Bench Source

[WFO2]

Pretty new here but thought I would share pulled the trigger on a new benchsource unit . Ought to be here in a few days . Thoughts , tips , and input would be appreciated ,

[Guardian]

Use it in a dark area so you can see if the case flashes orange (bad).

If you're doing volume, cut a hole in your bench top and use a short piece of PVC pipe between the bench an annealer discharge so that you can use a bucket to catch the brass.

The instructions say something to the effect of "place a thin line of Temiplaq to the case." They don't mean thin as in width, they mean thin as in light coat. Put it on too thick and it's a bear to get off. Thin enough and it burns away entirely.

The Tempilaq on the neck will tell you you're getting enough heat, but it won't tell you you're getting too much. Thus, the first sentence. Very faint red is ok, but anything more is too much. You don't want dead soft brass.

Focus the heat on the shoulder. Place the case upright on the machine top next to the torch to get the vertical adjustment and get the torch approximately parallel to the machine top. Fire the torches and get them intersecting over the center of the rotating plate for horizontal. You may want to flip the direction of the torch clamp (inboard or outboard of the post) depending on what case you're working with. I find this easier to repeat as an adjustment than adjusting the flame intensity. Outboard for smaller cases (e.g., 223) and inboard for larger (300 WM). The farther away the flame is, the more control you have with your time setting, to a point.

The ambient temp will affect the setup. You may have to adjust the machine if the ambient temp is dropping or rising.

Use scrap brass to setup, every time. Don't forget that after you run it one cycle each setup, it's no longer indicative of the ambient temp brass you'll be processing.

[WFO2]

Good tips thanks . Planned on catching the brass in a metal pan however the PVC is a good idea to get it there . Also good to know that you have to set it up each time . Going to sort my brass by head stamp to account for different thicknesses .

[Doc Highwall]

I have mine attached to a 20 lb propane tank with a "Y" adapter, feeding both torches at the same time with the same pressure. I try to make both flames equal length/intensity. I also start with a short time for the case to go through the flame, and if the Temiplaq did not melt I will increase the time until it melts. For a 223 case I start at just under 3 seconds.

[Shooter ----/]

I put an aluminum, round cake pan with water under the drop port.
I designate one case out of a batch as the test Guinea pig.
Shake the heck out of your Tempilaq before applying as it settles very quickly.
Put a stripe of Tempilaq inside the case neck. You will need good lighting to watch the Tempilaq.
Start with quick dwell times.
Your Guinea pig case can be quickly wiped dry and compressed air used to dry the inside of the case neck to mark and time the Tempilaq again.
Run batches of similar brass only. If another batch is to be run that has different manufacturer, caliber or significantly different number of firings, reset dwell times.
Large washers can be used on the upright torch mounts to assist in setting torch heights.
Do not rely on colour changes observed in the dark. Proven that different people observe colour quite differently.

About all I can think of right now.

[Guardian]

For clarity, I was not suggesting using the color of the heated brass as a measure of enough heat. I completely agree with Shooter that one should use the Tempilaq. However, observing the color of the heated brass will tell you if you got too much heat.

Instead of "dark area" I guess I should have said use it in an area of indirect light. I didn't mean completely void of light.

[WFO2]

Well it arrived today . Very fast shipping . It will be a week due to work schedule before I can set it up .I t will give me time to order Templac and get it here .

[Shooter ----/]

You will be very happy with it. It is a very nice machine and will help immensely with your brass.