Toaster ovens and their accuracy

[Gremlin460]

You will all find a massive gain in stability if you lay a few clay bricks/tiles along the bottom in the wasted space. Or anywhere you can fit them, they act as heatsoaks, and once up to temp make your ovens perform like they got double the element recovery power.

[Smoke4320]

You will all find a massive gain in stability if you lay a few clay bricks/tiles along the bottom in the wasted space. Or anywhere you can fit them, they act as heatsoaks, and once up to temp make your ovens perform like they got double the element recovery power.

That's a great tip

[1989toddm]

That is a great tip Gremlin460! Now my question to you all is how damaging to the coating if an oven is 50 degrees high or 50 low? I dont have a good way to watch mine, and have never had a problem with the coating. Just curious....

[Beagle333]

I haven't done tests as to exactly how low or high you can go, but if too low it will not cure and so it wouldn't be a nice tough one-piece polyester shell as desired and also it will not bond to the boolit so that it will conform to the lead underneath through sizing and firing. Too high will make it brittle and it will crack and flake during sizing and the smash test.... and probably upon firing.

[alamogunr]

I've got a cheap oven thermometer that I'm going to check mine with. Mine looks just very similar to RobS' picture. Wife got rid of it because it didn't suit her. I haven't gotten into powder coat so my use is limited to reconstituting silica gel desiccant.

[wquiles]

Thank you guys for the pictures of the PID on those ovens.

Years ago when I had a really nice powder coating system, I also purchased a proper powder coating oven for the garage:



I since moved to using Moly Resin and sold all of the PC equipment, except for the oven, which I use for Moly Resin. Now that I want to experiment with the shake and bake PC for bullets I can use the same oven, but I have noticed that the dial vs. internal temperature is terrible, so a simple PID should solve that. I guess I have now a pending project for 2015

Will

[Garyshome]

I stuck a grill thermometer in the back of my $5.00 toaster oven.

[destrux]

I haven't found it to damage the coating if it goes over 400 but it did slump over a batch of bullets on me. That oven was very inconsistent, it was a very cheap newer one, so I only use it for curing other stuff now. I got a nice commercial toaster oven at goodwill for $2 that fits about 140 bullets at a time and keeps perfect temperature now. It was almost a shame to use it for that.

[rototerrier]

I picked my oven up from goodwill for $8. It looks like an old piece of junk but the temperature control is spot on. Works like a charm every time.

[Sticky]

My new curing tool is a cheapie that came outta the kitchen.. it is old, well worn and due for an upgrade, so.... Out to the garage it went. The dial is not properly calibrated (so I NOW find out.. lol), but it holds temp very well, within 5*F, so I just stick my pyrometer probe in it when firing it up to warm and adjust it to get the needed temp for curing. Works like a champ, now I just need a new one for the kitchen..

[mdi]

I'm fine with whatever my TO says. I don't believe there is an exact (plus or minus 10 degrees) temperature/time requirement for curing PC bullets. I have cooked my bullets from 350 degrees to 425 degrees ( according to the dial), and 20 minutes (or so) to 30 minutes according to the oven's timer. I don't think there is a need for +/- 20 or even 40 degrees accuracy...

[VHoward]

I have had bullets melt partially on me. Those were left in for 30 minutes and the temp dial at 450. That's what prompted me to check my ovens temp.
I've ordered a K-type temp probe to install in my oven so I can use my PID to control the temp.

[Beagle333]

I hear ya. Anybody can bake great boolits with just a thermometer to check their dial, but if you already have a PID.... just another 5 bucks or so for a K-type thermocouple probe and you can be spot-on and worry free!

[Rick Hodges]

My GE oven was about 50 degrees optimistic...used an oven thermometer and remarked the dial.

[RP]

Anyone give any thought to what the temp outside the oven is effecting the temp inside the oven? Unheated shop or the guy working out in the yard on a cold day. I think a PID would take care of the temp? all the way around the board. Maybe its just me trying to talk myself into buy or making one.

[Beagle333]

Make or buy one... it's the bees knees!

[Sticky]

Anyone give any thought to what the temp outside the oven is effecting the temp inside the oven? Unheated shop or the guy working out in the yard on a cold day. I think a PID would take care of the temp? all the way around the board. Maybe its just me trying to talk myself into buy or making one.

I PID'd my casting pot, but my Black and Decker toaster oven just doesn't need it. It takes a while to reach temp (5 mins if I open it up, add my stuff, close it and resume from preheated and that is in a cold garage (was about freezing today when I was coating). I could, I would, but really, that sucker holds +/- 1*C once it's reached temp! I set it and verified it the other day at 200C and it has been run 3 times since that without touching the dial with exact repeatability.

That said, I really need more than a teeny oven, but... funds are tight.. it will do.. for now.. lol

[Gremlin460]

Its not good enough just to get your casts to 200c, they have to be at curing temp for a minimum amount of time.
This means if your oven obtains 200c just as your timer runs out, the coating will fail.

Also if your oven reaches temp really quickly, it will take the casts time to absorb the surrounding heat to aquire the target of 200c.

Smaller casts arrive at terminal temp quicker.. therefore you should actually bake more per tray if you keep the same time frame.

There are many factors that when you have all your ducks lined up will produce nice, clean shooting, reduced smoke fun.
I am pushed for time right now, but may chat more about this another day if anyone interested.

[Sticky]

My oven is small so I am limited to about 50 rounds per cycle, standing up, laying down (depending on which coating I am curing), doesn't really matter. I give them 20 mins of cycle time, 5 to get the oven back up to temp from preheated, leaving 5 for the boolits to reach temp and another 10 to cure the coating.

This seems to work well for me so far with PC and HT coatings. I also verify the temp with a pyrometer every time I use it, though it holds well as long as I don't move the dial from session to session.

[theTastyCat]

Hey all - I've been struggling with PCing though I have persevered because it's the only way I'll be able to shoot lead through my suppressors without excess buildup. I got a cheapo Rival TO at the Mart that Wal built, but never could get a decent cure according to the smash test. I finally got a round over thermometer, and sure enough, the thing is all over the place. The dial sets all the way to 450, but was shutting off and maintaining 350...if I put it on "bake", it stays on and will eventually get over 400.

Would one of you kind gents mind walking me through how to apply a PID to the situation? The way this one works, the timer runs whether or not it has power; I'm unfamiliar with how a PID works but if it could allow power to the TO when it's under 400 and shut it down when it gets to 400, seems like that would work.

OR - should I just buy a better toaster oven?

I just did one batch; it took about 20 minutes to get the thing up to 400 with the tray of boolits in it, so then I ran it another 20 minutes according to the instructions that came with the PC. So 40-45 minutes for one tray! But it seemed to do OK with the smash test; I could see little bits of lead through the PC after smashing, but it wasn't like it was flaking off, so hopefully it's doing OK.

Many thanks for ALL the help - this is THE most helpful place on the net!!