Hoot wrote:Texas Sheepdawg wrote:So I've never annealed my brass. Being poor, what is the most economic and easy way to anneal my brass?
One of these 3/8" socket / drill adatpers:
A drill to spin it with and a socket that the cases fit inside of to spin them in.
Then a simple propane torch with a medium to fine pencil point. No need for MAPP gas, a swirl tip or "sweating big pipes" tip. You want to be able to concentrate the heat in a small area while slowly rotating the case. The heat will spread easily due to
brass' good thermal conductivity. Even one of those small butane ones you can pick up from HF, though butane is an expensive fuel.
It might be a good idea to get some TempLac (google it) until you get a feel for doing it by sight. I've seen at least one well produced, but
totally wrong How-To video on YouTube, so be careful of free advice. The guy was ruining his cases. It drew a lot of critical comments from folks in the know, who saw it. I use a lock stud from a Lee Case Trim kit chucked in my drill, but I have to loosen it after each round is done to drop it into the water quench (which isn't necessary). With a socket that surrounds the lower half of the case, you just tip it upward a little to keep the case in it while spinning and then tip it down toward the catcher. If you apply the heat
accurately and
prudently, you can let them air cool. The residual heat that migrates down the case as it cools is no where close to high enough to change the
brass' properties in the lower half. I know one fellow who twirls them in his fingers and drops them to cool and it doesn't burn his fingers. A dot of TempLac, applied inside the mouth is probably the most accurate approach, but you have to clean it out of the cases when done. I tried my remote reading IR thermometer, but the refresh rate was too slow on it and it was too inconsistent to rely upon.
Unless you plane on doing them by the hundreds, there's no need to ramp up the technology any more than primer pocket cleaning or mouth chamfering.
Hoot