Annealing question

[LRNut]

How long have you had it and has it held up well? I have an annealez but I would prefer something better.

I have had it probably two years; I don't have the Aztec upgrade but a competitive shooter that has built some LR rigs for me has that model and says it is even better. No issues whatsoever.

I have not had a single cracked neck since I got this and my neck tensions are clearly more consistent (gone are the days when old brass seated bullets super easy).

It takes about 3-4 seconds per piece of brass to anneal, not including cooling time. AMP instructs you to air cool BTW.

 

[frostop]

I picked up one of these annealers recently, have only used it a couple of times!
In there instructions they state to use 650 templac just below the shoulder and 450 templac at the base.
Sam, demonstrates this in his video below and explains the process. I highly recommend going to his web page, he has a ton of information. Him and his son do a lot of competition shooting and hunting!

 

[Tidus56]

I have had it probably two years; I don't have the Aztec upgrade but a competitive shooter that has built some LR rigs for me has that model and says it is even better. No issues whatsoever.

I have not had a single cracked neck since I got this and my neck tensions are clearly more consistent (gone are the days when old brass seated bullets super easy).

It takes about 3-4 seconds per piece of brass to anneal, not including cooling time. AMP instructs you to air cool BTW.

Guess I better get me an AMP

 

[Pieter Willem Vorster]

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[Lovellr653]

Must be a bunch of like minds here... I just looked into doing this last night (interwebs/youtubes) and decided to finally do it by hand/drilll-socket. Starting with .308s and .30-06. I like the wrinkled tin foil idea and since there is a report of one wife who appreciated it being done on the dining room table I think I will try that as well!

Thanks ALL!

I think an upset wife is the real key here, it's a variable we usually try to avoid but it's essential for annealing IMO

 

[GeorgeS]

Simple answer: the cooling rate doesn't affect brass annealing. The reason quenching is a good idea is that the upper part of the brass case is hot. If you let it air cool slowly, conduction will bring that heat to the lower part of the case, which you don't want. So if you quench, that cools the neck and shoulder area quickly, stopping the heat from propagating down towards the head of the case and softening an area that shouldn't be softened.

 

[25WSM]

The heat in the neck is not enough to travel down to the base with enough heat to hurt anything. The neck is the thinnest part of your case and heats up quickly to just hot enough and cools very quickly also. You would have to melt the neck off your brass to hurt the base. Especially in a holder that is taking heat off the body.
Shep

 

[Weaselthis]

Started out w/ the drill/zip tie, socket dealio.......
Time progressed and I decided to pop for the Annealeez machine.
IMO, for MY purposes, for $275, a very wise decision.

 

[Mike Matteson]

I used the torch for years to anneal my cases. Place the case in a pan of water spaced somewhat apart. Heat each case to orange color and push over into the water. Probably didn't get the case heated completely around. The drill and socket looks likes a better way to heat the case up more evenly. I have purchase the No salt system from Canada. (Good people there, and quick to ship) but haven't used it yet. One thing for sure annealing extend the life of the case. I wouldn't hold the case with my bare fingers to get the job done. Neck splitting problem doesn't happen much after annealing. You do need to watch for is case stretch inside the case. You can bend a paper clip forming a 90 right angle turn and create a point on the tip. That right angle turn has to be short to fit inside the case neck and long enough to reach the bottom of the case. Turn it so the point out and move it up and down around the case side a 1/4" or so. Feeling for the point getting hung up or stop means there is case separation starting. That needs to start after about the 4th firing of the case, and done after each firing after that. The case is done and need to be taken out of services.
SSS

 

[LRNut]

The heat in the neck is not enough to travel down to the base with enough heat to hurt anything. The neck is the thinnest part of your case and heats up quickly to just hot enough and cools very quickly also. You would have to melt the neck off your brass to hurt the base. Especially in a holder that is taking heat off the body.
Shep

I think the best source of information is Annealing Made Perfect, and they essentially say the same thing.

 

[LRNut]

I used the torch for years to anneal my cases. Place the case in a pan of water spaced somewhat apart. Heat each case to orange color and push over into the water. Probably didn't get the case heated completely around. The drill and socket looks likes a better way to heat the case up more evenly. I have purchase the No salt system from Canada. (Good people there, and quick to ship) but haven't used it yet. One thing for sure annealing extend the life of the case. I wouldn't hold the case with my bare fingers to get the job done. Neck splitting problem doesn't happen much after annealing. You do need to watch for is case stretch inside the case. You can bend a paper clip forming a 90 right angle turn and create a point on the tip. That right angle turn has to be short to fit inside the case neck and long enough to reach the bottom of the case. Turn it so the point out and move it up and down around the case side a 1/4" or so. Feeling for the point getting hung up or stop means there is case separation starting. That needs to start after about the 4th firing of the case, and done after each firing after that. The case is done and need to be taken out of services.
SSS

You may want to reduce how much you are setting back your shoulder if you can feel that gap. You can also see it forming as a faint ring above the case head.

 

[Philward]

I tried the drill and socket method yesterday but the socket was too deep, case flopped around, and it was hard to keep trigger pulled at precise point to keep speed the same for the duration and for each case. Using a 12v Milwaukee right angle drill and sockets sized for standard and magnum cases (2 different sockets). One video I watched said 3 seconds is all that's needed, another was doing 4.5 seconds, some of you guys saying 7-8 seconds. I guess that depends on how fast the case is rotated. The search continues...Single feed would work for me, don't really need a 200 case hopper but something with consistent timing would be nice. The units with the cake pan with cuts in the side looks like a good way but would take some experimentation to get right with the motor speed. Rotisserie motor seems good, or a vehicle wiper motor.

 

[25WSM]

Not really dependent on how fast it is spinning. It's depends on how thick your brass is and who makes it. If anybody just tells you how many seconds to heat it they are not helping you at all. Torches vary on how hot they are. It really matters where I'm the flame the neck is at. And if you don't get the heat enough it won't anneal any at all. In a darkish room it will glow slightly when it has enough heat. Not bright orange but just a faint glow. In regular light if you see it glow you went too far.
Shep

 

[Straight Shooter]

This ^^^^