Annealing, First proper go.
- Thread starter finnbear270
- Start date
The advantage of using the soap telltale over just counting if annealing hand held is that any variation in position of case in the flame is accounted for…if the flame is playing too close to the mouth or too much down the body past the shoulder it can be seen and adjusted on the hoof. The propane flame has a variation of around 1000˚C from end to end so if you do not register the case in exactly the same part of the flame each time, 6 seconds can produce a widely variable metal temperature and resulting hardness. This is most pronounced in the 325˚C to 375˚C range where it is amplified by the relative hardness condition of the metal prior to annealing.
The video shows the soap turning black at various timings depending on the very slight position changes along the flame cone.
Lots of interesting discussion and source links here… Stress Relief Annealing cartridge brass
Alan
The M4 nut welded on the collar for a lever certainly is a finger saver when you are trimming, chamfering and/or polishing a batch!
I don’t use that when annealing though…I use a 1/2” square drive allen key, a .308W case drops into the socket and is held firm enough with the mild sideways pressure from the soap bar to apply the soap and then concentric enough to keep it in the same position in the flame. Then can just be tipped out into a pot of water which takes a lot of the soap off.
Alan
double post...how I wonder?
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Ah....I was fooled by your OP statement about not having technical & mechanical equipment and understood you had done those hand held.
The advantage of the soap over Tempilaq for us when annealing cases is that it starts to change colour around 350˚C so if you see the mouth of the case getting hotter first you can adjust to play the flame onto the shoulder so that both turn black at the same time…the Tempilaq 400˚C doesn’t alter until the surface it is on achieves the temperature…little warning beforehand and it does not tell you whether you have gone over temperature and are achieving a higher temperature near the mouth for instance. The wide colour range indication provided by the soap applies, and may help, when you are setting up on timed carousel machine....but obviously more so when spinning hand held in the flame.
Be interesting to try soap on some cases in your machine, after you are happy with the timing, to cross reference consistency...I have only used it hand held.
Alan
Kevgun
Well-Known Member
I’d made a few quid on something else , so it was my xmas pressie to myselfNot sure I'd find one of those for a couple hundred quid Kev!
Almost Lapua Andy?,
I think I have it by the scruff of the "Neck" now,,
I have been told there is no place for humour on here...you will be given the cold shoulder if that is the case...
Alan
Don't let it go to my "Head" then?
Now halfway through the quality "Keeper" cases, they are now cleaned , annealed (properly, after the practice on scrappers) they are in the cardboard boxes until needed for re sizing in the future. 
. The bright stuff is about to go through the annealing machine sometime next week, I may not need any more brass in my remaining stalking / foxing career!
they are in the cardboard boxes until needed for re sizing in the future. . The bright stuff is about to go through the annealing machine sometime next week, I may not need any more brass in my remaining stalking / foxing career!They look good, main thing is to not have the neck/shoulder turn RED hot. If so you have shortened your case life as the grain structure has been altered as I was warned by a ammo engineer from Frankford Arsenal in the US.
How many seconds does your case remain in the flame? Six seconds is about right with the flame directed to shoulder lower body area.
The next thing you need to be concerned with is the primer pocket getting loose. On 7.62 if you can get some NATO SPEC 7.62 brass I think you would get a longer case life. Most commercial brass I have run into have softer case heads and pockets open up and you get gas leakage round edge of primer and it starts cutting a ring in you bolt face consistent with the location of the edge of the primer.
How many seconds does your case remain in the flame? Six seconds is about right with the flame directed to shoulder lower body area.
The next thing you need to be concerned with is the primer pocket getting loose. On 7.62 if you can get some NATO SPEC 7.62 brass I think you would get a longer case life. Most commercial brass I have run into have softer case heads and pockets open up and you get gas leakage round edge of primer and it starts cutting a ring in you bolt face consistent with the location of the edge of the primer.
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I found it slightly different on some cases (size & shape), as near as I could get it with the I phone timer, was 5.5 seconds for .270's & Quarterbores, anything more & the flame from the burner would produce a small orange flare from the case neck, anything increasing from there would make the case neck begin to start to glow dully, bit like watching a depiction of a re entry of a space capsule, the WinMags took 6.0 seconds during the turning before moving off out of the cone of flame.
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