My new case annealing machine

[jhord]

I use my 7x12 mini lathe as a power source for all my case trimming/chamfering/pocket processing/etc operations. While standing there thinking about not wanting to spend $$$ on a new case annealing machine, I came up with this:

A simple aluminum tube through the spindle bore, into which I feed the cases. The turning motion assures the annealing is done evenly, and it also makes the cases feed themselves through. All you have to do is figure out the spindle speed vs flame to get the correct heat, and feed cases into the end of the tube. They drop out the end and into the pan below. The final few cases you have to use a pusher rod to feed them. It seems to be working well, and cost me about 50 cents.

 

[Leaddog]

Looks good, but are you pushing the case body through the flame before dropping?

 

[jhord]

Yes, but very quickly.

 

[BoydAllen]

Is the flame entering the case? If it is, I would consider setting up the torch so that it is aimed at the side of the neck. Other than that...clever

 

[jhord]

Mr Allen: Yes, the way it is shown there, a little bit of flame is probably sneaking in. The setup needs a some tweaking, I'm going to come up with some sort of clamp/jig to quickly position the torch perpendicular to the case. It's a work in progress... maybe just planting the seed of an idea for some of the other tinkerers here.

Also I forgot to mention that I sized the length of the tube such that inserting a new case flush to the end, pops the next case neck out just a bit. The lathe turns about 5-6 revolutions, the case wiggles out a little bit until the shoulder is getting heat, then when done I shove in the next case. It takes a little coordination, but it's better than some of the "pliers and a torch" setups I have seen posted around the web, IMO.

 

[BoydAllen]

In that case you get the full attaboy

 

[jhord]

Coming from you, that means a lot. 8)

Looking at that picture I just figured out how to hold the torch. "Clamp the tip in the tool post, dummy."

 

[Jay Christopherson]

pretty slick. It'd be cool if there could be some way to automate the case feeding. Can't think of a way to do that though. Mini-lathes are cool.

 

[Killshot]

That is a very inventive way of feeding and rotating the cases! Having everything in a fixed position increases the likelihood that they're all getting the same treatment. Adding a metronome for the dwell period would also help to that end.
If you change the torch angle to be closer to 90º to the caseneck/mouth you'd be golden. I'd also move your catch tray closer, that long drop can dent the mouths as they're dropped while still very hot.


That's the best non-machine set-up I've seen. Well played.

Bob

 

[FroggyOne2]

I would say that if a Dillon automatic case feeder was modified to feed the cases to the tube, you would have a automatic system, but instead of the flame coming from the front, if you were to move the carriage so that the flame was coming from the side with the flame pointing at the neck shoulder joint and maintain a one inch flame, that would really work!

 

[howl 1 up]

i have used the same process on my rcbs trim station,tubes slid over rotating heads verticaly,case slides in hold touch by hand,use welding glove to remove.

 

[Rustystud]

I cann't say enough good things about my bench source annealer.
Nat Lambeth

 

[boltfluter]

I cann't say enough good things about my bench source annealer.
Nat Lambeth

Yea, I bet you paid 50 cents for that.

To the original poster, very ingenious and with a few tweaks you will have a great tool for next to nothing. Nice job.

Regards,
Paul

www.boltfluting.com

 

[Raptor]

I set my torch on the bench and use a cut off 3/8 socket extension that I put into my drill and find the right size of socket that the case just slips into and then slowly spin it in the flame until the color is about right then drop it into a pan of water. Works like a charm and is damn fast!!

 

[jlow]

Very nice and I second Boyd’s comment about the direction the flame is pointing to. The only weakness of the setup now is the duration of annealing which is still determined manually by the OP. This is hard to do since with annealing time in the 2-4 seconds, it is hard to have millisecond reproducibility.

One possible way to do this is to have a rotating disc that partially covered the torch flame and has a slot that allows the flame to go through at certain angle of rotation. When the disc blocks the flame, no heating is done, when the disc rotates so that the open area sits in front of the flame, it goes through and anneals the brass. The annealing time can be controlled by varying the speed of the disc rotation i.e. a rheostat which allows precise control. The other nice thing about this setup is when the flame is blocked, you can easily manually insert the next case into the tube.

 

[jhord]

Thanks everyone for the constructive comments. Yes, it's going to be a bit fiddly getting the correct timing but I think the plan is to put a mark on the tube, and use the variable speed of the lathe to adjust things to where proper heat = shove in the case, count 3 revolutions, shove in another case... etc. Something like that. Pic of the updated torch mount below, that was easily solved and it is "adjustable" to boot. I will keep tinkering with this thing.

 

[jhord]

That's an interesting idea for sure. But it might violate my 50 cent rule. LOL. I will think on it.

One possible way to do this is to have a rotating disc that partially covered the torch flame and has a slot that allows the flame to go through at certain angle of rotation. When the disc blocks the flame, no heating is done, when the disc rotates so that the open area sits in front of the flame, it goes through and anneals the brass. The annealing time can be controlled by varying the speed of the disc rotation i.e. a rheostat which allows precise control. The other nice thing about this setup is when the flame is blocked, you can easily manually insert the next case into the tube.

 

[jlow]

That's an interesting idea for sure. But it might violate my 50 cent rule. LOL. I will think on it.

One possible way to do this is to have a rotating disc that partially covered the torch flame and has a slot that allows the flame to go through at certain angle of rotation. When the disc blocks the flame, no heating is done, when the disc rotates so that the open area sits in front of the flame, it goes through and anneals the brass. The annealing time can be controlled by varying the speed of the disc rotation i.e. a rheostat which allows precise control. The other nice thing about this setup is when the flame is blocked, you can easily manually insert the next case into the tube.

Bet you the nice 7x12 mini lath did not cost you 50 cents ;D– LOL!

 

[jhord]

Heh, that is true. But that little Chinese piece of junk has more than paid for itself over the years. The screw drive broke the other day so I think it's going to be a dedicated case prep machine from now on.

 

[BoydAllen]

I suggested that a friend purchase an inexpensive, battery powered metronome to audibly count off the seconds (when set to 60 beats per minute) so that he would not have to try to watch two things (timer and case neck/flame) at the same time. He reported that this was very helpful, and that after a couple of hundred cases, he was able to watch the color progress down from the shoulder, using that as his indicator. If you want to try this, and can set up a laptop nearby, there are free programs that function as a metronome that you can download, and set to count off the beat. You can even set it to change the sound every so many beats. (I think;it has been a while.)