On 8/23/2013 9:59 PM, Carl Ijames wrote:
Don't know if it is the same brand, but go to www.mcmaster.com and put
either "heat stick" or 604 in the search box and you will see their
selection of crayons ($11.48 ea) and liquid paint, in melting temps from
104F to 2000F. I'd assume msc (www.mscdirect.com) and probably
www.grainger.com also carry them, if you prefer them over mcmaster carr.


I found out a bit about that.
The "crayons" are actually rather chalky.
Hard to mark on polished brass.
The suggestion was to do the marking and heating before polishing.

The paints are probably easier to use.
http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/metal-prep-coloring/heat-treating-accessories/tempilaq--prod13124.aspx?avad=avant&ch=aff&aid=33499

A dab of 450 on the case to make sure it doesn't overtemp.

And a dab of 700 on the neck to make sure it gets hot enough.


From:
http://bisonballistics.com/articles/the-science-of-cartridge-brass-annealing

It is critical to understand that we are talking about annealing case
necks only. The rest of the case is work hardened during manufacturing
and left that way on purpose. It must be strong enough to contain the
pressures of firing, and annealing any part of the case except the neck
is potentially dangerous. Do not do it.

Under no circumstances should you let the case body get anywhere near
700 degrees. If you do, the case is ruined, and should be crushed and
discarded.

You cannot anneal brass in an oven! You will ruin it.

You must use another method, like a torch or possibly some sort of
inductive heater that applies the heat locally to the neck area only.

Some have suggested dipping case necks in molten lead (which melts very
near 700 degrees depending on the alloy). This works in theory, but in
practice, it's not such a hot idea. Spattering, sticky lead, and the
fact that lead is a dangerous poison make this not such a good idea.

Torches are by far the most commonly used heat sources for annealing.
They're cheap, relatively easy to use, and do the job well.