Either a brilliant idea or a full retard idea. Which one is it?

[7magsavage]

I have to say that the least favorite part of annealing for me is emptying the water out or the cases and letting them dry. Would it be possible to drop the brass in rubbing alcohol (something that would evaporate quicker) without causing any issues? I don't think the brass would be hot enough to ignite the alcohol.
Just trying to figure out a way to keep all that water out of there.
Also, another positive attribute for alcohol would be the lack of surface tension. The alcohol should just roll right out as opposed to what I do now which is just shake the hell out of each individual case to get the bulk of the water out. Then the cases have to sit over night and I still get water leaking on my shell holder with some cases.

If I've went full retard, just say so.
Steve

 

[smschulz]

I blow mine out with compressed air and then put in front of a desk fan for a bit.

 

[7magsavage]

No need for water or alcohol (unless it's a glass of Woodford Reserve).

Do you just air dry?
If so, do you worry about heat traveling too far down the body?
Also, does the brass not need to be quenched (quickly cooled) to be properly annealed?

 

[7magsavage]

I blow mine out with compressed air and then put in front of a desk fan for a bit.

I've done that too. Still time consuming.

 

[Headquarterz]

No need to immerse into water. Just drop them on the bench or a bucket and let them cool.

 

[nuclear_shooter]

 

[Pinecone]

No need to quench.

And once you remove the torch, the heat stops migrating as the hot part is cooling QUICKLY.

 

[EXTREMEPREJUDICE]

A common practice for blade smiths is to quench worked blades in a solution of 70% alcohol and 30% water so my guess is that it will work. I don't know your process or the amount of brass you anneal but if you pluck the quenched case from the bucket of water soon after dunking it, the heat from the still warm case evaporates the water very quickly. If you let them remain in the water as they fully cool then it takes them much longer to air dry.

 

[BirdEyes]

As others have stated, annealing brass does not require quenching unlike some other metals.

 

[Ultraman550]

I use this to get the water out. Works like a charm. The centrifugal force of the spinning get the water out of the flash holes very easily.

 

[myownman]

I guess you could just submerge the already wet brass in alcohol and it would evaporate the water...

 

[Niles Coyote]

I wish I could find the link, and will if I locate it. But manufactures don’t quench why should we? The link in question just has the cases moving down the line through flame on a conveyer like fashion and dropping in a bin on the other end. I think it was Winchester or Lake City. I have annealed a couple thousand without quenching and never had a problem. If you wet clean your brass this would be a good way to dry them... while you are annealing.

 

[Rprecision]

Dont go full retard!

I think your making it harder then it needs to be, just let them air dry

 

[Big Z]

Put wet brass in a cheapy dehydrator, put it on high and it'll be ready in minutes.

 

[Mortarman0341]

I have helped build annealers (induction 5.56) for Lake City Army Ammunition plant. They don't quench the 5.56, 7.62 or the .50 cal. The 5.56 and the 7.62 are induction annealed the Fifty is done one sixty year old flame annealers. Talk about a hot place to work in the summer.

No need for you to anneal either.

 

[jolofree]

No need for you to anneal either.[/QUOTE]

If annealing is unnecessary and is of no proven value, ie longer lasting, 'better' brass, or something else, then why is anyone doing it?
Is there any tested and proven facts on this process that provide a definitive answer as to it's benefits or is it of the same type argument as moly coating bullets or cryogenically treating barrels?

 

[scudzuki]

If brass was a metal that responded to quenching (like carbon steel), then quenching is the opposite of what you would do to anneal it.
Steel is annealed by heating to its transformation range then cooling slowly, for instance, by turning off the furnace and letting it cool down inside the furnace (which cools slower than the same object in free air).

Brass does not respond to quenching at all. As long as the brass is heated to the proper temperature, it is annealed regardless of how quickly it is cooled. The purpose of dropping the hot cases in water is to prevent the heat from conducting to the case head.

I don't know how you are annealing your cases, but if just enough heat is introduced to the neck of a bottleneck case to raise the temperature to 750° quickly (in 10 seconds or less), it should not conduct enough heat to anneal the brass much below the shoulder.

Joe

 

[peligro113]

Isopropyl alcohol vapor is denser than air and is flammable with a combustible range between 2 and 12.7% in air. It should be kept away from heat and open flame. Isopropyl alcohol has also been reported to form peroxides, which may explode upon concentration

 

[J-ROD]

I anneal every time and let air cool. If you must drop in liquid, use water first, then drain, then dump in denatured alky, Iso, whatever, then drain back into original can. The brass will dry much much faster this way.
I do this after sizing & trimming, prior to priming.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

 

[Niles Coyote]

Annealing DOES make a difference provided you are loading the same brass 4-6 times after it was new. You can physically feel a difference in the brass's response when seating a bullet and also see a target free of unexplainable fliers.

 

[Hairball]

My brass does not get wet during annealing. I use a ken light annealer

 

[2ndamendfan]

Brass is not the same as steel/iron. They are almost opposites in they way they work. Iron is work softened and needs to be heat treated to make it hard (brittle) and brass is work hardened (brittle) and needs to be heat treated (annealed) to make it soft. Quenching brass is not the same as quenching steel. You only need to quench brass to keep the temp from travelling down the body, which if the body gets too hot is really an issue with the person doing the annealing since they have something out of whack in their process. Done correctly there is no need to quench brass when annealing

 

[Pinecone]

A common practice for blade smiths is to quench worked blades in a solution of 70% alcohol and 30% water so my guess is that it will work. I don't know your process or the amount of brass you anneal but if you pluck the quenched case from the bucket of water soon after dunking it, the heat from the still warm case evaporates the water very quickly. If you let them remain in the water as they fully cool then it takes them much longer to air dry.

Brass blades?

STEEL is tempered and annealed to the final state of hardness versus flexibility/toughness.

With STEEL, tempering is quenched in various things, depending on how hard you want the steel to end up. Then you anneal, which for steel is a very slow cooling procedure.

Brass doesn't react like steel does. Heat to the desired annealing temp, and then let cool, any way you want, and you end up with pretty much the same level of softness.

In the cases of copper, steel, silver, and brass, this process is performed by heating the material (generally until glowing) for a while and then slowly letting it cool to room temperature in still air. Copper, silver[1] and brass can be cooled slowly in air, or quickly by quenching in water, unlike ferrous metals, such as steel, which must be cooled slowly to anneal. In this fashion, the metal is softened and prepared for further work—such as shaping, stamping, or forming.

 

[turbo54]

Brass is not the same as steel/iron. They are almost opposites in they way they work. Iron is work softened and needs to be heat treated to make it hard (brittle) and brass is work hardened (brittle) and needs to be heat treated (annealed) to make it soft. Quenching brass is not the same as quenching steel. You only need to quench brass to keep the temp from travelling down the body, which if the body gets too hot is really an issue with the person doing the annealing since they have something out of whack in their process. Done correctly there is no need to quench brass when annealing

Bold text is patently false.

 

[2ndamendfan]

Bold text is patently false.

I would concede the fact we are both right, It depends on the steel or how it is formed to start with.

 

[Graham]

Old brass can be thrown in the garbage. New brass, like Lapua, that doesn't need a heavy application of physics and chemistry, can be purchased.

 

[bigedp51]

I wet tumble with stainless steel media and have a quick way to dry the cases, the only problem is you have to buy your wife a new hair dryer.

Below, a five gallon bucket, a yardstick, a hair dryer, and the brass is dry in 10 minutes.
(cheap bastards convection oven)

Very good link below.

The Art and Science of Annealing
Annealing Basics, Cartridge Metallurgy, and Automated Options

The Art and Science of Annealing within AccurateShooter.com

 

[EXTREMEPREJUDICE]

Brass blades?

STEEL is tempered and annealed to the final state of hardness versus flexibility/toughness.

With STEEL, tempering is quenched in various things, depending on how hard you want the steel to end up. Then you anneal, which for steel is a very slow cooling procedure.

Brass doesn't react like steel does. Heat to the desired annealing temp, and then let cool, any way you want, and you end up with pretty much the same level of softness.

Annealing and tempering are separate processes. No amount of heating and cooling of brass will result in tempering. The OP wanted to know is he could use alcohol to quench (for whatever reason) and he can, I'm just suggesting he can and could mix with water if he's concerned about ignition. Also, if he plucks them out readily they will dry quickly. If you want to convince him not to quench, march on...............

 

[Mortarman0341]

No need for you to anneal either.

If annealing is unnecessary and is of no proven value, ie longer lasting, 'better' brass, or something else, then why is anyone doing it?
Is there any tested and proven facts on this process that provide a definitive answer as to it's benefits or is it of the same type argument as moly coating bullets or cryogenically treating barrels?[/QUOTE]

Belay my last.... meant no need to quench either....

 

[Mortarman0341]

ATK runs Lake City and they didn't change how Remington before them treated the brass after it was annealed. They fall off of the end of the conveyor into a 4x4x4 steel crate and wait for the next process. So i would say that is a slow drop to ambient temperature due to heat and mass....

Sorry for saying "no anneal needed", I brain farted when typing... no quenching, no quenching needed.

 

[Aimsmall55]

Annealing DOES make a difference provided you are loading the same brass 4-6 times after it was new. You can physically feel a difference in the brass's response when seating a bullet and also see a target free of unexplainable fliers.

Yep ^^^

 

[jeffersonv]

Yup. As NC said, annealing obviously makes brittle brass malleable again.

No need for "quenching" in liquid with brass.

That is all.

 

[Rattler56]

No quenching allowed.

 

[Diablo]

Old brass can be thrown in the garbage. New brass, like Lapua, that doesn't need a heavy application of physics and chemistry, can be purchased.

Hey Graham...........looking at my stockpiles of new Lapua brass that you told me to buy after throwing out all of the old stuff.............it looks like every case has some heat tint where they (Lapua) annealed the neck/shoulder.



Have you noticed that?

 

[Graham]

Either a brilliant idea or a full retard idea. Which one is it?

Hey Graham...........looking at my stockpiles of new Lapua brass that you told me to buy after throwing out all of the old stuff.............it looks like every case has some heat tint where they (Lapua) annealed the neck/shoulder. Have you noticed that?

Yup: Its the eighth wonder of the world.

That's why I buy good brass and get rid of it when it isn't good anymore: I'm not in the brass-making business.

 

[high right]

I use a Bench Source annealer, no water needed. I also use Tempilaq on the neck to make sure its right. when I ultrasonic it I either use compessed
air, Or, set it in over the heat register in the winter, dash of your car in the sun in the summer. still takes a bit.

 

[Graham]

I take all my brass to a sweat lodge and have twelve New Age couples cast spells over it. Then I box it up, label it as religious artifacts and send it to the Vatican where a friend of mine. who happens to be a minor priest, quenches it in holy water.

 

[steve123]

If you are annealing for so long that the brass needs quenching then you might as well throw it in the recycle bin because it's ruined.

 

[high right]

Buy some 700* and 400* tempilaq
I do almost the same shit as Graham---after I anneal it

 

[high right]

the final KEY step is wiping em off with nunns Panties,

 

[pinsandpitons]

Buy some 700* and 400* tempilaq
I do almost the same shit as Graham---after I anneal it

You guys both have priest friends at the vatican?

 

[Graham]

You guys both have priest friends at the vatican?

From where do you think he gets the panties?

 

[pinsandpitons]

From where do you think he gets the panties?

TMI Graham. We don't need to know what kind of skivvies you prefer.

 

[high right]

How the hell do you think I get em
I'm a Priest!

 

[pinsandpitons]

We call it "underwear" when little boys wear it. Nunn is a strange name for a boy don't you think?

 

[my human host]

Quenching in water isn't necessary, but does have the welcome side effect of softening the carbon in the primer pockets. I pull the brass out of the bucket and blast them with comressed air (120 psi). If the carbon has built up in the primer pockets, the compressed air will dislodge the bulk of it. I don't use an ultrasonic or stainless media, so it works out well for me.

 

[Graham]

Either a brilliant idea or a full retard idea. Which one is it?

Quenching in water isn't necessary, but does have the welcome side effect of softening the carbon in the primer pockets. I pull the brass out of the bucket and blast them with comressed air (120 psi). If the carbon has built up in the primer pockets, the compressed air will dislodge the bulk of it. I don't use an ultrasonic or stainless media, so it works out well for me.

Blow gently into the primer pockets. It will make the brass stand erect on the table.

 

[Diablo]

I take all my brass to a sweat lodge and have twelve New Age couples cast spells over it. Then I box it up, label it as religious artifacts and send it to the Vatican where a friend of mine. who happens to be a minor priest, quenches it in holy water.

Damn, I got that part wrong, too.........thought it was 12 Aged couples. No wonder the old folks thought I wuz crazy

 

[high right]

Pepsi and a snickers