Annealing temperature?

[DartonJager]

Was wondering if there is a accepted standard for what time period at a specific temperature to use for annealing brass.
Been all over the internet and have read temps anywhere from a minimum of 750*/F to a maximum of 1050*/F. Most of the data I have seen points to annealing at 800-850*/F for 4-5 seconds maximum.

Lastly does anyone know for certain what is the never to exceed temperature and time the brass spends exposed to said temperature?

Thanks,
DJ/Art

 

[dok7mm]

There is no standard temp/time for annealing because of the great variance in caliber sizes, case lengths and thickness of necks and shoulder.

 

[shphtr]

Annealing Made Perfect machine?

 

[jimbires]

it takes time and temp to anneal . the hotter you get the brass, the shorter time you keep it in the flame . the lower the temp the longer it needs to stay in the flame , and the more the heat travels through the entire case ruining it . from what I've read , 750* is the temp that anneals in a few seconds . doing it quickly keeps the brass case body and head cool , this is good . when I use tempilaq , I use 750*F inside the case neck , when it softens it's at that temp . bigger cases just take a second or two longer to get to temp , than smaller cases do . here is some info from ballistic edge , I use their machine . keep your old junk brass to practice on . the look of annealed brass is not all the same , so don't go by that . some , or most of my brass has very little sign of being annealed .

http://www.ballisticedgemfg.com/how-to-anneal.html

edit to add ;

I use a 2 torch machine . I'm probably in the flame 4 to 6 seconds , depending on what case I'm annealing . if you over cook your brass , it will be dull / no shine , and soft to where it won't hold a bullet . get your brass out of the flame before it glows red and you should not have over annealed it .

 

[DartonJager]

Thank all for sharing your knowledge with me. I spent quite a bit of time researching annealing prior deciding to try it out on my own. I figured that I was better to under-anneal my brass than to over anneal it. So I have decided to start with a minimum temp of 800*/F to a maximum temp of 825*/F and a maximum exposure time of 3-4 seconds.

I chose salt bath annealing as it offered the most exact temperature control of the methods I could afford. By using a temperature probe I can literally monitor and control the temp of the molten salt. By utilizing a shell holder and carefully limiting the level of the liquid salt I also can precisely within reasonable limits control the area of each piece of brass that is submersed in the 800-825* molten salt there by limiting only the case shoulder and neck to be exposed to the maximum affect of the annealing process.

As much as I would LOVE to buy one of the annealing machines currently available, I don't anneal enough brass to be able to justify the cost that varies from a minimum of $290/$300 to well over $500 dollars. The main reason I am annealing in the first place is two of my calibers I shoot often, 300 WSM and 35 Remington (shot a lot) are very, very difficult to find brass for. Although Norma brass for the 300wsm is usually available it is extremely (for me) expensive. In the case of the 35 Remington Hornady is the ONLY source I know of currently producing brass for 35 Remington, and it costs just shy of $1 per piece. While there are other annealing systems far less costly I could buy or build myself, they all lack the precise temperature control that salt bath annealing offers.

Having access to all the equipment for free to mitigate the safety hazards of salt bath annealing was the final deciding factor for choosing it as my annealing method for now. I also have a FLUKE temperature meter that will ensure I'm getting accurate temperature readings.

I have done three dry runs using 7.62x39 brass I have in large quantity and were impressed by the level of temperature control I could achieve and maintain as well as how quick and easy the entire process went.

Again thanks for sharing your information with me.

 

[Hand Skills]

Here is a good article from my bookmarks;

http://bisonballistics.com/articles/the-science-of-cartridge-brass-annealing

 

[DartonJager]

Hand Skills,
Great article I printed it out for future reference purposes.

 

[Mikecr]

Where you're dip process annealing(which is not full annealing), both the inside and outside brass surfaces are heated at the same time, same temp.
At 800degF by the time you dip and retrieve necks, they're done. On the flipside, you could leave necks exposed to that temperature all day long and it would make no difference at all.

That's dip annealing. Flame and inductive are way more abstract.

 

[RetiredSniper]

Thank all for sharing your knowledge with me. I spent quite a bit of time researching annealing prior deciding to try it out on my own. I figured that I was better to under-anneal my brass than to over anneal it. So I have decided to start with a minimum temp of 800*/F to a maximum temp of 825*/F and a maximum exposure time of 3-4 seconds.

I chose salt bath annealing as it offered the most exact temperature control of the methods I could afford. By using a temperature probe I can literally monitor and control the temp of the molten salt. By utilizing a shell holder and carefully limiting the level of the liquid salt I also can precisely within reasonable limits control the area of each piece of brass that is submersed in the 800-825* molten salt there by limiting only the case shoulder and neck to be exposed to the maximum affect of the annealing process.

As much as I would LOVE to buy one of the annealing machines currently available, I don't anneal enough brass to be able to justify the cost that varies from a minimum of $290/$300 to well over $500 dollars. The main reason I am annealing in the first place is two of my calibers I shoot often, 300 WSM and 35 Remington (shot a lot) are very, very difficult to find brass for. Although Norma brass for the 300wsm is usually available it is extremely (for me) expensive. In the case of the 35 Remington Hornady is the ONLY source I know of currently producing brass for 35 Remington, and it costs just shy of $1 per piece. While there are other annealing systems far less costly I could buy or build myself, they all lack the precise temperature control that salt bath annealing offers.

Having access to all the equipment for free to mitigate the safety hazards of salt bath annealing was the final deciding factor for choosing it as my annealing method for now. I also have a FLUKE temperature meter that will ensure I'm getting accurate temperature readings.

I have done three dry runs using 7.62x39 brass I have in large quantity and were impressed by the level of temperature control I could achieve and maintain as well as how quick and easy the entire process went.

Again thanks for sharing your information with me.

35 Remington brass is available from Graf and Son at www.grafs.com cost was $29.99 for 50. I just bought some last week!

 

[Deputy819]

I chose salt bath annealing as it offered the most exact temperature control of the methods I could afford.

Same here! I've been using the Ballistic Recreations Salt Bath Kit for a while now and really like it. 5 second soak time at 500C (932F) after every firing.