Product Evaluation: Hornady Annealing System
Until recent times, cartridge neck annealing was a process that shooters either “Swore By” or “Swore At”. For many, annealing enables the hand-loader to revive their brass and keep it as workable as the day they bought it. Some shooters claim 50 or more firings per case with no problems! With the price of brass cartridge cases what they are today, more and more high volume shooters are looking for better mileage from their brass. On the other side of the fence, you have those folks who feel it’s a process that’s too complicated or time consuming for their taste. I guess I have always fallen into the second group, until now….
So, what exactly is case neck annealing? I’m not a scientist, by any mean, so for simplicity sake let’s say it is the process of restoring work hardened brass cases to a softer workable state specifically in the neck area. Annealing cases properly softens the neck, softens a portion of the body just ever so slightly,and makes no change to the case head and lower portion of the case. Annealing is done by quickly heating the neck to 750 to 800 degrees and quickly cooling the case before that heat has a chance to reach the case head which would render that case useless.
Now, we are ready for the meat & potatoes of this article: The Hornady Case Neck Annealing Kit #041220 ($52.95). The kit consists of three case holders, a bottle of Tempilaq heat sensitive paint, and instructions. All we need is a propane torch, a vari-speed drill or electric screwdriver, and a small bucket or coffee can with enough cold water to cover the number of cases you are working with.
Hornady Annealing Kit Part #041220 $52.95
I decided to anneal 50 pieces of Nosler Custom .308 cases with four firings on the odometer, and re-anneal after every two firings for the duration of this year’s shooting season. At the end of the year, I will compare with the 50 non-annealed sister cases, it should be interesting. I will keep you all posted on the results!
So…Let’s get started! First, you want to start with clean de-primed cases. Last thing you need is a rogue live primer subjected to the effects of a propane torch. (remember Murphy’s Law). Also, with the primers removed, when the hot annealed brass is dropped into our cold water it will circulate through the flash hole and primer pocket for better cooling. Next, if your cases are dirty, drop them in a tumbler for thirty minutes or polish with Flitz or some sort of brass polish. You want the necks to be nice and shiny, so it is easier to see them change color during annealing. Brush out the inside of the case necks and you are ready to apply the Tempilaq paint. You need to put an 1/8” mark of Tempilaq on the case body ¼” below the shoulder. After marking all cases, set them in a loading block and allow them to dry for 3 to 4 min. Next, pick the correct case holder for your brass and install into your screw driver or variable drill set at 200 rpm. If your work area has a vise, place the torch into and snug it up just enough to keep it from tipping over (again remember Mr. Murphy!). Ok, fire up your torch and adjust to produce a medium length light blue flame. With your water bucket close by, insert a case in to the holder and begin spinning. Center the spinning case neck in the middle of the flame observing the Tempilaq marking and the case neck. In roughly 6 to 8 seconds the paste will change color and the case neck will start to glow a dull maroon color. When you see that maroon color change, quickly tip your drill or screw driver over your container, and drop the annealed case into the water. Load up another case and repeat the process until you have finished all of the cases.
Sinclair Reloading Technician, and author Rod Green Demonstrates the Motions of Annealing with the Hornady Annealing Kit.
One Quick Tip: by dimming or lowering the light in your work area, it will help you to see the maroon color change during heating on the case necks much easier. The whole procedure, start to finish for 50 pieces of brass took fifteen minutes. After cooling you can towel dry and air dry. After the cases are dry you can pop your brass into your tumbler for thirty minutes to remove any heat scale from the annealing.
There you have it… Fifty annealed cartridge cases ready for reloading. Was the task at hand difficult? Not at all. Was it worth while? Yes, I feel it was. The Hornady Case Neck Annealing Kit is an inexpensive way to give new life to some old brass, and I feel the Kit is a lot of bang for the buck. So, if you have some tired brass needing a jump start, I would recommend giving the Hornady Annealing Kit a shot. I will let you know how these 50 cases made it through the season. Be safe and “keep ‘em in the 10 ring” !
Rod Green
Sales Tech, Sinclair International
NRA Life Member
VHA Life Member
NRA Cert. Metallic Cart. Instr.
March 17th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
What effect, if any, does annealing nickle plated brass have? Is there any advantage, disadvantage, or reason to anneal nickle plated brass?
Thanks for your response!
Jeff
March 17th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
I would appreciate 6 of your catalogs I will get them to my freinds and family. Say hi to Larry for me tell him I siill have my 788 not for SALE.
260s600w Larwill In. 46764 Thanks Alot M.R.
March 17th, 2010 at 4:23 pm
Jeff,
Consensus around the techs here is don’t! Due to the nickel plating on the brass the case would heat unevenly and the nickel plating could lose its bond with the brass and flake off. Stick with the “yellow” brass. We also do not recommend reloading nickel plated brass as it could scratch your dies. Nickel brass is really made to be used once.
Take care
Phil H.
March 17th, 2010 at 6:53 pm
I have sized nickel plated .357 Maximum brass several times without a problem in Horaday carbide dies. It could be because of the straight walls or because of dumb luck. These cases were made by Fereral when Ruger first brought out there revolver. I used them in a rechambered Ruger #1.
March 17th, 2010 at 6:55 pm
Take a look at the April 2010 Handloader, page 54. They have a full article on annealing using a slightly different setup. They touch on dealing with nickel and smaller cases. After reading it I decided that this Hornady setup sounds like the better system, but the article is quite good-lots of information and insight.
March 17th, 2010 at 9:40 pm
What color is the paste when dry? What color does the paste turn to when “ready”.
Can the painted spot on the case be easily observed while spinning even with the lights dimmed as suggested? I am afraid your review only adds to the confusion on proper annealing of cartridge cases.
March 17th, 2010 at 10:09 pm
It is best to leave the once fired primer in the case.
March 17th, 2010 at 10:48 pm
I disagree with you on your statement about Nickel plated brass not being intended for reloading! Be carefull and watch Bottleneck cases for signs of weakness. I have reloaded Federal 7-30 Waters Nickel Plated several times successfully but then have experienced failures in enough cases to cause me to discard the remainder of them.
BUT..Straight cases such as my Starline 41 Mag are being reloaded many times. They are premium products intended to be reloaded!
There is no firm and hard rule about anything regarding reloading except “Use Caution and SMARTS”!
March 17th, 2010 at 11:58 pm
Just curious as to how many cases each kit would likely anneal? Also could you post a video of the process ( possibly on You Tube )?
Thanks in advance
Robert
March 18th, 2010 at 11:04 am
Rod,
Your picture scares me to death. A propane torch on the loading bench! I have annealed brass for years but never near the loading bench.
March 18th, 2010 at 1:20 pm
DAVID SZIGETI,
THE PASTE TURNS A LT. GRAY COLOR WHEN DRY.IT THEN CHANGES TO A MAROON COLOR WHEN THE ANNEALING IS COMPLETE. YES, IT IS VERY EASY TO SEE THE COLOR CHANGE IN DIM LIGHT. THANKS
ROD
March 18th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
I have to agree with David Hallam:
a propane torch on a loading bench is an absolutely “no go” !
March 18th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Jeff Howard & David Szigeti,
The people who really could give you the proper answer on this are the techs at Hornady. These guys really have all the inside information and are great to talk to. Dial 800-338-3220 or go to http://www.hornady.com.
Thanks and take care
Phil H.
March 18th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
I enjoyed the article on annealing cases and may soon treat myself to a kit. I have used the old tip em over in a pan of water thing but uniformity was poor.
With regard to having a torch burning on the reloading bench. I along with many folks use their workbench/loading bench for everything but keep my primers and powder in a storage cabinet so there is no hazard. Thanks for the good info, Ken
March 19th, 2010 at 8:34 am
Note that the caption on the pictures states that Rod is “demonstrating the motions” of annealing on the loading bench. Apparently he is not doing the actual annealing there.
January 19th, 2011 at 3:13 pm
Re: Using a torch on the reloading bench. Let me see if I’ve got this correctly.
Once I reload on a workbench, I can never again light a torch on the same workbench?
It’s a wonder I’m alive! Seriously, I do not see any primers or powder on the bench, and,
if you have no powder or primer residue (primer dust) present, what’s the problem?
January 20th, 2011 at 10:51 am
I have been using the Hornady annealing kit for a couple years now. A few points to take note of are:
Tempilac will dry up or thicken in the bottle, the maker sells a thinner for such instances. Machine shop suppliers can get this thinner for you.
In addition, Tempilac offers a crayon or marker of the proper temperature sensitivity that is easier to use.
I use a cordless screwdriver, not a drill driver; the rpm is slow enough to view the Tempilac splotch while spinning.
I use a universal depriming die to remove the spent primers, and then polish all residues from the case neck and shoulder. This ensures those areas will be heated evenly. I then anneal, after which I reclean and size the cases
March 16th, 2011 at 2:56 pm
I dump the shells in water just as the Tempilaq starts to liquify. Hope I’m doing it right. As for removing dried tempilaq from cases, I find that Super Tech Brake Parts Cleaner from WalMart will disolve it immediately. Is it necessary to resize the cases after anealing? Is there any distortion in the annealing process?