of warning, make sure you're using SHAPE MEMORY nitinol, not superelastic. Most of the nitinol available on the market today is superelastic. If you order from www.KelloggsResearchLabs.com, you can get all kinds of shape memory nitinol for the cheapest price anywhere. Also, we're in the process of filing a patent on a functional generator that generates power from the daily change in air temperature (not solar).

Check it out. www.KelloggsResearchLabs.com