Testing some different things in my oven

[SharuLady]

Hi,
Have been testing a few things in my Black & Decker convection oven. Some ASBB PC boolits, some trays I have purchased (from Dollar General). These are like a chromed or silver type coating. I needed to find out it they would stand up to the PCing Temps.

Some Trays I made from an old PC Desk that had Black Painted metal perforated partitions (they had to be cut down so to fit in oven)( but they have the small mesh grating much like the baskets that can be bought except this perforated grating is completely flat and not slightly raised like the baskets.

I wasn't sure if the paint on them would be a problem at PCing Temps. If the paint would not tolerate that temperature and would smoke or burn or flake then I would have to strip them down before using them again.

So.... I ran 1 of each type of tray in the oven at 400*F for 30 min and both types of trays did fine with no problems. I let them cool then ran them again at 450*F for another 30 min. Again they did fine with no problems.

I have used a silicon pad (like a potholder) with hexagonal divots that 30/30 bullits fit in very nicely. The boolits remain standing (no falling over) but I must say the boolits were already GCed. So by just placing them into the divots until the GC was all that was in there, it did not interfere with the PC on the boolits. The boolits came out great and the silicon pads cleaned up very well.

I still need to try out and test Parchment Paper, NSAF, Flat silicon sheets cut to size of trays, and also the “Yoshi Copper Infused Silicon Mat” to see which works best for me. I am also looking at some of those Light Diffusers for standing up rifle boolits just to see how they would work.
I will be standing the boolits on their bases as I don't like the marking or mars when just dumped on a tray or bowl.

Now, I am only speaking for myself as to the dislike of the marking or mars marks from that method. As the old saying says: “To Each Their Own”.

SharuLady

[HABCAN]

Thank you for posting your testing and results! As you say, "to each their own", and posting information like this for others to see is really what this forum's all about. It's so good to read "This is what I did and this is what happened" vs. "What would happen if I..............?"

[SharuLady]

Hi HABCAN,

TY for your comment, Also TYVM for it was your info on the Silicon Trivet's that got me to try them out. Am very pleased with the outcome on PCed boolits with these.

Also wish to Thank 'OS OK' and "Dragon Heart' for the info on the "Taylor" oven gauge. That works really great and very accurate!

In addition wish to thank Smoke for the great powder coat!

The information shared here on these forums is such a great asset to those who are doing all types of things.

SharuLady

[SharuLady]

Hi,

I forgot to mention that I also tried using the Plastic coated Paper bowls with holes punched to allow the BB's & powder to separate from the bowl of boolits. It was a real good idea (sorry to say I have forgotten who came up with that idea). But for me, I felt even with them doubled they were (stressed) with the extra weight from the boolits.

So I opted to use a colander strainer & drilled the bottom 4 rows of holes so that the BB's & excess Powder could pass freely. Cleaned & smoothed up the new holes so no plastic minor shreds would get mixed up in the PC when separated.

Now I know many use Cardboard to catch the leftover PC & then put the excess PC back into their container, which is OK but then they use the same cardboard for different colors later and then they get a "cross mingling" of mixed colors on the next boolits. In itself that is not too bad 'except' that one may not want a "cross mingling" of colors.

So, with the colander and a 13x9 aluminum cake pan (old one on hand & kind of bent up) to catch the powder & BB's it can be cleaned up by Blowing them out with the air hose and them wiping them out with some alcohol.

I do plan to mix some colors to get some different shades or effects but in a better controlled affect. I am also testing ways to mix - blend the colors in a better way to make the blended colors to be more uniform. I do realize that some powders will not blend well with other colors but one can try and see how it goes.

Oh well I guess I have to admit to being a "Tad" (more or less) OCD or maybe its because I am a woman.

As the old saying says: “To Each Their Own”.

SharuLady

[Walter Laich]

I believe it is spelled CDO (alphabetical order)

I took pretty much the route you're planning on and will say you'll gather info at each step.

I finally (so far) have settled on dumping the ASBB, powder and bullets in a colander to separate then dump on a metal tray for baking. I can live with the small imperfections as they don't cause leading.

I totally understand those who want perfect PC bullets and wish you all the best in your quest. Everyone has their own goals in this hobby/obsession