What kind of oven?

[rondog]

So, been thinking about trying to PC some bullets. Then I realized that I'm restoring a Willys Jeep and rebuilding my old Harley, and could PC a LOT of various small parts as well. I also have a bead blast cabinet and big compressor.

My question is - will a typical kitchen range work for an oven? Or does this require something special? A buddy just bought a new range and has to get rid of his old one. So I'ma thinking about glomming onto it.

[Beagle333]

People do much better with a convection oven. It helps to keep the cure rate even, to have the same temp air circulating all over and around the boolits. But a regular oven will do in a pinch. You might have some areas that cure better or worse than others.

[bangerjim]

Boolits are not critical in the whole schmem of things in PC'ing.

Coating items that will be used on vehicles and other things that are expected to last AND protect for a LONG TiME should be treated and baked as such.

If you are thinking about doing larger parts that would require a standard size kitchen oven, I would recommend a convection style. It will, as Beagle said, give you even thorough heating....something that is vital to large parts that you want to be protected and last a long time.

I know.......convections cost a bunch more.....but it depends on your expected quality of work, longevity expected, and simplicity of baking (not worrying about hot and cold spots).

You have our humble ideas. The choice is totally up to you and your money tree.

If your buddy's is free, try it. But........PC does NOT come off easily if it messes up!

bangerjim

[rondog]

Hmm, complications. What's convection mean, just has air circulation? Maybe I can rig up something?

Being unemployed, my money tree is pretty much a dead, withered little bush. So a freebie is very attractive. He's only a block away too, it'll be in my garage this afternoon.

[Beagle333]

Yes. They have a fan built in them that circulates the air and apparently the trick is to source the air from the appropriate place.
After a bit of research.... it does take a convection fan. You would need a scrapped one or a replacement fan off Fleabay or somewhere. But it is just a fan, a heavy duty fan designed for the heat. You would need to drill some holes in the side of your oven for it do draw air out and then it redistribute it to the top and bottom discharge vents that you will have drilled. It's do-able if you have the room for the fan and motor in your oven case. It's still do-able, just ugly, if you don't.

[Rushthezeppelin]

Hmm, complications. What's convection mean, just has air circulation? Maybe I can rig up something?

Being unemployed, my money tree is pretty much a dead, withered little bush. So a freebie is very attractive. He's only a block away too, it'll be in my garage this afternoon.

Just googled converting an oven. Seems a few people have thought of doing so but found nobody that had actually gone through with it. Someone suggested getting the parts list for a convection oven and getting the parts necessary to the fan and kinda build a house for it on the back of the oven. You would also have to make sure to redo the insulation around the fan unless you mount it inside the oven wall and not on the outside like you see with real convections. If you do this I'm not sure how you would get airflow behind the fan the be proper and actually suck from where it needs to come from.

[rondog]

Research is underway. I've asked on Jeep and bike forums that I hang out at, I know there's guys there that do lots of their own small parts. I'll see what the consensus is.

[bangerjim]

There is more to it than just "a fan" blowing air!!!!!!

The construction is of HIGH TEMPERATURE components and not just an ordinary fan. If you blow 400F air with a pimpy little fan, you will burn the bearings and winding out of it in no time. The heating elements of most true convection ovens are below and above the metal shell of the oven anyway and are not exposed. You would have no control over the temp because the profile of the standard oven cavity will be changed by adding all that other stuff in there you are trying to add.

Seriously...............if you are really strapped for cash, I would definitely consider waiting on this potentially expensive endeavor. Stick with your convection toaster oven and boolits for now until you have some liquid funds to play with.

I am an engineer and would not attempt such a modification, especially with limited funds. This quickly could end up being a big "black hole" for your cash.

Good luck in whatever you decide! And hope you find employment soon.

banger

[Beagle333]

Hmmm... now I'm curious as to how to do it!


edit.
After my beatdown on this thread for blaspheming the intricate wonders of convection technology..... I took mine apart and it is just a fan blowing air. It doesn't look at all like the back of the instrument cluster of the Space Shuttle. It is just a metal fan in a box bolted to the firewall, and has two wires going to it. Two!!!! That's all. I don't see why I couldn't have bought a scrap/replacement fan off Fleabay and drill some holes in my "firebox" and mounted it on the outside of the box and let draw in from the middle and blow out the top/bottom, just as the store-bought one I have is doing. True, the motor is outside the firebox and is pretty heavy duty... but if you have a fan designed for such abuse, it's just a fan blowing air. You guys.........

[Artful]

If your just moving the existing air inside the oven cavity you will create hot and cold spots - and the danger is the cold spot will be at the thermostat sensor so the oven will cycle on more than it should to heat that cold spot because of the moving air and the hot spot will now be 100 to 200 deg over the indicated temp. Convection Oven technology isn't just adding a fan to an existing model.

[rondog]

All the responses I'm getting from several other forums is that a regular old electric range oven will work just fine. So I'm gonna try it. I'm not doing this professionally, just want to do some bike parts and Jeep parts, and some boolits too of course.

[Moonman]

Piece of Cake.
Just purchase the BREVILLE BOV800XL "SMART CONVECTION OVEN"
at Bed Bath and Beyond $250 MSLP.
BBB has an online $50 OFF COUPON on line at times.

****DANGER*****
USE A DEDICATED OVEN FOR BAKING CHEMICALS!

[flyingmonkey35]

How big of part you talking.. A gas tank for example could fit in a standard oven..

Buy a HF espc machine 80 bucks. Look for the 25 % off coupons.

And look for used crappy oven. I can pick one up for 25 - 50 bucks at a local used shop.

Total cost should be no more the 125 bucks.

[bangerjim]

Don't forget the 220v in your shop to power the "old "oven!

banger

[rondog]

I have two 220 outlets already in the garage, for welder and compressor.

Already have an oven, buddy down the street just bought a new one and has old one to get rid of. Works fine, his wife just wanted a "matching" one.

SMALL parts! Brackets, steering linkage, pedals, brake parts, just little stuff.

Yes, the Harbor Fright unit will be the one.

[flyingmonkey35]

go for it, I would hook up a wiring harness on sliding drawer rails of some sort. that way the piece can HANG. while curing. and you can slide it in.

as your only using this for cooking Parts putting some holes in it is not going to hurt it any.

[bangerjim]

OK.....some do not have any idea what runs an oven!!!!!!! Just point it out.

Keep ventilation in mind because PC does off gas and in a closed shop it can get pretty stout if doing a huge oven full. I know my little toaster oven really stinks and it is outside.

banger

[Beagle333]

OK.....some do not have any idea what runs an oven!!!!!!!

Some don't. I got a handle on it now. See post#9.

[Rushthezeppelin]

I'd imagine PCing larger parts works a bit different than our bullets. Keep in mind the reason our food cooks evenly even in regular ovens most of the time is that the dish we put in acts as a heatsink and helps even out the heat in an oven. Our tiny bullets tend to not hold and even out heat in an oven near as well but medium to larger sized car parts will definitely soak up alot of heat and even things out. Makes me kind of wonder if you could put oven bricks in a conventional toaster oven and have more even heating for PCing.

[bangerjim]

I'd imagine PCing larger parts works a bit different than our bullets. Keep in mind the reason our food cooks evenly even in regular ovens most of the time is that the dish we put in acts as a heatsink and helps even out the heat in an oven. Our tiny bullets tend to not hold and even out heat in an oven near as well but medium to larger sized car parts will definitely soak up alot of heat and even things out. Makes me kind of wonder if you could put oven bricks in a conventional toaster oven and have more even heating for PCing.

Your explanation of why a standard tiny oven has hot & cold spots is exactly right. That is why a convection oven pretty much solves that problem.

Your brick solution is rather cumbersome and would require a large oven, a VERY long time to come up to temp and a severe waste of electric energy to heat up that dead mass! You would quickly spend the money on extra electricity you could use on actually buying a NEW GOOD convection oven. Doing things on the cheap.....is not always wise......or cheap.

banger