Salt Bath Annealing

[Deputy819]

Yep, dropping those cold cases into the salt bath knocks the temps back some. I like to let the salt get to 530 (ish) C and then start dropping cases in. I usually only do 50 or so at a time and the temp doesn't get below 500 C (so far) for the batch/time it takes. This annealing method works well for my needs. If there's a difference between 530C and 500C I wouldn't be able to prove it....

 

[shinbone]

Jimmy and Deputy - are you guys that a person can just set the salt bath heater to a fixed setting and any heat fluctuations as you cycle brass through the salt bath are too small to matter?

 

[Deputy819]

are you guys saying that salt bath annealing doesn't require the level of precise temperature control that a PID provides, and that a person can just set the salt bath heater to a fixed setting and any heat fluctuations are too small to impede the annealing process?

Nope.....don't see that in my post. The manual (as well as the video on YouTube) that comes with the Ballistic Recreations Kit states that a temp of 500C -550C will fully anneal brass cases. I simply wouldn't be able to prove that there would be differences in my brass at annealing temps of 500C compared to 530C.

 

[shinbone]

Okay, thanks for the clarification.

 

[whirlwindjml]

I finally got around today to anneal some brass with the Salt Bath annealer. It is so easy that a...Cave Man can do it. The only issue I had was maintaining a consistent temperature with the melting pot controls. It would fluctuate about 20 or so degrees (C), which I don't think would effect the process that much that I would be able to tell.

You do have to regulate a bit but its @ much safer temp so its more forgiving than the flame.

 

[misser]

ok oldish tread. can anyone say how much pressure is then being used to push the bullet into the brass ?

 

[slv hunter]

That depends on how you resize the necks of your brass, for how much tension you have.

 

[WYOHTF]

Wow
That video sure opened my eyes

I have stayed away from this method because people posting how dangerous and unreliable it is

I'm impressed

 

[WildRose]

Hey guys,
I stumbled onto this video and I wanted to hear your opinion on this method of annealing.

I like this. Probably the safest annealing and simplest system I've seen yet.

 

[misser]

That depends on how you resize the necks of your brass, for how much tension you have.

interesting i said pressure and U said tension . the two are some what related . hard brass will give a tight hole soft brass a not so tight hole. ok i am using a 21 centry arbor press, l e wilson dies . i watch the dial, the pressure builds, then when enough force has been applied the bullet moves into place . depending on how soft the brass is does make a difference as to how much force will be needed to push the bullet in .
the question should be, how much force should it take to push the bullet into the brass?? perhaps its just more important to use the same procedure every time you reload

 

[slv hunter]

My only gauge is my hand on the press. I feel like seating a bullet is more consistent after annealing, but no proof of that with my Rock chucker. Consistency is the goal for sure

 

[Alibiiv]

Okay, thanks for the clarification.

I'm pretty sure that if you do a little more searching on this forum there are some engineer gurus who have come up with a thermometer device that will adjust the temperature of the salt to maintain a constant temperature. I don't know if it was my particular melting pot, or if it was me, however my temperatures would vary a bit which required that I keep adjusting the temperature knob on the melting pot. I started out with the salt bath annealing system, however have changed over to an Annealeeze. I consider the salt bath system an excellent system that works, however if there's a mess up anywhere where there's a spill or if "somehow" water hits that hot salt the results will be catastrophic. THERE'S NO ROOM FOR ERROR IN THE "SAFETY" DEPARTMENT. I was dropping my cases into a 5 gallon bucket of water that was on the floor to the right of the melting pot, the water was splashing up quite high when the casing was hitting the water and coming a little closer to the melting pot than I felt comfortable with, so I moved it about three feet away. The setup that I had was quite similar to the one in the video, only a little to the left of the pot. Upon finishing up with the system, I removed the thermocouple and started to place it on a piece of cardboard. There was a drop of hot salt that hit the cardboard that instantly burned a hole right through that cardboard like a hot piece of metal. "My stupid", but nonetheless it showed me just how badly an error could go had it been my hand or a finger. It's a great system that works quite well, just remember to use it with caution; safety glasses, gloves and reading the manual will go a long way.

 

[daniel_k_malloy]

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[Mikecr]

Dipping works fine. Doesn't get easier, nor more consistent.
And like flame annealing is safer?
For a process anneal (NOT full annealing) there is nothing wrong with dip annealing, either salt or lead.