CaptainMolo - 26-8-2017 at 08:57
Hello everyone! First off I'd like to say that I am thoroughly enjoying my visits here. Everyone has been very helpful and welcoming, so thank you for
that. 
On to my problem and my cry for assistance:
My hotplate stirrer was heating very weakly and it turns out that the heating element was cracked from age and heat. The panel on the side of the unit
says the warranty expired in 1972, so I am honestly impressed it works at all for any function. I attempted to make a replacement heating element
using Kanthal wire, and I was momentarily successful, before accidentally grounding the coil on the aluminum top while trying to improvise some
insulating shielding so that I could mount the coil into the top, and in the process I burned out the infinite switch that controls the element. 
So a question for the general public here, does anyone know of easy sources for these ring shaped elements and infinite switches? Every element I come
across seems to be either for an oven or an electric range. The range element may work with some finagling, but I am worried about it's size/shape
and proximity to the stirring magnet. Plus another thing about range elements is that they are generally more wattage than the little element that was
in the hotplate.
The original element is made by GE, it has some markings on it, it appears to be 400 watts, and rated for 120 volts. The full text of the markings on
the element is:
KF W400 V120 GE CO 45C278620
About the infinite switch;
I looked quite a bit on several online retailer sites, and came up with nothing that matched. It's a two pole infinite switch with a dial, and I
honestly have no idea what the rating is, but I suspect it's matched to the 400 watt heating element.
The other idea I had was possible repair of this infinite switch, I can see one spot that appears to have been burnt by the arc when the circuit
shorted. I am unfamiliar with the construction of this little device, and subsequently I haven't been able to determine what is actually wrong with
it. I do know that it doesn't have continuity, because I attempted to fire the aforementioned Kantal wire in various wiring configurations, both
bypassing the thermostat and including it on the hot and common sides, and it appears to be totally dead.
A yet third option is to use a multi-pole stove range infinite switch, and simply use two poles (If that's possible?) instead of the 4 or 6 that they
sometimes have. (I don't know the actual number, but it's significantly more than two, and they all appear to be hot and common.)
I did several hours of searching on my own, and I am deferring to the collective experience of the forum for help. Thanks in advance and also for the
so far very stimulating discussions.