Brass dried in an oven

[jmclfrsh]

I cleaned some cases in a tumbler and dried them in the oven at 250 degrees. I almost went to 300 degrees then decided 250 should work.

I just read on another forum that drying brass at anything over 250 degrees “changes the crystalline structure of the brass, making it unsuitable for reloading.”

Any one ever heard of that? Would ai have ruined them for drying them at 300 degrees for 10 minutes?

 

[fredj338]

I cleaned some cases in a tumbler and dried them in the oven at 250 degrees. I almost went to 300 degrees then decided 250 should work.

I just read on another forum that drying brass at anything over 250 degrees “changes the crystalline structure of the brass, making it unsuitable for reloading.”

Any one ever heard of that? Would ai have ruined them for drying them at 300 degrees for 10 minutes?

No, you need to get well over 500 to start annealing. I have dried brass @ 300deg, no issues.

 

[g8rb8]

Based upon reading information about annealing brass, my personal experience, and reading what seem like reasonable responses to this same question my opinion is you will be fine.

Annealing brass occurs at temperatures significantly higher than 250 degrees F and it holds up fine to annealing.

Here is a link to annealing brass.
The Art and Science of Annealing

 

[rwsmith]

I put them in a collander and..

...put an 1800 watt hair dryer right on them. Brass conducts the heat like crazy and the whole batch gets WAY too hot to handle. Then I just let them cool off and give them another blast if needed. Those temperatures don't come close to annealing and an oven at 250 degrees doesn't either.

 

[muddocktor]

I dry brass in my oven after wet tumbling on the convection setting and 205 degrees. It is plenty dry after 30 minutes like that; the convection fan circulating the air helps to dry them quickly at that lower temperature.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

In the winter, I would set them on the woodstove of 20-30 minutes and they would be fine! Hornady makes a "Case Dryer" that is just a vegetable dehydrator. If my wife ever caught me using her herb dehydrators for cartridge cases, I would be singing soprano!

Ivan

 

[MyDads38]

In the winter, I would set them on the woodstove of 20-30 minutes and they would be fine! Hornady makes a "Case Dryer" that is just a vegetable dehydrator. If my wife ever caught me using her herb dehydrators for cartridge cases, I would be singing soprano!

Ivan

I just purchased a food dehydrator at Menard's in September, specifically to dry brass after wet tumbling. It looks exactly like the Hornady brass dryer, at half the cost-$33.99. Has 5 trays and you have the option to purchase 2 additional trays. 30-40 minutes for 1,000-1,200 pieces pistol brass. IMO, one of the best purchases I've made, since buying my FA wet tumbler

 

[jake1945]

Or buy a Frankfort Arsenal case dryer like I did.

 

[Ole Joe Clark]

I dried cases yesterday by directing the the heat vent to the tray, and others with a heat gun set on low. Need to do some more today. I have dried them in a small oven with the temp set at 200 degrees.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

 

[oneounceload]

I wouldn't put them in anything I use for food prep; that's just me. Buying a separate device specifically for that would be a better idea

 

[dnater]

I dry mine at 200 degrees for 30 minutes.

 

[RDub]

200° in the oven is fine, won't hurt a thing. The only thing I've noticed about using higher temps like 250-300° is if you leave the brass in the oven longer than necessary, the brass will start to tarnish a bit..
Clean polished brass is perfectly safe to dry in the oven. I have an old metal baking pan I use just for this purpose.
In the summer I just put them in that pan and let the sun bake them for a while.. But in winter time, they go in the oven.

 

[Steve K]

Like MYDADS38, I bought a vegetable dehydrator at Walmart for $45.00. It is dedicated to drying brass. Seems to be no chance of overheating; just leave the brass for about 45 minutes and it is fine. I learned a long time ago not to mix my hobbies with my wife's cooking. A few years ago I put a bunch of potatoes bugs in her blender to make "bug juice", an organic pesticide. I still have the blender but it was never used in the kitchen again.

 

[nachogrande]

GO SOLAR

Don't want to heat up the house or pay for the electricity? The dashboard of a car, windows up, parked in the sun. Maybe a summertime thing where you live.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Right now in Reno Nevada.................

I could use the car in the morning after I scrape the frost off the windows.
Might take a while, though for the cases to dry, if they don't freeze.

Indoors, is a good thing, this time of year.

 

[serger]

Don't want to heat up the house or pay for the electricity?
The dashboard of a car, windows up, parked in the sun.
Maybe a summertime thing where you live.

Summertime I just put the brass outside on the south side of the
house when I get up and the following morning I process it

In the cold season I dry brass @180 for an hour on some old
cookie sheets my wife pitched and I scrounged.

 

[fredj338]

The whole drying thing is why I dont wet clean my high volume pistol stuff.

 

[sturtyboy]

In winter, the oven is the best option. Too hot will change their color I once found out...Dahhhh

I wash my brass in Dawn dish soap, hot water and a little lemon juice for about ten minutes in a large bucket. Stir them up a little. They look good to go. Rinse them off and dry them out. I spread them out on a large towel in the direct sun. Then I tumble them for a finished shine. Works great and cheap. The polish media lasts a real long time if you wash them first.

Not to mention they smell good too...

 

[kbm6893]

Unless you need to reload it right away, why use an oven? I spread them out on a clean towel in my garage and let them dry for a couple of days.

 

[Freischütz]

If you have a forced air furnace put them in a basket over one of the ducts.