memilanuk
Gold $$ Contributor
So... its that time again, and I set my annealer up with the intent of running through a couple batches of cases in various calibers. I have a Zephyr Dynamics 'Brass-o-Matic' that has worked quite well over the years... I guess it still is, but the torch tips (Benzomatic 'pencil' tips from the local hardware store are giving me fits. One recently started spitting sparks and the flame control is erratic. I went and bought a new tip this evening, and its flame control is even worse, plus now the other 'old' one started spitting sparks and flaming out.
About 1.5-2 years ago I got tired of propping up the individual propane bottles (the kind you find in the hardware store) on stacks of old reloading manuals to take the load off the support arms, and bought a 10 or 11 gallon tank @ Home Depot, a T-coupler and some hoses from Walmart, and plumbed both torch tips off said big bottle. Worked great - I've done literally thousands of cases with this setup with no problems.
I couldn't remember when the last time I'd filled the tank was, so I took it to the local Ace Hardware/True-Value/feed store (gotta love small towns
) and had it topped off - literally. Less than 1/2 gallon. After that it got left in outside, laid over on its side for about a week, then brought inside my heated shop three nights ago. Last night I spent probably 45 minutes trying to get it set up and working right before calling it quits. Tonight I gave up after about 5-10, as I didn't have another torch in my pocket and now I'm starting to wonder if its a fuel problem - the only thing both the old and the new tips have in common - or something else.
Just for giggles, I dug out the storage bin with the blue propane bottles from before, along with some fancier piezo-ignition torch heads/tips. Here's the interesting bit. The piezo heads fire off and run great on either the big bottle and hoses or the little blue bottles. The simpler pencil tips don't run worth a dang on either one - now I can't even get them to light - they'll ignite, but not sustain a flame once the ignition source is removed. I find it somewhat hard to believe that a brandy-new tip that I just bought does the same thing as the ones I've had for years.
At this point I'm open to suggestions...
Monte
About 1.5-2 years ago I got tired of propping up the individual propane bottles (the kind you find in the hardware store) on stacks of old reloading manuals to take the load off the support arms, and bought a 10 or 11 gallon tank @ Home Depot, a T-coupler and some hoses from Walmart, and plumbed both torch tips off said big bottle. Worked great - I've done literally thousands of cases with this setup with no problems.
I couldn't remember when the last time I'd filled the tank was, so I took it to the local Ace Hardware/True-Value/feed store (gotta love small towns
) and had it topped off - literally. Less than 1/2 gallon. After that it got left in outside, laid over on its side for about a week, then brought inside my heated shop three nights ago. Last night I spent probably 45 minutes trying to get it set up and working right before calling it quits. Tonight I gave up after about 5-10, as I didn't have another torch in my pocket and now I'm starting to wonder if its a fuel problem - the only thing both the old and the new tips have in common - or something else.Just for giggles, I dug out the storage bin with the blue propane bottles from before, along with some fancier piezo-ignition torch heads/tips. Here's the interesting bit. The piezo heads fire off and run great on either the big bottle and hoses or the little blue bottles. The simpler pencil tips don't run worth a dang on either one - now I can't even get them to light - they'll ignite, but not sustain a flame once the ignition source is removed. I find it somewhat hard to believe that a brandy-new tip that I just bought does the same thing as the ones I've had for years.
At this point I'm open to suggestions...
Monte
