How hot?

[jaysouth]

After wet-tumbling deprimed brass, I like to dry it in the sun. However, in winter or bad weather, I dry it in a kitchen oven at 170 f. It takes several hours for rifle brass.

How hot can I dry brass without doing any damage to it?

[Super Sneaky Steve]

I've found that heating my brass after washing makes it lose it's luster. Air drying is best if you're not in a hurry. There's no reason to go beyond 170f. It's still no where near annealing temp, which would be very bad. My food dehydrator gets to around 180F. I'd use that before putting it in your oven. You must not have a wife.

[Winger Ed.]

I used to dry washed brass in the oven. At least until the 2nd .45ACP got in there somehow and cooked off.
After that, all reloading activities have been banned from the kitchen.

What I do now:
Plan ahead, tumble them around in a towel to shake out the water, then lay 'em out on a dry towel.
Come back tomorrow and they'll be dry.

[samari46]

If you have a heat pump outside the house, get an aluminum colander like they use for salads and stick your brass in that and them on top where the hot air blows out. Only takes a couple hours to blow dry your brass. Frank

[stubshaft]

I do the same as you but turn my oven to 220 - 240 deg. throw the brass in and for 30 minutes, then turn the oven off and let it sit overnight.

[JimB..]

On a towel with a fan blowing over it.

[Butler Ford]

I hope I can explain this properly. Get a heavy duty cookie cooling rack from walmart, the ones that I have fit in a cookie sheet. Cookie sheet, paper towel then cooling rack. with the case standing angled mouth down in every other square, cases will dry in a 170 oven in about 20 minutes. (I fold a towel to hold the door open for air flow) I can dry 200 or so cases at a time this way.

[hoodat]

I like the 200 degree thing in the oven. Thats about the temp when water boils/vaporizes, and if you heat them that hot, simply let them cool with the oven and they will be perfectly dry. jd

[kevin c]

I tumble wet washed brass in a media separator to knock out as much excess water as I can, then use a towel hammock to roll the brass back and forth to dry the exterior (eliminates water spots, if it matters to you). To dry the case interiors during cold weather, I put them on a large mesh tray and set it over a floor heating vent. It only takes an hour or two, even for a load of over 1500 9mm cases.

[GhostHawk]

Mine get wrapped in a towel and put over the pilot light on the stove top. Makes a nice warm spot that will dry brass in an hour without getting too hot.

[slim1836]

I use a cheap dehydrator and leave it on overnight, or longer if I forget about it. It only gets up to 140 degrees, but it does help to heat up my shed when needed.

Slim

[dale2242]

I`m not answering your question but I dry mine in my old dehydrator at 150*.

[Randy Bohannon]

As others have done I towel dry make a nest with the towel and use a hair dryer to blast them on high. They will get to hot to handle but eliminates all the moisture quickly,let cool and you’re done.

[Dusty Bannister]

I tumble wet brass in the rotating media separater along with a few rags to pick up the exterior of the cases. Then spread cases out on a drying tray made from fiber glass window screen. Summer,
set in the sun. Winter, set over the heat register.

[owejia]

My experience with boolits, run them through sizer after casting , powder coat, then run them through sizer again. The powder coating seems to act like a lube and they size really easy. Takes a little more time but makes them really consistent. Sorry posted in wrong thread!!

[WRideout]

Annealing the brass is the only real problem with heated drying. When I anneal cases, they get hot enough I can't hold them in my hands. If the temp is less than that, you should be okay.

Wayne

[gwpercle]

I used to dry washed brass in the oven. At least until the 2nd .45ACP got in there somehow and cooked off.
After that, all reloading activities have been banned from the kitchen.

What I do now:
Plan ahead, tumble them around in a towel to shake out the water, then lay 'em out on a dry towel.
Come back tomorrow and they'll be dry.

Your wife should at least get you a food dehydrator ... that's all a case dryer is ...
When not drying cases ... make beef jerky ! Gets them out the oven ...

Was she home when both the cases "cooked off" in her oven ?

Bet that took some ... Fast Splaining
Gary

[TNsailorman]

I use an old de-hydrator that I do not need anymore for making dried fruit and it works fine. A couple to three hours in it and the brass is dry inside and out. my experience anyway, james

[charlie b]

Oven set at 230F for about 10min after the oven has come up to temp. This is above the boiling point and the 10min is to make sure all the cases reach that level.

I then air cool and they are ready to load. And, yes, mine do dull slightly. If bright and shiny brass is your thing then just let them air dry. Goes faster if you stand them nose down so the water can drain. Dehydraters are good in humid climates. Out here in the desert they just aren't needed.

[TNsailorman]

The one time I was in the desert, I thought it was a de-hydrator. james

[Mal Paso]

I put them in at 250F last time and they colored a little. It was a propane oven so moist heat. I left them in long enough to get hot then pulled them out to finish drying. I usually put them in the sun but it was raining at the time.

Metal in the sun can go 260F easy.

[Geezer in NH]

My electric oven will stay at 170-175 with the door slightly open. Son mad up a small muffin fan that gets put in with the brass it circulates the wet air up and out the door. That will dry 1000+ 223 cases.

If you have a convection oven try that with the fan going and prop the door open an inch or so.

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

I use my food dehydrator. The fan speeds things up. I start at 160 deg overnight, then as low as it will go for a few hours so I can handle them. I used to use oven. At 200 the brass would darken.

[Bird]

I use an electric hair dryer. Its quick, and plenty of air circulation.

[elmacgyver0]

Nature will do it if you're not in a hurry.

[sigep1764]

I take the brass that I anneal and drop into water to quench and lay them in a whip cream container, neck towards the bottom primer hole to the top and let them sit over night on an air vent. Good to go.

[GregLaROCHE]

I put my washed brass in reloading blocks. The next day are good to go. I guess you could use a hairdryer if you are in a hurry.

[Gtek]

Ear plugs and 140 PSI sure speeds things up down here.

[Rapier]

Went to kitchen supply and got 2 cookie sheets, I have an attic stairs. Just put the towel dry brass in the attic for a day, after I do a back and forth in a folded old towel, side to side over lap, then fold ends in, roll brass end of to end, inside the towel by lowering one hand at a time. Pour brass on cookie sheet.