home-brew brass annealing?

[tommy4toes]

I just had my Sharps reamed out to a 45/90, and got 200 pieces of new brass from Starline. How do I go about annealing them?
I've heard of the propane torch/pan of water approach and this would work fine for me, but how hot do i get the brass ? What color should it be?

t4t
tommy4toes

[EDG]

According to the data in the American Society for Metals heat treat references you only need about 600° F.  I don't know what color this is.
Ed

[The Shrink]

Tommy

A trick I picked up from somebody over on Shooters.com when it was there is very simple if you cast.  

Simply dip the end of the case into the melt, it's over 600 degrees at casting temp and if you have a thermometer you can adjust the temp you wnt.  They said just hold it by the base until it's too hot to hold.  I use gloves, so just held it until I figured it got hot enough.  I had no problem sizing 30-06 brass to 8mm-06 with one pass through the die, which wasn't the case before, so it must have worked.  

Wayne the Shrink

[John Traveler]

Yes, the dip-in-the-lead-melting-pot method works fine.

If you dip first in a shallow container of powdered graphite (get from auto parts stores) or any light oil, the lead won't stick to the brass.

If the brass is tumble polished first, it will come out with the light purple annealing colors, just like on military case necks.

John

[tommy4toes]

alright that sounds easy enough - should I quench the cases in water or let them air-cool after that?
t4t

[John Traveler]

You quench in water after the melted lead dip.

Same as the heat-with-apropane-torch method.  Tip cases into water after heating.

John

[cooper]

No - you don't need to immerse the cases in water after annealing.  You can if you want - it doesn't hurt anything, but it is not needed for brass annealing.

[Lead pot]

I like to stand my cases in a square baking pan with water about 1/4"below the point I want to soften,then heat the neck with a torch till it glows dark cherry red and tip it over.It is a nice even aplication.

Kurt

[Kenny Wasserburger]

Any Time you get much color in your brass with the heat source you have over annealed said brass.

I use a simple spinner that holds the brass, then in a semi-Darkend room I heat the section to anneal with a propane torch till just a hit of color in the brass. One can dump them into water for a quench this will yield soft brass or I let my air cool giving a mild anneal.

Most folks over heat the brass, its very common mistake. My method seems to give good results. Gave master class scores at 800-900-1000 yards last Creedmoor match I shot in.

I do anneal after each firing also with my 45-110. Is it needed? A 2 time National Creedmoor Champion and holder of many National Records in LR and Silhouette taught me this method and he anneals after each firing of his 45-90 cases.

Lets put it this way it sure has not hurt my Creedmoor scores in the least bit.

Kenny Wasserburger

 :roll:

[tommy4toes]

Thanks for the help fellas - I got a few dozen annealed yesterday with the casting pot method. I did find a flame spreader tip for my torch and I'll try that too.
t4t

[ediehaskell]

When using the lead pot method, you do not need to coat the brass with anything. when it reaches the proper temoperature, the lead will not cling to the case.

[maddmaxx]

Lead pot. That's just too simple. Here I've been making it hard all the time! Sounds like a good trick I'm gonna have to use. Glad to get it, thanks!

[Lead pot]

maddmaxx

Like Kenny said,don't over heat the brass.When I said dark read I meant you barely want to see it turn in dim light.
If you get the brass to hot,or heat to far down the case,it gets so soft,and you will trimming all the time or you can get case separation if the bullet has a little crimp or tight case neck.I have gotten brass to soft and just after trimming I had a roll in the case neck were the bullet pulled the case .035 into the riffling

I only anneal 1/8"below the base of the bullet.

Kurt