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thedaddycat · February 13, 2012, 04:32 PM

You are fine with 300*F for any amount of time.

Here is an excelent article on annealing brass cases, I read the whole thing and would recommend it to anyone interested in annealing their brass cases:

http://www.6mmbr.com/annealing.html

This is the pertinent section for your situation:

"Brass which has been "work hardened" (sometimes referred to as "cold worked") is unaffected by temperatures (Fahrenheit) up to 482 degrees (F) regardless of the time it is left at this temperature. At about 495 degrees (F) some changes in grain structure begins to occur, although the brass remains about as hard as before--it would take a laboratory analysis to see the changes that take place at this temperature."

Unless your oven thermostat is grossly out of calibration, you have nothing to worry about.

I use my Harbor Freight ultrasonic cleaner to clean cases with. Once done cleaning I rinse it three times and shake as much water out of it as I can. When I dry it, I put the brass on a cookie sheet and put that on top of soda cans on top of the wood stove. The cans provide enough "standoff" from the stove to prevent overheating. The brass gets hot to the touch but not so hot that I can't pick it up. I would guess the temp at around 140*F or so.

February 13, 2012, 04:32 PM	#13
thedaddycat Senior Member Join Date: September 25, 2011 Posts: 388	You are fine with 300F for any amount of time. Here is an excelent article on annealing brass cases, I read the whole thing and would recommend it to anyone interested in annealing their brass cases: http://www.6mmbr.com/annealing.html This is the pertinent section for your situation: "Brass which has been "work hardened" (sometimes referred to as "cold worked") is unaffected by temperatures (Fahrenheit) up to 482 degrees (F) regardless of the time it is left at this temperature. At about 495 degrees (F) some changes in grain structure begins to occur, although the brass remains about as hard as before--it would take a laboratory analysis to see the changes that take place at this temperature." Unless your oven thermostat is grossly out of calibration, you have nothing to worry about. I use my Harbor Freight ultrasonic cleaner to clean cases with. Once done cleaning I rinse it three times and shake as much water out of it as I can. When I dry it, I put the brass on a cookie sheet and put that on top of soda cans on top of the wood stove. The cans provide enough "standoff" from the stove to prevent overheating. The brass gets hot to the touch but not so hot that I can't pick it up. I would guess the temp at around 140F or so. Last edited by thedaddycat; February 13, 2012 at 04:45 PM.