Anticipating some warmer weather and some range trips I tried to make some more "marshmallow targets". These are not really marshmallows but clumps of drywall compound the size of a marshmallow that we mold in the little paper condiment cups. Normally I use "Light Weight" compound that comes in a sack and has to be mixed with water and then poured, scooped, squeezed or what ever method comes to mind to get the stuff into the little paper cups. It is a messy process at best. This time I got a tub of premixed compound that was labeled low dust but I figured it would work and be an easier process. Well it is a total failure. After two days of drying time and then three hours in the oven at 200 degrees it is still damp and soft and has lost about 30% percent of it's volume and has large cracked cavities in the center. It sticks to the paper cups and can not be removed with out just breaking it to pieces. So I guess I will have to get some more of the Light Weight dry powder and mix it up and try again. I can't even salvage the paper cups I used.
This is what a successful batch looks like. The color was just an attempt to see what some food coloring would do but that was a wasted effort too. They explode in to a satisfying white cloud food color or not when hit by a rimfire bullet. These have become our favorite rimfire plinking target set out at 50 and 75 yards. They must be baked in the oven for a couple hours to make sure they are completely void of moisture and powder dry. That normally takes a couple hours of oven time at 200 to 250 degrees.
This is what my latest effort provided. Total failure. After letting them set for two days and then baking them in the oven for three hours they were still soft and damp and had large voids in the center. They have stuck to the paper and are useless.
This is what a successful batch looks like. The color was just an attempt to see what some food coloring would do but that was a wasted effort too. They explode in to a satisfying white cloud food color or not when hit by a rimfire bullet. These have become our favorite rimfire plinking target set out at 50 and 75 yards. They must be baked in the oven for a couple hours to make sure they are completely void of moisture and powder dry. That normally takes a couple hours of oven time at 200 to 250 degrees.
This is what my latest effort provided. Total failure. After letting them set for two days and then baking them in the oven for three hours they were still soft and damp and had large voids in the center. They have stuck to the paper and are useless.