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Brass baked in oven at 350F?

thefitter

So I had a batch of brass that I tumbled in SS media drying in the oven, I usually just turn it on low at 100F for a couple of minutes turn it off and then put the brass in and let it sit over night.

Well I'm married...you can see where this is going right? She turns on the oven to pre heat with out looking and bakes my brass at 350F for maybe 15 minutes before noticing. Of course I'm the asshole because I got pissed off.

Anyway, the question is am I going to blow up myself? It's my understanding that annealing takes 700F and this was half that so are the case bases still OK?

How hot does the entire case get from firing?

Thanks
 
I bake mine at 250° until they have a golden brown, fluffy crust. ;)

As Lynn said, 350° is not a problem, regardless of duration. The temperature at which work-hardened brass begins to change is 482°.
 
sailhertoo said:
Did you put your brass on her cookie sheet?

You aint seen pissed offf til you do that!
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sailhertoo,
Funny you mentioned cookie sheet, about eight or ten years ago I was using miss molly I got the brainy idea I could stand all my bullets up on end and spray the molly on them, the brainy part of it was I used the wife's new cookie sheet ??? wasn't one of my smarter choices, I still use the sheet in the loading room for various tasks, to my dismay she didn't want it back?.... Oh and I found out what the term,.. She talks worse than a drunken sailor really means :D
Wayne.
 
Ha Ha....seems like we've all been through the same thing. Theres more to good match shooting than just match shooting. Theres the spousal unit or girl friend unit. The guy who wins is problably single and has reloading equipment in his kitchen and lives and breathes the stuff.

Course, I'm single and got gun stuff everywhere and I aint wone a piece of wood yet. Go figure....
 
About the only thing that you'll run into is discoloration of the brass. Throw it in the tumbler with corn cobb and it'll look like new again.
 
I think fitters brass will be fine, but this is a worthwhile thread.

Many (myself included) wash after sizing, then dry brass in the oven, it's even noted as an option in several books.

I did the same thing, forgot I left my brass in there and the next day pre-heated for a pizza at 450. I scrapped that brass,(they where questionable firing count range pick-up anyway's) I took it as a lesson learned.
Point is, when the oven coil goes on too heat the cavity, it goes way hotter then the set temp, the set temp is where it shut's off, that coil is red hot and thin wall brass could have gone higher then my set temp of 450. Maybe over that magic temp of 482,,
That's why you put a pizza in a pre-heated oven and not as the oven heats, if you do, that the pizza will burn.

I learned someplace (can't remember) that water begins it's change at around 200, not the boiling 212, it looses it's ability for surface tention and it's ability to cling to a surface. If you maintain 200 for 5 minutes water doen't have a chance.

So now I pre-heat too 200, put the brass in a cakepan actually, on the top rack away from the coil for about 15 minutes, then take the pan out to air cool. By the time the brass is room temp, bout` an hour, they have no water remaining.
Them baby's is dry and I've stayed comfortably away from even 400
 
thefitter said:
So I had a batch of brass that I tumbled in SS media drying in the oven, I usually just turn it on low at 100F for a couple of minutes turn it off and then put the brass in and let it sit over night.
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None of the brass that I have EVER purchased has come with instructions on the outside of the box or package that indicated it should be tumbled or baked. There must be a reason for that omission.
 
Outdoorsman said:
None of the brass that I have EVER purchased has come with instructions on the outside of the box or package that indicated it should be tumbled or baked. There must be a reason for that omission.
Click to expand...

Brass also does not come with instructions to seat primers, fill the cases with powder or seat bullets. I guess your path is clear, then.
 
It's a time vs temperature thing.

I don't know why the oven seems to be the place to be....

I always quench when I anneal. I then pour them into a strainer..... shake, swirl, and flip 'em while you warm them up with a blow dryer to the point they're a bit too warm to hang on to. Takes 5 minutes. Then I take them straight to the bench and full length size 'em wipe 'em off, and throw 'em in the tumbler. If I'm not gonna size 'em right away, I'll toss 'em in the tumbler first.
 
Ken Light's "Art and Science of Annealing" article is pretty informative.

http://www.6mmbr.com/annealing.html

Brass is unaffected by temperatures below 482°. It is only necessary to heat cases above water's boiling point to dry them quickly. Setting the oven to 250° is more than adequate and presents no risk to the case material condition. If the oven temperature regulation is doubtful, borrow her baking thermometer along with the cookie sheet. In for a dime, in for a dollar. ;)
 
sleepygator is right. You have to get several degrees over 450 for brass to begin a structural change. However, to actually anneal you have to be aware of time(5 or 6 seconds) in relationship to temperature(over 750 degrees but less than 850-900 degrees). Annealing does not take place at 450 degrees regardless of the time of exposure. If the temperature accuracy of your oven may be in question(just because the dial or readout says 350 degrees..is it accurate?) You are likely safe but to find out for sure, get a bottle of 450 tempilaque and put a dot on head or mid body and put back in the oven. If it doesn't melt, you have no problem and save the cases with some reassurance.
 
mkihne said:
sleepygator is right. You have to get several degrees over 450 for brass to begin a structural change. However, to actually anneal you have to be aware of time(5 or 6 seconds) in relationship to temperature(over 750 degrees but less than 850-900 degrees). Annealing does not take place at 450 degrees regardless of the time of exposure. If the temperature accuracy of your oven may be in question(just because the dial or readout says 350 degrees..is it accurate?) You are likely safe but to find out for sure, get a bottle of 450 tempilaque and put a dot on head or mid body and put back in the oven. If it doesn't melt, you have no problem and save the cases with some reassurance.
Click to expand...
Well written and a good idea.
 
I have a number of cookie sheets that are now in my name. They all have a dent in the middle from when my wife hit me over the head with them after I baked brass or sprayed them with case lube. Personally I think a little One Shot flavoring is nice but she does not. Women ::)

I will dry my brass in the oven from time to time at around 150-200. My wife has preheated my brass at over 400* while they were cooling in the oven for about 35 minutes. Bad news is they were trashed and the few that I tried gave me nothing but problems. Good news is they were all free 223 range pickups so no money lost but no brass gained. Good stuff too, LC brass which is my fav 223 brass :(
 
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