Yet another annealing thread

[nuclear_shooter]

Been reading though a lot of past annealing threads and the often suggested The Art and Science of Annealing. And I feel like I know less about the matter than I did before, except that I should spend 400 dollars on a annealing machine!

My plan is:
* Grab either 650 Tempilaq and put it in the neck (I have heard its kinda hard to see when it burns off) or 450 (maybe 400?) and put it below the shoulder (how far below?).
*Toss the brass in a drill, spin it at max speed under a butane torch till the Tempilaq burns off.

After I get some idea of how long this takes, I'll go without the Tempilaq (or maybe I'll just use it anyway). I will primarily be annealing 300 win mag brass (Winchester and Remington headstamps). Any suggestions on this plan?

I know some guys don't think annealing is worth it, but unless you have a cheap source of 300 win mag brass, I'd like to squeeze as much out of this brass as possible. And an annealing machine just isn't in the cards for now (I know they're great, and I know you couldn't live without yours ).

 

[sentry1]

I did my annealing manually with a power drill when feeding my AR. It was a lot of work to do a few hundred pieces at a time, but not very hard, just repetitive.

I put a stripe of 650 Tempilaq down the side of the case, from neck to rim. Do a few cases just to get a good idea of how long it takes, then move on to doing it by time.

As long as the Tempilaq doesn't melt more than halfway down, meh I don't worry about it, especially since I dump my cases from the socket right into cold water.

Helpful hint: Buy a deep socket that's just large enough to hold your case. Deep socket because it keeps the case from wobbling. Uniformity is good, right?

I would have kept on doing my annealing by hand, but an acquaintance kept talking about how he was going to order a Giraud and get it super fast because he knew Giraud personally. After a year of waiting on him I said 'FUCK IT!' and got one used in under a week just to prove a point. A very expensive point, so fuck me too.

On the other hand, setting up and running the Giraud is kind of pointless unless I do a large batch of brass, so now I wait until I have a few hundred pieces minimum before I pull it out and run it. My kids will probably inherit my brass at this point.

 

[81STFACP]

Sentry1,

Do you use the set up flame/time instructions in Giraud's web site, or do you use your own method?

 

[nuclear_shooter]

I did my annealing manually with a power drill when feeding my AR. It was a lot of work to do a few hundred pieces at a time, but not very hard, just repetitive.

I put a stripe of 650 Tempilaq down the side of the case, from neck to rim. Do a few cases just to get a good idea of how long it takes, then move on to doing it by time.

As long as the Tempilaq doesn't melt more than halfway down, meh I don't worry about it, especially since I dump my cases from the socket right into cold water.

Helpful hint: Buy a deep socket that's just large enough to hold your case. Deep socket because it keeps the case from wobbling. Uniformity is good, right?

I would have kept on doing my annealing by hand, but an acquaintance kept talking about how he was going to order a Giraud and get it super fast because he knew Giraud personally. After a year of waiting on him I said 'FUCK IT!' and got one used in under a week just to prove a point. A very expensive point, so fuck me too.

On the other hand, setting up and running the Giraud is kind of pointless unless I do a large batch of brass, so now I wait until I have a few hundred pieces minimum before I pull it out and run it. My kids will probably inherit my brass at this point.

Thanks for the reply! I'm gonna head to the local hardware store with a case and see what I can dig up. I was hoping to stick it directly into the chuck of my drill but I tested that out last night and with the belt its just a hair too big to fit, so I guess socket it is!

 

[sentry1]

Sentry1,

Do you use the set up flame/time instructions in Giraud's web site, or do you use your own method?

I set up the flame per Giraud's instructions, then I use cases that are unusable for reloading, paint a strip of Tempilaq on them, and then run them through the Giraud to fine tune the timing. I also usually set it up so the cases drop out and into a bath of cold water, just to cool it off. Brass doesn't quench, so it has no metallurgical effect.

 

[Twitch2120]

ive been using a drill/socket and propane torch with good success. got 15 loadings out of some win brass. only stopped because the pockets are loose

 

[nuclear_shooter]

ive been using a drill/socket and propane torch with good success. got 15 loadings out of some win brass. only stopped because the pockets are loose

Good to hear! How did you know when you were 'done' annealing each piece?

 

[Twitch2120]

did it in my basement. took a few sacrificial pieces to get the timing but i came up with 8 seconds. just stuck one in and got it cherry. subtracted 2 seconds on burn time.