Bench 3

Annealing

Restore brass ductility for consistent neck tension and longer case life.

← Bench 2 — Brass Prep Bench 4 — Priming →
New to reloading? Start with Basics only. · Already reloading? Use Basics as a refresher, then dig into Control and Tune.
Basics
What you're doing and why
Every time brass is fired and resized, the neck hardens. Stiffer necks mean inconsistent neck tension, which means inconsistent bullet release. Annealing restores the softness — and your consistency.
1
Understand why brass hardens

Brass is a work-hardening metal. Every firing expands it, and every resizing compresses it. The neck takes the most abuse. After enough cycles, the neck becomes stiff enough that it no longer grips the bullet consistently — and your velocity spread climbs.

2
Heat only the neck and shoulder

Annealing softens metal by applying controlled heat. Only the neck and shoulder region is annealed — roughly the top 20% of the case. Never anneal the case head or body. That area needs to stay hard to safely contain chamber pressure.

You'll need Induction annealing machine (recommended) or torch setup with case rotation
3
Let it air cool

Do not quench annealed brass in water. Let cases air cool on their own. Quenching introduces stress and is unnecessary for brass — it's a steel hardening technique that doesn't apply here.

Control
What you're controlling
Annealing is a three-state control point in Qual8: None, Torch, or Induction. The method you use determines how repeatable your results are.
C1
Control Point 1
Annealing Method

The Qual8 app captures annealing as a three-state control: None, Torch, or Induction. Induction machines like the AMP Annealer apply a precise, repeatable heat cycle every time. Torch annealing works but requires consistent technique to be meaningful as a control point. If you're not annealing, log it as None — that's valid data too.

You'll need Induction annealing machine, or propane/MAPP torch with case rotation fixture
Logbook Record Layer

- Annealing method used (None / Torch / Induction)
- Machine or torch setup used
- When in the brass lifecycle you annealed (every firing, every 2nd, every 3rd)
- Observations about neck feel or tension after annealing
- Cases removed from batch — and why

Bench walkthrough
Watch the bench in practice
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Bench 3
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Annealing walkthrough — neck hardness, heat application, and induction vs. torch
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