annealing cartridge brass

[christhurston]

Hello All,having disregarded many a brass case due to feeling it had been banged about too much,I'm wondering if I should be a little more adventurous in future,especially if it's a case that you don't come across too often.Brass,I believe,gets brittle and needs to be annealed if splitting is to be avoided,and I'd like to know the best way to go about this.I'm thinking cannon calibres upwards,not SAA,and perhaps dented in case necks mostly.If I apply the trusty blowlamp to the offending case neck,is it best to open up the mouth of the case while it's still hot,or wait until it cools?I visualize using suitably pointed wooden implements to start with,
and the projectile itself,point down to finish off with.Most of the info I've come across on annealing cartridge brass relates to shooters reloading cases,and they,it seems,have numerous safety issues,that I dont think
concern inert ordnance collectors.
Chris.

 

[Chris 42 RQ]

First golden rule before attempting anything to do with heat being applied to any item of Ordnance is this question-
"Am I 110% sure that this item is TOTALLY INERT" ?

Only if the answer is an unequivocal YES can you then proceed.

Most people I believe heat the case up to a dull cherry red and then leave it to cool as when hot it is likely you will either burn your hand or drop it so I reckon it is best left to cool.
Then you can start working on it with a plastic hammer or wooden implements etc safely.
After a little working of the metal it is best to repeat the heat process to re soften or Anneal the material to avoid any damage caused by hardening.

Just remember that any projectile used to "open" a case mouth must also be fully inert and may get stuck in the case mouth if you have reduced the overall diameter of the brass case-they can be tricky to remove on the big stuff without undoing all the good work you have put in !

Hope this helps you make your decision.

 

[rickseid]

I agree with Chris. I like to use (carefully!) an acetelyne torch to rapidly heat the case necks of brass cases to a red heat.
I have found an interesting varient to this process. It has also been documented in machinist manuals from the 1930s. The heating proceeds as mentioned above, but the hot case neck is quenched in some cold water immediately afterwards. I have used both approaches on 3in brass cases and both work! The National Rifle Association (NRA) also recommends the quenching approach for small arms cases. -Rick

 

[christhurston]

Many thanks for your thoughts on this,chaps,I guess there are far better ways of discovering your bit of ordnance is not quite as inert as you thought it was,than by applying a blowlamp to it!!!

My thoughts of working on the case whilst still hot were due to thinking it might perhaps be softer then,taking due care to avoid too many blisters,of course.I guess that belling the case neck needs to be avoided at all cost as well,the shell disappearing out of sight wouldn't be very helpful!!!

I'll need to practice on one or two spare cases that I have,if I dont come across any that are in need of a bit of TLC.I'll pay due regard to it's totally inert state of course,I imagine that even an unthought of oiled primer cap might necessitate a change of underwear when the heat starts to build up!!!

 

[HAZORD]

I agree with Slick Rick. I have heard of the method he describes for reloading small arms. Once the case is heated, it is then tipped over into the water to cool.