Annealing Brass

[1942farmall]

I have never annealed in the almost 40 years I have been reloading.
With that, I am in the process of sizing up some case necks and might try to anneal the parent brass to help avoid splitting, cracks, etc.
I watched some videos on annealing without a machine and it looks fairly simple.
My question is that most show the brass being dipped or dropped in water after being heated.
Wouldn't this harden brass similiar to hot steel being quenched as opposed to simply letting it air cool?
Any opinions would be appreciated.

 

[denton]

Rapid quenching does not harden brass. Dropping the cases in water mainly serves to avoid burned fingers. It also prevents annealing heat from reaching the case head.

Carbon steel forms little carbide crystals between the grains when heated. Rapid quenching freezes them in place, hardening the steel. Brass doesn't do that.

 

[jmorris]

Wouldn't this harden brass similiar to hot steel being quenched as opposed to simply letting it air cool?

No, it’s to prevent heat migration down into the case head, you don’t want that part annealed. That said, with high heat and short duration, water isn’t needed and the head can be held by hand right out of the flames.