No, Matt you are fine, in-fact safety is why I’m apprehensive about additional modifications. -And thanks for the tip on the cap. Adding a fat one got the EMF down to a tolerable level.
Next time I’m in the Hive I might look around at some higher voltage power supplies, or a boost converter.
Rather than remove a segment of wire, I could try to divide it in half and re-wire it, yikes.
I can show you PWM circuits suitable for this. the main component is aFET which costs about $1. The circuit I have in mind would replace the controller. No safety worries if 12V and grounded (if ultimate power source is AC, if powered by a free-standing 12V battery, ground unnecessary).
Slight amendment to safety, when I wrote I was thinking of electrical shock hazard only. Temperature sensor of some sort needed for thermal safety. Bimetallic switches already included might suffice, but I recommend one or more thermistors.
If I did want to increase the output, is it as simple as increasing the
voltage to the blanket?
Yeah the blanket is a bit underpowered. Modifying the wire can get a
little tricky, but if you get a boost converter, I believe you can get
twice the wattage out of it (~90W). There are plenty of cheap >100W
converters on Amazon or eBay.
Jim Chen, what are you doing to yours to keep food warm? -There is no way
mine is coming close to those temperatures.
I'm wrapping the blanket around the container, and I'm planning on
putting that inside an insulated food bag. These measures cut down on
the conducted and convective heat losses.
If you have an air mattress or sleeping pad, you can experiment and
see if the blanket works better with an insulator underneath.
@Andrew:
Are you talking about simple booster circuits with PWM drive? That would be awesome 
I’ll be in for this weeks meeting!
Otherwise I’ll have to pick up a booster, and find a fuse for the new amperage.
The Immolator is on the back-burner… so to speak.
@Jim: Yep, it’s ontop of a foam pad, so there is only a sheet between the blanket and I.