Playing with brass!

[Randy Tidwell]

The other annealing system I am considering is:

https://www.ampannealing.com/

Anyone using one of these?

 

[CAV2108]

On my Bench Source Annealer I've never had a case need more the 3-4 seconds. They are like Microwave popcorn. They go from OK to burned in microseconds ;-).

Yep. Not something that should be done "by eye and hand", unlike peeling an apple. You can ruin a lot of good brass in a few minutes. I use an inexpensive annealeez machine that does a good consistent job and the temperlac liquid to set the machine up and know what the temperatures are. Easy peasy, I keep some otherwise damaged brass around to do the set up with and then I load my good stuff on and head to the cooler for a beer.

 

[tbrice23]

Forgot to mention: use a cordless drill with a socket to hold the brass and put your torch in a vice. Also, I use a metronome (iPhone app) for timing and a dark room works best so you can see when the brass starts to turn that orange red hue at which point you've gone just a touch too long in the flame

This is exactly the way I used to do it before I built my automatic machine.

 

[zb338]

The minute you see color change you are done. Cherry red
could blow up your gun. I may be wrong but many years ago
I blew up a nice .220 Swift heating to cherry red and dropping in
water.

Zeke

 

[Canhunter35]

The slower you heat them the more forgiving the final temperature becomes. I don't time them, I let the brass display when it's done

 

[Barrelnut]

Not something that should be done "by eye and hand",

Well it does take someone with a little hand/eye coordination. But a lot of people have that. Anyone who fancies themselves a half decent shot should have the hand/eye coordination for hand annealing.
With a just a little practice someone can be very consistent with a torch, socket, and drill.

 

[Canhunter35]

Well it does take someone with a little hand/eye coordination. But a lot of people have that. Anyone who fancies themselves a half decent shot should have the hand/eye coordination for hand annealing.
With a just a little practice someone can be very consistent with a torch, socket, and drill.

Lol, I agree, squeezing the trigger is harder than annealing.
I have no science, but it's my experience that annealing produces a malleability that is forgiving concerning bullet velocities.
Freshly annealed 308 brass does not differ very much from annealed brass on its second firing.

 

[MagnumManiac]

I agree with the time/heat and as soon as the orange hue is seen, it's outta the flame and into the tub to cool.
I built my own mechanised system some time ago now, but prior to this I did it by a lazy Susan, then the battery drill deal.
I anneal copper and brass for work, so I know what I'm looking for in the color flow through the brass. That orange hue is gas just starting to be released by the metal, the time it is doing that is critical to a 'good' anneal or an 'over' anneal situation. I find 6-8 seconds gives me a 'good' anneal 95% of the time with most brass brands. Some other brands, like Norma, anneal faster.

Cheers.

 

[Dirtrax]

I use the hand drill/torch method with great results although I am trying to get a salt bath unit. I use 750* tempilaq to set my timing which averages around 7 seconds. That seems to right in line with Mr. Manic. Barrelnut describes the process well. Once you get the timing and adjustment figured out it goes remarkably fast with repeatable results.

 

[Inline6]

They are to hot, I did that a long time ago. After 4 reloads I had case head separation.

 

[SealT5]

There's an old Indian saying about annealing..."if your not using a machine you shouldn't be doing it!"

Annealing with the lights off is no different than eyeballing powder charges

 

[Barrelnut]

Old Indian saying; "There is a difference between truth and your reality."

 

[Nimrodmar10]

Dang, I've been doing it wrong for 50+ years

 

[Pieter Willem Vorster]