Inexpensive oven style thermostat?

I have made my own thermostats for egg incubators, using two strips of metal from old cans. I riveted a strip of "tin can" to a similar strip of "aluminum", and fixed on end so the other end would swing to and from a contact at the free end. It wasnt pretty, but it was *inexpensive*. That "moving strip" can actuate a relay that will control the high voltage for the heat element.

Jerry

prices

These guys have just about everything for smoking and sausage making:

Not cheap, though. This looks like some standard commercial product, if you can find out who made it. Their catalog has some other items that don't show up on the web site.

There's some industrial surplus outfits out there that sometimes have oddball controllers and thermocouples for cheap, a couple of places to start are Surplus Center and C&H Sales. Undoubtedly Google will turn up others.

Stan

Just go to the dump and rip one out of a thrown away oven.

Or Goodwill or Salvation Army, pick up an electric skillet or toaster oven for 5 bux. You might need a relay to control the higher current of the range element.

This is a good advice, except that I cannot really go to a dumpster, they are not accessible in our area. If I do see a stove on the curb somewhere, I will follow your advice.

I have some super nice mechanical contactors and a solid state relay switch also, so that is not a problem. What I am lacking is a mechanical thermostat. I saw some on ebay, tey end in a couple of days, maybe I will win one cheaply.

i

Battery packs have a thermoswitch in them. I don't know the temp at which they switch off but it is quite warm. There are also other temps available with these simple bimetallic switches and they can be had with either hi off or on as desired.

-- Why isn't there an Ozone Hole at the NORTH Pole?

Thanks to everyone. I am changing my mind a little bit. I have decided that I can do without a thermostat if no cheap one can be found. I would simply use a portable electric stove and would adjust heat setting depending on ambient temperature. There is a couple of thermostats on sale on ebay, if I can win them for a sensible price, I would use them, otherwise, I am not interested.

I am also thinking whether it would be sensible to use a little fan to move air inside the enclosure. I have a shitload of 10-30 watt fans, including ones with little if any plastic, and could easily wire one up inside the enclosure, to distribute smoke and especially temperature more evenly. OTOH, perhaps this is unnecessary. In any case, the cost of the fan is zero.

i

There's a 2-burner electric countertop range in a pile of stuff I'm getting ready to haul out to the corner to put under a FREE sign. Let me know if you want it. To email me see

- GWE

Just do away with the oven element altogether, and use the electric skillet or wok to hold your wood chips.......

Toaster ovens and electric skillets contain mechanical thermostats!!!!!

Try to find an old electric oven. Often the thermostat is still good and will do what you want. They're often laying around for free. Check my website for a similar use of salvaged oven parts.

Hey Sam, does Bing ever post to RCM? He wrote a novel in AMC about smoking fish. Once the OP gets his smoker going I bet he could use some tips.

One more change in plans. I agreed with someone to buy an oven thermostat for $9.99 plus shipping. This price is relatively low, so no doubt I should buy it. I will also buy a little portable electric burner/range. The UPS has a pullable tray on the bottom, which I will use to collect and drain juices, and to keep the burner. I will place the thermostat control knob where UPS controls used to be. I may be able to make some progress this weekend.

i

Great job on your powdercoating oven. I would, obviously, be able to use my UPS in the same way.

i

Thanks. I will end up doing the following: I am buying an oven thermostat like this:

for $9.99.

Inside the stove, I have a full sized sliding tray that was for batteries. I will use that for collecting and drainicg juices. Also, in this tray, on some little pedestal (maybe a brick) I will place an electric portable range, hopefully I can buy some oldie with a steel body and no plastic parts.

I will connect it to the thermostat and AC power with high temperature wires, not yet sure where to find them.

The last remaining task will be to ensure that juices do not drip on the burner, and also, that the unit is a little more insulated from exchanging ai with outside. I have a few flat metal panels, that I will screw to the sides of this enclosure.

i

Hiya Bryce,

No, I dont think Bing posts here very often--probly only if its a crosspost to / from amc........but at any rate, whatever he might have posted on the topic is probly archived on Google Groups and so could be found that way.

FWIW, I prefer sturgeon over salmon any day of the week--smoked with alder chips, of course.

Which gets me to thinking--there's a pretty good sturgeon hole for bank fishing just on the other side of the freeway from here, at the Todd Rd. exit off I-5...........its across the tracks at the end of the dead end road, go towards the river then south--Dupont Rd, IIRC........It's been ages since I gone fishing......I got two sturgeon poles and could probly round up any necessary gear--lemmee know if ya ever get a hankering.