Annealing brass temp control advice needed

[Finnmike]

I have a fair amount of military brass to anneal. In my readings I was lead to believe that there Tempilstik and tempilak came in 675 degree increments. I find that it is available in 650 and 700 degrees only. So...do I use the 650 to control the point at which to remove from heat, or is there another alternative to getting the ideal temperature? Yes I have done the requisite searching in the forums. I will appreciate any help.

[John Boy]

So...do I use the 650 to control the point at which to remove from heat,Yes. And your not going to like using the Tempilstik that doesn't stick on the brass. Do it the old fashion way ... when the brass turns bluish green - your in the 650 temperature range

[smoked turkey]

+1 on what John Boy said. Also there is an a thread in the Black Powder Cartridge section titled something like "opinion needed" on this subject. There is some good info there.

[dabsond]

I have started annealing with a candle flame. I spin the brass in my fingers and when it gets too hot to hold on to, it is finished. This seems to be working for me.

[Gtek]

Go to You Tube and look at brass annealing, I am a fan of the battery drill and socket.

[Finnmike]

Thanks for the tips. I've read elsewhere that we need a "Brass" forum. While scrounging amongst my dies for a cartridge holder, I ran across my Lee trim die apparatus and bingo! A perfect combo for my electric screwdriver bit holder. I just tighten it enough to hold the cartridge, and it pops right out when done. Thanks to all again.
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[DR Owl Creek]

Temp-Stick and Tempilak can be hard to find in a lot of smaller welding supply shops. Try McMaster-Carr welding supplies (on-line). I think their item number for 660 degree Temp-Stick is #5960K71.

I haven't searched on here for threads on case annealing, but for some really good info elsewhere, check out: an old copy of "ABC's of Reloading", by Dean Grennell; "Annealing Cases", by Kenny Howell, http://www.24hourcampfire.com/annealing.html ; and "The Art & Science of Annealing", by Jim Harris and Ken Light, http://www.6mmbr.com/annealing.html .

Those articles have a really good discussion about how work hardened brass is unaffected by heating until up to about 482 degrees F. The annealing process is a combination of time and temperature. About 495 degrees F, a change in the grain structure starts to happen. You must just heat the brass case to the point where the brass becomes springy, but leaving the case body unchanged. If heated to 600 degrees F for one hour, the brass will be thoroughly annealed to dead soft, and ruined. Another critical temp is 662 degrees F for 15 minutes, to be thoroughly annealed, and ruined. From 750 degrees to 800 degrees, this can happen it just a few seconds.

The technique of spinning a piece of brass between your fingers for a few seconds over a flame originally came from an article by Earl Naramore in his book "Principles & Practices of Loading Ammunition". The above articles, if you accept their premise, indicate that Naramore's technique probably doesn't really accomplish much of anything, but at least don't hurt anything either, except maybe your fingers.

These articles recommend polishing half a dozen or so cases so you can watch oxidation occur as you heat them, using Temp-Stick or Tempilak to mark them, and then heat them with a torch, while you also watch for the blue color shift. They say to time how long it takes for all this to happen, and then use that time period to anneal the rest of your case. FWIW.

Dave

[popper]

Lots of tempilak ranges. I just dip 308 case necks in the pot @ 700 for a few seconds, then in water to STOP any annealing. tempilak on the body as a check - mine is 475F.

[mac60]

Go to You Tube and look at brass annealing, I am a fan of the battery drill and socket.

Me too. I watch for that blue color to migrate below the shoulder. When it does I dump it in a bucket of water. Works for me. I have '06 brass I've annealed every 5 firings that have been loaded over 30 times.

[Eddie2002]

Been using the socket in a drill annealing method for some 06 military brass. After a six count it gets dropped in a bucket of water. I'm at 12 reloads with some of the brass, no problems yet. Depending on the load I anneal after 3-4 loads. Had some Norma brass for 7.7 Jap start splitting at the shoulder after only 4 reloads so they get done every three loads. The Arisakas are known to have a large chamber so the brass gets brittle quicker. I'm just neck resizing for most of the Norma brass now but still annealing every 3-4 reloads. Been real glad I had eye protection on a couple of times.

[leadman]

I use a 475 degree Templak I got at a welding supply house. I mark the case just below the shoulder so it is easy to wipe off. I've seen where some people use the stick on the inside of the neck but I think this just makes it harder to clean off and more important that you clean every bit of it off.
The cases show very little color but are annealed using this method.