Annealing brass -- Am I doing it right?

[wizdumb]

These are .308 Lapua cases, which I've loaded about six times. The last few times I've resized them (neck only, and bumping shoulder back), I could feel more resistance than usual.

I decided to anneal 20 cases tonight using a power drill to spin the necks over a propane torch just until the blue line went below the shoulder. Then, the cases were dropped into water, dried and resized. The resistance during resizing is back to normal.

Can anyone with experience on this procedure chime in and tell me if the photos below of the cases I annealed appear to be done correctly?

Thanks!

 

[turbo54]

Re: Annealing brass -- Am I doing it right?

Look good to me.

Here's a couple pointers based on how I do it:

1. I handle cases with my fingertips. Hold the casehead and roll the case.
2. Position the blue flame tip aimed on the case neck/shoulder junction, such that the blue tip, if extended, would intersect the case centerline.
3. Stop at the moment you begin to feel heat in your fingertips - it'll be too hot to touch in 1.5 seconds.
4. Drop them in a stainless/glass/ceramic/non heat-affected dish/bowl without water. No need to quench - you just end up with cases that need to be dried.

This method allows me to go just as fast as a machine. Grab cases with left hand, whil right hand handles the case in the flame, the left is orienting the next one so that the right hand just needs to grab and go. Goes fast.

No need to be super careful about keeping the case turning while in the flame. Brass is mostly copper, and heat moves through it FAST. Impossible for one side of the neck to be at one temp, while the other side is at a significantly different one.

 

[wizdumb]

Re: Annealing brass -- Am I doing it right?

Thanks for the pointers, turbo!

Since you don't quench in water, do you have to worry about the heat continuing to spread to the rest of the case, or does it cool fast enough to not be a problem?

 

[turbo54]

Re: Annealing brass -- Am I doing it right?

Heat will of course travel throughout the case, but it will not get it hot enough long enough to affect the metallurgy of the "do not anneal" zone of the case.

 

[Win_94]

Re: Annealing brass -- Am I doing it right?

The Art and Science of Annealing

 

[wizdumb]

Re: Annealing brass -- Am I doing it right?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Win_94</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> The Art and Science of Annealing </div></div>

Thanks, I did read this article before I began. Plenty of useful information in there, but not quite enough photos to compare my brass to.

 

[Weaselthis]

Re: Annealing brass -- Am I doing it right?

I also use the drill/torch setup. I have them mounted (w/ zippy ties)on the bench. Looks like shit, but works for me! The drill is a variable w/ th e trigger tied back w/ another zip tie. It usually take between 5-8 seconds, depending on caliber, to reach a dull red glow. And I MEAN dull red. Bright or cherry and you've gone too far. Better not enough than too much. Also, the flame changes color. Sometimes, the flame goes from blue to yellow, but is not consistent enough for me to use, so if it happens before the dull red neck, I pull it. I drop them all on a damp towel on the bench. They're too hot to hold in my hand. A quick roll w/ a dry towel after that and I'm done.

 

[SVG308]

Re: Annealing brass -- Am I doing it right?

I think they look great. I use a deep socket and cordless drill to rotate my cases - found the idea on youtube. Very quick to do 100+ cases.

 

[wizdumb]

Re: Annealing brass -- Am I doing it right?

Same here! This method seems to work great so far.

 

[Deadshot2]

Re: Annealing brass -- Am I doing it right?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SVG308</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I think they look great. I use a deep socket and cordless drill to rotate my cases - found the idea on youtube. Very quick to do 100+ cases. </div></div>

I too use this method with a deep socket just big enough to allow the case to slip in. I also use a heat crayon (Tem;ilstik SEPTLS719TS0750) which melts when the material it touches reaches 750 degrees F. I time the first couple of cases by touching the case just below the shoulder a couple of times after briefly removing it from the flame. When the crayon just starts to "smear" I use that time for the remaining cases. I use a heavy walled "Impact" socket which acts like a heat sink to keep the base of the case from reaching high temps. I also don't bother to dunk in water as the cases cool rapidly when just dropped in a stainless steel bowl. If you want to cool them quicker, just use a small fan blowing over the annealed cases.

On average my "flame time" is about 4 seconds when using a standard utility Bernz torch. When finished the cases have a pronounced blue line about 1/4" below the shoulder and the remaining case hasn't even lost it's shine.

 

[wizdumb]

Re: Annealing brass -- Am I doing it right?

Range report/follow-up:

The annealed brass worked great at the range! No splits or cracks of any kind.

The resizing step was much smoother as well, significantly less resistance when sizing the neck down and pushing the shoulder back.

 

[bkster]

Re: Annealing brass -- Am I doing it right?

i agree with turbo ... and hand anneal as well
the point of annealing is to soften the metal after pounding it in the rifle and dies... no need for water
i do this after 5-6 reloadings and the 2nd reload after is the best... runout and neck tension