[mufan]

Does anybody know some good sites where I can find a cheap stir plate?  New ones cost like 400 bucks!

[enahs]

http://www.sciencelab.com/page/S/PVAR/21761/50-HI190MU

Really though, you can make your own for dirt cheap if you do not need a high tech one with ultimate speed control, multi position stirrers and such. I have made many.

You go to the local hardware/thrift store. Get a small box fan. You can find them as small as ~6 inches, which is perfect. But 10 inches is quite common to find and will work. Then you just take the cover off, and hot glue a really strong magnet just to one side of the center of the blade and instead of putting the cover back on put something that is a solid, flat surface that is steady (I usually use a cheap piece of Plexiglases).
Lay the fan down so that the magnets are closest to the top, turn it on and put your beaker over the area with the magnets.


You need really strong magnets though. If you are a computer person and have an old junk hard drive, the magnets in it are perfect. Also, some computer case fans are perfect size to use as a small setup. But strong magnets are not too hard to find and are fairly cheap.


The downside is, you only get low,medium and high speed; which in some case can result in either not stirring enough or too much splashing.

[mufan]

sounds cool, but i need it to be a hotplate as well.

[enahs]

sounds cool, but i need it to be a hotplate as well.

Well you did not say that part!