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AMP DIY Alternatives - Induction Annealing


gruntus

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Hi All,

Given the pocket squeezing price of an AMP 😢, our other halves keeping a close eye on content in the reloading room and being a nation of "men in sheds" has anyone looked into a DIY version of induction annealing?

I did have a quick look when I was building my DIY Gas Torch annealer a while ago (Salt bath route at present) but it looks like things have progressed since then (see thread below).

https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/homemade-induction-annealer.6966638/

There are a lot of technically qualified folks on this forum with a curious nature. Has anyone reviewed/investigated or even successfully prototyped this form of annealing to date without breaking the bank?

All the best

G 

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52 minutes ago, gruntus said:

Hi All,

Given the pocket squeezing price of an AMP 😢, our other halves keeping a close eye on content in the reloading room and being a nation of "men in sheds" has anyone looked into a DIY version of induction annealing?

I did have a quick look when I was building my DIY Gas Torch annealer a while ago (Salt bath route at present) but it looks like things have progressed since then (see thread below).

https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/homemade-induction-annealer.6966638/

There are a lot of technically qualified folks on this forum with a curious nature. Has anyone reviewed/investigated or even successfully prototyped this form of annealing to date without breaking the bank?

All the best

G 

I know a bit about industrial sized RF induction heating, I had four large Crossley machines to maintain;  I'd say the chap who developed the system in the link has made a first class RF heater, truly excellent.   I would follow his lead if I wanted to build one.  The only draw back is the need to feed it one at a time - not a problem for small users.

As the chap writes though, it's all about temperature/time/material, achieve and maintain the right temperature and time, the rest is suck it and see testing IMO.   I did wonder at doing this myself for fun, but, my current method gives excellent results so I'll stick to that.

 Just for interest, a major use of RF (high frequency) induction heating in engineering is to heat only the surface of carbon alloy steel to red heat very quickly with rapid quenching, this achieved surface hardness but left the core of the steel tempered correctly for toughness - cam shaft journals and lobes as an example.  Low frequency induction is used to melt metals (a bit like an induction hob).

One serious point:  if anyone has medical implants, don't think about RF heating or at least take medical advice

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Hi Guys

I have long wantedto try the Fluxeon Annie, https://fluxeon.com/ as It’s a lot cheaper than the AMP and it’s not constrained by having to feed the case neck down. This in my view is an odd thing to do; as if you feed neck up you can locate equally as well but make automating much easier (gravity is working with you) Yes I have seen the AMP auto feeder but feel it’s just silly.

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... agreed, re. the AMP feeder- looks like a cross between the old board game 'mouse trap' and an 80's Japanese hi-fi (blinky lights) 😳😀

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My (now deceased) gunsmith who was originally an electrical fitter built a bespoke one for the editor of NZ Hunter. It was based on a portable commercial unit but he modified it and added a variable digital timer. It is mounted on a Rockchucker press and works well. I use it occasionally, mainly on my valuable x47 and .284 target brass.

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Here's my set up. I made a simple stand from some stainless steel tube with an aluminium table. The table has a very simple trap door, slide the lever to the right and the annealer case drops into the hi tech resepticle below...

6.5x47 cases takes 2.1 seconds. I ordered the water cooler for the coil, the foot switch and the adjustable height scissor lift from fluxeon at the same time. I had planned to fully automate it but it's so simple and quick to use I'm not sure I will. 

 

20200617_212830_compress51.thumb.jpg.cd8e911a68a410f1b5b1e2b5b4599dd5.jpg

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On 6/17/2020 at 9:55 PM, MJR said:

Here's my set up. I made a simple stand from some stainless steel tube with an aluminium table. The table has a very simple trap door, slide the lever to the right and the annealer case drops into the hi tech resepticle below...

6.5x47 cases takes 2.1 seconds. I ordered the water cooler for the coil, the foot switch and the adjustable height scissor lift from fluxeon at the same time. I had planned to fully automate it but it's so simple and quick to use I'm not sure I will. 

Superb MJR,  nice fabrication.

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11 minutes ago, Lillico said:

I went this way. 

It works fine.   

I use plain green soap as a temperature indicator.

All parts available on Ebay (UK)

 

I have been looking at this as an option too. I'm not electrically minded, but it looks simple enough. 

How you getting on with it? 

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The video is good for sorting out the cable connections. 

The 'Kit Box' to put the relay, delay, timer in MUST be at least L100xW80xD55, I received no instruction with the electronics, but you can Google the number on the unit and download the PDF instruction.  Having said that the video does explain most of it, especially Mode 5. 

There is a method of increasing the fractions of a second from 0.0 to 0.00, I messed it up once and it took a while to get it back to 0.0, but I was drinking a can of beer at the time.

I used a table light switched to 'on'  to plug in to the circuit when testing.  My face must've been a picture the first time it worked.

I have seen cable ties used inside the Kit Box to stop the cable pulling out accidently.  I cut up an old anti-scratch collar, (the dogs, not mine) and folded it over and cut holes in to restrain the clips, (there are normally posts inside to put self-tappers in).

I used an old laptop power supply, it will probably be easier to cut off the balancing unit near the plug and add one later so you have enough free cable to get inside the Kit Box.

There was a guy on one of the Forums who had a lifetime of experience with heat treatment. Alantoo, his post is near the bottom of the page.

page-2

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On 12/28/2020 at 2:14 PM, Lillico said:

I went this way. 

It works fine.   

I use plain green soap as a temperature indicator.

All parts available on Ebay (UK)

 

Hi L, The induction heating idea appeals from its simplicity, but the units on E bay seem to be all the same Chinese copy, and the sellers all seem to be chinese shipping from the same uk warehouse  and they all appear to have some horrendous negative feedback.

So, did your unit work ok and does it do what it says on the tin?

The prices do seem to vary a lot for the same unit, as do the delivery times from the same storage unit.

M suspicious as ever in sunny but cold Monmouthshire

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8 hours ago, Scotch_egg said:

Got any links to the unit?

Hi Scotch

If you do a search on e bay for induction heater, this unit comes up in the top listing in various guises, prices vary from £235 to £180 or so, they all ship from Grenfell, and they all have the same  description which is obviously a bad chinese translation. All the Sellers also seem to have a poor grasp of english in their replies to bad feedback. 

Unfortunately anything other than these is double or more the price, and at that price level I can buy new brass every few loadings rather than anneal

M tightfisted in Monmouthshire

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Might just be worth a punt for 170 squid................

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1000W-Mini-Ductor-Magnetic-Induction-Heater-Kit-for-Automotive-Flameless-Heat-HQ/363212174584?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D225114%26meid%3D6e60b0a83c2e47749384798dad7b257b%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dco%26sd%3D133374189909%26itm%3D363212174584%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv5PairwiseWebWithDarwoV3BBEV2b%26brand%3DUnbranded&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

Has the ebay money back guarantee.............FWIW       I agonised for days before ordering a tumbler from China, but it turned out to be fine, and is still working a couple of years on.

Pete

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2 hours ago, Re-Pete said:

try bangood   ali express   or alibaba     before you push the button  

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/1000W-Mini-handheld-heater-professional-Ductor_1600165442724.html?spm=a2700.gallery_search_cps.normalList.26.ac0e35f03JDmmi

 

theres a video on the link

 

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On 12/28/2020 at 2:14 PM, Lillico said:

I went this way. 

It works fine.   

I use plain green soap as a temperature indicator.

All parts available on Ebay (UK)

 

I think this is brilliant!!

I had found all the bits per the video on EBay and kept it in my basket for the last couple of days. Interestingly the price of these induction heaters has drastically risen, about £100 more expensive overnight. Must be following this thread, a few peeps have bought one and now the sellers are upping the price, seeing there’s a sudden market need for them.

Ill wait for the price to go back down again and then I’ll buy one.

Thanks for sharing the video and idea!

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The second link is just for the wire coils, not the heater.....read the description. (Unless Condition 1 meant that you'd need both?)

This is a regular ploy used on ebay...........

Pete

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