Case Annealing
- Thread starter AlexSherwood
- Start date
AlexSherwood
Member
- Location
- Maple ridge bc
Sweet how did you find the build. Was it worth it or looking back woul it have been better to buy one pre built
I recently got a molten salt annealing kit from CGNs very own Battlerife. It's pretty slick, as foolproof as working with hot cases is ever going to get, fast and inexpensive. It can double as a lead melter, or at least I don't see why it couldn't since half of it actually is a lead melter.
Once its warmed up, you can do 50 cases in 5 minutes like nothing.
Once its warmed up, you can do 50 cases in 5 minutes like nothing.
tomapleleafss
CGN Regular
- Location
- Southeast SK
I'm also going the molten salt bath method. Just waiting on some parts so I haven't tried it yet. Seemed the easiest and not to expensive. Total price was $160ish (everything new). Melting pot (Lee) from Rusty Wood and salt annealing kit from a guy that sells them out of Edmonton called Ballistic Recreations (http://ballisticrecreations.ca/salt_home/salt/). Read about them in a few forums south of the border. Nice to find a niche product that is available in Canada from a Canadian.
Don't get the stick one. Very hard to apply to a case especially when stainless steel tumbled.
If you can only get the stick type then you can grind it up and dissolve it in acetone and use it like the brush on type.
Very good point
Nail polish type bottle and brush is the way to go
I usually try to apply it outdoors or in another spot in basement
Smells strong, and is said to be heavily carcinogenic
Good idea, I spin the brass in a old decapping pin rod
Hornady used to sell an annealing kit, but have since discontinued it, probably for liability reasons IMO.
I machined a holder from aluminum bar that fits into a cordless drill chuck.
It shields 2/3 of the case from direct heat, only allowing the flame to contact the neck and shoulder of the case.
I heat the case neck quickly to a dark maroon colour, remove it with tig welding gloves and sit it upright on a steel plate to cool. I don't like introducing water into my brass unless it can't be avoided.
I'm careful not to over-anneal, if the case gets a dull coppery appearance it goes in the trash.
If it doesn't get annealed enough it'll simply crack or split sooner than expected.
If you're flame annealing, I'd suggest experimenting with some junk brass. Deliberately under- and over-anneal some cases and make note of their appearance. I may do that at the beginning of a session, just to get a "feel" for the process again if it's been a while since I did it last. No point in ruining good brass because I'm slow getting back in the groove.
I always clean the brass first, before annealing. I find if it's dirty it's harder to see the colour change as it heats up.
Like anything else, these are my opinions only.
Annealing is a touchy subject, it seems.
If what you're doing doesn't seem safe, it probably isn't.
An advantage of the salt bath annealing is that that the brass can't get hotter than the molten liquid which is monitored by a digital thermometer. That makes the process non critical. If you leave them in a smidge longer they will soften farther up the case but that isn't a big deal. You'll catch on pretty fast.
Before you spend a bunch of money or do a bunch of work, I'd just like to let you know that annealing brass for better consistency in neck tension and extending the brass life, is quite easy and quick. If you are a very high volume shooter or a competitive shooter, then spending money on a machine might make sense, but for most shooting I personally dont think its necessary.
My process:
-stand a small torch upright on my steel top bench
-turn the flame down low
-start IPhone metronome app at 120 cps volume up high
-hold a case in the center and spin the neck in the flame until I have to drop it on the bench
-do a few to get comfortable with the timing using the metronome app
-use a drill and socket to turn the cases in the flame
-use a tie wrap on the drill trigger to set a consistent rpm
-tilt the drill and drop it on the bench top (no water needed) and load the next one
Very easy and fast to do 50-100 cases and get good consistent results.
Try a simple system like this for awhile and you will probably find no need to spend a bunch of money or build a machine. Not that theres anything wrong with spending money and tinkering with projects, I do it all the time, but sometimes its not actually necessary
Last edited:
AlexSherwood
Member
- Location
- Maple ridge bc
Cool. I just did 100 cases of 338 lapua mag with a tourch and drill socket worked but not gonna lie I want a bench source machine lol
- Location
- West Quebec
For the amount I shoot it's the torch and socket method for me..but would love one of the automated type if I shot more $
Before you spend a bunch of money or do a bunch of work, I'd just like to let you know that annealing brass for better consistency in neck tension and extending the brass life, is quite easy and quick. If you are a very high volume shooter or a competitive shooter, then spending money on a machine might make sense, but for most shooting I personally dont think its necessary.
My process:
-stand a small torch upright on my steel top bench
-turn the flame down low
-start IPhone metronome app at 120 cps volume up high
-hold a case in the center and spin the neck in the flame until I have to drop it on the bench
-do a few to get comfortable with the timing using the metronome app
-use a drill and socket to turn the cases in the flame
-use a tie wrap on the drill trigger to set a consistent rpm
-tilt the drill and drop it on the bench top (no water needed) and load the next one
Very easy and fast to do 50-100 cases and get good consistent results.
Try a simple system like this for awhile and you will probably find no need to spend a bunch of money or build a machine. Not that theres anything wrong with spending money and tinkering with projects, I do it all the time, but sometimes its not actually necessary
When I'm ready to start annealing I think I will use this method . It seems like it will work well for the amount that I will be doing.
Same here.
My experience as well. The solvent in the solution evaporates very fast. I found that to add more of the solution to the cases required re dipping as opposed to just trying to spread it out. Without doing that it became rough and "clumpy" for lack of a better term. Made interpretation difficult with the uneven surface of the tempilaq. The smoother the application the easier it was for me to observe.
Before you spend a bunch of money or do a bunch of work, I'd just like to let you know that annealing brass for better consistency in neck tension and extending the brass life, is quite easy and quick. If you are a very high volume shooter or a competitive shooter, then spending money on a machine might make sense, but for most shooting I personally dont think its necessary.
My process:
-stand a small torch upright on my steel top bench
-turn the flame down low
-start IPhone metronome app at 120 cps volume up high
-hold a case in the center and spin the neck in the flame until I have to drop it on the bench
-do a few to get comfortable with the timing using the metronome app
-use a drill and socket to turn the cases in the flame
-use a tie wrap on the drill trigger to set a consistent rpm
-tilt the drill and drop it on the bench top (no water needed) and load the next one
Very easy and fast to do 50-100 cases and get good consistent results.
Try a simple system like this for awhile and you will probably find no need to spend a bunch of money or build a machine. Not that theres anything wrong with spending money and tinkering with projects, I do it all the time, but sometimes its not actually necessary
Close to my thoughts as well mod7 however I myself believe it's easy to get adverse results if a person approaches this process unknowingly. This coming from a reloader annealing for the better part of one year so take this post for what it's worth. I started annealing due to inconsistent neck tension on better brass. There is a few good posts on the subject in this forum that can help if one's looking.
Agreed at the pace of which this process can produce. No doubt about that.
Once the duration has been established I use the count down timer on my phone.
That is one hell of a tip using the tie strap! Thanks for sharing that.
Regards
Ronr
