bench-source looks like a nice unit, to bad for me I'm cheap! may have to quite doing that some day. any one make an economic automated system?
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bench-source looks like a nice unit, to bad for me I'm cheap! may have to quite doing that some day. any one make an economic automated system?
Been kicking around a few ideas on the subject. Just waiting for the right parts to appear from an old machine we may take apart or demo some day. I got my eye out for it.
When I was researching annealing machines I came across a few "build it yourself" concepts. Try Googling annealing machines and see what pops up.
Charlie
dolomite, great post. Photos most helpful. I've been annealing for a number of years now. Your coloration looks good! though a bit uneven in length. I agree w/elkbane. For me propane is more controlable. I use a bernz-o-matic and regulate heat by adjusting the length of the inner blue cone to 1 and a half inches.(give or take depending on cartridge length/size) I agree with hunter 2 on water quenching but only do so on tiny cases like .223 rem. For me, if I'm annealing a larger/longer case (6mm AI, .243 win.) I don't quench. I pluck the case from the holder with a welding gloved left hand and set it in a home-made wooden loading block mouth up. This way the heat is rising upward and away from the base. I've never had a problem with softening case heads using this method as long as I keep the torch dwell time in the 5 to 7 second range by adjusting the cone length. I prefer to anneal in bright light because I'm red/green color blind and can detect the subtle color change of the brass going blue.(can't see the dull red 'til it's too late!) A great "holder" for .223 is a 3/8" drive Allen wrench. Chuck the Allen portion into your drill and drop the case into the square 3/8" drive end, a real nice fit with minimum wobble. I'm not in favor of heat sinks and have never seen one on an automated annealing machine though I may stand corrected on this. Again GREAT post!
Looks mighty fine to me.