Annealers

[powderbrake]

just a question for the home grown induction coil and Annie users, is it hard to focus the heating in a narrow band at the shoulder/neck?

The water cooled coil is about 5/8 inside diameter, and about 1.2 inches tall.

I simply locate the case with the junction of the neck/shoulder approximately at the center of the coil. It is not a critical measurement, just make sure it is repeatable.

I have 3 different case locations on my set-up. one for 6BR & 6ppc, one for 223 and 22-250, and one for 30-06 and 7mm Mag. Each case has it's own timer setting on the Annie.

You are not focusing the heating, it takes place throughout the length of the coil, with the maximum magnetic line in the center, so that is why I set the neck/shoulder junction near the center.

It is the electrical currents induced in the case that cause the heating, there is no actual "heat" focused or transmitted by the coil. The coil stays "relatively cool" during the process, as you can touch the insulation on the outside of the coil without burning your hand ( assuming you have the water flowing).

 

[JimSC]

what I was wondering about is how narrow of a band can you focus the heat on. In this video it looks like the steel rod started heating in the middle and the heat spread between the bottom and top coil really quickly. Seems like making a ceramic or porcelain case holder that would grip the case just below the shoulder and act as a heat sink might not be a bad idea. I am leaning toward the AMP but wondering if it would be cost effective to anneal before hydro/fire forming 6 Dasher as far as case life. I have 2 good barrels for my rifle as it is in common cartridges, so I won't be switching any time soon and who knows what may show up in a year

induction heating video

 

[Dud]

I borrow my friend's Giraud.

I don't see why people think flame is inconvenient.

The safety aspect is almost a non-issue unless you have poorly sealed gas cans in the area or you set up on top of a sawdust pile.

I would say the risk of fire is about 1,000x higher sweat soldering brass plumbing in a bare stud house under construction. Most people can pull that off unless they are a real dumbass (in which case, they should use PEX).

It would take a whole lot of annealing to have your propane bill catch up with the price of inductive annealing.

If flame is cheap(ish) and works, I don't know why I would want anything else.

 

[normmatzen]

for aligning the case inside the coil, physics is your friend. The center of the field is in the center of the coil. So, in my little fixture (shown at the end of page 1) I cut the glass rod so the neck shoulder is right in the center of the coil. As a bonus, when I anneal 284 WIN cases and 7X57 cases, the case automatically centers itself when annealing. With 6BR cases the case isn't heavy enough to not rise up when annealing so I hold them in with my fingers. When done, the color change matches new Lapua cases.
The ferrite core coils have a field the diameter of the core (3/4") and pretty consistent across the gap.

 

[Scott Harris]

Everyone has their reasons for annealing the way they do. While some methods are easier in some ways, they fall short in others.

This said, I've tested the different ways to anneal using a homemade annealer, an Annealeez, Bench Source, Giraud and AMP. My testing was not scientific other than taking readings on a chronograph for ES and SD. Rounds annealed with a torch were set-up using dummy cases and 750 degree Tempilaq inside the necks. Sample size for each machine was 10 rounds shot over a MagnetoSpeed using a Bartlein barreled 6.5x47. All rounds were annealed, sized, primed and loaded in the same reloading session to insure they were as close to identical as possible. They were shot on a morning where the ambient temperature from start to finish was less than 5 degrees thus atmospherics/enviromentals remained relatively constant throughout the test.

As for my results; my testing did not show any significant differences between annealing methods/machines. ESs were all between 15-18 fps and SDs between 5-6. I fired two 5-shot groups for each machine, ten shots total, with all groups being .5 MOA and less, which is normal for this rifle.

My take away from this was that it really doesn't make any difference how you anneal if you set the machine up properly. Ease of use/set-up, manual feed vs hopper, torch vs induction, etc. are considerations to weigh when deciding which annealer you want to purchase. My test showed me that the cost of an annealer has nothing to do with the end result.

Hope this helps...

I did a similar test with the AMP vs Benchsource: annealed about 50 cases each way then ran them over a chrono. The SD was about 5.5 for both methods. I'm not opposed to spending money for better results. But, in this case, it's not necessary: flame-based Benchsource is as good as anything out there. The real difference, for me, between the AMP and Benchsoure is how fast I can anneal. If you have 1 or 2,000 cases to anneal, the Benchsource is way faster.

 

[Scalloper]

I personally dont see how any open flame system could come close to the lead dip method.

 

[David101]

The Lead dip method may suffer from the same sorts of issues that salt baths do. When you melt lead you always get a sludge or whatever you want to call it on the top. When you place the case into the lead any of these impurities that are sitting on the top could possibly stick to the case as it is inserted. this is going to for an insulation layer between the good pure molten material and the case.

 

[LGKLAS]

OP, a couple years ago I was where you are now at. I read a lot and asked questions about the kinds of annealing devices out there, watched Youtube vids, etc etc. I decided to go with the Annealeez and am totally happy with my choice. I am just a recreational shooter, not a competitor, so spending the 1300 on the AMP was out of the question, though probably inargueably the best. Salt bath annealing kinda-sorta scared me and replacing propane tanks was easier for me than getting salts. So, put me in the +1 for Annealeez. The owner is very active in his business and interacts with his customers. Mine is the latest rendition and 275 delivered to my door within one week's time. Good luck in your choice. IMO, they all do the job we want.

 

[Legionnaire]

My opinion, worth exactly what you paid for it.

Best bang for the buck: Annealeez
Easiest and most consistent: AMP II

I used the Annealeez and was quite happy with the results. Received an unexpected windfall and used it to buy an AMP II. Even happier. Both work very well.