Stove Top Annealing?

T

TCS

New member
I have been starting to experiment with annealing lately I read the article on 6mmbr about annealing and I like the concepts but I just don't want to spend the kind of money for their machine given that I don't do THAT much shooting.

So...I had a bit of an inspiration the other day while cooking. I have an electric stove with a flat glass top and boy it sure looks like a nice even way to heat up a case mouth and make sure they're all about the same. So I brought home one of our infrared thermometers from work to see if the stove top gets hot enough. Well, the thermometer went up to about 800 degrees and then just said "high". That seems right in the ballpark of the temp I would need to anneal some brass, and the good thing is I can just turn down the burner to keep from going over the temperature I need (not an option with propane).

So what I'm thinking of doing is simply getting the burner hot, and setting brass cases upside down on it till it's annealed. I probably should use some sort of steel or cast iron plate on top to make sure I don't ruin the glass top (wife won't like that).

Any thoughts/suggestions? My biggest concern is can I get the case mouth hot enough before the heat travels up the case too far. Maybe I could use some sort of heatsink around the base of the case to keep it from getting to hot?
 
You are right in your concern, Your cases will be unsafe to shoot. You
need to heat the necks in the 6 to 12 second range. Get a propane torch.
 
Maybe I'm not explaining myself correctly.

I have a propane torch...but a propane torch burns at 3000+ degrees which makes it very easy to over anneal and/or burn the zinc out of the brass. Plus you have to rotate the case and make sure you heat it exactly evenly all around. The stove will automatically heat it the same around the whole case mouth because it's touching it evenly all around.

The stove will already be hot at the temperature I want it, then I will set the case on it upside down for a specified amount of time, then pull it off and quench it.

I don't see how this would make the cases unsafe any more than the propane torch method. If anything it seems to me like it would be more controllable.
 
The stove will not heat the necks fast enough and you will anneal the
case head. If a stove is all we needed we all would be using one. It won't
work.
 
Originally Posted By: bigwheelerThe stove will not heat the necks fast enough and you will anneal the
case head. If a stove is all we needed we all would be using one. It won't
work.

+1
 
no you dont have to cool it quickly I doubt the stove burner will work either but you never know until you try. I would be afraid of it getting the whole thing to hot.Why not use the torch?
Mike
 
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Originally Posted By: TCSMaybe I'm not explaining myself correctly.

I have a propane torch...but a propane torch burns at 3000+ degrees which makes it very easy to over anneal and/or burn the zinc out of the brass. Plus you have to rotate the case and make sure you heat it exactly evenly all around. The stove will automatically heat it the same around the whole case mouth because it's touching it evenly all around.

The stove will already be hot at the temperature I want it, then I will set the case on it upside down for a specified amount of time, then pull it off and quench it.

I don't see how this would make the cases unsafe any more than the propane torch method. If anything it seems to me like it would be more controllable.

are you going to do 1 at a time? what happens if it tips over and falls? if you do more than 1 at a time and 1 falls over, what then?
 
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I have been annealing since the 60's very simple not EXPENSIVE, Quick, With a pan of water with cases half way in water use a Propane torch to heat brass for just a second, then turn over in water, DONE, try it been working for me for a long time.
 
I do it on the top of a gas stove. The trick is "Ove Glove" one for each hand. Brass transfers heat very quickly and very evenly without alot of help from you. Anyone who has spent much time soldering copper tubing will attest to that.
I haven't ever caluculated the cost but for me to do 100 pcs. of brass on the gas stove probably cost me in the neighborhood of $.50 in natural gas....one beer cost more.
 
If you are worried about turning the brass to evenly heat. Use a hand powered screw driver. Not a drill. The screw driver turns slowly enough to give even heat. Cost $8 at Wally World. Chuck up a socket in the screwdriver and hold the neck of the cartridge in the flame. I use 6 seconds for 6mm brass. Seems to work just fine. Thinner brass will take less time. Experiment for your own uses.
 
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Your electric stove with flat glass top will not put enough of the surface area of the brass in contact with the stove surface. Heat will transfer so slowly that the entire case will heat uniformly, softening parts that should not be softened. The neck of the case needs to be heated pretty quickly (seconds, not minutes) while the rest of the case stays relatively cool.
 
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