Thinking of annealing
- Thread starter Jacks Grampa
- Start date
Aim it more on the neck. If you can hold it in your fingers it's not hot enough to anneal. Heat until the neck turns red. Impossible to overheat the body.
old_heli_logger
Gold $$ Contributor
If you heat it until it is red, then you're likely overdoing it a little...
Just my opinion.
Good luck
I just can’t convince myself to do it for my amount of shooting. I can see myself causing more problem’s unless I buy that expensive machine, and realistically I might as well spend that money on brass.
It only has to be red for a second. The problem is getting there. You want to get there as fast as possible. Getting there slowly will be a problem for heating the case body and making it too soft.
Anything you do by hand like that is not consistent. Get an amp or skip it all together.
JSH
Gold $$ Contributor
So prior to 90 some percent of shooters not having a mechanical type annealer 10-15 years ago it was a waste of time? There were few annealing machines in the late 80’s and 90’s, then they were out of reach cost wise for majority of shooters. Ken Light machine was the first one I saw. I know of one club that bought the machine, then charged a fee for its use.
Hell when I started annealing we were standing cases in a pan of water, and tipping them over when hot.
Bottom line, annealing will and does extend case life. If the OP was a PRS or LR shooter, the question would probably not been asked.
Hell when I started annealing we were standing cases in a pan of water, and tipping them over when hot.
Bottom line, annealing will and does extend case life. If the OP was a PRS or LR shooter, the question would probably not been asked.
Plenty of real accurate info saying you want the neck red. You can not soften the body at 400-500F even for a couple minutes.
NZ_Fclass
Silver $$ Contributor
I would have thought that since the introduction of the AMP, more flame annealing machines would be available on the 2nd hand market.
But there are some reasonably priced new machines out there -The Ugly annealer, for one, that can work quite well with a bit of calibrating.
But there are some reasonably priced new machines out there -The Ugly annealer, for one, that can work quite well with a bit of calibrating.
Clancy
Silver $$ Contributor
Used bench sources are cheap enough.
I've posted the results of proper flame annealing enough over the years. It works great.
If you ever have a batch of cases you’re attached to send them to me and I’ll do them for you.
MikeRu
Gold $$ Contributor
Lots of good opinions above, here’s what I do:
www.cartridgeanneal.com
Cheap, very consistent bullet seating pressures, and shoots accurately.
Aim at the neck shoulder junction, avoid room air currents, rock back and forth in the flame, use a metronome to heat for 9-10 sec, stop about 1 sec after the 750 Tempilaq melts, drop onto a cotton cloth, perhaps because the time is prolonged any red glow is overcooked in my hands—the neck tension drops off a lot. The goal is consistent neck tension and you can measure this as seating pressure on an arbor press.
If this gives inconsistent results you can always spend more later—good luck.
Brass Annealing Machine | Rifle Brass Annealing | Enterprise Services LLC
Looking for a brass annealing machine? Our professionals can help. Enterprise Services LLC sells top of the line Anneal-Rite brass annealers. Click to learn more!
www.cartridgeanneal.com
Cheap, very consistent bullet seating pressures, and shoots accurately.
Aim at the neck shoulder junction, avoid room air currents, rock back and forth in the flame, use a metronome to heat for 9-10 sec, stop about 1 sec after the 750 Tempilaq melts, drop onto a cotton cloth, perhaps because the time is prolonged any red glow is overcooked in my hands—the neck tension drops off a lot. The goal is consistent neck tension and you can measure this as seating pressure on an arbor press.
If this gives inconsistent results you can always spend more later—good luck.
Attachments
old_heli_logger
Gold $$ Contributor
Thank you, my neck is red enough
When I calibrate my Annealeez, I do it in a dim room and try to go for a very dull orange. My seating pressure is very consistent, so that works for me
The only problem is . . . 750°F doesn't really get the job done properly.Lots of good opinions above, here’s what I do:
Brass Annealing Machine | Rifle Brass Annealing | Enterprise Services LLC
Looking for a brass annealing machine? Our professionals can help. Enterprise Services LLC sells top of the line Anneal-Rite brass annealers. Click to learn more!
Cheap, very consistent bullet seating pressures, and shoots accurately.
Aim at the neck shoulder junction, avoid room air currents, rock back and forth in the flame, use a metronome to heat for 9-10 sec, stop about 1 sec after the 750 Tempilaq melts, drop onto a cotton cloth, perhaps because the time is prolonged any red glow is overcooked in my hands—the neck tension drops off a lot. The goal is consistent neck tension and you can measure this as seating pressure on an arbor press.
If this gives inconsistent results you can always spend more later—good luck.
Why you'd have inconsistent neck tension when getting that red glow, I have no idea, since I get very consistent neck tension when I do. When I used to use 750°F, my neck tension was pretty consistent within the batch that had just been annealed, but very different tension after a number of annealing sessions at that temperature.
old_heli_logger
Gold $$ Contributor
Do you see any flare ups when your zinc is getting cooked off the tip of the neck?The only problem is . . . 750°F doesn't really get the job done properly.
Why you'd have inconsistent neck tension when getting that red glow, I have no idea, since I get very consistent neck tension when I do. When I used to use 750°F, my neck tension was pretty consistent within the batch that had just been annealed, but very different tension after a number of annealing sessions at that temperature.
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