Annealing Brass Sheet Metal

Over time and after repeated usage the neck on a rifle cartridge will get hard and brittle making it more apt to fail either during the loading process or during shooting.

Annealing brass sheet metal.

I prefer using the 650 f on the shoulder and halfway down the body. Then wait till you hear it actually quench. The metal is heated above its recrystallization temperature maintained at this temperature and then cooled in a controlled environment. You might want to consider starting with half hard material to avoid having to anneal at all.

Industrially this is done in a furnace where the temperatures can be monitored mechanically. Annealing is a heat treatment process in which the sheet metal is altered on a molecular level altering its strength and hardness. Basically copper alloys don t work like iron alloys when it comes to annealing. Then drop the metal quickly into the alcohol so it s totally immersed.

When the brass starts to show a blackened color then is the time to quench it quickly before cleaning it up. That can take a surprising amount of time though usually. Annealing brass is very similar to copper although the temperature should be a little cooler. Annealing is the process of reducing stress within metal by heating it to a prescribed temperature.

Machining operations that create high amounts of heat or material displacement may also warrant an annealing process afterward. Metal wire that has been drawn from one size to a smaller size may also undergo an annealing process. Take your piece of brass and mark it with tempilaq. In the studio it is more common to anneal with a torch.

How to anneal cartridge brass for accuracy and longevity. Also i use 400 f on the lower half that will tell me if i have over annealed the brass. Take your butane torch and start the flame out slowly. That avoids any ignition of the alcohol.

Work hardened materials such as sheet metal that has undergone a stamping process or cold drawn bar stock. 450f a soft pine stick will smoke and slide like a grease pencil when applied to the piece of metal. The term anneal is the scientific term used to describe the softening of metal. Let the metal cool enough so it s no longer glowing meaning down around 900f or less but not much cooler than that.