first run with the annealer

J

jmorris

New member
I found a photo of one of these and thought it would be neat to have one. I just didn't want to spend the $480 bucks they were asking. I thought some of you guys/gals might find it interesting.

Here is a video of it running a little too slow but you can get the idea.
http://s121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/?action=view&current=annealer.flv





And a still photo
still.jpg



All I need to do now is build a frame/basket and connect a Dillon case feeder to it.
 
Is that a circular saw blade you are using? How about you telling us more about your improved annealer? I get the part about the pin used to cam the turning blade?

I likes it and salute you for your ingenuity. One size plate, beats the heck out of having to buy separate size plates.

Vary smart!:D

Just remembered that I have a spare case feeder motor for my RL-1000's. This is really starting to shape up as a possible low cost build.
 
Pretty slick! With a little thought and work I might even be able to build one similar to this. Great idea and good job too.
 
looks a lot like my brass o matic,did you make any improvements on your design?
 
It would be my opinion

that you are heating the necks up WAAAA too much. You shouldn't see any orange with lights out, only a Straw coloration. Based on the way our Ken Light works, I would say you should speed it up some if you can and focus your flame lower on the case, perhaps just below the shoulder. Heat rises, aye?

Overheated necks are usable but they are quite tender for the first couple times one uses them. If you do want to use cases that have been overheated make sure the necks are polished smooth before you run them through your die. Brass that soft wants to stick to anything that presses on it hard. If you haven't BURNED them they will harden up again. If they ree Burnt, they will easily tear apart.
 
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where is the drop hole for quenching the brass after heating the neck area? You don't want the heat to spread down the case...that leaves weak brass in the critical areas beneath the shoulder line.
 
I agree with Pete that the cases in the movie are getting too hot (over-annealed), but you said that the carousel was turning a little slow. What I would like to point out, though, is the change in color of the flame as the case heats up. The color change from the blue flame to the yellow/orange is the ionization & oxidation caused as the metal gets too hot. In my experience, the correct amount of annealing is done when the heat is adjusted so that only a trace of the yellowing takes place in the flame just as the case exits. If only this amount of heat is applied, the brass will stay pretty polished with no major tarnishing. I would guess the cases in the movie ended up with a nasty, hard to remove tarnished area on the necks, at least that has been my experience. I also agree that you need to monitor the final temperature of the base area of the cases to make sure they stay well below the 300 degree temperature for safety's sake. If you can get ahold of Ken Light's article on annealing, all this starts to make sense once you work with the annealing process a little. That's a nice machine that you've made.
 
Is that a circular saw blade you are using? How about you telling us more about your improved annealer?
Click to expand...

No, the "saw" part is CNC laser cut from 1/8 steel. It's the most complicated part (if any of you do it your self guys want a copy send me a pm). The one above is basically a DC motor driven copy of the brass-o-matic (as least as close as I could get from just a photo). It now is fed by a Dillon case feeder has a manifold from the torches so it runs off of a single 20# tank and sits above a bin to catch the brass. I have to finish painting it and I’ll post photos/video of it.

I was aware the cases were getting over done in the video; however, according to http://www.6mmbr.com/annealing.html water quenching is unnecessary. Any thoughts on this?
 
jmorris said:
I was aware the cases were getting over done in the video; however, according to http://www.6mmbr.com/annealing.html water quenching is unnecessary. Any thoughts on this?
Click to expand...

I no longer use water to cool the brass after annealing, and it works fine with my setup. I do, however, use a caseholder that I made for annealing that works with a power screwdriver or drill. It acts as a heat sink and shield, preventing the lower part of the case from getting quite as hot.

I suspect that you can get by without the water as well, as I know another shooter that does this with his automated case annealer. If you use some Tempilaq of a heat range below the required annealing temperature on the lower part of the case, it will tell you if that area is getting too much heat. Hornady includes 475 degree Tempilaq in their annealing kit for use on the case body I believe.Use that or a lesser temperature range on the lower part of the case, and if it doesn't melt that would be a good indicator that you are not getting too much heat in this area.

Jim

annealingholder001copy2.jpg
 
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