You can put ten different shooters in a room and each one will have a different way to anneal and think it is the best way.
1. Flame from a torch and looking at it in the dark and the brass turns ORANGE.
2. Flame from a torch and looking at it in the dark and the brass turns RED.
3. Flame from two torches and setting the tip of the inside cone to touch the brass.
4. Flame from one torch and setting the BROAD tip of the inside cone to touch the brass.
5. Then there is all the different times and speed rotation to let the neck of the brass in the FLAME.
6. Templaq at different temps to get the correct temp.
There is probably no less that 100 propane torch machines on the market for sale today for annealing and really quite inventive. Some of these propane annealing machines are no less than amazing.
I have to say that most of all the equipment that we are using today came from some shooter at home wanting to have a better system and made their own. Then companies that had the resources improved the products and we as shooters/reloaders have some excellent reloading equipment to use. All due to some shooter working in their basement/garage trying to make things better.
Then you have the SALT BATH annealer.
This process is another very ingenious way to heat brass to a certain temp to try and get the brass to anneal. Taking SALT 11/NA mineral from a solid state to a liquid state by melting is another way to get brass to a temp to try an anneal it.
Then there is LEAD.
Melting lead from a solid to liquid and putting brass in it to anneal. I have yet to see this process or have someone tell me hoe they do it or show me.
The last process that I know of is "INDUCTION"
There are several DYI Induction systems out there if you are mechanically inclined and want to save some money. Induction system can anneal the brass fast, but you have to know the electrical power of the induction equipment that you are using. How fast and what temp is the brass being heated up to.
ALL THESE PROCESS DEAL WITH HEAT - TIME - & METAL (Brass).
Anyone can heat up a brass case.
Anyone can heat up a brass case and put a time setting on it that they THINK anneals the brass metal properly.
The FACT is the not anyone can determine the composition of the metals in every BRASS CASE.
Every Brass Case made by different manufactures and different calibers have a different composition of metals and % of brass/copper/zinc/ect.
There is absolutely no way for someone or a manufacture to say that every BRASS case anneals at the same temp or time.
Every Brass manufacture has a different recipe for the metals the use in their brass. Every Brass Case manufacture has different wall thicknesses. Every lot of Brass will Anneal differently.
Every lot of Brass Cases will produce a different colorization, when annealing, on the case due to the composition of the metals in the brass and the oxidation on the case.
When I started annealing I did a lot of research and looked into propane, Salt and induction annealing. I for one always try to build my own after looking at a product and try to build "A Better Mouse Trap".
I did buy Propane annealers and then looked a Salt and was ready to then go to Induction. Several good DYI videos on Induction Anneales. I thought why spend over $1K for induction when I can make it. I didn't like the Propane-too inconsistent and constantly watching the flame. Was very concerned on the Salt Bath. Turning a solid mineral into a liquid from electrical heating rods had me concerned especially with the safety on SALT "NA". If it is over heated it can fire and even explode.
Then after much research and finding out the all brass is not the same I took a step back. One thing that I could not do even after building any or all annealing machines on the market was do a true TEST of the metal to see if I was truly annealing and doing it correctly.
I then stopped using the machines that I had and sold them.
The end of my story is that I found a company that did extensive research and development for quite a few years with test results to prove that their product does anneal brass cases per the composition of the brass. I have used this product and found that the accuracy of my loads are more consistent and have reload that are lasting up to 20 reloads. I also do not over pressure my loads and go for accuracy rather that velocity.
This THREAD/POST on ANNEALING will go on for a real long time with a lot of shooters standing by their way of annealing so there will never be "WIN ALL ANSWER" for Annealing. Look on LRH and the internet-there are thousands of posts on which way is the best. The only thing I can say is that if gives you the results that you want use that process. I can't say to anyone that your process that you use or the process that I use is better. If you have very good accuracy keep going on.
I use several different cartridges, different lots, different metal compositions and I use an Induction Machine with a Process that has built in electronics to determine the metal and what temp/time should be used for proper annealing.
Everyone has their own way of doing things and how does that saying go "Necessity is the Mother of Invention". Many of our reloading/shooting products came for people like here on LRH.
Thanks
Len & Jill
agscustomparts.com
