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So I am starting to get into the more technical aspects of reloading at least for me. What are the benifits from annealing? I believe it allows for a more uniform case and extends Case life, but I am not sure why. What equipment is needed for annealing brass?
Brass will get hard from being worked. Whether it is being severely necked down or up, or just being loaded over and over. Annealing re-softens the brass and allows it to be used longer and resize properly.
All you really need is a cordless drill with a socket attachment, a deep well socket that the brass will slide into, a pan of water, and a propane torch.
Here is a you tube video I found depicting basically how I do it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgD5D0Wzu-c
awesome thanks I got all of those.
Boots hit the head on the nail :p Take a look here too ....http://www.6mmbr.com/annealing.html
this vid was very helpful to me and no voodoo involved.
I do it with a drill and socket.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiIr...layer_embedded
BTW, if you don't want to spring for something such as Light annealer .....http://www.cartridgeanneal.com/
My forehead still has the mark. Just glad it was a roofing nail rather than a finish nail. The tiny head on the finish nail mighta reached some grey matter, and hey I don't have much to spare. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by BillPa
Where at in the reloading process do you anneal? Say I'm going to anneal after 2 firings, would I do it before I FL resize or after I've got the brass fully prepped?
Best to anneal before sizing as youll get more consistent sizing...work hardened brass wants to spring back after sizing.Quote:
Originally Posted by cowtownup
I didnt watch the videos posted so im not sure if using tempilaq has been brought up but if your new to annealing id suggest getting a bottle of tempilaq 750 that way you know when the brass has been heated enough. I will put a dot of tempilaq on the inside of the necks on 5 or 6 cases and anneal 2 of them and count until the tempilaq melts then run 10 cases just counting then run one with tempilaq just to make sure im not getting to much or to little heat.
I do like the Tempilac too, but I have found it to be hard to remove after heating. Do you have any tricks for getting it off, or do you just leave it on the inside of the neck?
Bill recommended this setup to me about 2 years ago. I think its an excellant way to anneal.Quote:
Originally Posted by BillPa
I had tried other ways and they all seem to get it done. The liquid Tempilaq takes away
most chance of error in over heating. That could be used with any system you choose of coarse.
The Anneal Rite does allow for doing it very quickly however and theres no water involved.
50% alcahol dip will allow for removing the Tempilaq residue especially with a mild abrasive pad.
As above except no pan of water. Brass is unaffected by rapid cooling so all you really accomplish is adding a requirement to dry it when you're done.
Google "anneal brass", stretch out in your favorite recliner next to a large cooler (full, of course), and enjoy your evening reading.
bill, yobuck, good stuff, thanks for sharing, this is a great solution for a tight budget.Quote:
Originally Posted by yobuck
Yep, I use that "machine" Bill and Yobuck are talking about. Seemed pricey at the time, but it is slick and fast. I really like it. Kinda get into a rhythm with it and just zip along. I find the tempelaq is good, and I use it on every one, but don't hardly need to because rig holds everything in the same position and I find myself counting... 1... 2... 3... drop. 1... 2... 3... drop. If it's easy enough for me, it's pretty dang good! :)
I made a modifacation for mine that eliminates any slippage in the adjustment height.
I was told that only happened because i didnt assemble it properly. But they did change
the instructions to eliminate that possibility after my complaint about it. My mod is simply
a pc of flat 1" aluminum stock with holes drilled at the proper hgt for all the cases i anneal.
When setting it up just put the bolt thru the propper hole.
i put the cases with the tempi off to the side then after sizing i use a brass bore brush on my lyman express and run the brush in the necks...it gets most of it off..i then use those cases as sighters the first time out...i learned the hard way the first time i used it on all the cases and ended up with a lot of fliers thats why i only do a few with the tempi now.Quote:
Originally Posted by barrel-nut
if your cheap like me you can make your own annealing set up for a few bucks...this is mine i made out of some scrapes i had lying around....
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...s/photo1-9.jpg
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...s/photo2-9.jpg
Good idea LR
Try putting it on the outside and it cleans off easily after dipping in alcohol.Quote:
Originally Posted by LongRange
As for speed of the Anneal rite. Last week a good friend stopped by with 180
378 wby cases. While i was setting up the unit he was applying a small dab of
Tempilaq on the outside neck of each case. He had a 50 case loading block done by the time
i had it set up. I then did 3 cases to show him how it was done before he took over.
I finished the dabbing with the Tempilaq on the others while he annealed them.
We were finished all 180 cases in less than 1 hour. If you were alone without distractions,
you could easily get a rythem and not need the tempilaq.
Move the tip of the flame down to the top of the shoulder so they're annealed too.Quote:
Originally Posted by LongRange
Bill
thanks Bill....i do this pic was taken just to show the set up...my annealed brass looks like new lapua...about a 1/4 of the way down the case.Quote:
Originally Posted by BillPa
the problem i found putting it on the outside is that it burns off before reaching 750degs...i know the jury is still out on perfect annealing temps but 700 to 800degs seems to be about perfect...anything under seems to still give a lot of spring back and anything over seems to be to soft as in crushed shoulders when resizing or bumping shoulders back...at least thats been my experience.Quote:
Originally Posted by yobuck
I've been doing about 6-7 seconds just at the tip of the smaller blue flame while spinning slowly. I need to get some tempilac to test my method, but does anybody have a one one thousand two one thousand count that they use?
B/C I am using that machine with 2 flames, it goes much faster than that. By the time I get to "3 one thousand" the tempilac turns color and I drop it. But it also depends on the size of the case and the flame. With one torch and a .308 or '06 case, 7 might be real close to the right time.Quote:
Originally Posted by cowtownup
Well id suggest playing around with trash brass first with any system you might decide on.
As for the tempilaq reaching the proper temp before turning black. It appears to me to burn off
slightly before actually doing that. I wait till it turns black before i dump the case. Its easier for me to
just fix my attention on seeing that than it is to be counting and watching also.
I went low buck and low tech. I do a salt bath anneal with potassium nitrate.
Only cost $50 and 10 minutes to build. It's very consistent and I can anneal as fast as most automatics.
I copied this guy's.
http://s262.photobucket.com/user/Bat...demo2.mp4.html
School me, geargrinder. What the heck is that thing? Looks too good to be true!
Cheap Lee lead melter pot and high temp thermometer from Ebay $35. Potassium Nitrate (stump remover) $15 from Amazon.Quote:
Originally Posted by foxx
I built an adjustable setup similar to the video. Mine is adjustable depending on the depth I want the neck to go into the salt.
The salt melts at about 635 degrees. I'll get it up to around 700 and start putting in cases. I drop them into a bucket of water to cool them down and remove any little bit of salt that sticks.
I need top off the pot with salt after 40-50 or so. Just takes a couple minutes to melt and get the pot back up to temp and I'm off again.
It works great and is super fast. And cheeeeep!
I leik it!! I 've seen guys using lead/lead pot the same way but not potassium nitrate.Quote:
Originally Posted by geargrinder
Details Lad, details!!!
Not much more details I can give. It's really that simple. I just time my putting-in and taking-out so that the brass is for about 3 seconds. It's easy once you get in a rhythm.
Let me know any other details I can give.
why would anyone do anything different?!
For myself, I just like to play with stuff and fix things that ain't busted. Its what old grumpy retired guys do!:p GG's setup isn't necessarily a better mouse trap, just a another way to deal with the little buggers!Quote:
Originally Posted by foxx
Bill
That's one of my favorite sayings. " If it aint broke, fix it till it is...".
Yeah, kinda like my son when he was 6. One day while walking along hunting he spied a few deer "pellets" and asked what they were. I told him they're smart pills. "Will they make me smart Dad"?Quote:
Originally Posted by geargrinder
You bet they will, chew on a few of them and you'll be smart enough not to do it again!
Bill
deer pellets or chocolate covered peanuts?
Same story... we were on a camping trip with another family and my buddy ( I think we were 6) asked his dad what those things were... He said, "Chocolate covered peanuts." About an hour later, while sitting around the camp fire, the kid said to his dad. "Dad, those didn't TASTE like chocolate covered peanuts!" LOL
We dropped a few moose terds on a plate with salad ingredients on a quebec fishing trip many years back.
They look almost identicle to the large black olives used for the same purpose. My father in law was a bit of a
glutton and he had 2 of those things in his mouth so fast i didnt even see him do it. After wallowing them around
in there for a spell it finally dawned on him that he had moved on that too fast. He spent the next 15 minits gagging
and coufhing while washing his teeth and mouth in the lake. I laughed so hard i couldnt breath. Needless to say he was quite
perturbed over the whole thing.
Never more than about 3.5 or 4.0 seconds for me. Do it in a darkened room so you can watch the brass. If its glowing red or orange its too much heatQuote:
Originally Posted by cowtownup
Geargrinder, how much salt sticks to the cases? Does it stink or emit any fumes while you are using it? Does the salt melt or stay granular?
Just a small amount maybe a quarter to half a drip...is that a unit of measure????
Yes it smells but not overpowering or objectionable. You wouldn't be able to smell it if you weren't standing next to it.
The salt becomes molten.
Full disclosure, When melting for the first time, the salt will foam and make a mess if you start with too much. Just hang in there and add slow as the salt melts.