Bugler Posted August 9 Share Posted August 9 There seem to be two main methods of annealing casings....dip into molten lead and the other is using a propane torch and a drill to rotate the casing. Which are you using and why? I am going to make 219 Zipper casing from 30-30 Win. cases for a 219 Zipper Marling that a friend of mine inherited. Bugler 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life Posted August 9 Share Posted August 9 I havn't annealed any brass in years. The way I used to do it was Fill a pan with an inch or so of cold water (depends on how long the case is). Set the brass up in the water , case mouth up. Heat with a propane torch until brass starts to discolor and then tip the case over in the cold water. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted August 9 Share Posted August 9 Drill motor and air cool under a fan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 Here are some links that may help you decide what works for you. In this one the guy talks about holding the case by the head and heating the neck with a torch. When you feel the heat in your finger tips drop it in water. I don’t know about you, but the nerves in my fingers are all messed up from a variety of things. This method does not work for me. Also, cases are a bear to get dry and quick cooling is unnecessary for brass. This isn’t TV show blacksmithing. https://www.gunsamerica.com/digest/annealing-brass-cases-how-to-do-it-or-what-those-colors-on-rifle-casings-are-how-to-recreate-them-3/ https://www.handloadermagazine.com/annealing-rifle-brass 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 I made this and love it. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watab kid Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 most i know that do this use propane flame , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 (edited) 8 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said: I made this and love it. Thank you! That is cool, but I must say that years ago I built electronic devices at home. I started off small then one day I found myself at aerospace company surplus sales looking for O-scopes, power supplies, wave snd pulse generators, static free work stations, etc. My friend and I hit a contract to build electronics for an answering service to double their call capacity. Talk about a rabbit hole. I vowed never to make my hobbies and my work pretty much the same thing. I was an R&D Tech at Hughes Aircraft. In the end HUGHES stood for Help Us Get Hired Elsewhere Soon. Watching that video was like a step through a time portal. I may have to build one of those. It might be fun. I haven’t physically worked on any electrical / mechanical project like that in years. Thank you Dave One project I would love to take on is the hunt for Otto and his minions. Once captured I would strap them to a table, get them really high on pot - I would need to build a machine to provide them with 2nd hand smoke. Then tickle their feet with feathers using another machine I built. I figure a couple 1 hour sessions would satisfy my need to get back at them for making me look stupid occasionally. I said two-one hour sessions because I would also need to provide snacks and drinks to these stoners. I can’t afford too much of that. I need money for the other projects I have shelved in my mind…in that rabbit hole… Edited August 10 by Pat Riot 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still hand Bill Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 There are now inductive annealers as well. I recently bought an anneal ease and it really does work well. There are many kits/plans out there to build one if you choose to go that route. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Coffinmaker Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 I guess it depends on "what" cases you want to anneal. I use a cordless drill with a socket and a Propane torch. I found Annealing to be Skull Numb Boring, but the only way to eliminate Blow-By in 45 Colt, 45 Schofield, 44 Special, 44 Russian and C45S rifle cases. I only needed a a few hundred of each and they last a Loooooong time so couldn't justify an AnnealEaze. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 (edited) 9 hours ago, Pat Riot said: Thank you! That is cool, but I must say that years ago I built electronic devices at home. I started off small then one day I found myself at aerospace company surplus sales looking for O-scopes, power supplies, wave snd pulse generators, static free work stations, etc. My friend and I hit a contract to build electronics for an answering service to double their call capacity. Talk about a rabbit hole. I vowed never to make my hobbies and my work pretty much the same thing. I was an R&D Tech at Hughes Aircraft. In the end HUGHES stood for Help Us Get Hired Elsewhere Soon. Watching that video was like a step through a time portal. I may have to build one of those. It might be fun. I haven’t physically worked on any electrical / mechanical project like that in years. Thank you Dave One project I would love to take on is the hunt for Otto and his minions. Once captured I would strap them to a table, get them really high on pot - I would need to build a machine to provide them with 2nd hand smoke. Then tickle their feet with feathers using another machine I built. I figure a couple 1 hour sessions would satisfy my need to get back at them for making me look stupid occasionally. I said two-one hour sessions because I would also need to provide snacks and drinks to these stoners. I can’t afford too much of that. I need money for the other projects I have shelved in my mind…in that rabbit hole… Pretty simple build. Hardest part is the drum. I made spacers for the inside of the drum for mine so I can anneal pistol as well as rifle brass. I also installed a band just inside the lip of the drum so that rimmed brass rolls better. Edited August 10 by Sedalia Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 3 hours ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said: I guess it depends on "what" cases you want to anneal. I use a cordless drill with a socket and a Propane torch. I found Annealing to be Skull Numb Boring, but the only way to eliminate Blow-By in 45 Colt, 45 Schofield, 44 Special, 44 Russian and C45S rifle cases. I only needed a a few hundred of each and they last a Loooooong time so couldn't justify an AnnealEaze. I never considered annealing .45 Colt brass. That makes sense. Thank you. I think I am going to try this out. How often do you anneal, every reload or every few reloads? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caladisi kid Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 I use the salt bath method. https://www.savageshooters.com/content.php?511-Salt-Bath-Case-Annealing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyesa Horg Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 15 minutes ago, Caladisi kid said: I use the salt bath method. https://www.savageshooters.com/content.php?511-Salt-Bath-Case-Annealing Couldn't see it!!! It goes real dark after a couple seconds! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badlands Bob #61228 Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 The only thing I anneal is bottle neck rifle cases. I use a deep well socket in a cordless drill to rotate the case neck in a propane torch. Then just let it air cool. I'm only doing this currently on 5.56 brass. I don't anneal pistol brass. Not worth the effort for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Coffinmaker Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 (edited) Pat, To date, I have only annealed once per cartridge. I rotate my brass, haven't seen a need (yet) to re-anneal. I only anneal brass I'm showing in RIFLES. I did anneal some pistol brass "ONCE" as it twaz a super pain to punch pistol brass out of the cylinders. My other solution to 45 Colt brass is to start with 44-40 brass, run it carefully thru 45 Colt dies then finish by fire forming it. Seals up just fine. If I start to see Blow-By with previously annealed cases, I'll re-anneal. I personally feel, annealing straight wall pistol brass for hand guns is a waste and not really necessary. If it doesn't Blow-By, why bother?? And, with hand guns you get sticking in the chambers, a real nuisance. Edited August 11 by Colorado Coffinmaker Trying to fix this post - I HATE Otto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 2 hours ago, Eyesa Horg said: Couldn't see it!!! It goes real dark after a couple seconds! Thought that was just me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caladisi kid Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 (edited) salt bath annealing, try this link..... Edited August 10 by Caladisi kid 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 I see that none of these experts seem to agree with each other. In one of Pat's links the guy said that if you run it up to I think he said 800 degrees Fahrenheit, it starts burning the zinc out of the brass. Yet the salt bath has you soak it at 1090° Fahrenheit. If 800 is too hot then why can you use 1100 with the salt bath? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 3 hours ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said: Pat, To date, I have only annealed once per cartridge. I rotate my brass, haven't seen a need (yet) to re-anneal. I only anneal brass I'm showing in RIFLES. I did anneal some pistol brass "ONCE" as it twaz a super pain to punch pistol brass out of the cylinders. My other solution to 45 Colt brass is to start with 44-40 brass, run it carefully thru 45 Colt dies then finish fire for it. Seals up just fine. If I start to see Blow-By with previously annealed cases, I'll re-anneal. I personally feel, annealing straight wall pistol brass for rifles is a waste and not really necessary. If it doesn't Blow-By, why bother?? Thank you. I do have brass for my rifle and brass for my revolvers. I am going to give it a try for the rifle brass. I appreciate the information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack, SASS #20451 Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 After having used ALL of the commercial annealing machines over the years (I shoot precision long range 100Yd. + ) I have settled on the AMP machine. I have perfect results with it; On the CAS side everything from 45 colt to 45-70. On the other side everything from 219Zipper to 338 Norma. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 On 8/10/2024 at 2:41 PM, Eyesa Horg said: Couldn't see it!!! It goes real dark after a couple seconds! Same here.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caladisi kid Posted August 13 Share Posted August 13 Note: With all the ways to anneal brass, it is not the temperature of the heat but the time in the heat that matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grass Range Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 On 8/9/2024 at 3:30 PM, Bugler said: There seem to be two main methods of annealing casings....dip into molten lead and the other is using a propane torch and a drill to rotate the casing. Which are you using and why? I am going to make 219 Zipper casing from 30-30 Win. cases for a 219 Zipper Marling that a friend of mine inherited. Bugler I would like to know the method used with molten lead. I tried this with no luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grass Range Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 Anybody actually use the hot lead method? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Choctaw Jack Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 Tried it, didn't work well for me. But, I might not have gotten the lead hot enough. Moved on to another method.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugler Posted August 16 Author Share Posted August 16 I heated the lead to 750 degrees, measured with a Lyman thermometer, then with a pair of pliers dipped the round to just past the shoulder and held for 8 seconds, then dropped into a water bucket to quench. Seems to have worked fine for me....my Dad did this years ago necking down military 30-06 brass for his friends .270 Winchester.....military '06 was very plentiful. Bugler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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