Current State
I currently use a 50l stainless steel pod as a brewing kettle. It needs to be heated over long periods of time. To reach the desired temperatures faster and waste less energy it is helpful to isolate the sides. Currently, I just strap leftovers from an old sleeping pad around the pod, which is neither perfect nor does it look nice.
Better Thermal Coat
Material
I used a simple sleeping pad, again. But this time a larger one, which is aluminum coated on one side, Idena 38193 - Isomatte mit Aluminiumbeschichtung 50 x 180 cm.
To reenforce all cuts and edges I use leftover aluminum tape which I bought for my HVAC installation, TapePlus Professionelles Aluminium Klebeband.
To secure the coat in place, I use rubber band that is intended fir sewing it into clothing, Romon Gummiband 20mm.
Construction
First I trimmed the height from 50 cm to 47 cm, so it fits perfectly around the pod.
In the middle I cut slit high enough that valve and thermometer can fit in.
Then I cut slits for both handles and the coat wraps around the pot. No I used the aluminum tape to seal all edges. This prevents the foam from coming out and also gives a much nicer appearance. In addition, the pad becomes much stiffer and retains its shape so it holds quite well even without the rubber band.
I cut the rubber band to length and because I was short on time, I just made knots in the end and did not nicely sew a theme with a sewing machine.
The look and feel is pretty pleasing, and it speeds up the time to get the worth boiling by multiple minutes.