HammerMTB
10-04-2010, 03:17 PM
Here's my situation-
I have a lot of '06 brass, most of it LC from the '60's. Some of it is starting to split necks when I size. It needs to be annealed. The easy part.
Now the more difficult part. I tried several systems, and each has a slightly different result, but I am unsure just how much heat I need to get the job done. Since there are several hundred cases to be done, it would be good to establish a standard so they are consistent.
I tried: dipping the neck in 650F lead for 5, 10, and 15 seconds. 15 seconds seems to be enough, I "think". There's a definite difference when sizing after that. There is no color change of the brass when dipping, tho, and little after cooling.
Next: Using a propane torch to heat the neck until it just turned color. This certainly did the job of annealing. It's slow is my main complaint.
I don't have a hotter torch, but I could get a MAP gas torch. That might be a bit quicker.
My real question is, how can I tell when the brass has been heated enough to be annealed? does it in fact need to change color? Or is there a certain temp threshold that is enough, and it is before the color change?
Your experience and feedback appreciated..... :coffee:
I have a lot of '06 brass, most of it LC from the '60's. Some of it is starting to split necks when I size. It needs to be annealed. The easy part.
Now the more difficult part. I tried several systems, and each has a slightly different result, but I am unsure just how much heat I need to get the job done. Since there are several hundred cases to be done, it would be good to establish a standard so they are consistent.
I tried: dipping the neck in 650F lead for 5, 10, and 15 seconds. 15 seconds seems to be enough, I "think". There's a definite difference when sizing after that. There is no color change of the brass when dipping, tho, and little after cooling.
Next: Using a propane torch to heat the neck until it just turned color. This certainly did the job of annealing. It's slow is my main complaint.
I don't have a hotter torch, but I could get a MAP gas torch. That might be a bit quicker.
My real question is, how can I tell when the brass has been heated enough to be annealed? does it in fact need to change color? Or is there a certain temp threshold that is enough, and it is before the color change?
Your experience and feedback appreciated..... :coffee: