$11 Popcorn-Popper Coffee Roaster

Step 6 Mounting the chimney

Here's where the chimney comes in: increasing the height of that dinky little roast chamber. I'm supposing you found the little piece of kitsch that I found. If not, you just need a glass chimney of some sort with a bottom outside diameter of 2-3/4 inches (the diameter of the chamber).

Ruler in hand, put your trusty Sharpie to work marking 1/4-inch slots 1/2-inch apart along the rim. Then, make six or seven marks spread around the circumference of the chamber 1/4-inch below the rim. Using your string again, mark a line around the chamber at that 1/4-inch depth.

Now pull out a set of side-cutters or diagonal cutters (seriously, don't worry about the tin-snips for this), and cut from each mark on the rim down to the depth mark. This may not cut completely through, but the metal is soft enough to allow for tearing along these almost-cuts.

With a set of pliers, bend down out the 1/4-inch tabs perpendicularly to the axis of the chamber, and bend the 1/2-inch tabs in to about 45 degrees.

Put the chimney over the chamber, and bend the outside tabs (opposite tabs together) in to firmly grip the sides of the chimney. Then, with a stout stick, reach inside the chimney and push the inner tabs up as well as you can, holding the chimney down firmly while you do so.