Annealing with out machine

[bench]

I would like to anneal my 243wssm brass that has been fired 5x.
I do not have a annealing machine so would have to use a torch and socket set up then drop in water.
Will I do more harm than good or can I improve the used brass.
I will have to watch the color turn towards the red spectrum to know when it has been heated enough.
In case it makes a difference the necks have been turned to .0195 thickness and are used in my AR.
Thanks for the help
Bench

 

[Terry]

Put on a cotton glove, spin the case with the neck in the flame, when the shoulder turns from golden to blue drop it into an aluminum pie pan.
Skip the water bath it is not needed.

Terry

 

[ridgeway]

I have a Benchsource machine and used to anneal by hand. End results are identical. Machine adds speed and convenience.

 

[Maurice]

One of the key factors with annealing is consistency in the time the case is actually in the flame. Too long and you run the risk of softening the base of the case, too short and you achieve nothing. Until I was able to use a machine (BenchSource) By placing a timer in my line of sight, I could at least ensure all cases had much the same level of heating.
This was further improved by using tempilac on the cases and noting the time taken to achieve the required temperature and treating all cases the same.

But the machine wins hands down for consistency and convenience, especially as I have 6, 6.5 & 7mm cases to anneal.

Maurice

 

[jonbearman]

Bench,how many cases do you have to do???? Maybe if you have say a hundred,one of us would be willing to do it for you or you could have the fella on our sight who restores brass to original state do it.He is DJ'S brass restoration.

 

[Rtheurer]

+ 1 for just sending it to Darrel. Lot cheaper than having to buy new brass and all the drama of finding out i messed half of my brass and the rest was good. or all of it.
Its been done alot by hand but now we have tools to do the job correctly.

Hope it all works out for you.

RussT

 

[bench]

jonbearman,

Funny you should ask that question I was just about to count up my brass
without looking I would say 700 to 1000 pieces but I have no idea how many need to be annealed until I sort thru my buckets of brass.
They are seperated by amount of times fired.
As you can tell I just bought new brass when I thought they were starting to work harden.
I do like to tinker with brass prep and would like to anneal myself and was hopeing to find a way to do it without spending another bunch of money on a machine.

 

[Nomad47]

bench, I anneal 243 wssm brass by hand. I use a deep well socket and watch for color change, then like Terry, drop it in a pan, no water. I believe the case is too short to not use the deep well socket as a heat sink.

 

[bench]

If I try and use a socket and anneal by hand how much of the brass is above the top of the socket.My guess would be to use a socket that is just long enough to keep the brass from falling out when you spin it around.

 

[alf]

I switched over to using two torches a couple of years back. When doing Dasher cases, it was taking 8 seconds+ to anneal, now I can do them in 3-4 seconds each.

I would suggest, with the WSSM cases being short, fat, and thick, to use two as well. Consider the socket just a device to hold/spin the brass, not as a heat sink, so height requirement would be just tall enough to hold the case. Set the torches up at an angle opposing each other, and spin the brass between the flames while watching for the color change to occur. I drop them in water to immediately, to stop the heat migration, not to quench.

 

[markm87]

jonbearman,

Funny you should ask that question I was just about to count up my brass
without looking I would say 700 to 1000 pieces but I have no idea how many need to be annealed until I sort thru my buckets of brass.
They are seperated by amount of times fired.

Anneal all of them. I anneal every firing for consistency. Hand annealing is not hard at all. I practiced on some scrap brass until I got comfortable enough to do it on good brass.

 

[ShaneG.]

I bought a 2nd torch and it made a huge difference in time and I think the brass comes out better as Wells

 

[bench]

ShaneG,Markm87

Thats the plan I will do them all,and the second torch is a great idea also.
I built a brass holder today it should work great.
Thanks guys for the help
If I pass the plate will you guys feel sorry for me and buy me a annealing machine(But I only want the best)-LOLOLOLOLOLO

 

[spclark]

If I try and use a socket and anneal by hand how much of the brass is above the top of the socket.My guess would be to use a socket that is just long enough to keep the brass from falling out when you spin it around.

Pick a socket by diameter first. If you need to, go with a deep socket then mash aluminum foil into the bottom to act as a depth stop for a particular cartridge and your preference for how much of the case wall sits above the socket rim.

You can make up several mashed foil stops depending on what cartridges share a particular socket. You don't want cases flopping around as they spin in the flame; the better the fit the better heat sink function and neck / shoulder positioning in the torch flame.

I use a 1/2" Milwaukee drill to spin my cases with a 1/4" square drive socket as case holder. One torch, flame (internal blue cone) set for about 5/8" - 3/4" with case shoulders just at the tip for maybe 5 - 8 seconds. Shorter for thin / turned 6/6.5 mm necks, longer for 308 Palma cases with necks about 0.013" thick. Just acquired a 6.5 WSSM rifle so will have to find another socket that fits these short, fat cases... along with proper cartridge boxes & another Lee shell holder (#5? Same as a 300WM?) to fit my Sinclair hand primer.

 

[Bert]

I have annealed 243 wssm brass for my AR. With great luck. This is how i do it. I use a mapp gas torch the thick brass has to be heated very quickly as to not heat the rest of the case just the neck. I use a socket type holder in a cordless drill and spin the case to heat the neck then throw it in water. This is the best and quickest way i have found. I turn the lights down and watch the neck color. I anneal all my cases for the wssm. Good luck.

 

[bench]

Bert,
What color should I start watching for,would it be a slight red in color???

Thanks

 

[Nomad47]

9/16 deep well for the wssm cases. And a spacer at the bottom (I like the foil idea) so that about 3/16" of the case body sticks out. I do believe the socket helps keep heat away from the case base, which is critical for the short wssm cases.

 

[spclark]

Not unless you're working in very low light. You don't wand case necks to glow noticeably; 800 F is the temp to reach. If you're cases are "new" bright (like what I get from an hour's tumbling with SS media in my RCBS rotary) look for a change more in the level or quality of polish. Very quickly (6 - 7 seconds) is enough & you'll see maybe a cooler color / bluish band starting down from the case wall / shoulder junction.

I'll try to capture (with my iPhone's video capability) tomorrow what I see when I do cases, then post it here somehow. Stay tuned....

 

[daboone]

I found this over on 24 Hour Campfire in an article Factors In Accuracy, Part II: Handloads by John Barsness] http://www.24hourcampfire.com/reloading.html No fuss with Tempilaq or sticks or torches.

"The traditional annealing method suggests heating the necks "cherry-red" with a propane torch, then dousing in cold water. But cherry-red makes the necks too soft.

The melted-lead dip method is much better, as is Hornady's annealing kit, but I use a simpler method perfected by my friend Fred Barker. With Fred's method you hold the case in your fingertips, halfway up the case body, then heat the neck in the flame from a common wax candle, turning it constantly, until the case gets too hot to hold. Drop it onto a water-soaked towel, then use the towel to wipe the case off, which finishes the annealing and gets rid of the black soot from the candle. The Barker Method is fast, cheap, easy, and anneals just the right amount."

Another gentleman suggested using an alcohol lamp. Can annealing really be this simple?

 

[alf]

Bet Fred never tried that with a Dasher or WSSM case........