Did i just muck up a load of brass?

[NormB]

Something doesn't add up. I have annealed brass at 400 Celsius (only for a few seconds, mind you) and it doesn't show a colour change. Are you sure there wasn't some old french fry grease or something in there that may have stained the cases?

Then oven was likely calibrated in deg. F not C. 1 Fdeg = 5/9 Cdeg so much cooler than your annealing.
NormB

 

[vagrantviking]

The OP was being overy thorough or impatient and wanted them really dry right now.

For a low pressure round I would say forget about it and load them. For a 7mm Mag. I think I would bite the bullet and toss the lot.

Dry at 200F or under a 100watt light bulb next time.

 

[blacksmithden]

Betty Crocker cases......priceless

Listen. Brand new 7mm Rem mag brass is what.....37-40 bucks per 50 ???? Really, it's up to you. If it was me, I'd try them.....of course, many here call me crazy. I'd crack off a few with something solid (a steel post) between my body and the action. If I got a hard to open bolt, or there were any signs of splitting or weakening, I'd toss them.That's me though.

I hope that H4831 weighs in on this. What do you think Bruce ????


...

 

[blargon]

Bah, toss them out. You can pick up 50 once fired brass in the EE for $10.

 

[manitou210]

heated brass

I would NOT! use that brass. Never use an oven to dry or anneal brass. One piece that is heated beyond critical temp will soften the critical areas and can do nasty things to your face.

X2
x2

 

[joe-nwt]

Betty Crocker cases......priceless

Listen. Brand new 7mm Rem mag brass is what.....37-40 bucks per 50 ???? Really, it's up to you. If it was me, I'd try them.....of course, many here call me crazy. I'd crack off a few with something solid (a steel post) between my body and the action. If I got a hard to open bolt, or there were any signs of splitting or weakening, I'd toss them.That's me though.

I hope that H4831 weighs in on this. What do you think Bruce ????


...

Let me get this straight.

For $37-40 you would put a post between your body and the gun, but you would risk damaging the gun for that same amount of money.

I have no idea why many here call you crazy.......

 

[cosmic]

Well - I've washed and baked dry my brass for years - no problems, cases are clean as a whistle, and I dont have to deal with contaminated tumbler dust!
I just bake at a lower temperature - around 220 F for 30 mins. Just above the boiling temp of water. Mine discolor slightly, probably some sort of oxidation reaction.
Regarding the subject 7 mm brass - you should be able to tell if annealing has occured by a destructive test comparison to a new case. There is a chance the brass went well above the 400F thermostat setting - when the oven element goes on, it radiates energy like a lightbulb. If the brass was close enough to the element, it would pick up a lot of heat.

 

[Johnn Peterson]

Well - I've washed and baked dry my brass for years - no problems, cases are clean as a whistle, and I dont have to deal with contaminated tumbler dust!
I just bake at a lower temperature - around 220 F for 30 mins. Just above the boiling temp of water. Mine discolor slightly, probably some sort of oxidation reaction.
Regarding the subject 7 mm brass - you should be able to tell if annealing has occured by a destructive test comparison to a new case. There is a chance the brass went well above the 400F thermostat setting - when the oven element goes on, it radiates energy like a lightbulb. If the brass was close enough to the element, it would pick up a lot of heat.

Exactly, junk it.

 

[blacksmithden]

Let me get this straight.

For $37-40 you would put a post between your body and the gun, but you would risk damaging the gun for that same amount of money.

I have no idea why many here call you crazy.......

Life's an adventure

Honestly Joe.....I'd never recommend anyone else do it because I wouldn't want to be responsible for telling him it's safe. I can't guarantee it's safe, and that's that. Now, that being said, the reason I say I'd try them is because I honestly don't think he's done anything but tarnish the cases by speeding up the oxidization process with heat. You can still see some glint of bright metal right at the mouth of the case. If he was really changing the properties of the metal, that would be the place most effected by the heat, and it would probably be darker than the rest of the case. Sharp, fine edges and corners change first. I'd obviously like to take a really good look at them in person. Do a scratch test.....bend one at the neck and see how the metal behaves.....that sort of thing. ......Awe, forget it. Just keep thinking I'm crazy...it's more fun that way

 

[ben hunchak]

I can't understand why people are washing cases, let alone putting them in the oven, where does this stuff come from? The only cases that should be washed are cases used for black powder, where the soap and water neutralizes any corrosives/salts, etc. These cases can then be dried in the sun or in a bucket with a hair dryer or some such if one is in a hurry. Cases used for smokeless powders should be tumbled or just used as is!!

 

[Johnn Peterson]

Wellllll, there are some instances where washing cases is a requirement. In one instance this "stuff'" , as you so eloquently put it, comes as a suggestion from a reloading equipment manufacturer. There is a liquid media case cleaning solution in a diluted form that can be used when more aggressive cleaning of tougher dirtier jobs is required. After the cases are cleaned with this liquid media, they suggest flushing. Then (stuff);

"Spread cases on a metal sheet in an oven and heat to 200 degrees F until all are dry. Another method is to spread cases on a towe and allow to dry overnight or until dry."
"CAUTION: Temperatures over 225 degrees F will discolour cases. Temperatures over 400 degrees can greatly weaken cases".

I can't understand why people are washing cases, let alone putting them in the oven, where does this stuff come from? The only cases that should be washed are cases used for black powder, where the soap and water neutralizes any corrosives/salts, etc. These cases can then be dried in the sun or in a bucket with a hair dryer or some such if one is in a hurry. Cases used for smokeless powders should be tumbled or just used as is!!

 

[joe-nwt]

Wellllll, there are some instances where washing cases is a requirement. In one instance this "stuff'" , as you so eloquently put it, comes as a suggestion from a reloading equipment manufacturer. There is a liquid media case cleaning solution in a diluted form that can be used when more aggressive cleaning of tougher dirtier jobs is required. After the cases are cleaned with this liquid media, they suggest flushing. Then (stuff);

"Spread cases on a metal sheet in an oven and heat to 200 degrees F until all are dry. Another method is to spread cases on a towe and allow to dry overnight or until dry."
"CAUTION: Temperatures over 225 degrees F will discolour cases. Temperatures over 400 degrees can greatly weaken cases".

Pssst! If you didn't use the "liquid media case cleaning solution" in the first place, you would'nt have to flush the cases and dry in the oven.

Seriously, there is no requirement other than a personal one to have case look like they came out of the box from the factory. A case can be de-crudded (<<<new word) or taken to a brilliant shine in a tumbler without the need for oven drying, like ben suggests.

Personally anything more than simply putting them in the tumbler and taking them out again, ready to load, is a waste of my time.

Of course I cannot speak for you or your time.

 

[Johnn Peterson]

Pssst! If you didn't use the "liquid media case cleaning solution" in the first place, you would'nt have to flush the cases and dry in the oven.

- True enough, no arguement there, but we have choices. Some choose to really clean, some to clean a little and some, not at all. IF the cases are really bad and you happen to like them really clean, and aggressive method may be required.

Seriously, there is no requirement other than a personal one to have case look like they came out of the box from the factory. A case can be de-crudded (<<<new word) or taken to a brilliant shine in a tumbler without the need for oven drying, like ben suggests.

- Again, you're quite correct, but again, it's a matter of choices isn't it? And not much different than say, caring for the appearance of your vehicle.

Personally anything more than simply putting them in the tumbler and taking them out again, ready to load, is a waste of my time.

Of course I cannot speak for you or your time.

Yes, I guess in the eyes of some, it could be construed as a "waste of time" but for others, like cleaning and caring for a gun or vehicle, it may be a labour of love. For me, retirement is a fringe benefit to that end.

When I bought a tumbler, I chose the RCBS SideWinder because it had dual capabilities I could use, if needed and if I so choose. I haven't used the chemical liquid cleaner yet because of all the fiddling around and it would seem I probably won't. It was suggested to try adding some Brasso to the walnut shell media for the tougher applications, I tried it and it works quite well.

My comments reguarding a chemical liquid media and the 'suggested' clean up and drying process were merely a copy of the manufacturers instructions.

ALSO: I tend to like the bright looking brass and most cleaning and polishing doesn't take all that much time and effort. With the stuff on the more difficult and dirty side, after the initial cleaning and polishing, from then on it's a walk in the park.

 

[cosmic]

Well - I wash with a small amount of dish detergent (no special cleaner for me) for two reasons:

- remove the lube in an easy, efficient manner. (I'm lazy..)
- remove debris and carbon from the inside and outside of the case. I tend to shoot minimum load, causing the neck and shoulders to soot up quite a bit.

I'm not trying to get the cases to as as new condition. I'm more concerned about getting rid of debris from inside the case, which may affect case volume. Does a tumbler do this effectively?
In the end, I dont think my process is particularly labor intensive compared to using a tumbler - and I dont have to own, operate, and maintain another piece of fiddly gun hardware, and I dont expose myself or my family to that nasty contaminated dust.

 

[Andy]

I love the colour of those cases!

They are likely just coloured by the minerals in the water reacting with the surface of the brass under heat. 400F is well below the temp specified for annealing, and I seriously doubt that they are ruined, i.e. softened below a tolerable level, despite all the loom and gloom that upon first firing they will disintegrate into a mist of brass. The best indicator would be loose primer pockets and/or a measurable increase in case head diameter. Take five and load them up with your usual (sane, SAAMI) load. Measure the case heads before and after, and test by "feel" how tight the primer pockets are.

 

[RePete]

In some ways I agree with Andy on this, BUT, for the cost of 100 brass, why bother?

 

[BattleRife]

No one here can answer the question "Are they good or bad?" based on what you have told us. You set the oven for 400F, but is your thermostat accurate? Even if it was, if it is an electric oven and the elements turned on while the cases were in there, you will have picked up radiant heat that could have made the cases much hotter than 400F.

The only way to save your brass is to repeat the process, this time with some control.
Go to a welding shop and get a Temperature crayon for 500F, 475F if you want a little room for error. Wash a case just as you did before. Then, mark the case and cook it just as you did before. When you finish, the cases should be coloured just as the earlier ones were.

If the Temp marking has changed colour, your cases exceeded 475 or 500F and you should not use them. If the marking has not changed colour, then you should be fine.

Here is the annealing curve for cartridge brass, given 1 hour of annealing, if you are wondering where I got the 475-500 numbers:

And for cripes' sake, in the future dry cases at 200F, not 400.

 

[.Ben]

after seeing the pics of the brass i dunno if it were 1000 .700 nitro brass it might be worth investigating further but for 100 7mm brass might as scrap it to be safe....

but thats just me....

 

[Ganderite]

Try squeezing a case mouth with pliers. feel lik an ordfinary case?