Oven question.

[Bazoo]

I am gearing up to PC. I had a member help me with the powder, bbs, and the correct container.

Today, my friend who cleans houses presented me with a toaster oven. Its not a convection oven.

Can I use it with satisfaction or must I have a convection oven?

[MaLar]

It will work fine. I use a non convection oven and have no complaints. I'm not one to run out and buy what someone says is the best when I'm satisfied with what works for me.

[Walks]

Can't answer that question as I started out with a new 2 tray Convection.

I Do Know that you have to Watch Temp with an Oven Thermometer. Use the middle position.
Watch the temp.

All I can say until you try a few yourself.

[T_McD]

Should be fine. Get a thermometer to make sure it will get up to temp.

[Bazoo]

Thanks for the replies. I cant remember what temperature is recommended but i'll read back through some more of the stickies before I give it a shot. I got to cast some bullets first for the gun I want to try it in.

[NyFirefighter357]

400F for 20 min is the recommended time.

[Bazoo]

Thanks for the heads up NyFF357. Im in search for a thermometer now. Thinking momma might have one she aint using.

[Hossfly]

+1 on getting a thermometer, using old toaster oven myself, wont stay up to temp unless put on bake then will hold 400’ but you have to watch it like a hawk. Once you get use to it , you’ll do pretty good. Just be sure you bake long enough for the PC to flow and cure properly. Usually takes longer than 20 min. For room temp boolits to get there, do the smash test and if cured right with time and temp. You will be amazed at how good they do.

[Oily]

Every powder I have recommends 400 degrees for 20 minutes. With no convection fan that means 20 minutes after the coating starts to get wet looking. And if you are coating large boolits like 400 gr or 500 gr or even 250 gr or heavier for 357 or 44 you have to make sure that the boolit is up to temp to make sure the coating adheres to the boolit. The heavier the boolit the longer the bake. Placing ceramic tiles in the bottom of your oven below the heating rods will keep your temp more even and stay more stable when opening and closing in between batches if you are doing alot of boolits. I have never had leading with PC so far and I just follow the manufactures recommended curing times. Others have had success with lower temps and shorter curing times. I follow the manufactures guidelines and am pleased with the results. Make sure to use a #5 container to tumble the boolits and depending on your humidity level you may have to use the airsoft black bbs to get the static charge to get the powder to stick. And if you have a tumbler or vibratory tumbler you can use #5 containers in those and get awesome powder coverage with those. Even using HD ziplock baggies in a tumbler will get you amazing powder coverage. Sorry got carried away I have learned so much from this site and want to give back. My LGS wants me to put on a PC demonstration at there next smelting and casting school. Thank you members here who have schooled me in this fine art of cast boolit tech.

[rancher1913]

the only difference is the convection oven heats all levels of the oven the same, with a non-convection the top will get hotter than the bottom, most set the correct temp for the middle tray and only use that.

[cwlongshot]

My suggestion is to buy a thermometer. I like the laser jobbers for convince. Then experiment a little. Do small batches, like 4-6 boolits and test them. Don't worry about failure its gonna happen, embrace it and learn your only gonna ruin a few boolits and your time learning is never a waste. As long as the coating stays adhered to the boolit dosen't peel or flake off, your likely good do go.

Test with cubing and hammering flat and lastly longer term testing with a bit of powder on your bullet left to sit for a period of time to test any reaction.

NOT all powders and not even all powders from same supplier/manufacturer will have same cure times so read packaging!

Good luck and have fun!

CW

[daloper]

I second the thermometer. I started with a standard toaster oven but it would overshoot the temperature. The first time I used it ,I melted the bullets. Do a test run and monitor the temp so you know what to expect after you get started. I would watch my temp and had to keep turning it off and back on to maintain my temp. I hope that the one you have won't need that. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Bazoo]

Thanks for all the advice. I will keep y'all informed as progress is obtained.

[Conditor22]

Don't overload it. do small batches. I started with a toaster oven and moved quickly to convection. Toaster ovens don't heat evenly.

[Bazoo]

What do you consider small batches?

[Dragonheart]

With a non-convection oven I would suggest doing a single rack of bullets at a time. Convection is not a miracle worker, but the moving air does help in eliminating cold spots. However, when I cook with 5 full racks holding almost 3K 9mm bullets even convection doesn't heat all evenly. I use a glass Taylor Oven Guide Thermometer (about $12 on Amazon) mounted on my middle rack. Glass responds instantly, is accurate and lasts. Don't waste your money on a spring type as they are slow to respond, not accurate and don't last. If you check out Evil Bay you might find a vintage Taylor that is mercury filled or a mercury Serviceman's thermometer. Lately I have been using a inexpensive thermocouple cast into a bullet that sits in the middle rack to precisely measure the temperature.

Lastly most polyester powders cure at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, add extra time helps insure the cure. But the cure is based on when the substrate reaches 400 degrees not when the powder flows. 20 minutes after the powder flows is incorrect information that keeps circulating and is flat WRONG!
Can you imagine what I would end up with if I followed that 400/20 minute cure for 3K bullets? Follow the cure schedule of the Powder Manufacturer's, after all they make the stuff and know what is in it, and not some ignorant post on YouTube or post from a tool vendor like Eastwood.

[Willbird]

Can you imagine what I would end up with if I followed that 400/20 minute cure for 3K bullets? Follow the cure schedule of the Powder Manufacturer's, after all they make the stuff and know what is in it, and not some ignorant post on YouTube or post from a tool vendor like Eastwood.

What would you end up with ??

Bill

[Willbird]

Here are the time and temperature curves from the mfg of the powder I am currently using....some Elvis temps are totally within their specs as long as cure time is long enough. But generally they recommend from 356F to 410F.

[Dragonheart]

What would you end up with ??

Bill

I would end up with almost 3k of bullets, probably looking good, but all would be undercured as there is no 120V toaster oven on the market that is going to increase the substrate temperature to 400 degrees with that kind of a load in 10 minutes. The additional 10 minutes is needed at 400 degrees for a full cure. Even my full size oven running two 220V elements will not bring the substrate of 3K bullets up to 400 in 10 minutes after flow.

It is not the oven's air temperature that make the difference it is the temperature of the coated object. Mass/load, BTU input, insulation, oven seal, etc. are the reasons why this time after flow does not work.

Actually, I have reached my point in explaining this because for those that just don't get it my time would be better spent coating bullets.

[Willbird]

I would end up with almost 3k of bullets, probably looking good, but all would be undercured as there is no 120V toaster oven on the market that is going to increase the substrate temperature to 400 degrees with that kind of a load in 10 minutes. The additional 10 minutes is needed at 400 degrees for a full cure. Even my full size oven running two 220V elements will not bring the substrate of 3K bullets up to 400 in 10 minutes after flow.

It is not the oven's air temperature that make the difference it is the temperature of the coated object. Mass/load, BTU input, insulation, oven seal, etc. are the reasons why this time after flow does not work.

Actually, I have reached my point in explaining this because for those that just don't get it my time would be better spent coating bullets.

OK we will carry on with our experiments then , thanks for wasting the time you already did .

Bill