EDITOR: You should read the article on annealing: http://www.6mmbr.com/annealing.html

Quenching is a bit misunderstood. Yes it does serve to prevent overheating of the case–that’s a good thing. But it does not otherwise improve the annealing process or make for a better anneal of the neck area. One of the reasons a liquid quench is not needed with the machines like the Ken Light machine is than the big metal carousel serves as a heat sink and also shields the bottom of the case. Also the duration of the neck’s exposure to flame is carefully controlled. The neck area gets to the optimal temperature without overheating the bottom. At that point the case moves out of the flame and is allowed to cool naturally. There is no benefit of quick-cooling the case in water so long as it doesn’t get too hot.

People who anneal manually often prefer to quench their cases to prevent overheating. There is also a method of annealing cases that are standing in a shallow pan of water. Once the neck reaches the right temp, one tips over the case to cool it. Again, this is not a bad thing… but the quick cool does not improve the outcome for the annealed neck section of the case. A slow cool-down of the neck can achieve the desired results.

“Unlike steel, which will be made harder when it is cooled rapidly, brass is virtually unaffected when it is rapidly cooled. Annealing brass and suddenly quenching it in water will have no measurable effect on the brass. Cartridge cases are made of brass. When cartridge cases have been reloaded a number of times, the case necks become harder. Annealing will return the cartridge case necks to their factory original state.”