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Thread: Toaster Ovens -- the new Toilet Paper (and a question)

  1. #1
    Boolit Master mehavey's Avatar
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    Toaster Ovens -- the new Toilet Paper (and a question)



    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Toaster Ovens are the new toilet paper of recent COVID shortage. So when I happened uppn a (relatively) inexpensive Hamilton Beach EZ-Reach as the only thing left on a Walmart shelf, I grabbed it.

    First trial at controlling Temp to 400 degr (set at 360) resulted in this:



    We're talking 600dgr (+) for that to happen. Stuck a digital probe in this morning to find WILD fluctuations (hit 567 in 5 min when set at 360)

    Word to the wise.....

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Now the Question: Is there anything in Harbor Freight White powder coat that
    would significantly affect the alloy/hardness if I throw the rejects back in the pot ?

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
    Rick Hodges's Avatar
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    My experience with HF red and black, and other of Smoke's powder coating is it just floats to the surface as dross to be skimmed off. Oh, and it stinks a bit.

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy
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    no, it wont
    Good Judgment comes from Experience, Experience comes from Bad Judgment !

  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy
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    nope

    get a garage sale / thrift store oven for $15

    get a PID controller from amazon for $15

    gut toaster oven electronics and replace with PID control

    put type K thermocouple through toaster wall and have it dangle over whatever you are cooking

    wire it so you only use the bottom element (dont use top element)

    use the solid tray as you have shown..might want to put some crumpled then flattened alum foil on it so whatever you cook has slightly reduced conductive heating

    you are done
    Last edited by guy_with_boolits; 07-21-2020 at 02:56 PM. Reason: added some juicy details

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy
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    Had heating/ Melting issues with my oven..... now I put a cookie sheet/ pan on the top rack and one one the bottom..... to block direct heat from elements and put boooolits in a mesh wire basket when cooking them..... melting problems stopped

  6. #6
    Boolit Master 44Blam's Avatar
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    I got a *** toaster oven from Target... I think it was around $20. I set it to about 300-320 and it gets plenty hot.

    Set it to 400 once and did two batches of boolits, the second batch were nearly puddles...
    WWG1WGA

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
    405grain's Avatar
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    I got a disgustingly gross toaster oven for free that was being thrown out from the break room at work. It is sad looking. It must have cooked ten thousand toaster pizzas and tacos. I wouldn't cook food in this thing, it's grungy. But it works great!!! Powder coated bullets come out perfect. The problem you guys are having is because you paid too much. Those high quality toaster ovens are for making a souffle. For making good boolits you need something more hillbilly. You need to find one at a yard sale with a sign that says $5. Of better yet, one sitting on the curb with a sign that says "free". Yes siree Bob, the crappier the better. If you dig one out of a dumpster you've got it made! So quit looking in the gourmet food sections, you need a sow's ear not a silk purse.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by 405grain View Post
    I got a disgustingly gross toaster oven for free that was being thrown out from the break room at work. It is sad looking. It must have cooked ten thousand toaster pizzas and tacos. I wouldn't cook food in this thing, it's grungy. But it works great!!! Powder coated bullets come out perfect. The problem you guys are having is because you paid too much. Those high quality toaster ovens are for making a souffle. For making good boolits you need something more hillbilly. You need to find one at a yard sale with a sign that says $5. Of better yet, one sitting on the curb with a sign that says "free". Yes siree Bob, the crappier the better. If you dig one out of a dumpster you've got it made! So quit looking in the gourmet food sections, you need a sow's ear not a silk purse.
    Nailed it!
    Paid $3 for a Quisinart digital convection toaster oven at the Anglican Thrift store. Got about a pound of pewter for a buck too.
    Build a PID for your basic toaster oven , you will not regret it. cost will be under $20 if you shop careful. Use the same PID on your lead pot if you do not already have one, you will not regret it.
    Go now and pour yourself a hot one...

  9. #9
    Boolit Buddy
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    nothing beats a thermometer inside sitting on the tray of boolits when you don't have the PID gizmo....my years old Lyman thermometer has made the PP journey and keeps reinforcing the worthlessness of the temp dial on my cheap toaster over.....with no electronic skills, the PID discussion remains a mystery

  10. #10
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    When I first got into PCing I had this happen more than once. My oven's temp controller is pretty accurate but it still happened sometimes....Try lower settings and maybe get an over thermometer to double check things. The PC will still flow and cure if you don't have the temp exactly right.

    I eventually found some powders with lower flow-out temps (350ish) and experimented with those. Found a few a I liked and use them exclusively now. Still have some HF and Matte black, but these days it's mostly clear and white in 'low temp' powders.

  11. #11
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by 10x View Post
    Nailed it!
    Paid $3 for a Quisinart digital convection toaster oven at the Anglican Thrift store. Got about a pound of pewter for a buck too.
    Build a PID for your basic toaster oven , you will not regret it. cost will be under $20 if you shop careful. Use the same PID on your lead pot if you do not already have one, you will not regret it.
    double ding ding to both you and 405grain

    cheap toaster oven from garage sale/thrift store
    new but cheap PID controller

    and as I mentioned, you want things getting hot from convection, not conduction or radiation, so put your items to be cooked on the solid tray, and use only the bottom element so any heat reaching them will have to come through the air

    result:
    you are living high on the hog

  12. #12
    Boolit Master mehavey's Avatar
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    FWIW:
    - The digital probe/thermometer shown in Post#1 indicates that (once you find the dial setting) the temp is controlled at 400 +/- 5dgr * **
    - Bullet sat upright on Parchment paper placed on the support wire/screen gives an absolutely no-stick removal (none), and totally clean base
    - LESS is more when it comes to using the Tupperware container/bullets/Powder when placed in the vibration Tumbler. LESS (a lot less) powder results in a charged-particle "dust storm" in the container... coating everything in a extremely rich velvet. Dumping in MORE powder doesn't allow the grain-elevator dust environment to form... and results in very poor coating.



    *Required for EastCoat
    ** Interesting that the temp is 425 before the bullets are put in.
    The thermal mass then drops things to 400 and stays there

  13. #13
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    Texas by God's Avatar
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    I use a "rescue" toaster oven with an added 1/4" thick steel plate on the rack. Wrapped in parchment paper, the added plate works just great to bake PC- and the price was right.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

  14. #14
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by guy_with_boolits View Post
    double ding ding to both you and 405grain

    cheap toaster oven from garage sale/thrift store
    new but cheap PID controller

    and as I mentioned, you want things getting hot from convection, not conduction or radiation, so put your items to be cooked on the solid tray, and use only the bottom element so any heat reaching them will have to come through the air

    result:
    you are living high on the hog
    Pretty much, I have less money invested in gear for power coating than I have paid for powder coating powders.
    PID included I am still under $25.00
    Go now and pour yourself a hot one...

  15. #15
    Boolit Master RKJ's Avatar
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    Do yourself a favor and throw out that HF white powder. Get some (any color) Smokes powder and you'll see a world of difference in quality. I've found I don't need the BB's and quit using them.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master mehavey's Avatar
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    Effectively threw it out (or at least relegated it to back closet). `Am now running EastCoat Red Mirror.
    90-sec in static-producing TupperWare container in vibrator Tumbler and it comes out looking like antler velvet.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    I'll try these same bullets without the gaschecks (as some have suggested) tomorrow.

    10x: Have you got a suggested PID Controller source?

  17. #17
    Boolit Master 44Blam's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mehavey View Post
    Effectively threw it out (or at least relegated it to back closet). `Am now running EastCoat Red Mirror.
    90-sec in static-producing TupperWare container in vibrator Tumbler and it comes out looking like antler velvet.

    Click image for larger version. 

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ID:	265178

    I'll try these same bullets without the gaschecks (as some have suggested) tomorrow.

    10x: Have you got a suggested PID Controller source?
    I've got the same boolit, but they are pretty fresh cast/PC. So it's gonna be a couple weeks before I shoot 'em.

    I went with blue though - and I had Tom make my mold without the lube groves.
    Click image for larger version. 

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    WWG1WGA

  18. #18
    Boolit Master mehavey's Avatar
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    OOC: What alloy are you casting that would require 2 weeks wait time ?

  19. #19
    Boolit Master 44Blam's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mehavey View Post
    OOC: What alloy are you casting that would require 2 weeks wait time ?
    With these, I cast 'em with 4:1 ww to lino so they're hard. The lino I'm using at this point is letters and they clink. They dross a lot of junk, but it's good hard lino.
    I usually wait at least a couple weeks to shoot a boolit after casting. It lets them harden a little more. I just get a pipeline going and then I always have boolits once I get things going.
    WWG1WGA

  20. #20
    Boolit Master mehavey's Avatar
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    OK, got it.

    I'm casting a true #2 (RotoMetals), so the "day after" things
    are pretty much what they're going to be . . .forever.
    '

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check