I have an annealer that works with propane bottles, but lately Ive been reading up on Molten Salt annealing, and it looks simple and does an excellent job it appears and isn't expensive at all, a full set up runs around $100..dip the case and drop it in water, that's about it..

Anyone used this method...

Noo!!! but I'm interested.
roger

Do you have a link?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwdTaDLz56Q

Nitrate salt if I remember right

Well I'll be darned!

I had no idea!

That's pretty impressive.

KOOL ! And simple-------Even I could do it !

Hip

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
...Ive been reading up on Molten Salt annealing

Put 'molten potassium nitrate' into the search on youtube. Seems like an excellent way to create an instant fire.

This seems much safer to me:

https://vimeo.com/279384452

From this thread:

http://forums.accuratereloadin...2511043/m/5931089822



My 2¢

This seems a lot less Willy Coyote than the electronic machines

Let's hope there are no downsides a la Browning's salt stocks.

Paul, my first really good .22 was an early Browning T-bolt with that crazy salt-cured stock. What were they thinking?

I bought the salts, thermocouple and thermocouple readout from Ballistic Recreations. Quick shipping and easy to deal with. The holder was out of stock so I’ve made my own. I’ll try it out this weekend and report back.

That looks way too hot.

Graeme Wright's book on shooting double rifles has a good chapter on annealing Nitro express brass. According to him, getting the brass red hot is way too hot. His recommendation is to just hold the rim on a gas flame until it is too hot to hold and just drop it on a towel.

Not very measurable but it worked for me.

quote:

Originally posted by jpl:

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
...Ive been reading up on Molten Salt annealing

Put 'molten potassium nitrate' into the search on youtube. Seems like an excellent way to create an instant fire.

This seems much safer to me:

https://vimeo.com/279384452

From this thread:

http://forums.accuratereloadin...2511043/m/5931089822



My 2¢

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
I have an annealer that works with propane bottles, but lately Ive been reading up on Molten Salt annealing, and it looks simple and does an excellent job it appears and isn't expensive at all, a full set up runs around $100..dip the case and drop it in water, that's about it..

Anyone used this method...

Hello, Ray. I have used this method for annealing the Rocky Mountain Cartridge Company custom brass that was made for my H&H 8 Bore Rifle. This brass was too big for my AMP, (Annealing Made Perfect), induction annealer, which I use for everything else up to and including my .505 Gibbs brass. Photos follow. Cheers. Chip.

quote:

Originally posted by Nakihunter:
That looks way too hot.

Graeme Wright's book on shooting double rifles has a good chapter on annealing Nitro express brass. According to him, getting the brass red hot is way too hot. His recommendation is to just hold the rim on a gas flame until it is too hot to hold and just drop it on a towel.

Not very measurable but it worked for me.

The brass will be red for a true, dead soft, anneal. Most guys who "anneal" brass are really just heat treating it to get it about 1/2 hard.

Another solution looking for a problem.
I have reloaded for the first 50 years without it and
I don't foresee needing it for the second 50.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Another solution looking for a problem.
I have reloaded for the first 50 years without it and
I don't foresee needing it for the second 50.

Yep!

quote:

I have reloaded for the first 50 years without it and
I don't foresee needing it for the second 50.

Dark room propane torch and bucket since 1968. Think I'll just stay with it.

quote:

Originally posted by Nakihunter:
That looks way too hot.

Yes. It was intentional.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Another solution looking for a problem.

It makes forming wildcats much easier. Most factory brass is annealed after forming operations. It also helps prevent split necks like this:



Sure, if you shoot factory ammo, or reload a case only a few times, or have a good setup that doesn't require the neck to expand and shrink much between loading cycles, then you probably won't see much need for annealing.

Pretty sure no one said that annealing as a procedure was not important, at times.

jpl, what is the wildcat illustrated in your picture (21 Feb '19)?

Of course the nay sayers come out of the woodwork, and have nothing positive to say, I expected that..I have a propane annealer, but this salt method seems easier faster and sure a lot less expensive, that's positive if it works. I have had some positive emails from Australia. Canada, and the USA on BalisticRecreationsannealing.com, watched their web sight...Looks good to me. Some here are trying it out, others or interested also.

As to it being dangerous and unsafe and too hot, If everyone agreed with that nobody would be casting bullets. I see no difference in hot salt and hot lead??? The villain is getting water in the salt, guess what you sure don't want spill your ice tea in the lead pot..

Im very interested in this method of annealing and want opinions from users not some guessing from someone that hasn't even looked at the method on the net...Looking at Chips post and pictures, wow!

Ghrame Wrights thoughts on holding a case until your fingers get too hot to hold the case is decades old crap, swab the case and shoulder when it melts drop it on a towel or pan or in water..none of which is necessary with the salt method..stick it in the salt and put on a towel.

quote:

Originally posted by JASmith:
jpl, what is the wildcat illustrated in your picture (21 Feb '19)?

http://forums.accuratereloadin...6521043/m/7191005091

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
I see no difference in hot salt and hot lead??

The salt normally used is potassium nitrate, or a mixture of nitrate salts. This is a powerful oxidizer. Look up the ingredients in black powder. Spill molten lead and you can burn something. Spill molten potassium nitrate and it will literally burn (as in consume) anything organic. Is your workbench made out of wood, by chance? Spill water into the pot and it will vaporize and splash the salt (same as lead).

I've played some with molten KNO3 and in my opinion it is much more dangerous than hot lead. As I mentioned above, there are a variety of spectacular videos on youtube. When you get your setup going, try this: Take an old leather glove and dip one of the fingers into molten lead for a second. Then try the same thing with the molten KNO3. Decide for yourself how much respect it needs.

JPL,
Well it appears that both can be unsafe, as can reloading in general, I suspect being very careful is the main ingredient in most cases..I will muster out the pros and cons before I jump..but after viewing the unit, it appears to be able to manage, at least so far, that's why I wanted facts, not guess and by gosh so I think you for your informative post..

The AMP guys have published some detailed info on their testing of salt bath annealing:

https://www.ampannealing.com/a...ling--does-it-work-/

Basically they found that the salt can't heat the brass fast enough to anneal the neck without annealing pretty far up the shoulder.

They didn't try molten lead though. It seems to me that using lead could transfer heat to the brass quicker.

For budget annealing, they say a torch gives better results.

Annealing by color is not accurate..paint the necks when the stuff melts its time to drop in water or on the bench...I have some of that paint stuff, but its out in the shop at a friends house and it works great...

I also got to play with the salt product a little and its fun and easiest by far. if you get a rythom going is super fast and accurate and no guess work, all case matched from the shoulder to the neck..

Im going to order the set..Im sold on it.

quote:

Originally posted by jpl:
The AMP guys have published some detailed info on their testing of salt bath annealing:

https://www.ampannealing.com/a...ling--does-it-work-/

Basically they found that the salt can't heat the brass fast enough to anneal the neck without annealing pretty far up the shoulder.

They didn't try molten lead though. It seems to me that using lead could transfer heat to the brass quicker.

For budget annealing, they say a torch gives better results.

The AMP is expensive, but it is perhaps the best single reloading investment I have made. Annealing is so easy I do it for many cartridges every time I load.

What is your time worth?

Lots of good/new info for me. Thanks, Brian

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Pretty sure no one said that annealing as a procedure was not important, at times.

Unless I am dealing with very rare/expensive casings. Or forming hard to form cases.

I do not worry about it.

The Lee lead pot pictured above will rot away very quickly if you melt KNO3 in it. Been there and done that.

I don't normally anneal as I can shoot a good rifle case and reload it up to 14 times on average with max or near max loads and some of the better brass even more, then toss it and buy new brass in most cases without breaking the bank, but I have coffee cans of some brass that's been shot, some many times others not so much..I would like to retrieve that brass..and for the most part learn the pros and cons for myself, as opposed to guess and by gosh..I could have sure used this method during WW2, when the only ammo was on the black market, all we had was surplus 30-06 ammo, and we hunted deer and elk with it, head shots were recommended..some used this stuff and lead bullets to hunt with and mixed results were rampant..

I use mine a fair bit on expensive and hard to find brass. With common and cheap I don't bother. It works good.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Of course the nay sayers come out of the woodwork, and have nothing positive to say, I expected that..I have a propane annealer, but this salt method seems easier faster and sure a lot less expensive, that's positive if it works. I have had some positive emails from Australia. Canada, and the USA on BalisticRecreationsannealing.com, watched their web sight...Looks good to me. Some here are trying it out, others or interested also.

As to it being dangerous and unsafe and too hot, If everyone agreed with that nobody would be casting bullets. I see no difference in hot salt and hot lead??? The villain is getting water in the salt, guess what you sure don't want spill your ice tea in the lead pot..

Im very interested in this method of annealing and want opinions from users not some guessing from someone that hasn't even looked at the method on the net...Looking at Chips post and pictures, wow!

Ghrame Wrights thoughts on holding a case until your fingers get too hot to hold the case is decades old crap, swab the case and shoulder when it melts drop it on a towel or pan or in water..none of which is necessary with the salt method.. stick it in the salt and put on a towel.

I thought the water drop was to rinse/wash off the salt?

The water is only used to remove the salt. If you are truly OCD, run the cases through denatured alcohol for a final rinse. The water step is essential.

The Salts:

Potassium Nitrate 50%
Sodium Nitrite 45%
Sodium Nitrate 5%

You MUST wear welding gloves!

I have both the AMP and the Canadian Salt annealing systems.

They both work fine. If you drink beer when you anneal, stick with the AMP system.

Potassium Nitrate (granular) is available at Walmart. It is sold as “potassium nitrate” at $6 per ½ pound. It will probably be in Garden Center.

Sodium nitrite is available at Scheels as “Morton Tender Quick” @ $6.99 per 2 pounds.

Sodium nitrate is available at Walmart as “Hi Yield Nitrate of Soda” @ 4 pounds per $7.24.

Mix by weight. Turn the granules into powder in a mortar and pestle off of E-bay.