Annealing brass

[Migmac]

A friend has bought a machine for annealing rifle brass. He has been told to use a temperature liquid like tempilaq. He is shocked at the price of this, are there other alternatives to tempilaq?

 

[brightspark]

infrared thermometer

 

[MattF]

What type of machine? Does it have temperature control?

 

[Migmac]

infrared thermometer

That's a good possibility, cheers

 

[Migmac]

What type of machine? Does it have temperature control?

Not sure will findout

 

[Migmac]

It's a reloading brass annealer, that's what's printed on it. Can't see any other detail in the picture

 

[brightspark]

presumably for brass bullet casings

 

[Migmac]

presumably for brass bullet casings

It certainly is

 

[outofthefire]

tempil sticks aren't that dear http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Tempi...hash=item236e728f4a:m:mjXvJiCbcpTyBYP9lq9j9ig

 

[Migmac]

tempil sticks aren't that dear http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Tempi...hash=item236e728f4a:m:mjXvJiCbcpTyBYP9lq9j9ig

They will do him nicely, he's like me a Scot!

 

[Perry Owens]

Those machines usually have a turntable that rotates the cases past one or two gas burners. The temperature is controlled by changing the speed of the turntable and/or varying the gas supply. I used to use Tempilac when annealing cases but found it difficult to see the colour change so now I just do the heating in subdued light and gauge the right quenching point by the colour of the case neck.

 

[hotrodder]

Tempilstiks may be cheaper than a small bottle of tempilaq but they're the wrong tool for the job IMO being (relative to a cartridge case) a large clumsy crayon that won't leave a mark on the part until it's reached/exceeded the temp rating of the tempilstik. Fine when preheating something relatively large, not so good if the part's tiny and the goal is to anneal one end without softening/overheating the other

 

[Arc Tourist]

It's a reloading brass annealer, that's what's printed on it. Can't see any other detail in the picture

Can you post a photo of it ?

 

[Migmac]

Can you post a photo of it ?

Not sure if I can copy it,will have a go tomorrow when I have a bit of time

 

[Migmac]

Tomorrow came quick !

 

[Arc Tourist]

We had a similar setup which rotated and used a propane torch to heat the neck and shoulder of cases, after which they quickly dropped through a hole in the base and into a bucket of water below. All you needed to do was keep feeding spent cases into the wheel; we used it for military cases as most commercial brass at the time was of a better quality and didn't require annealing. I used a magnet to sort through fired surplus as quite often some steel cases would be in the mix.

 

[cocker]

I just gauge them by colour but I only do a few at a time .
If he sets that up in dim light should be near enough .

 

[Migmac]

I just gauge them by colour but I only do a few at a time .
If he sets that up in dim light should be near enough .

He's new to annealing and wants to get it the bet he can. Once he has done a few I would guess he can do it by the colour too. I don't anneal, reloaded my cases 10 times now and starting to get a few with split necks now. It's no big problem for me as I have a very good supply of free brass.

 

[Migmac]

We had a similar setup which rotated and used a propane torch to heat the neck and shoulder of cases, after which they quickly dropped through a hole in the base and into a bucket of water below. All you needed to do was keep feeding spent cases into the wheel; we used it for military cases as most commercial brass at the time was of a better quality and didn't require annealing. I used a magnet to sort through fired surplus as quite often some steel cases would be in the mix

Don't know what brass he is doing but it's to help get a more consistant neck tension and extend the life of his brass. I couldn't be bother with it myself, I use Federal brass and it lasts well and produces good results

 

[Arc Tourist]

A minimal amount of neck turning to an even wall thickness, and using a bushing type sizer die will extend case life and increase shot to shot consistency; however, hot loads will lead to loose primer pockets and shorten case life, so nothing is really gained for longevity.