[DoubleD]

richardwv
MH Forum Moderator


USA
1832 Posts
Posted - 05/14/2006 : 10:12:28 AM
Annealing brass is of course essential to long case life. My rambling attempts to explain the whys and wherefores of the process have left more than one person a little confused. The following link explains it much better than I ever could:

https://24hourcampfire.com/annealing.html



While I doubt any two people anneal cases identically, I figure once armed with this information individuals can adapt it to their tastes and materials at hand.

Rich in WV…..savoring life one cartridge at a time!

 

[DoubleD]

Following the idea put forth by Ken Howell in the link provided above by RichardWV in about 10 minutes I made this setup.

It is a cordless screwdriver, and a case holding tool.

I took a piece of aluminum about an inch in diameter and 2 inches long and drill a 7/8 in diameter hole in one end about 3/4 inch deep.

In the other end I drilled a pilot hole for my driver. My driver is one of those torex bits for use in the cordless screw driver.

The hole was drilled to the minor diameter of the torex bit. I drilled a slight chamfer the major diameter of the bit to get things started and then pressed the bit in with a bench vise.

To use, just paint your case with tempilac. Put the case in the holder and turn on the drill and hold the neck in a flame. As soon as the tempilac melts or turns black dump in a bucket of water to quench.

By the way if you are doing a bunch of cases, watch your water temperature, it can heat up and get hot quick!!!

This little tool is such a neat idea that Hornady is now selling a similar set up. This is one of those thing that falls into the "why didn't I patent this?" catagory.

 

[303smle]

Here is an alternate version for those that don’t have a suitable chunk of aluminum/brass/steel, drill press and a 3/4-inch drill bit. The only tools you need are solder, torch and something to cut the pipe.

I used a 3/4 to 1/2-inch reducer and a 1/2 to 3/8-inch reducer joined with a piece of 1/2-inch pipe and a piece of 3/8-inch to fit the drill chuck.

 

[enterpricorp]

Interesting article, but Usually during annealing you allow the metal to furnace cool or air cool instead of quenching which is more of a hardening process.

 

[DoubleD]

True enough for steel alloy, let the metal heat soak and slowly cool to anneal.

Brass is a copper alloy. Heat softens copper alloy.

If you don't quench the heat will continue up the case and soften the head. Quenching does not harden copper alloys.

 

[DoubleD]

annual update

 

[jjk308]

I've never had a problem and get long case life by just holding the case with pliers, heating the front of the case with a torch and dunking it immediately. The case walls are pretty thin and heat transfer takes a while so the base stays hard.

On second thought maybe the pliers suck up some of the heat, too.

 

[DoubleD]

I have used plers and fingers to hold smaller cases myself. But after burning my first set of Bertram Martini cases from lack of uniform annealling and too high a temperature, at $5 a case the more uniform application of heat an temperature is the rotating holder is cost effective.

 

[roger buckland]

i too changed from yousing the pliers method after ruining 12 out of 20 burtrum cases ,i have did it with plies for years with 303 cases never noticed any problems but at 6 dollars a case i dont want to take the risk again even though i think it is safe as long as you dont heat the cases too much,wich is what i think i did

 

[DoubleD]

Get the tempilac also.