My end game is to turn one of the server rack frames (computer server rack) into an oven.
Think 2x3x6 foot capacity. Just waiting for other prospects and life to slow down.
I agree with the comments on even/uneven heat..... air circulation is required and will be part of my design.... someday
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That would be the perfect size.
One issue to watch out for though is that the paint sometimes used on these racks—especially the cheap ones—may need to be blasted off. I think I read they purposely use Bakelite in the paint, both because of its electrical insulation properties, but also because it smells horrible when heated (it's a phenol formaldehyde resin and is the phenols that stink). Bakelite is an original plastic still used for electrical components such as breakers and cooking pot handles, or incorporated into paints used in electrical applications such as server racks. It acts as an early warning system of sorts. When it heats up you may smell a problem soon enough to fix it. Not great for the inside of an oven—which is why they don't recommend pots with Bakelite handles go into the oven. However, many a house has been saved from fire due to the sickly sweet smell of a pot handle left unattended on a stove, or an over-heated main breaker. In fact this is what tipped me off in my house about 15 years ago when my 100 Amp mains failed.
Past its max operating temp (250C) it disintegrates (not melts) into a powder. It also does this below this temp if it is older or has had repeated heating cycles close to its max over decades. This powder can fall onto your project or be blown into it if you have an internal circulating fan.
The bigger concern might be heat lost leading to temp instability. I do know a guy that did the same thing with an old file cabinet. He got frustrated with the heat loss and ended up insulating it. I made an Arduino thermostat for him with a DS18B20 sensor tied into the heating element with a 10 degree dead band. It worked great once we found the perfect location for the sensor. Because that sensor tops out at 125C we had to mount it on the outside and then shield it from ambient temps....but it did work really well. Insulation was key to temperature control though. We punched a bunch of access holes into it so we could shoot a Fluke laser temp probe inside and do test measurements. I recall thinking that if the powder coat idea didn't pan out maybe we could use it as a smoker
Then I remembered the cabinet was from the 1960s and probably had lead paint, so maybe not a great idea after all
Best of luck. There are simple household tests for Bakelite (such as
here). But these probably don't work as well on paint as pure Bakelite.
Post when you get yours working though. It sounds like a fun project.
