Giraud Annealing ??

[Hollywood1009]

I have a Giraud annealer

2 questions

1. I need some helpful tips on when the brass is done getting annealed, I have seen numerous videos but none say anything about color of brass and once it is annealed should the brass be dropped in water?

2. What step should annealing be done at ? Before FL size or dirty brass or when? Or does it matter??

 

[noload]

Should clean up the brass a bit before annealing, you can get a better idea of color, try to get it to look like New Lapua brass, or you check the temperature with tempilak (spelling ?) stuff they sell I don't use it because I don't like taking it off the case after it melts. Don't get the neck red, and do not get the base of the case overly hot. Neck area should get 650-700 * F. I do mine before sizing . I have annealed after sizing with no ill effects. But I like to do before sizing ...the necks move much easier and you may have to change your neck bushing,if you use one. I use a needle point torch blue point focus at neck/ shoulder junction and it takes about 6-8 second to o a case. Pat

 

[CatShooter]

I have a Giraud annealer

2 questions

1. I need some helpful tips on when the brass is done getting annealed, I have seen numerous videos but none say anything about color of brass and once it is annealed should the brass be dropped in water?

2. What step should annealing be done at ? Before FL size or dirty brass or when? Or does it matter??

Water is not necessary and does not help.

I heat them until the necks are a dark red in a low light room.

Cases can look different at the same temperature and time.


These cases (left and right) were done at the same temperature, for the same time, and they are the same manufacturer - made about 5 years apart (but annealed at the same time).

 

[sparky123321]

Many factors come into play with regard to the final color of the brass after annealing. Don't try to make your brass look like new Lapua or any other brass. Only the temperature matters and the color is whatever it is. Many have overcooked their brass trying to get it to look like new Lapua brass. This is especially true if you use stainless steel pins to clean your brass before annealing. I've annealed some brass to the proper temperature that looked almost no different from the brass that was not yet annealed. I've never tried to confirm this, but I'm guessing that newly formed brass that still has a slight amount of oil on it will show more color after being annealed.

I agree with the comment above that said to turn off the lights and your brass is done with the necks "just start" to turn a dull dark cherry red. Glowing red and you've gone too far. Sometimes you will notice the flame turn more yellow if you go past the dark cherry red. I make sure my brass moves out of the flame before the color change occurs to the flame around the brass.

 

[1066]

I agree - colour change is an unreliable indicator to effective annealing.

I tumble with SS media - If I anneal the cases soon after cleaning I often see very little colour change. If I leave those same cases out in the open air for a couple of weeks before annealing, I often get a classic "Lapua" effect. This is obviously due to oxidation in some form.

I'll do some tests and take some pictures when I get chance.

 

[Joe R]

Catshooter is right as usual.

Attached is a good article that says what Catshooter says but explains very well. All of the annealing machines that I've seen are driven by time (usually 5 to 6 seconds) not temperature, so I skip the whole tempilac thing.

I clean my brass with ss media before annealing otherwise you're heating/hardening the carbon that is already in the case. I also anneal before resizing, because heat will alter neck tension and may move brass slightly. YMMV.

 

[Hollywood1009]

Wow glad I posted this thread, because I did pull out a new LAUPA and try to get it to look like that. Wow lol. Thank god I was testing on junk brass. I will do the testing with lights off and look for the color