Annealed project

mjcmichigan

Handloader
Dec 26, 2016
2,307
134
Decided I’m done with the candle method and moving on to propane.

I choked on prices a little so started looking at DIY options. Well, my neighbor is geekier than most of us, but not a gun guy yet. When he met me, he liked canoes and kayaks, but didn’t get powerboats or chain saws. Now he has both and agrees they are great fun.

Sent him a DIY annealed YouTube video to get his ideas on what he thought it would costs... lol, it’s well under construction.

He set it up with a little display where I could dial up my cartridge, and a stepper motor would move the flame to the right place. Should be able to handle 223Rem to 30-378 Wby.

Here’s a picture of the display and control boards. It’s programmable and has basic rom memory. If I want to save fine adjustments...

Thought you guys would like this display. At this point it’s controlling the motors and the time
In seconds would be how long heat is on the neck.
8b781f07ee5b98f96e7fc5e2474f7502.jpg


If you notice the three little push buttons on the left, one takes the time
Up, and the other down. The third button goes through the library of cartridges...
This might be worth a you tube video.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Now, that is just too cool! Looks as if this is a good neighbour to know. I'll be looking forward to seeing the finished product.
 
If I were going to start annealing, I would take a VERY hard look at the salt bath method.

Don’t get me wrong - I love my Vertex Bench Source machine but it’s not inexpensive.
 
Here’s a video of a DIY annealer that’s close to what we’re putting together.

https://youtu.be/2pxGzAAxjgk

Henk is planning to build a CNC machine and this project resonates with him because controlling the motors, coordinating movements. I think I mentioned it will have a stepper motor that will adjust the flame position based on the case selected in the display. I like the idea of a hopper that can hold 100 ish cases. I can load it up and do other things nearby such as gun cleaning, measurements, case priming( yes cold ones).

All said and done, parts cost will be around $100. Depends most on home long you are willing to wait for parts. Parts inventories in USA costs about 25% more... probably still made in China.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I don't mean to hijack OP, but... l bought an Anealeez and I'm very happy with it, and have wondered about a display to give me feedback as to motor speed. E.g. 260 Rem lapua brass needs to run @ 10.3 motor voltage for ideal feed speed. I'll bet a neighbor like yours could help on a project like that.

Sent from my SM-A205U using Tapatalk
 
Yes I’d agree. Should be a couple options for that. Could be an easy add.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Last night, we fired up the annealer and we did some 22-250, 300 WSM and some 300 WM cases. A couple glitches, but it was working nicely.

Related question. Any recommendations on annealing paint/ temperature indicator?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I've used Tempilaq °750 I believe. As recommended by Anealeze.

Sent from my SM-A205U using Tapatalk
 
750* , I paint the inside of the neck . if you paint the outside , as soon as the flame hits it , it's burnt . I did this for a short time to get my time and temp correct . what I do now is turn out the lights . keep the case in the flame until it just starts to turn dull red , then advance it out . it goes from dull red to glowing red quickly , so use caution . I've had some start to glow , but didn't seem to do any harm I do shorten the flame time a touch when I get these . get them in and out of the flame quickly , you don't want the heat traveling down the case . I keep my old brass to set up on , so I don't cook good brass .
 
mjcmichigan":1cytdl7q said:
Thanks guys. Ordering 750 now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Too bad you're not closer. I have 3 different temp variations of Tempilaq you could have borrowed.
 
That's pretty cool! I'm fascinated by the knowledge it takes to figure that out and put it together. Hope it works out for you!
 
They guy assembling it has been really loving the project. He would use slow-mo video .. really helped debug the feed. I’ll make a YouTube video and upload it. He’s about to go do grandpa duty for a week,!so probably two weeks before I get to make it. He’s still tinkering.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
A short video on the annealer project. Did my first run. About 150 pieces of 308win. I don’t have a 308, but have loaded fir guys when ammo is scarce.

https://youtube.com/shorts/M4c6N-Qvdr0

Also first YouTube video.

Thanks for the ideas!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
What a creation, looks like it works well. A lot of engineering went into it. Good job.

Sent from my SM-A205U using Tapatalk
 
It was much easier on the electronics. Arduino computer to control the display and dc motors. Basically used a 2 USB port charger for power, a timing board.

The harder part was dealing with different case sizes. The 223Rem diameter is small enough that two fit in the feed slot.. so had to make a small foam spacer... then the rotating cake pan... that open slot used for feeding and dropping... if the drum opening is just a little too large, the 223 rem falls through... the belted magnums didn’t like to stay in the drum... they’d fall out...
I was able to load up brass in the hopper, but it always takes the nearest case...sometimes the case on the left would jam the feed wheel. I think I can solve that with a narrower hopper. We had cases form a bridge too...was like a daily puzzle. The tempaliq was really key. The drum speed and unregulated flame make for a tuning problem, but with the tempaliq, you know when you hit the magic temp. I’m ready to start over on version 2.0.

I’ve got a lot is cases to anneal... so aside from tweaking the hopper. I’m in work mode vs play mode.

Found a really excellent video on annealing vs not with a 1000 yard marksman. A far better shot than I. And probably a far better reloaded too.

I’ll find it and post it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Back
Top