Discolored brass from heat

[bigedp51]

Ed,
I will check later for you the possible temps a 75 watt bulb can reach, I do know that my lamp by my chair broke and fell down on the t.v remote, when I woke up to a stinking house the t.v remote was completely destroyed, melted into a blob, and was lucky I was home and the house didn't burn down, I agree with others to pitch it and even I wouldn't grease those cases Ed, happy shooting buddy
Wayne.

Thanks for the reply, and I'm sorry to hear about your drinking problem and knocking over the lamp and almost burning down the house down.

When I went to sleep I was sober as a Judge but when I woke there was a slight hot plastic smell in the air combined with the smell from the cats litter box just recently used. Needless to say I knew I was in deep shit and I rushed to the hot bucket of brass.

Bozo, do your cats listen to rap music in the basement when your reloading? I find I load faster when I keep the press in time with the beat.

 

[bigedp51]

Big Ed, for a case catcher I position a cardboard box of appropriate size next to the ejection port. A towel in the bottom slows them down. Works at the range anyhow. Best off its cheap and I use it to carry gear in to the bench. Alright lets start the cheap ethnic(Mennonite here in Lancaster County) jokes! :-[

Thanks for the box brass catcher idea, that falls into the KISS - Keep it Simple Stupid simplistic area. I wont say anything about ethnic jokes, my Mother-in-law is Polish and from Perry county. The Mennonite and Amish mafia must have been hitting Trop's Gun Shop in Elizabethtown hard and wiped out 90% of the inventory. It must have something to do with that new Amish TV show and fighting the "English". ;D "Dunna Vetta" (A PA. Dutch curse word that means thunder and lightning)

 

[TheSnake]

I would bet that bulb touching the case gets a lot hotter than you think. Have you ever flipped off a light then go to unscrew the bulb? It will burn you plenty quick. I don't have any more incandescent bulbs or I would check it. All mine are new fangled bulbs that don't get bright enough for squat.

Just looked it up and the outside glass temp of a standard bulb can reach 500 degrees. That is hotter than you want the base of your cases to get for sure.

 

[bigedp51]

I would bet that bulb touching the case gets a lot hotter than you think. Have you ever flipped off a light then go to unscrew the bulb? It will burn you plenty quick. I don't have any more incandescent bulbs or I would check it. All mine are new fangled bulbs that don't get bright enough for squat.

I can't feel my fingers anymore to test your light bulb statement, I've been removing the crimp from 6,000,000 .223 primer pockets by hand. :'(

I was told if your fingers aren't bleeding when your reloading your not having fun.

Luckily I got modernized this week and the finger bleeding has almost stopped. :'(
(but it still hurts my fingers to pick my nose)

 

[Steve Blair]

I just checked a 75 watt bulb that has been on most of the day. Measured it from about 1/2" with a digital infrared thermometer, 246°F. Plenty hot enough to burn your finger, not hot enough to affect brass. I oven dry at 250°F and sometimes have cases that darken about like you showed. The attached image is a 4X fired .284 Shehane case. It was run through stainless pins, dried in the oven, then annealed. Note how dark they get in the extractor groove. They work just fine. If you think these cases are ruined (many look like this), please come to Phoenix 7-10 February and you can witness just how badly they shoot. [br]
BTW, they shot 597-34 in a 300-500-600 MR match Saturday while preparing for Phoenix. Didn't even have one blow up in my face.

 

[bigedp51]

I just checked a 75 watt bulb that has been on most of the day. Measured it from about 1/2" with a digital infrared thermometer, 246°F. Plenty hot enough to burn your finger, not hot enough to affect brass. I oven dry at 250°F and sometime have cases that darken about like you showed. The attached image is a 4X fired .284 Shehane case. It was run through stainless pins, dried in the oven, then annealed. Note how dark they get in the extractor groove. They work just fine. If you think these cases are ruined (many look like this), please come to Phoenix 7-10 February and you can witness just how badly they shoot. [br]
BTW, they shot 597-34 in a 300-500-600 MR match Saturday while preparing for Phoenix. Didn't even have one blow up in my face.

Thanks alot, I just got back from looking in the trash can and wondering if I should drag them out again, I hate being so conflicted.

Your case is darker than my cases which makes me think there is a chemical reaction happening. I'm going to wash these cases again with dishwashing soap and LemiShine again with NO pins in a bucket and see if the washing in citric acid removes the color tint. Be back soon.............................

 

[Steve Blair]

Ed, [br]
I think what is happening is both a chemical reaction (we have terrible, mineral laden water in San Diego) and accelerated tarnish from the heat. But, as far as changing the brass material condition, it must exceed 500°F for any measurable change to take place.

 

[bozo699]

Ed,
I will check later for you the possible temps a 75 watt bulb can reach, I do know that my lamp by my chair broke and fell down on the t.v remote, when I woke up to a stinking house the t.v remote was completely destroyed, melted into a blob, and was lucky I was home and the house didn't burn down, I agree with others to pitch it and even I wouldn't grease those cases Ed, happy shooting buddy
Wayne.

Thanks for the reply, and I'm sorry to hear about your drinking problem and knocking over the lamp and almost burning down the house down.

When I went to sleep I was sober as a Judge but when I woke there was a slight hot plastic smell in the air combined with the smell from the cats litter box just recently used. Needless to say I knew I was in deep shit and I rushed to the hot bucket of brass.

Bozo, do your cats listen to rap music in the basement when your reloading? I find I load faster when I keep the press in time with the beat.

Ed,
I haven't drank alcohol in years, I took the huge amount of money I was spending on drinking and started my gun collection. I do think Steve is on to something, I actually thought that, I know is;s easy to say after the fact but here where I work if they don't get the cleaning solution off fast enough and thurough enough before they put them in the annealing ovens they turn color, I would find it hard pressed to think a 75 watt bulb could anneal the brass,... best of luck, and let us know what you find.
Wayne.

 

[bozo699]

P.S I NEVER listen to devil music!!! I only listen to Hank Sr. and music like that, and I NEVER listen to any kind of music while reloading!
Wayne.

 

[bigedp51]

Ed, [br]
I think what is happening is both a chemical reaction (we have terrible, mineral laden water in San Diego) and accelerated tarnish from the heat. But, as far as changing the brass material condition, it must exceed 500°F for any measurable change to take place.

Update, I put the tinted cases in a small ice cream bucket with 1 tablespoon of dish washing liquid and 1/4 teaspoon of LemiShine. As soon as I agitated the water with my hand to mix the ingredients the dark tint immediately started to fade. After a one minute soak all the cases were as bright as they were when they came out of the tumbler and SS pins.

I feel much better after learning something thanks to sleepygator's persistence "AND" experience with heated brass.

Bottom line, a light bulb does not get as hot as a gas torch, and to be on the safe side I will test these cases in my rifle only and measure the bases after firing as added insurance.

Before

After recleaning, and forgetting to turn on the florescent light on and changing the color temperature of the photo. Its those darn hot bulbs again.

 

[bozo699]

Awesome Ed, glad to hear it, ........Now lube those puppies and start shootin!!!
Wayne.

 

[bigedp51]

Awesome Ed, glad to hear it, ........Now lube those puppies and start shootin!!!
Wayne.

Wayne

All my posting are in jest for the joy and merriment of all the rest.
(I think Attila the Hun was the one who said that) :

All kidding aside Wayne the drinking was a joke in my posting and in my misspent youth overseas in the service I always knew when I had enough to drink when I tried to rub something off my back and it turned out to be the floor. Beer was .60 cents a six pack, cigarettes were .17 cents a pack and a bottle of booze was $1.75. I must have had a lot of fun but I just don't remember most of it.

 

[bigedp51]

Awesome Ed, glad to hear it, ........Now lube those puppies and start shootin!!!
Wayne.

Wayne.

Did you really think I'm a liberal when it comes to case lubing, besides I always believe what Uncle Sam tells me. Just remember, I might be a slippery bastard but my cases aren't.

Wayne, definition of a party pooper:
Someone who puts sand in the Vaseline! ;D

 

[Bradley Walker]

The oven can make the brass slightly darker too.. I have done it lots... It doesn't do anything...

 

[Luke_NL]

A little over a year ago all I had were bolt action rifles and my sons talked me into rifles that automatically throw my brass away. :'( And now I have two of them and I'm now I'm planing to make a brass catcher to set alongside of the bench.

A range I frequent has taken fishingnets, sawn of the rods and mounted them on wooden blocks. Works like big "O"' standing next to your position. Easy as pie, works a treat.

 

[necchi]

I can't beleive this thread has gone this far about $2.38 worth of brass,
Less if you count the 2 cents each their worth as scrap,,,

 

[bozo699]

I can't beleive this thread has gone this far about $2.38 worth of brass,
Less if you count the 2 cents each their worth as scrap,,,

Yea but it was a fun thread, something was learned and there was no fighting so I see no harm
Wayne.

 

[bigedp51]

I can't beleive this thread has gone this far about $2.38 worth of brass,
Less if you count the 2 cents each their worth as scrap,,,

necchi

Only one person went to the trouble of posting a photo of their cases when it came out of their heated sonic cleaner. This persons case was darker than my cases and killed the light bulb myth of a bulb reaching annealing temperatures.

Your 2 cents here is worthless and sleepygator's help was priceless.

Forgive me for being blunt, its not the price of the brass that's worth anything really, "BUT" the knowledge gained is everything.

Just remember this, every a$$hole has an opinion, but not every a$$hole has the correct answer.

And right now sleepygator's shit doesn't stink.

And even that long haired Commie pinko pervert bozo699 and I can have fun.

Now necchi........................... get off my lawn you punk. And go to the "Drying Brass cold climates" thread and tell them to move to Florida! http://forum.accurateshooter.com/index.php?topic=3804208.0

NOTICE: No cartridge brass was hurt or injured during the making of this posting.

 

[bozo699]

I can't beleive this thread has gone this far about $2.38 worth of brass,
Less if you count the 2 cents each their worth as scrap,,,

necchi

Only one person went to the trouble of posting a photo of their cases when it came out of their heated sonic cleaner. This persons case was darker than my cases and killed the light bulb myth of a bulb reaching annealing temperatures.

Your 2 cents here is worthless and sleepygator's help was priceless.

Forgive me for being blunt, its not the price of the brass that's worth anything really, "BUT" the knowledge gained is everything.

Just remember this, every a$$hole has an opinion, but not every a$$hole has the correct answer.

And right now sleepygator's shit doesn't stink.

And even that long haired Commie pinko pervert bozo699 and I can have fun.

Now necchi........................... get off my lawn you punk.

NOTICE: No cartridge brass was hurt or injured during the making of this posting.

Yes it was a good thread Ed, I enjoyed it, I do agree but I wear a flat top
Wayne.

 

[bigedp51]

Yes it was a good thread Ed, I enjoyed it, I do agree but I wear a flat top
Wayne.

Thank you Wayne, it was a good thread!

I think it was Genghis Khan who once said:

"If you can't take the heat stay out of the oven." ;D