Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Annealing with a candle - thanks JB

Perhaps I could learn this technique someplace other than in my reloading area. That's where there's a strict "NO OPEN FLAME" rule in place for obvious reasons.

I have a wick-style alcohol burner. Would an alcohol flame work as well as a candle or is there a temperature difference in an alcohol flame that would make it work not as well? Thanks

Not a Gun Writer., but a hobbyist. I've found the method of placing a drill motor in a vice with a 3/8ths socket (for 223 Rem) rotate slowly while holding a propane torch to the neck area. I have watched the automated machines do what I do manually. For 223 takes about 6 sec. and '06 necks about 8 sec. So my normal speed of counting I count to 9 for the small ones and 13 for the big ones this equals 6 and 8 sec. I pick (bare fingers)the base of the cartridge out of the socket and roll on a wet cloth that's on a cookie sheet. The insides aren't wet so they can be loaded the same day as annealing with out any other procedures. The brass is soft down to about half the cartridge length, when tested with a pair of pliers, the bottom half is hard.
Using this method my ES has come down to the single digit range and brass life is long. And, I rarely toast my fingers.

An answer to your question will depend on the type of alcohol, and the percentage of water in the alcohol. I recall (vaguely and perhaps incorrectly) from chem class that flame temperature increases from methanol to ethanol to propanol. I also recall that 70% alcohol will burn with a lower temperature than 95% or 100% alcohol.

From the G. Gordon Liddy era, I remember that the flame temperature of a candle is about 1000°C. Google finds alcohol flame temperatures to be about 1700-1900°C (dpending on type and purity).

In annealing a brass case, the hotter alcohol flame may or may not heat the neck too much before the middle of the case becomes too hot to hold with bare fingertips. The candle flame temperature is such that heat is transmitted down the length of the case before the neck is heat damaged.

--Bob

I try to anneal after every fourth loading and I frequently discard my cases after the 12th loading, so most lots get annealed twice. Someone here on the 'fire recommended this frequency and it seems to work well for me.

Fred Barker (shooter, and professional metallurgist) wrote an article on cartridge case metallurgy, and the candle method of annealing, which was published in the July 1996 issue of Precision Shooting magazine. His recommended methods of annealing were:
1) The Lead Pot method
and
2) The Candle Flame method - with a note that 'any other relatively cool yellow flame, such as that from a kerosene-burning wick light' would also do the job.

Barker did not state what the typical temperature of a candle flame is. He noted that in his tests it would melt a sliver of wheel weight metal in about 8 to 10 seconds, so it must be well over 700 degrees F.

If the figures quoted by 'Bullshooter' are correct (I'm not disputing them) then the flame from an alcohol burner MAY be too hot for safety. Probably make less mess than a sooty candle or kerosene wick flame, though ....

I'm new to this and trying to learn. Have you guys seen certain brands of brass that seem to need the process sooner? We all have our preferred brass for reloading. Just wondering about the " I don't use the x,y,z brand because I have to anneal after 3rd firing etc".

Cartridge case annealing may result in unsafe cases if the case head is heated sufficiently to become soft. (Thus the precaution with some procedures of standing cases head down in a pan of water.)

The safety of the annealing process using a candle or other heat source is achieved principally by holding the case amidships with fingertips, and also by then promptly cooling the case with water when it's become too hot to hold without pain. Barker suggests the temperature at which pain occurs is about 150°F, and that the middle of the case reaches this temperature when the case neck reaches about 700°F in a candle flame.

The reason for the prompt cooling with wet towel or pan of water is not provided in Barker's article, as nearly as I can discover from about three read-throughs. I presume that prompt water cooling prevents the case head from becoming too hot. If the case were allowed to air cool, heat in the neck area might be conducted down the length of the case and soften the case head.

Barker cited with approval the case annealing technique described by William Dresser in The American Rifleman (Sept 1962, p.42). Dresser using a propane torch to heat the case neck, holding the case with his fingertips. When a Tempilstik indicating crayon showed the neck had reached 700°F, the case was dropped immediately into a bucket of water.

A propane torch has a much hotter flame than a candle, and in that respect the Dresser method might resemble the use of an alcohol lamp. However, the important difference between the torch and candle methods is that neck temperature was evaluated directly with the torch. Neck temperature is judged indirectly with the candle technique using fingertips as heat sensors. Use of an alcohol lamp with crayon or lacquer indicator should be a safe and workable method.

--Bob

I've discussed the method with Fred, and the reason for the wet towel wipe-down is both to cool the case, to prevent heat reaching the head, and to get rid of the soot from the candle flame while it's still soft and easily wiped off.

Tell her it's an ancient ritual going all the way back to the invention of the brass cartridge, much like burning a picture of a Saint in your hands you are now officially a made Looney!!


Mike

Glad I read this thread. Will definitely make use of the candle method.

And this made me chuckle.


Classic.