I've been looking at putting together an annealing machine for a long time now but couldn't find the time to work out how to hold the case, spin the case and time the case in the flame reliably. Another forum that I am a member of posted this Youtube video up
I have had to buy the motor, a PWM controller, a cake tin (drum) and an ultrafine tip for my old Primus blowtorch so it owes me just over $60 so far. I'm not counting misc. tek screws, some scrap plywood, a steel coathanger and aluminium angle. You will note that the prototype needs work, particularly my burner retention sub-assembly which could do with improved fine adjustment.
Last edited by adamjp on Sun Jul 13, 2014 7:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
kickinback wrote:Nice. Does it drop them on the neck or do they land on their side?
The fall out mostly on their side, but even when they fall on their neck they are only falling 3 inches and the necks don't dent. I tried dropping them into water and it clearly made no difference to the annealing action as once the heat is removed the cases stop annealing - even though the bases are cool to the touch straight out of the machine, 10 seconds later they become too hot to touch due to heat transfer down the case.
macca wrote:Very good.
So when does the production line start on the commercial run.
The case looks just right.
Cheers
I need to sort a couple of things out and try my loading system for the machine. That involves annoying a sympathetic local machinist who has his hands full with making some long action chassis products right now so it might be a few months.
On mine I plan to have a short ramp below the exit point of the drum to catch the annealed cases and roll them down into a collecting tray. No point in dinging up nice freshly annealed case necks.
On mine I plan to have a short ramp below the exit point of the drum to catch the annealed cases and roll them down into a collecting tray. No point in dinging up nice freshly annealed case necks.
Changing the shape of the entry/exit slot on the exit side will see them landing on their bases.
On mine I plan to have a short ramp below the exit point of the drum to catch the annealed cases and roll them down into a collecting tray. No point in dinging up nice freshly annealed case necks.
Changing the shape of the entry/exit slot on the exit side will see them landing on their bases.
Yes it would, but then the next case won't feed cleanly from the chute.
I tried slanting the notch in the drum and it didn't work as I had hoped. The leading edge is the bit that would adjust the fall of a case, but it is also the part that regulates the entry of a case into the drum. If the base goes out first, so too does the base enter first.
There is NO problem with the cases falling on the necks. They do not dent, and even if they did, you resize the necks after annealing anyway to make sure the size is right.
FWIW this machine feeds amazingly well. So far I can run these cases through it one after the other without any adjustment of the drum or cartridge stop.
