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Looking for heating Mantles Australia
Hey everyone, as the title says I'm looking for a heating mantle to purchase in Aus, ever since reading stories from people getting practically raided
by the police for ordering glassware from China I have stopped ordering from there, I did get a Buchner funnel type "kit" so I expect I'm gonna need a
new front door in 5 months time.
Any Aussies know a good supplier that doesn't charge 400$ for a 250ml heating mantle? It's all good if I'm forced to pay that much I guess it is what
it is just thought I would check.
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MrDoctor
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the trick is not to buy a whole heating mantle unit, those are watched like a 5L RBF
you probs wont find them through ali, but if you google "aliexpress heating mantle sleeve" you can get just the elements alone for $15-35 for 250ml-2L
and they last a good long time, i used to use my 2L sleeve practically like it was an oven sometimes. a drill or any rotary tool effortlessly drills
through $5 terracotta from bunnings, and conveniently theres a pot size for every mantle size. you dont have to insulate it either.
Also buy some high temperature wire and some nickle or high temp crimps, you dont need a crimper though just pliers, and make sure to tie it in a knot
so you cant pull on the mantle through the holes. the high temp wire is needed to interface it. then stick a screw on plug for whatever cable youd
like, like a female C14 plug, C13 is the male version and its the cable most PSUs take, especially PC PSUs. plug that cable then into a 240V dimmer,
virtually any will work since mantle sleeves are only 300-500W at most and any incandescent bulb dimmer will probably be rated high enough for it,
though probably make your selection based on the probability that water will spill on or near the dimmer.
And thats that.
I actually have been raided for buying too much glassware all at the one time, but that worked out fine in the very end, buying a 250, 500, 1000 and
2000ml mantle all at the same time, where i got two 250 and two 1000ml just since they seemed like the ones id reuse the most and i was expecting like
6 month lifespan, no interest, because they are not regulated in the first place, unlike the huge condensers i bought because they were dirt cheap and
there wasnt even an option to buy them affordably within the country. heating mantles on the other hand at very least require an EUD, the sleeves,
they do not, but you probably wont find any sleeves in the first place locally.
Lastly, to address stirring, when i need stirring i sit the mantle pot on my hot plate with stirring, the bottom of the pot though doesnt get much
heat, but my thin plastic stirrer doesnt have long-range magnets like the hot plate does, but if it did, a simple air gap would be enough to protect
it.
edit - actually, since this one is sitting on a silicone mat, and this was from a diethyl ether synthesis, it was in fact sitting on my cheap plastic
stirrer without any air gap, ether doesnt require especially high temps though, maybe 130C at most or something, and most of the mats role wasnt even
insulation it was just not to press on the plastic and collide with the magnet stalling it since the entire setup was too heavy otherwise for the
stirrer.
[Edited on 2-9-2025 by MrDoctor]
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TestTubeBoof
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Quote: Originally posted by MrDoctor  | the trick is not to buy a whole heating mantle unit, those are watched like a 5L RBF
you probs wont find them through ali, but if you google "aliexpress heating mantle sleeve" you can get just the elements alone for $15-35 for 250ml-2L
and they last a good long time, i used to use my 2L sleeve practically like it was an oven sometimes. a drill or any rotary tool effortlessly drills
through $5 terracotta from bunnings, and conveniently theres a pot size for every mantle size. you dont have to insulate it either.
Also buy some high temperature wire and some nickle or high temp crimps, you dont need a crimper though just pliers, and make sure to tie it in a knot
so you cant pull on the mantle through the holes. the high temp wire is needed to interface it. then stick a screw on plug for whatever cable youd
like, like a female C14 plug, C13 is the male version and its the cable most PSUs take, especially PC PSUs. plug that cable then into a 240V dimmer,
virtually any will work since mantle sleeves are only 300-500W at most and any incandescent bulb dimmer will probably be rated high enough for it,
though probably make your selection based on the probability that water will spill on or near the dimmer.
And thats that.
I actually have been raided for buying too much glassware all at the one time, but that worked out fine in the very end, buying a 250, 500, 1000 and
2000ml mantle all at the same time, where i got two 250 and two 1000ml just since they seemed like the ones id reuse the most and i was expecting like
6 month lifespan, no interest, because they are not regulated in the first place, unlike the huge condensers i bought because they were dirt cheap and
there wasnt even an option to buy them affordably within the country. heating mantles on the other hand at very least require an EUD, the sleeves,
they do not, but you probably wont find any sleeves in the first place locally.
Lastly, to address stirring, when i need stirring i sit the mantle pot on my hot plate with stirring, the bottom of the pot though doesnt get much
heat, but my thin plastic stirrer doesnt have long-range magnets like the hot plate does, but if it did, a simple air gap would be enough to protect
it.
edit - actually, since this one is sitting on a silicone mat, and this was from a diethyl ether synthesis, it was in fact sitting on my cheap plastic
stirrer without any air gap, ether doesnt require especially high temps though, maybe 130C at most or something, and most of the mats role wasnt even
insulation it was just not to press on the plastic and collide with the magnet stalling it since the entire setup was too heavy otherwise for the
stirrer.
[Edited on 2-9-2025 by MrDoctor] |
Ahh I was hoping to avoid making my own but I guess with the current regulation I don't really have a choice. I would have to fork out $400+ to not
have it raise suspicion as I think domestic shipping should be fine?
I appreciate the detailed post! The build is incredibly cool I'll for sure do some research I know NurdRage has a video of a build with a sleeve. My
only concern would be blowing myself up distilling something volatile and flammable from an exposed wire or some shit so I'll be careful.
As the Aussie saying goes, she'll be right. Thanks again Doc it's helped me a lot.
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MrDoctor
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snip the nichrome short so the exposed ends cant touch no matter how they may wiggle about, then shorting will be impossible, plus lengths of red hot
glowing nichrome will burn out exposed to open air much quicker, and it reduces overall resistance to cut it shorter, less resistance = higher peak
power = better. Dont go crazy though, like 20mm exposed is probably fine, but it will come with like 2 inches or something at either end of surplus
exposed nichrome.
its not difficult either anyway since the mantle is just a big spiral, so one pokes out near the top, and the other pokes out in the middle bottom,
though it does tend to go on for a little bit but still. if you are really wigged out by that then just add an inline fuse? you can get C14 ports that
have fuses built in.
3 important things: these sleeves come flexible and once run in, turn relatively solid and inflexible. so make sure to run it for the first time with
a flask in there, not so much that it cant fit in a slightly different flask, but more that, you just want it nice and round is all, its still
flexible afterwards but any dramatic reshaping could risk doing some damage so best to do the burn in with a flask at least for the start.
the second is, its fiberglass, resin coated glass fibers, that resin will burn off like crazy so, first time, increase heat slowly, because that
smoke, if its thick enough, can be arced through burning the nichrome where it happens, same way a mantle might fail if water spills onto it. While i
havent blown a mantle from the smoke, i have DIYd another sort of aparatus using fiberglass, and during the burn-off i ran it too hard and it arced
between windings due to the smoke and/or soot buildup, popping the wire. the resin evaporates away cleanly but too hot too quickly can lead to
charring which is electrically conductive and not great to have on your ceramic insulation.
third; since its essential that clay pots be wet when you drill or cut them or else it just fuses into glass instead of cutting like its hardened
bread dough, your pot will be wet for a while after, so be mindful of that fact as well when doing the burn in. they dont have to be bone dry just
dont do what i did accidentally and crank it up so hard it steamed and sweated, the clay conducts electricity when wet, we use it for an electrolysis
membrane sometimes, so its a hazard if its wet. steam also can cause windings to arc and burn the wire, so, air out in the sun for a day and again,
slow and steady so theres little smoke or anything else. the smoke from the resin is also super nasty like burning a motherboard
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greenlight
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I think you would be fairly safe with domestic shipping. I just looked at the prices and I see what you mean about the 400 dollars for a tiny mantle
scenario, it seems they know they are risky to source internationally so the price goes up.
If you keep an eye on ebay and filter the results to Australia, they pop up secondhand sometimes, there's a glascol unit on there now without a
controller for $120 AUD: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/355802653399?itmmeta=01K45KRRGCE...
There is often the cheaper Chinese models that come up on there too for a couple of hundred for a 500ml size.
For some reason this health shop in Sydney has the same mantle Sciencequip has for a third of the price:
https://au.navafresh.com/products/bexco-heating-mantle-1000-...
I guess though if you really want a reliable one and your going to get a lot of use from it, you gotta fork out the money for the better more
expensive units from domestic stores
[Edited on 2-9-2025 by greenlight]
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Twospoons
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Rather than cut off your excess nichrome, you'd do better to fold it and twist it so you get a thicker, lower resistance, cooler connection point.
Crimp your connections - solder will melt, and nichrome is a bitch to solder anyway. In the hot zone use silicone insulated wire, or solid wire with
fiberglass sleeving.
Helicopter: "helico" -> spiral, "pter" -> with wings
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TestTubeBoof
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| Quote: Originally posted by greenlight | I think you would be fairly safe with domestic shipping. I just looked at the prices and I see what you mean about the 400 dollars for a tiny mantle
scenario, it seems they know they are risky to source internationally so the price goes up.
If you keep an eye on ebay and filter the results to Australia, they pop up secondhand sometimes, there's a glascol unit on there now without a
controller for $120 AUD: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/355802653399?itmmeta=01K45KRRGCE...
There is often the cheaper Chinese models that come up on there too for a couple of hundred for a 500ml size.
For some reason this health shop in Sydney has the same mantle Sciencequip has for a third of the price:
https://au.navafresh.com/products/bexco-heating-mantle-1000-...
I guess though if you really want a reliable one and your going to get a lot of use from it, you gotta fork out the money for the better more
expensive units from domestic stores
[Edited on 2-9-2025 by greenlight] |
Hmm I guess it's one of those deals that come up every now and then that I have to be on the lookout for. I actually saw that glasco one, he messed up
the title and put 50c maximum it's 450.
Also I have no idea how you found that one on that health store I looked at over 10 pages on google but that is hilarious it doesn't seem like a bad
deal I'll check it out, thank you for the help!
Also before anyone comments "heating plate and oil bath" I've given it a try, it just takes an incredibly long time, I'm usually a very patient person
but waiting for oil to heat up I can't handle it, maybe I'll try sand or just spent 400$. Thank you again.
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bariumbromate
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get a cheap one from vevor.com they work well and you'll get a refund if it breaks
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TestTubeBoof
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Vevor is usually the place I check first for things like this, they are out of stock though which is a shame
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