Annealing brass

[Larry in VA]

I have never used this product so I know next to nothing about it but a friend of mine is taking a welding class at the local college. He heard about our discussion hear on Saubier and told me about a crayon type marking pen that comes in all melt ranges. He said you can get them at any welding shop that sells welding supplies. Just a thought for you deerindingo, may be easier and quicker than trying to order from overseas.
Larry

[ray h]

They're too hard, I've never been able to mark brass cases with them. I've used them on steel and they work great.

[Larry in VA]

Originally Posted by ray h

They're too hard, I've never been able to mark brass cases with them. I've used them on steel and they work great.

So much for that idea.!!!
Thanks for the quick reply Ray.

[TinMan]

The crayons are made by the same company. They are called Templsticks or Templstix.

[bohica2xo]

DernDingo:

Tempilaq is available from McMaster-Carr, and they ship worldwide.

There are many opinions on neck annealing. What works for you may not be another's cup o' tea.
I fully anneal the necks on 5.56 brass before reloading it. The simple bit of cold working from the sizing die & expander provides plenty of bullet grip. I have never had an issue with thousands of rounds through autoloaders.

Consistient results are what you are after. A full anneal & resize does that very well.

Quenching does not do anything to the metallurgy or the hardness of the brass. All it does is add a clean-up step. I drop annealed cases into a cardboard box, and let them air cool.

Tempilaq is handy for checking to see how hot sections of a case get when heating. Painting linear stripes of a couple of grades, then heating a case neck to dull red in a semi-dark room can be very educational. As long as the bottom third of the case stays below 400f, the head integrity is maintained.

B.