Case Annealing

[Sweet 6.5]

Hi Everybody

Can anybody help me on how to anneal my cases? I won't be able
to go out and buy a carousel or build one.
I am thinking of standing the cases in water and put the
propane torch on them untill they look hot (light blue?)

Can I over/ under cook them and how would I know?

Sweet

[John Traveler]

Yes, you can anneal cartridge cases by standing them up in a pan with about an inch of water.  Darken the room (lights off), and heat the neck/shoulder until it just starts to show a dull red.  The blue/rainbow colours will appear just before it shows the dull red.  Tip the case over into the water, and move to the next one.  It just takes a couple seconds each using a propane torch.  Avoid overheating (beyond dull red), as overheating brass burns up the zinc and causes dead-soft case necks but high loss due to neck splits.  You can also use a cooking stove gas burner, or camp stove for this.

Notice that military small arms ammo retains the neck annealing colours.  It's in the procurement specification and proves that the annealing step was done.

Another method is to crank up the heat control of the lead bullet pot, hold the case using pliers, dip the case mouth up to the shoulder into graphite or light oil, and then dip and hold in the lead melt for a several seconds.  Tap the case mouth to shake off any lead clinging to it. This method does not need the cold water quench.

I've used these methods to anneal case mouths before fireforming cases into new calibers, and they minimize case loss due to neck splits during expansion and sizing stages.

HTH
John

[steve4102]

  I like this method.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=360902&t=11082005

[Chuck White]

Sweet

I sent you a PM.  It's kind of long-winded to post here!

The process works for me.

[stimpylu32]

sweet

Take a look at this , it may explain some things .

http://www.6mmbr.com/annealing.html

stimpy

[Sweet 6.5]

Thank you for the help. I have some cheap
brass that I would practice on.

[flyboy]

Sweet:  Some time ago in either Rifle or Handloader magazine,  I think  John Barnsness did an article that may be just what you are looking for.   

It seems John has a friend who is a metallurgist.  Using Tempilaq, or a similar preparation, he figured out that the heat of a candle is enough to properly anneal case necks.  He holds the case about in the middle with his fingers, turning it continually it in the candle flame, till it becomes too hot to hold, then drops it in a wet towel, which stops the annealing process.  Barnsness says it works.

Cheap and simple, and I intend to try it, if I ever need to anneal cases.

[davem270win]

I've found that the candle method gets soot all over my cases, and it's hard to remove. I prefer the Hornady kit, but I've also found that once I get the timing down with the tempilaq, I can anneal with the 'one-thousand-one' method, as the tempilaq can also leave residue.

[Steve P]

I have an annealing process similar to the second article in the link listed above.  (I know Jim Harris and Ken Light, the authors of the first article.  Ken's BC1000 is the way to go if you anneal a lot.)  I have the RCBS Trim Mate.  I went down to the hardware store and got a socket head screw and a large washer (actually I got two and you will know why in a minute).  The screw is about 2" long and fits into the stations on the Trim Mate.  I turned the head of the socket head screw down so it is the size of a primer (one large, one small = 2)  I then used 5 minute epoxy to glue the washer to the head of the socket screw.  Now imagine a 2" screw sticking up out of the Trim Mate with a washer glued to it.  Looks kinda like a little platform spinning with a bucket in the middle.  Fired and deprimed case fits on that little platform and over the socket head.  Washer acts as the heat sink.  I sit in my garage with a dim light on.  (Wife will think you are weird if you do this without explaining to her first.)  The Trim Mate is on a TV tray with box of fired and deprimed brass on one side and pan of water on the other.  I use light leather gloves (like batting or golf gloves) and a normal propane torch.  With left hand i put the case on the turning platform.  With right hand I hold torch to the spinning case.  Left hand reaches for another empty case as the spinning case just starts to change color.  When color starts to change, left hand comes up and knocks the annealed case into the water and puts another case on the platform.  This probably takes no more time than running each case thru a single stage press or priming each case with priming tool.  Only caution is to make sure the right hand moves the torch away as left hand comes up to exchange the brass.  Leather gloves are more for quickly picking up dropped brass than anything.  If you miss the water and they hit the floor, they can be a little warm. 

Go for it.  It works.

Steve 

[iiranger]

In the instructions that came with my case forming dies, to use the case standing, decapped, about 1/2 way in water to keep the head from over heating... in dim light, heat the neck to just barely pink, dull red, etc, then tipp over into the water for a quench. I liked the process.

OR

I think it was Narramore, in his book, suggested holding the case, decapped, with your fingers, and dipping the neck in molten PURE lead, the part you want annealed. When it is too hot to hold, drop into water.

I don't doubt that either of these methods would not meet the standards of industry, but they are quick and cheap. Well, maybe not so cheap anymore. Retail on a tank of propane was $0.99, not $5.00...

SO you have to decide just how precise you need to be. You can buy Templac at Brownells if you don't have a machine shop supply house in your area. The crayon is newer to me but this is not "my field." No more than I do, the melted lead, pure lead, is plenty for me. luck.