Reloading Question - or Overcooked brass

[Johnny P]

As mentioned above all you want to do is dry the brass out, and unless you are in a hurry just about anything over 100 degrees will do this. Also as mentioned above, nothing starts to happen to brass until you reach 600 degrees.

In annealing necks you can either heat them and let them cool naturally, or if you are in a hurry tip them over in water. The change in the structure of the brass has already taken place when the brass is heated and tipping them in water doesn't change anything in the annealing process.

[Parashooter]

In my experience, it takes longer to dry off the water than to just let them air-cool. Reasonably spread-out on a flat metal surface (e.g. cookie sheet), they're ready to handle and load in under 30 minutes.

[fguffey]

Once there was a reloader that held the case in his hand and turned the case over a flame, I was suspicious of the YouTube presentations because the video stopped and the next appearance of the case was missing the hand; meaning the case got too hot to hold.

Then there was a reloader that swore by the candle, same thing, the hand disappeared.

And now I wonder why no one has come up with a method and or a technique for testing cases that too brittle/hard to size or too soft to load.

In the old days before the Internet cases were cleaned in a harsh environment and required rinsing. The choice for rinsing was boiling water; the cases were rinsed twice in boiling water. The residual heat in the case dried the case after the cases were removed.

There was a time limit for cleaning the cases in acid. The time limit was 2 minutes maximum.

F. Guffey

[bigedp51]

Below a hair drier and a five gallon bucket for 10 minutes. (poor mans convection oven)




And you would have to go well over 500 degrees to effect the brass.

[fguffey]

I had it in the oven for about an hour at 300 and it looks like I ruined the batch

How would a reloader determine if the brass was ruined?

F. Guffey

[leftyo]

you could cook it at 300degrees for a month and not ruin it.

[fguffey]

How would a reloader determine if the brass was ruined?

you could cook it at 300degrees for a month and not ruin it.

Does that mean a reloader has no methodd and or techniques for determing if a piece of brass is too work hardened and or too soft after annealing to be used?

F. Guffey

[leftyo]

without having a mettallurgy lab in your spare room, no you have no real way of knowing.

[fguffey]

without having a mettallurgy lab in your spare room, no you have no real way of knowing.

Any reloader with minimum shop skill and reloading equipment can determine if brass is to soft. Reloaders without shop skills can not be convinced it is possible.

And then there is the ability to determine if the case requires annealing, I do not set limits on a reloaders ability.

F. Guffey

[leftyo]

well then, since your all knowing as always, why dont you just tell everyone how. i made brass for a living once upon a time, and i cant do it at home.