Toaster Oven Questions

[OTShooter]

I got the cheapest toaster oven I could find - it wound up being a $30 Hamilton Beach unit that seems to be well made. The baking pan and rack that came with it have made me wonder if I have the right idea about how to bake my PC'd boolits.

The pan is much smaller than the rack, about 8-" by 9", while the rack is obviously larger. I've been told that "silicone baking sheets are the way to go" when baking PC'd boolits because they're sturdy and reusable. Do I put the (appropriate sized) baking sheet directly on the oven rack? I can picture placing the mat on the rack, placing the boolits on the mat, then putting the whole thing into the toaster oven. Is that an appropriate method?

Does the location of the toaster oven rack matter? I used a reliable oven thermometer to calibrate my new toaster last evening, and had the thermometer on the baking pan, with the pan on the rack at its lowest level. Since I let the unit cycle several times before checking the temperature, I'm pretty sure the rack height didn't matter for this test, but what does experience say about this?

Thanks!

[Flailguy]

I use a silicone mat on top of the baking pan then boolits on top.
Not sure if your oven operates like mine did but it would continue to get hotter the longer It was on.
I have since switched to a PID

[Camper64]

I have that toaster oven and it works great for me. Just make sure you pre-warm it before putting a batch in otherwise I think you could overheat the boolits. I've been using parchment paper but plan on getting some silicon mats. The bottom of my tray is not perfectly flat (it has some design stamped into it) but hasn't affected me standing up my pistol boolits.

[Walter Laich]

I started with the silicone mats but now have gone to the shake and dump method.

Used some wire mesh to custom fold a tray that would fit my oven

Now I shake the bullets, PC and BBs, separate the BBs and powder from the bullets in a colander and dump the bullets in the tray. I gently shake the tray so I have only layer of bullets and bake them.

I dump them out after about a 30 second wait after they come out of the oven

does fine for me and no leading

[Conditor22]

Nothing wrong with toaster ovens IF you keep the number of boolits you bake at one time down to a minimum

[Iwsbull]

Same oven run about 110 give or take 10 of 44’s per bake. Watch your temp as they are not the most accurate thing out there and as mentioned preheat.

[OTShooter]

Does the rack/pan height in the oven make a difference? Mine has two sets of slots for the rack, one pretty low, and the other just above the middle of the oven's height.

[cwlongshot]

I dont use the pans at all. I use organizer baskets from bed bath and beyond.

Tumble shake adjitate your bullets. Dump into basket and sift off extra powder. Transfer to second basket sift again till you get even layer in basket and bake...

No special foil no silly matte

Just simple and ya need some kinds basket to sift off powder anyhow!

Good luck!

CW

[Retumbo]

I upgraded to a used convection toaster oven. Got it off kijiji. Best thing I ever did. Mind you I also hooked it up to my PID controller

[Dragonheart]

My old Hamilton Beach (since 2012) has cooked tens of thousands and still going strong, but the very first thing you need to do is see if your oven will reach 400 degrees. Next see how well it will stay at 400 without a lot of variation. To do this you need and accurate and quick reading thermometer to monitor the temperature. The easiest and cheapest way to do this is with a Glass Taylor Oven Guide thermometer ($12 at Amazon) that you can read through the door. If the oven meets the test then I would take the next step and wrap the wire racks with sheetmetal, roof flashing works well for this. Wrap front to back on the rack so as not to interfere with slide operation. You will now have a flat surface for the silicon mats, which can be cut to fit. And yes silicon is the best way to go I found mine at Costco in 2012 and still using them.

[RKJ]

I've got 2 ovens that I got at the Salvation army for about $10.00 each. I shake & name with Smok's powder, such off the excess and put them in the oven at 350-400 degrees for 20 minutes. I pull them out when they are warm enough to put on a counter top and put the next batch in. They pass the smash test and shoot from my pistols and rifles just fine. No offense to anyone but I think we sometimes make this casting thing harder than it needs to be.

[Dragonheart]

No offense to anyone but I think we sometimes make this casting thing harder than it needs to be.

You are absolutely right casting and PC is remarkably easy, but like anything there are rules to follow and there will always be those through ignorance, arrogance or stupidity will not follow rules.

[RKJ]

You are absolutely right casting and PC is remarkably easy, but like anything there are rules to follow and there will always be those through ignorance, arrogance or stupidity will not follow rules.

You are absolutely correct. I wasn't trying to throw stones, but I wonder if we don't put new comers to casting, PC'ing etc off by making it sound too hard. I've made plenty of mistakes while doing this but luckily they didn't hurt anything but my pride.

[OTShooter]

RKJ, you’ve really made an excellent point. The idea that “you just shake your bullets in this fancy powder, then cook ‘em for a while, and you have shootable bullets” just seems too darn simple.

There are obvious details that need attending to, like the temperature and length of time to cure the PC, and tricks to get smoother coverage, but the hardware seems to be the complex part. And from what I am getting here, as well as from other sources, the only complex part is “make sure it gets hot enough.” The rest (parchment paper, silicone sheet or just a rack, for example) is literally just details.

But as a really seriously noobie at this, (and as someone who has plenty of experience at demystifying some pretty mysterious stuff*), I’ve been trying to collect the right guidance and file it away in some sort of orderly manner. And that has been a challenge; how much of what I’ve read has been “it’s worked for me,” and how much has been “it really has to be this way”?

And finally, being located in “the slow-bake oven of the US,” also known as Central Texas, I have a number of challenges for actually DOING any of this, since the weather has to somewhat cooperate. So I have probably too much time on my hands, which means I probably overthink the details a lot.

*I spent a LONG time as an electronics instructor in the USAF, and since retirement I became an occupational therapist (NO, I won’t help you get a job ), treating people with life-changing injuries and illnesses. Demystifying stuff is one of my daily tasks.

[RKJ]

RKJ, you’ve really made an excellent point. The idea that “you just shake your bullets in this fancy powder, then cook ‘em for a while, and you have shootable bullets” just seems too darn simple.

There are obvious details that need attending to, like the temperature and length of time to cure the PC, and tricks to get smoother coverage, but the hardware seems to be the complex part. And from what I am getting here, as well as from other sources, the only complex part is “make sure it gets hot enough.” The rest (parchment paper, silicone sheet or just a rack, for example) is literally just details.

But as a really seriously noobie at this, (and as someone who has plenty of experience at demystifying some pretty mysterious stuff*), I’ve been trying to collect the right guidance and file it away in some sort of orderly manner. And that has been a challenge; how much of what I’ve read has been “it’s worked for me,” and how much has been “it really has to be this way”?

And finally, being located in “the slow-bake oven of the US,” also known as Central Texas, I have a number of challenges for actually DOING any of this, since the weather has to somewhat cooperate. So I have probably too much time on my hands, which means I probably overthink the details a lot.

*I spent a LONG time as an electronics instructor in the USAF, and since retirement I became an occupational therapist (NO, I won’t help you get a job ), treating people with life-changing injuries and illnesses. Demystifying stuff is one of my daily tasks.

OTshooter, It really is that simple. Of course, I fell into casting and PC'ing after a lot of people did much testing and trial to make it that way. I hope I don't sound as if I begrudge anyone doing this hobby any way they want (as long as they are safe) it's that I see someone ask a question and folks will tell them they have to do this or have that to do it right. There are plenty of ways to PC and you can make bullets that are accurate and stout without all the extras that some use.
Doggone, I saw your job and was going to ask if you could get me a good job, I guess that's off the table though,

[fredj338]

I use a convection pizza oven, bought new for $50 from wally. It has two racks. I use wire drawer organizers that are 6x9. Each one holds 150/9mm standing up. So I can bake 600 at a whack. I usually load up two trays though & bake them while I load another two & just keep that rotation going.
I shake & bake in #5 containers with ASBB. I use a a jig from plastic ammo trays to set my bullets. It makes loading the trays faster & easier. Bake time is 13-14m @ 400. Yes it is that simple.

[longcruise]

Mine is a convection oven that has both a temp and timer setting. First thing I did is get a glass faced oven thermometer and tested it at 400* It will fluctuate between 400 and 410 throughout a twenty minute cook. I preheat it. I use the nonstick foil on top of the pan that came with it and cook away.

I'm all new at this and have only cooked a few batches but I did a whole lot of research to get started. Got iffy results with the Harbor Freight stuff so I tried Powder By the Pound with a super durable black and couldn't be happier.

[Conditor22]

I use a convection pizza oven, bought new for $50 from wally. It has two racks. I use wire drawer organizers that are 6x9. Each one holds 150/9mm standing up. So I can bake 600 at a whack. I usually load up two trays though & bake them while I load another two & just keep that rotation going.
I shake & bake in #5 containers with ASBB. I use a a jig from plastic ammo trays to set my bullets. It makes loading the trays faster & easier. Bake time is 13-14m @ 400. Yes it is that simple.

Your PC is getting baked BUT it is not getting fully cured. read the manufacturers' instructions.

bake for XX minutes at XXX degrees AFTER (1) the material has reached XXX° or(2) the PC starts to flow.

PC that is not fully cured may be affected by smokeless gunpowder over time if Bake time is 13-14m @ 400.

[Walks]

Mine is a 2 shelf Convection Oven.

And Yes it can get too hot on the top shelf. I've had bullets on the top shelf melt before the 20min were up.

I use a seperate hanging Oven Thermometer. And non-stick foil. That foil will last a long time.

Don't put your Oven on the side shelf of your Gas Grill on a HOT day. That's what melted the bullets on the top shelf.

I use mini cookie sheets with the foil liners. Two trays to bake and 2 trays to set up.

Dump them in a water bucket and set the empty trays on the cold concrete to cool.

[Dragonheart]

OTShooter, you are correct, start our with the right equipment and the whole process just becomes an assembly line. Getting the bullets hot enough is also absolutely correct, but cooking at the right temperature usually 400F is is where there seems to be some confusion because temperature only half of the equation; the other half is time.

Cooking for an appropriate amount of time is usually 10 minutes, but the timing doesn't start when your oven gets to 400 degrees because the thermometer is measuring air temperature, not the substrate of the bullets, which may be significantly less. To get a full cure the timing starts when the bullet surface reaches 400F.

For example I have cooked 2800, 9mm bullets in my toaster oven in a single cook, so my pre-heat time was considerable even after the thermometer reading air temperature reached 400F. The powder starts to flow below 200 degrees, if I had used 10 minutes after flow like Eastwood Powder Company indicates, my bullets would have been severally undercured. Granted most here do not cooks thousands of bullets at a time as I do, but I believe in learning a technique that always works and using "After Flow" ain't it!. So you can guess when you think the surface will reach 400 and just add more time or you can use a thermometer to measure the bullet temperature.

Living in the Gulf Coast of Texas our summers (Heat & Humidity) are not what I would call ideal for casting and coating, but our best time for doing that is now fast approaching.