My New Oven

[indifocus]

Needed to build an oven to p.c. two long parts.
One that is 3/8" x5 x 36-48", aluminum
And the other is 1.5x3 .125" channel aluminum that is 36"
Currently use two $80 convention ovens I bought at Blain's Farm and Fleet for the parts we pc here at my factory. They work great, heat up fast, and can do 6-7 small parts in 30 minutes. They get used daily.

So decided to build my own oven---they're expensive to buy and I wanted to use 120VAC.
Built a 'box' that is 20x20x54 ID. Then thought about going with propane heater, then electrical, then thought about buying two more of the ovens and gutting them. Because I use McMaster.com for a variety of parts, I saw a couple things that I thought might work:
a 200-550 deg controller, $180, a 1900 watt heating element, 120 VAC, for $56, and hi temp oven wire for $1.50 a foot.
Bought them and some high temperature insulation, 24x96", three of them for $14 each, backed that up with some 3" un-backed insulation from Menards.
All told, with metal studs, galvanized metal, bolts, screws, caulk, and rivets, have about $450 in it.
Before I took the trouble of mounting the door, I fired it up this evening to try it out. PCed two small parts in 45 minutes. Got REALLY hot inside, and the outside only got hot because I have not caulked the gaps in the oven wall sections yet; wanted to try it before I sank too much time in.
I used a cinch-strap to secure the door---which isn't done yet, as it has a bit of extra metal to trim off.
Considering the success with it, won't waste the time/effort/money on door hardware, just tighten it with the strap.

Attached are the photos....

[FigureLLC]

looks good. just a heads up, though... i suspect that element was designed to be mounted in air flow. if that's the case, it'll have a shortened life.

[indifocus]

Will be drilling a hole and mounting it inside. So how shorter?

[FigureLLC]

Originally Posted by indifocus

So how shorter?

why? heating elements that require a certain air flow need the air to carry away heat, otherwise they overheat. it's like if you cover the inlet on a hair dryer... the element turns bright red and will eventually burn out from overheating. how much shorter? it depends on a lot.

an example from mcmaster: "The fins provide a large surface area for excellent heat dissipation in forced-air heating equipment."

there are some other finned elements that don't say anything about air flow, so you could be fine. dunno. i only know enough about them to be cautious about how to use them. maybe track down technical manual from the manufaturer using the part model number. better to be prepared and maybe have a contingency plan if that one goes out than stranded without an oven if your customer needs a part.