22 jackets annealed in Self Cleaning Oven

[BT Sniper]

I successfully annealed 3.5 lbs of 22lr jackets in the oven today, by successful I mean I didn't set of the smoke detectors

Of course there are many ways to anneal but for large batches I like to use the oven for best chance at consistent results with even heating. The 20lb lead pots work well at keeping fumes outside or in the shop away from indoors but it is hard to maintain even heating to all cases.

As far as I can tell using the Self Cleaning Oven (SCO) results are perfect, closest we can get to a kiln I suppose. I probably still should look into a kiln but for those of you that wish to anneal in large batches this is what I did, first should mention it would be wise to do this when the wife is out of the house for a few hours. You want to make sure the brass is absolutely clean and ventilate your house well, windy day probably best. You also want to wipe down the inside of your oven best you can.

The key to safely cooking your brass is to ensure it is absolutely clean of all contaminates. It will still smell of hot brass but for me having 3000 + cases done and ready to form all at the same time with even results was worth it.

Here is what I did....

Wipe down and clean inside of oven!

1. derim jackets

2. soak jackets in mineral spirits to remove lube

3. rinse jackets to remove mineral spirits

4. tumble jackets in SS media with soap and citric acid to get everything clean as possible

5. dry jackets in clean bath towel "hammock" style

6. spread jackets on cheap pizza sheet that has "vent" holes in the bottom

7. place in oven and turned on to max "normal" cooking temp, 525 degrees, this way I can still open the oven or turn it off should things get smoky once you select "Clean" the door will lock and stay that way till it cools back down.

8. the brass had cooked at 525 for about 10-15 and I was convinced there would be no excess fumes. at this point the brass had turned brown.

9. while the oven was still hot I selected "clean" mode and away they went.

10. ensure all doors & windows where open and house fans on

11. one hour later I turned the oven off, the door remained locked as a "hot" message was displayed. About 15 minutes later it was cool enough to unlock the door. All brass was now a dull silver color. I took one out and cooled it off, easily smashed between my fingers.

12. dump the hot brass into a bucket of hot water with citric acid and let sit for about 10 minutes.

13. remove brass from hot citric acid bath and tumble for three hours in cold water with stainless steel media with a bit of citric acid and soap.

14. rinse in cold water till clean

15. dry in bath towel hammock style

16. preheat oven to 200 degrees and place brass back on pizza sheet. Once oven reaches temp place brass back in oven and turn heat off. Leave brass in oven till dry. Took about an hour I suppose.


Sounds like a lot of work I suppose but I got 3,000+ jackets all annealed to exactly the same results ready to turn into bullets.


Self cleaning oven might not be the technique for everyone and I'm sure there are a few health hazards if precautions are not taken but in the end...... 3,000+ jackets!!!! PRICELESS!

Good shooting and swage on!

BT

[nhrifle]

I did one batch of brass in the oven and it annealed nicely, but I won't be using my current oven again. The folks who lived in my house before me had a small commercial bakery operation and that oven was used (abused?) by them daily for many years with little to no upkeep. About 5 minutes into the self clean cycle little wisps of smoke started wafting up from the sides of the stove. Didn't have a fire, but I was on edge the whole time.

If you want to try something neat, put a batch of brass into a 400 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Not sure if this softens the brass at all, but it comes out a beautiful blue.

[Salmon-boy]

Brian,
Was that cheap pizza sheet aluminum or steel?? I'm thinking about doing the same thing, but all I've got are aluminum, or steel loaf pans.. (well, unless I want to endure the wrath of my wife!)

Chuck.

[BT Sniper]

Steel. about $10 at Wally World

http://www.walmart.com/ip/AirBake-Pi...isper/16914561

BT

[khamill2000]

I've always used the oven. I go straight from derim to the oven. Any lube is burned off in short order. No cleaning of the brass before just to clean it again after. I got the oven for $50 on Craigslist. There were plenty available for that price. The oven has the same plug as my welder so I keep it out in the shop. No wife problems. All the brass gets cooked on garage sale cookie sheets. I got about 10 of them for $1. Aluminum and steel both work fine. I do it this way with all of my jacket brass.

[BT Sniper]

That is exactly what I would do if I had the hook ups in the shop. Certainly better then smoking the inside of the house.

BT

[runfiverun]

shaw I make the house payment,,, i'll smoke it up if I wanna..
I just don't wanna......

[spitstickler]

Hey Brian and all,

After all of the methods you've experimented with annealing the 22lr brass, what would your recommendation be for smaller batches? (LEE or other Pot, Cast iron skillet with lid, grill converted into a kiln, etc) While I would love to do a big batch at once and have it over with. The oven isn't an option for me. Logistically and economically, it makes more sense for me to go the Lee pot or Cast iron skillet. Both of these methods seem fairly quick to set up/take down and don't take up a lot of room.

[BT Sniper]

small batches..... probably the elc. lead pot.

BT