Poor man brass annealing 101

[alex2293]

Hey guys,

here is how I'm going to anneal my 7.62x54R PPU brass.

I purchased a 400F Tempilstik for 5.99$



I made a line of powder all the way on the case. The stick is really hard and dry, not greasy like I hoped.

I then used a BBQ lighter, the ones with the pressurized butane to heat the tip of the case while rolling the brass with my fingers.



After 6 seconds the line of Tempilstick was melted, turned from green to red, just below the shoulder. The annealed part of the brass is brownish and the lower is still gold/brass.



Sounds safe to me? Any advice? I'm mostly looking to extend the life of the brass. (Poor college student trying to shoot the mosin often)

Thanks!

[pworley1]

After you have done several you will be able to tell when the temperature has been reached by the color and will no longer need the indicator.

[alex2293]

Yeah I'll do a few more with the temperature indicator before doing them checking the color/time.
I hope it will help with the sooty necks I have right now.

[big bore 99]

Yes, the temp tells the story. I just stand my 45-70 cases in a cake pan with some water in it. I heat the tops with a propane torch until the tops just start to get red, then tip them over into the water.

[ray h]

Alex, instead of the sticks, try TempLac 650* and get a bottle of thinner they sell for it. The carrier in TempLac evaporates pretty quick so always replace the cap as soon as you swipe the neck. I feel a thin coat gives truer reading of temp. Also I put a swipe of 400* 1/3 to 1/2 way up from the case head. I set my torches and timing so the 650* melts and the 400* is turning colors. This way I know the case head has not over heated. I don't use water, as soon as the heat is removed the case starts to cool. i got mine from Brownells. You only need to apply it to a couple of cases till you get your torches and timing set. Good luck

[alex2293]

I thought about buying the liquid TempLac, but here in Canada it was around 50$ a bottle. So I only bought the 400F stick to make sure I do not over anneal the case for safety purpose. For the moment, I'll stick with this method because money is tight.

How low on the case is it safe to reach 400F? Half-way between the shoulder and the head seems right because even at 450F, annealing takes an hour or so, the time required to anneal depend on the temperature reached. I'll try with a propane torch this week-end, it will heat up the neck faster and let the head cooler.


Thanks again!

[runfiverun]

annealing takes about one second.
it's the temperature that does the work not the time.

[Wayne Smith]

Dipping the necks in my lead pot at 650 degrees is cheaper!

[Shiloh]

After a few tries, I did it by color in a dark room. I think my Tempilac stick was a 600˚ or 650˚

Shiloh

[ray h]

Alex on my short 17 and 20 cal wildcats I mark just above the web and have no problems. I'm running pretty warm loads. Your case is big, a 1/2" or so above should be fine. some of my cases run around 1.25'' or so OAL, so my marking is near the web. Wow at 50.00 a bottle I don't think i'd use it either. I'm on fixed income so definitely understand. Good luck, read what Ken Light has to say on annealing. He's been around a long time and makes the machine I use. I know his procedure works. Good luck

[oldblinddog]

Yes, the temp tells the story. I just stand my 45-70 cases in a cake pan with some water in it. I heat the tops with a propane torch until the tops just start to get red, then tip them over into the water.

[kryogen]

Red is too hot. Should not glow guys.

[dragon813gt]

Read this article: http://www.6mmbr.com/annealing.html

[rl69]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tvI40Rl8Z3k

[kryogen]

read this article: http://www.6mmbr.com/annealing.html

this -----^

[montana_charlie]

Red is too hot. Should not glow guys.

If the neck is brown when you are done, it was red before you removed the torch.
If it's blue when you are done, you did it right.


This one is about as simple as you can make an annealer with auto feed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e862MYQUj-Q

[Blackwater]

Guys, this subject has been done to death. It's been over-stated sometimes, but it's seldom been UNDER-stated because doing so could and likely WOULD cause us great problems, just as described in the above excellent article on the 6BR forum.

If you will, in it he cites some data on TIME AND TEMPERATURE, and he's right. Everything in it seems to be spot on. However, folks have been annealing brass for an awfully long time, and yes, it DOES take some skill and focus and attention, but it CAN be done the old fashioned way very effectively. It's a demanding process, yes, but it's not rocket science. I've never done it any other way than standing the brass up in a pan of water to a depth about 1/2" below the lower bend of the neck, lighting my Bernz-O-Matic, tipping it up and getting the flame adjusted down to the minimum sized blue flame I can get (this sometimes takes several tries, since I don't do it all that often), THEN DARKEN THE ROOM AS COMPLETELY AS POSSIBLE (putting towels over windows in the daytime helps a lot), then I play the upside down turned flame over the case necks IN A CIRCULAR PATTERN OF @ 1/2" DIA. until the necks just barely begin to glow a dull, dark red, and instantly tip them over with a dowel, kitchen knife or whatever's convenient and keeps my hands away from the hot flame. This has always done it for me, and I have no quarrel at all with those who get obsessive about any of it, or any other aspect of reloading for that matter, because they provide an excellent body of knowledge for the rest of us. However, I've always found little time for THAT degree of perfection, so consequently, have pretty much HAD to do things in a more "practical" way. Please note that this most emphatically NOT mean I leave out ANY steps. I don't. Annealing does require attention to detail, or you could wind up ruining a good gun, or some of your more treasured body parts, up to and including your life from being lacadasical about annealing. I've gotten nearly 50 rds. out of some '06 brass by using my method, so it obviously works. Please note that in my earliest experiments and efforts, I DID get a batch TOO hot when I let it go to orange color, and those brass DID have to be discarded too early, but that's the price of our education as reloaders. The piper always has to be paid in ANY endeavor. The trick is just to err on the side of safety, and be cautious and attentive and focused and discrete - things we all see too little of these days, unfortunately, but that's a matter for another discussion in another place.

The critical parts of my method are very simple, but ones many tend to neglect. Darkening the room so you can SEE that first very faint red glow, playing the flame over the case necks in a circular motion, and tipping the case over into the water at the very first sign of that faint red glow are, in my experience, the crucial parts. Leave them out, and you may expect trouble. Like I said, I found this out by ruining a (to me back then) sizable lot of brass. If that happens to you, you just didn't pay as close attention to the process as you should have. Live & learn, just like I did.