Little bit more on the subject:

- good place to get the wire is MSCdirect.com. 1/4LB spool of .040
nichrome 80/20 (aka Chromel A) is about $14, is good for 2 spirals. Do
not buy any other grades of nichrome (for example Chromel C) as it is
not rated to reqd temperatures.

- alternatively, some ceramic shops cell 0.040 or just slightly larger
Kanthal wire, about 10f for $4 or so - to be cut up and used as support
pins . Get 2 of these for just under 8 ohm resistance. You'd need to
join
them into 1 element: drill 0.042 hole in a piece of SS, brass, copper
1/8" round, cut to 3/8", stick the wire in from the opposing ends and
crimp. Will last forever

- making your own coils is easy, if you have a lathe (everyone should
have one (mini-lathe) these days, as they are so inexpensive) or
vertical
drill stand. Use heavy gloves, coil up 2-3 feet at a time, be prepared
to stop if it tangles etc. Go @ slowest RPM

And ... no affiliation, just a great buy: get Omega CN132 controller
@ ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW

this is where I got mine from . Totally legit and great seller (Scout
troop leader !