Annealing Brass Sheet Metal

When the brass starts to show a blackened color then is the time to quench it quickly before cleaning it up.

Annealing brass sheet metal.

Annealing brass is very similar to copper although the temperature should be a little cooler. 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. Annealing is a heat treatment process in which the sheet metal is altered on a molecular level altering its strength and hardness.

That avoids any ignition of the alcohol. How to anneal cartridge brass for accuracy and longevity. This method is fast and uses no special equipment. You might want to consider starting with half hard material to avoid having to anneal at all.

The metal is heated above its recrystallization temperature maintained at this temperature and then cooled in a controlled environment. 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. I prefer using the 650 f on the shoulder and halfway down the body. Then wait till you hear it actually quench.

Whether you re shooting black powder cartridge o. Take your butane torch and start the flame out slowly. In the studio it is more common to anneal with a torch. Work hardened materials such as sheet metal that has undergone a stamping process or cold drawn bar stock.

Take your piece of brass and mark it with tempilaq. What you are looking for as you apply the flame of your blow lamp torch onto the part to be annealed is the tell tale colors again. That can take a surprising amount of time though usually. 450f a soft pine stick will smoke and slide like a grease pencil when applied to the piece of metal.

Annealing is the process of reducing stress within metal by heating it to a prescribed temperature. Also i use 400 f on the lower half that will tell me if i have over annealed the brass. Machining operations that create high amounts of heat or material displacement may also warrant an annealing process afterward. Industrially this is done in a furnace where the temperatures can be monitored mechanically.