New, Versatile Brass-O-Matic Annealing Machine
Zephyr Dynamics, the clever folks who brought you Pod Paws for bipods, have crafted an impressive new automated annealing machine. Unlike other mechanical annealers on the market, Zephyr’s $399.00 “Brass-O-Matic” is designed to anneal ALL sizes of rifle brass–from .223 Rem all the way up to 50 BMG. Two arms hold high-output torches (bottles and tips not included in price). You can adjust the height of the jets to place the flames right at the “sweet spot” of any length case. With two burners fixed nearly opposite one another (see photo), the case neck and shoulder are completely enveloped by flame for uniform annealing. The rotational motor has a speed control so you can adjust the dwell time for your particular brass.
How well does it work? To be honest, we can’t say because we haven’t got our hands on a production version yet. Palma and F-Class ace Jerry Tierney has purchased one of the first run and he’s promised a full report as soon as UPS delivers his Brass-O-Matic. To see the machine in action, check out the video below. You’ll find another video, and more information, on the Zephyr Dynamics website.
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Tags: Annealing, Cartridge Brass
I thought there was a need to keep the web/head cooler since heat travels so well through brass. I.e., if you don’t immerse the head in water while the shoulder/neck are being heated, you’ll anneal the entire case. Is that not true?
Hi, it is true that brass is a very good conductor of heat. In the case of annealing rifle brass, the mass in the case head is very large in comparison to the mass in the case neck. This mass helps to distribute the heat and keep the temperatures down. Our torch selection and setup is precise and efficient when heating the neck. This combination prevents the case head from being reaching annealing temperatures.
For the F-Class National Championships, I annealed (softened) my 284-Win necks using Brass-O-Matic for 7 seconds (longer than most) because I wanted to ensure that I achieved a nice softening of the neck for a very consistent pressure seal. It worked well (6th overall, F-Open with minimal vertical stringing) and there were no pressure signs on any portion of the brass besides a nice, desired carbon ring around the neck where it quickly sealed in the chamber.