Ok... here's my entry for "gerry-rigged":
I came across an offer for a free conveyor dryer. It started out life as an 11 foot long, 9000 watt dryer. The mercury contactor failed so the dryer was non-functional and the owner wanted it "gone".
I couldn't make an 11' dryer work.. so I literally cut a 3' slice out of the the dryer to shorten it to 8' long. I spliced the sheetmetal with flatstock and screws. The old base was useless, so I made a wooden rolling base to match the new length.
I reduced the number of heat panels from 3 to 2 (9000 watt to 6000 watt) and kept one of the two air bar fans in service.
My work-around for the failed mercury contactor was a $35 PID controller and 2 solid state relays ($20/ea).
The belt was in good condition, so I cut about 6' of length out and spliced the belt with teflon thread to make it work for the new (shorter) length.
I didn't put much effort it to finish ( a $4 can of black spraypaint). I probably had about 30 hours of time in the project... so you could make the case that my time would have better been spent printing (earning). Live and learn.
Photo's for those who are interested.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/northlandsp/sets/72157638561811093/
