Should you quench brass after annealing?

To anneal brass, all that is required is heat and time. Once you have allowed the structure of the brass to transform, it’s done. You can cool it as slowly or as quickly as you like and it won’t matter. The myth that you need to quench brass comes from the requirement to do so when heat treating some kinds of steel.

Can brass be annealed?

Brass Annealing is the process of ‘rejuvenating’ the brass which has the result of prolonging brass life and increasing consistency. It’s basically (and literally) stress relief for your brass.

Does annealing brass make it softer?

What Is Annealing? Annealing means heat treating the neck and shoulder of a brass cartridge case to make it softer so it will seal the chamber during firing. Unlike steel, brass gets softer as you heat treat it, not harder.

Do you quench after annealing?

When annealing thick wire, you will have to support your metal when heating it. Let the metal cool for a few seconds, then quench it in water. Leave it until it has turned white and after removing it from the pickle, rinse and dry. Then you are ready to work!

Do you flux before annealing?

You don’t use flux when annealing silver. One useful tip I learned was to use a permanent marker on the silver. Anneal the silver by moving the torch over it – you don’t want to use the very tip of the blue cone – that will be too hot.

Do you have to pickle after annealing?

If you’ve just finished annealing or soldering, you’ll need to pickle the copper wire to remove firescale (the black stuff). Pickling is the process of dissolving firescale from the surface of your copper wire after it has been heated.

Should I anneal after every firing?

Annealing should always be done before resizing. This eliminates spring back, and ensures repeatable and accurate shoulder bumping and neck sizing. Annealing should be done every reload. (Imperial wax or spray such as Hornady One Shot) – note: Dry media graphite tends not to adhere well to annealed cases.

How do you anneal and harden brass?

Unlike other metals, brass cannot be heat-hardened as this will only make it softer. Brass must be work-hardened by heating it and then hammering or rolling it together.

Do you anneal brass before or after sizing?

Annealing should always be done before resizing. This eliminates spring back, and ensures repeatable and accurate shoulder bumping and neck sizing. Annealing should be done every reload.

What does annealing do to a brass case?

Annealing is a process that heats the brass case to make it softer and more ductile, effectively reversing the work hardening process. All brass is annealed as part of the manufacturing process.

Can a handloader be programmed to anneal brass?

The A.M.P. machine is easily programmed to electrically anneal cases exactly the same way, every time. It uses standard reloading press case holders. I did this for many years, selling well-fired cases for scrap at a local recycling center, using the money as partial payment for new brass.

How often does a rifle case need to be annealing?

Most rifle cases will survive four or five firings, and some will last longer, depending on the brand and method of resizing. Many handloaders avoid the issue entirely by retiring brass after several firings. The A.M.P. machine is easily programmed to electrically anneal cases exactly the same way, every time.

What’s the best way to test the annealing process?

One of the best experiments I’ve found of the annealing process was conducted by Col. Art Alphin. In “Any Shot You Want: The A-Sqaure Handloading and Rifle Manual”, Alphin uses pressure testing equipment to compare the annealed versus non annealed cases with the same 30-06 load over five firings.