Best Oven

[WFO2]

Best oven for powder coating . I had read up on this site but dam if I can find the thread again. So whats the best one was looking at a Black and Decker today but could not for the life of me remember the ones that you guys recommended or the ones to stay away from. Getting old I guess .

[Nick Quick]

I bought one at a thrift store for 7$. I cranked the temp to 450F and I cooked a tray of bullets tumble powder coated for 15 minutes. It looks quite ok to me. I didn't have time to reload and shoot them but as soon I'll be back home I'll do it and see the results.
Here is how they look like.



The last picture is one lil rascal I smashed to see if the coating peels off or not. I smashed it not with a hammer but with a rock with uneven edges to make the smashing as mean possible. It looks ok to me.
This is my very first attempt at powder coating to be honest.

[454PB]

I got mine at the thrift store too......$5. Whatever you buy, invest in an oven thermometer (another $5 to $7), the thermostats can be quite inaccurate.

[Beau Cassidy]

I bought a second one at Goodwill a few months ago. Finally got to use it about 2 weeks ago. Put it on 400 and checked it with the thermometer. Last weekend I started getting brown bullets. Couldn't figure out why. Backed down on the cook time from 11 to 10 minutes- no better. Checked it today- 500 degrees. Looks like I will be spending another $5 for a new oven.

[jcren]

Nu-wave or generic aren't cheap, but have the advantage of not moving boolits after set up. Take the oven to the boolits. I now just set boolits on parchment on a board so I can be setting boolits while they cook.

[Wild Bill 7]

I have a small Black and Decker convection oven from WalMart for small jobs and an Oster (big) to do 500 or more at a time.

[Dragonheart]

I don't know if there is a "Best Oven', but " The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten". On this site, there is post after post of those having trouble with PC and many of those problems is because of their oven.

If you can get an oven for free or a couple of bucks, try it and it it performs then you got a deal. What you are looking for in an oven is temperature control, will it hold and even 400 degrees and is the heat uniform in the oven? A convection oven works the best for uniform heat. The next thing is capacity and that depends on your needs. I have a Hamilton Beach convection countertop oven that has served me well for several years and tens of thousands of bullets. But what ever oven you end up with get a Taylor Oven Guide Thermometer, about $10, and use it to monitor your temperature, don't trust the dial.
Attachment 175227

[WFO2]

Just need it to hold 400 degrees and have decent capacity .Thanks

[slim1836]

Convection oven is a must for me, it eliminates hot spots.

Slim

[HABCAN]

I got a little Oster from amazon for reasonable $$ and it holds temp just fine TYVM.

[Nick Quick]

I think I'll buy the PID from OBIII and use it on the oven just to make sure I keep the right temperature. On a different thread I read about how other people inserted the temp probe into the oven for an accurate reading.

[Dragonheart]

Nick, what ever your comfort level is, but if your oven holds the temp, after a few sessions you will probably just set the timer and come back when they are done. A good thermometer you can read through the glass is all you actually need. If the temp is a little high or you cook them longer, it doesn't make any difference and this came from the tech's at Prismatic Powder. The process just needs 400 degrees for 10 minutes for most powders. If it were rocket science there would be a lot fewer posters on this site.

[Nick Quick]

Yes Dragon, that makes sense. Like in any activity trial and error will fix any issue. And the best part with lead bullets is that we can always melt our mistakes and start allover like nothing happen.

[fredj338]

Got this one at Wally, two 12" racks means quite a few bullets. The therm reads 425 to get 400 on mine, but works fine. Hard to beat for $50.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/37818667?...&wl13=&veh=sem

[Half Dog]

I got my oven at Costco.

[Dragonheart]

I got my Hamilton Beach as gift from my mother in law, I do think she may have used it once. I cut down and TIG welded an old rack to give me three, so I can now cook 1K plus at a time.

[Fishman]

Nu-wave or generic aren't cheap, but have the advantage of not moving boolits after set up. Take the oven to the boolits. I now just set boolits on parchment on a board so I can be setting boolits while they cook.

What brand is that? I can't find it on Amazon. All of them have a top that sits on a bowl, which negates the advantage of your system.

[RogerDat]

Mine is a small salvation army purchase, might be a Black & Decker. Has heating element above in center and a couple below front and back. Only do around 50 - 60 at a time but the temperature is even, probably because the thing is so small. Rate of production is only about 150 an hour but I am doing other stuff in the garage while the bullets bake. 3 1/2 hours to have 500 nice rifle bullets, I can live with that. Larger might be nice eventually but the small one is easy to store and worth every bit of the $5 I spent on it.

+1 on you need a thermometer, can mark the dial after finding where you get the temperature you need using the thermometer but dial is worthless.

[jcren]

What brand is that? I can't find it on Amazon. All of them have a top that sits on a bowl, which negates the advantage of your system.

That is a nu-wave brand, but I have seen a sunbeam of the same configuration for about $50. They are infrared and convection and work well even on tall bullets like the Lee .309-230. That pic was an early test, I now set as many bullets out as I can squeeze without knocking em over.

[Fishman]

That is a nu-wave brand, but I have seen a sunbeam of the same configuration for about $50. They are infrared and convection and work well even on tall bullets like the Lee .309-230. That pic was an early test, I now set as many bullets out as I can squeeze without knocking em over.

Thanks. The nu-wave are a bit pricey but no more than any other reloading tool. It looks like the sunbeam must have been discontinued as the current model is a top with a separate bowl like most others. I wonder if the expansion ring could be used without the bowl and the oven set on something heatproof. If a cheap suitable base could be used, one could have more than one and set and cook bullets without moving a one. I really like your idea.