Annealing

[Bottom Fodder]

There is a lot of ways to get from point A to point B, some or fast some or slow, some way are hard some ways are easy, and some ways are cheap and others not cheap. But as long as you get to point B it’s personal choice of which route you take

 

[Thor357]

I bought one of those induction doodads for nuts and bolts.
Kind of expensive but much faster and consistent for annealing brass.
A side note; I noticed that some brass brands take longer to get to temp than others. I use Templaque @ 750°.
I've been reloading the same brass for over 3 years and shoot on avg. 200 rds per week. Both .308 and 5.55/.223. Primer pockets give out before splitting cases.

 

[itchyTF]

750 is not hot enough.

 

[Bob in WI]

Just something I threw together using a small gear drive 12v motor with variable controller and 3D printer pulleys and belt.
I use the " lights out method" for setting burn time.

 

[Bottom Fodder]

Just something I threw together using a small gear drive 12v motor with variable controller and 3D printer pulleys and belt.
I use the " lights out method" for setting burn time.

And you get The satisfaction of you did it yourself and the rewards that come with that

 

[Bob in WI]

And you get The satisfaction of you did it yourself and the rewards that come with that

Exactly. Half the fun is in figuring out the details.

 

[Shifty6br]

Been doing the cavemen thing for nearly a decade now, torch and drill....6 seconds on the timer...consistent position is key. Seems to work out well. Goes without saying tho..an automated setup would be pretty sweet as I am a firm believer in a set schedule of brass annealing.

Recently checked data on a batch of freshly annealed brass last week...no complaints.

 

[Turpentine]

I use my fingers and turn brass in the flame for a four to 6 count. I'm looking for the color to turn and work its way up the shoulder. The time amount is different for different brands of brass.

 

[Bottom Fodder]

I use my fingers and turn brass in the flame for a four to 6 count. I'm looking for the color to turn and work its way up the shoulder. The time amount is different for different brands of brass.

If your happy with the results that’s all that matters

 

[Turpentine]

If your happy with the results that’s all that matters

I generally look at factory annealed brass like Lapua And some others that don't do a polish after they anneal. Then I try to get my heated portion of the brass to come out looking exactly like that With the heat ring running the same distance up the case. Some brass is harder than others to generate that result. I also want to stay in the flame with the fire at the same angle at the neck shoulder junction for the exact same amount of time. With practice my brass now turns out very well. I would love to have an automated annealer but that isn't in the cards unless I build one myself.

 

[ricco1949]

From the Giraud Annealer FAQ's:

"Not every case you anneal will end up looking like a "Lapua" or "Lake City' case with easily visible blue discoloration where the annealing took place. You cannot rely on visual indication for proper annealing results. Tempilag is the best, easiest method for verifying the proper temperature was reached for annealing. Cases cleaned to high degree by long term vibratory action or stainless steel media in a rotary tumbler will clean the brass so well that it completely removes the oxide layer or tarnish from the brass. The typical blue discoloration is the result of the oxide layer reacting with high temperature during the annealing process. If the oxide layer has been removed, there is nothing to discolor. If you absolutely want the blue discoloration, either do not super clean the cases, or clean them and then leave them exposed to air for a few days to allow a small oxide layer to form before annealing them."

 

[MagnumPrecision]

Anyone tried out the new Mountain Forged Quick Annealer?

 

[762willdo]

if you are not using an AMP,, you are guessing not annealling

Said the guy who owns an amp….

 

[Bottom Fodder]

I don’t send my. brass to a lap to get them analyzed, my bullets Seat easier after I anneal than before I anneal, so in my book they are annealed. What you use to get them there is a personal preference whether iT’s a high Dollar easy button to push or something home made

 

[itchyTF]

This AMP vs anything else thing is almost like what’s going on in this country with the left & right.

 

[Fire Dog]

Sounds like AMP is good but it I don’t want too spend that kind of monies

I keep coming back to my race car days....
"Speed cost Money... HOW fast do you want to go.....??"
Get an AMP machine and never look back, as mentioned, always repeatable consistency and you won't set the house/garage on fire...
"Buy once... Cry once"

 

[Fire Dog]

Said the guy who owns an amp….

And he is right...

 

[Ruger15151]

You will read a hundred posts like .... "I use a drill and a torch...been doing it for years" stories but none of them compete in precision shooting. Flame annealing machines used to be the go to because that was the best we had at the time.

If you are buying good brass, bullets, and barrels and need precision and accuracy, then you need to anneal your brass properly or you are just wasting those components. An AMP Annealer may seem expensive but it's the only way to anneal correctly and consistently every time.

If your required accuracy is minute of groundhog at 300 yards, then you don't need an Amp Annealer. If fact, you are probably better off not annealing at all.

 

[ronemus]

An AMP Annealer may seem expensive but it's the only way to anneal correctly and consistently every time.

I am well satisfied with the Induction Annie at a much better price point. I got it with a water-cooled flux concentrator coil, and it's seriously fast (1.4 seconds for .223). I use glass rods in blocks of wood to hold the cases at the correct height in the coil consistently, one per caliber; it's so fast that I'm not even considering automation. The Annie and a bottle of 750* TempiLaq for calibration are all that's needed. I'm leery of running an open flame in my reloading area, but an induction annealer is inherently safer.

 

[ricco1949]

I found that 4 seconds was enough to get a faint glow on the .223 brass I was annealing. It would be a longer time if I was annealing the larger caliber brass that I also reload. That said, in hind sight, I was using a Mapp Gas torch, not propane. Mapp gas is much hotter burning than propane. I have not annealed anything in a while though because I have since come into a stash of a bunch of .223 brass. All the brass I have makes the cost of Mapp gas not worth it for any of the calibers I have.

Thanks for the update on Mapp gas. I too was wondering how 4 seconds was long enough with propane.