Heat up the lead pot.   Oil the cases first, then dip 1/2" deep until I feel the heat in my fingers.  Drop in water to stop the heat from moving too far down the sides of the case.  Done.  Depth of dip and time of immersion must be consistent.

I like the floating block idea!   If I had many to do, I'd do it.   Since I never do more than maybe two dozen at a time, I've just relied on the old eye-hand feedback system.  

Have to agree that the flame method is hard to control.  I musta ruined dozens of cases by doing it that way.  Why I now use the lead pot.  

Floating aluminum block:    I have never SEEN one, but suppose that one would have to have the thickness to diameter ratio such that it would not be inclined to tip over.  I would drill a hole in the middle to stick my lead pot thermometer so that it hung down into the lead.   Then holes for the ctg cases around the edge.
     I would get a chunk of aluminum that would just fit into the pot, maybe 1" thick, and drill holes in that.  Not THROUGH, you understand, just cavities to stick the case necks into.  The thermostat on the pot should hold the temp fairly constant, and you can check your lead thermometer against the melting point of pure lead.   With the case heads sticking up in the breeze, you shouldn't have any trouble with drawing the temper in the case webs.
     Notwithstanding all this, I am not even THINKING about setting up to do it.

CHRIS
RGChristensen

Send your brass to SSShooter he has a annealing machine and for a small fee he will do it right

Annealing machine made from an old bread maker.

jfeldman wrote on Oct 7^th, 2014 at 10:17pm:


does that prevent the need for annealing, or just further delay the need to anneal?

porchdog48 wrote on Oct 8^th, 2014 at 7:32am:


dave ... 

i've looked over all the annealing processes and machines in detail.  if i had $600 to drop right now, it'd probably be on the bench source vertex, but it's real virtue is in saving time over large batch annealing.  i only need to do 50-100 at a time at best.  

i also like the one-torch spin-the-case concept.  i've got plenty of shiny clean brass in calibers i won't be using to test out, and will look to trial annealing in the kinda manner yer doing - one torch, slowly spin the brass in a deep socket, use tempilaq 750f inside the case mouth and at least initially use a tempilaq 450f stripe down the outside so that i can prove to myself the lower half of the brass and the head aren't getting over heated and over worked.  ... thanx.

one annealing tool looks interesting - the woodchuck den "ring of fire" torch nozzle ...

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)