Is inconsistent soot on the neck of fired cases my problem?

Just for reference the human involuntary heat response is roughly 131°f. You will drop the brass when the case head gets that hot. Not enought to aneal the head.

Welders and weld inspectors use a number of temp sensitive markers. If you apply it before entering the heat source, your flame will melt the mark, because flame is generally hotter than the marker melting point. So welders and inspectors will check with ever highter temp markers until one doesnt melt. Weld for a bit and the 600° mark melts when applied but the 650° mark doesnt melt you know you are between those 2 temps. It does not work when applied prior to the heat being applied. Watching the color of the material change in the flame is a much faster and useful method when dealing with anealing cases.

My janky method uses a propane torch a speed bar and an old spark plug socket. Place the case in the socket and spin the wrench with the neck/shoulder junction of the case in the hottest part of the flame until the dullest red appears and the blue moves down to just past the shoulder body junction. Then dump the case a water filled sink. Oh I do this in a dark bathroom to see the color change. I dunk the socket in the sink periodically and never let it get too hot to touch.

Oh and we aren't burning any "minerals" out of the brass by over heating it. Nothing is removed from the alloy by over heating it while annealing in a flame. This myth needs to die.
 
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Just for reference the human involuntary heat response is roughly 131°f. You will drop the brass when the case head gets that hot. Not enought to aneal the head.

Welders and weld inspectors use a number of temp sensitive markers. If you apply it before entering the heat source, your flame will melt the mark, because flame is generally hotter than the marker melting point. So welders and inspectors will check with ever highter temp markers until one doesnt melt. Weld for a bit and the 600° mark melts when applied but the 650° mark doesnt melt you know you are between those 2 temps. It does not work when applied prior to the heat being applied. Watching the color of the material change in the flame is a much faster and useful method when dealing with anealing cases.

My janky method uses a propane torch a speed bar and an old spark plug socket. Place the case in the socket and spin the wrench with the neck/shoulder junction of the case in the hottest part of the flame until the dullest red appears and the blue moves down to just past the shoulder body junction. Then dump the case a water filled sink. Oh I do this in a dark bathroom to see the color change. I dunk the socket in the sink periodically and never let it get too hot to touch.

Oh and we aren't burning any "minerals" out of the brass by over heating it. Nothing is removed from the alloy by over heating it while annealing in a flame. This myth needs to die.
Thank you for that info on the welders use. I often wondered about how they really use it..
Tell me more about the myth part. That Really interest me.
 
Thank you for that info on the welders use. I often wondered about how they really use it..
Tell me more about the myth part. That Really interest me.

I dont want to take us too far down the anealing rabbit hole, but, heating brass changes its physical properties, not its chemical composition. Let us think for a moment, if we put our brass cases in a crucible and over annealed it to the point that it all melted. We then pour that brass into an ingot and let it cool. Is it still brass with all the physical properties of brass or is it now just copper because all the other alloying elements "burned off"? It's still brass.
 
A cleaner burn may require a few changes to increase pressure. Higher pressure allows the powder to burn better.

1. Faster burn rate powder.
2.Magnum primer.
3.Seat bullet deeper into case. Shorter COL. This gives more bullet to case neck contact. Less powder capacity.
4. Increase neck tension/bullet pull. This keeps bullets from moving to soon, when the primer fires.
After seating a bullet, the OD of the neck should be larger by .002" minimum.
5. Annealed brass necks will expand sooner. Sealing better. https://www.ampannealing.com/index/ Not in our price range.

I dont anneal. Bushing dies work for me.
 
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