The PC Oven Thread

[308Jeff]

Was going to start PC'ing today, but after a bit of testing I decided this $5.00 oven I bought at a yard sale just isn't going to cut it. It's way too small (heating elements are too close to the racks), and no matter where I set the T-stat, it won't settle anywhere near 400. Just wants to do 250, or 475.

Tell us what make/model you're using, and how you'd rate it on a scale of 1-10.

I don't mind spending some money on an oven, just want it to be one that I trust and am happy with.

[OS OK]

Jeff, I'm using a cheap convection oven bought new at K-Mart. It was about $40.00 and though it will do 120 or more casts at a time it is not 'digitally' controlled...'BIG MISTAKE'...I could have bought the $100.00 model, but being a cheapskate I screwed the pooch here!
I have had to fight this thing to get consistent temperatures by using an auxiliary temperature oven probe...once I fried a batch of clear gloss PC'd casts and they turned a slight hue of gray. They all went back to the lead pot as I was disgusted with the results.

If I were to do it again...and, if I had the room for it in the shop, I'd look for someone who was replacing a wall mount oven and use that instead because you can PC larger batches with total control over the temperature...you can also PC other things that you fabricate in shop.
I think GTrubicon is going to go this route because he makes all kinds of metal things for the jeep and his home and countless other things and he has room for a large oven...that sucker has a shop larger than my entire house!

If you can afford it Jeff..get a digitally controlled convection oven...you won't look back because PC is here to stay!

I rate my little cheapo *** oven at -6 on a scale from 1 to 10 !

[farmerjim]

Wallmart oster extra large convection oven. $90 when I got it. Works fine for me.

[MyFlatline]

Yep, a wall oven is the cat's meow. Only a 20amp circuit for most of em. I got mine from a thrift store for 20 bucks. If you have something like a Habitat for Humanity store around, they get a lot of building materials. I even had an old wall oven cabinet to stick it in.

On the right going in..

[Grmps]

My first oven (Over a year old -w- tons of boolits baked it's still going strong) Hamilton Beach 31331 Convection Toaster Oven $59.00
Then I bought a second ( I had to, $15 good will) a large Oster convection counter top oven, will bake 18 pounds of boolits at a time.
I lined the bottom of both of them with ceramic BBQ briquettes. Once they come to temperature, they help return the oven to temperature faster after opening the door. Both temperature guages were off (99.9% of counter top oven guages are off) but after I put 2 oven thermometers in the middle of the shelf I bake on and saw where to set the oven temperature to get 400 on teh thermometers both have 400 after warmed up.
If you want/need large volumes a kitchen wall oven is the way to go. but remember, with my smaller convection oven I could run 5 trays of PC'd boolits per HR (358pcs 158 grn x 5 trays = 1,772 per hour.

[Walter Laich]

Walmart

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays...White/54514797

fits what little room I have for it

[Dirtjumper895]

I use a Oster Convection oven, bought it used from Craigslist for 20 bucks. When I built my PID controller for my casting pot, I ordered an extra thermocouple. I drilled a hole in the oven where the rotisserie shafts once was and inserted my thermocouple there. My PID controlled oven will go right to 400, and stay about +-5 degrees.

[HABCAN]

Small Oster suits my purposes just fine.........IIRC it cost ~CDN$60 new with warranty on amazon.ca. YMMV.

[Budzilla 19]

Convection oven from Walmart for me. Works great. Once I learned where 400f was, it does great.

[Lagamor]

Has anyone found a place that has extra wire racks and trays for the Oster ovens?
I think three racks would be ideal.

[gtrpickr]

This is a good thread, I seem to see alot about what methods people use but not alot about the types of ovens they use. I will have to keep an eye on this one. I am using a basic GE toaster oven right now it seems to hold temp pretty good but if it goes bad on me it will be good to see what others are using and having good luck with.

[alfloyd]

This is the one I use.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hamilton-...31101/35241816

I just put a PID probe in to measure the temp and adjust to 400 deg.

Lafaun

[Grmps]

Word of warning,
If you put a PID on your convection oven, you should "hard wire" the circulating fan to an out side power source so it's always on otherwise the constant PID controlled off/on temperature controll will burn out the fan

[slide]

Mine is the Oster convection oven. My pid is a sixteen dollar multi meter. Drilled a hole in the base of a bullet,secured the thermocouple in it with high heat aluiminum tape. Goes in with the bullets so I know exactly what the temp is.

[CASTER OF LEAD]

Has anyone found a place that has extra wire racks and trays for the Oster ovens?
I think three racks would be ideal.

I use elcheapo cookie sheets and cut them to fit my rack system. Then I lay down a silicone baking sheet and at all four corners drill small holes and wire tie the silicone mat to the tray.

[daloper]

I have a $50.00 Oster convection oven that I bought at Best Buy. I put the crumb tray on the bottom to keep the direct heat from the elements off the bottom of the pan I bake on. I picked up 3 small cookie sheets at Bed Bath and Beyond and slide them onto the wire rack that is in the middle spot. With 3 sheets I can keep them rotating with one baking one cooling and one being prepped for baking. Topped it all off with silicon baking sheets from Amazon that were full sized so I just cut them in half to fit the smaller pans.

[308Jeff]

Great info so far. If I had room for a full sized oven, I'd probably go that direction. Going to have to do a countertop model for now.

Here's the one I'm looking at. According to camelcamelcamel, it drops down to $60 on occasion, and I have an alert set.

https://www.amazon.com/Oster-Counter...SIN=B003Z34OME

Thoughts?

[OS OK]

Can't see any reason you'd be dissatisfied with that one Jeff...but just in case, I'll send you my address and I'll give it a home!

[308Jeff]

Seems fair!

[runfiverun]

you get a bunch of bullets in that oven and the 475 will drop down to 375 or so.