I would be interested in some of your "recipes" for gun cleaning solvent and lubricants. I hear a lot about transmission fluid--is is a lubricant, a solvent, or both? I'd really appreciate your favorite formulas for solvent and for lubricant.

"Ed's Red", a general all purpose cleaning solvent:

1 part ATF
1 part acetone
1 part kerosene
1 part mineral spirits

ATF is an excellent lubricant for firearms.

craigster,
Isn't kerosene and mineral spirits
much the same?
Butch

quote:

Originally posted by butchlambert:
craigster,
Isn't kerosene and mineral spirits
much the same?
Butch

It would seem they're almost the same kind of stuff. Never tried a solution using one and not the other, might work just fine. FWIW, "Ed's Red" is a modern version of the circa 1920 Frankfor Arsenal Nitro-solvent Gun Cleaner No. 18 that Hatcher mentions in his notebook.

BTW, Ed's Red, for as effective as it is, costs around $12/gallon!

I'm a huge fan of it.

Yes, Ed's Red is very effective, and much less expensive than Prolix! Who want to spend $1000 to fill a solvent tank???

Here's a link to an excellent discussion of Ed's Red including information regarding the individual components. Note particularly the warning about Acetone and your stock finish.
For your edification:
home.comcast.net/~dsmjd/tux/dsmjd/tech/eds_red.htm
I use the lanolin in mine.
Cheers,
Don

Anyone know for sure whether a Hodgdon's gallon powder jug is a safe container for Ed's Red? Some powder has a considerable acetone content and does not etch the jugs so I'm guessing they'll work, but I'd rather know than guess.

Here in the uk one of the things used with corrosive primers was "aquoil" this was a mixture of 1/3 oil with 2/3 water.

The oil had to be the sort that would mix with the water and give a milky white fluid. Similar to the milky white residue you get under the radiator cap of a car with a blown gasket.

This was meant to saturate the corrosive salts in the barrel and wash them out.

I never really bothered and just used to pour boiling water down the barrel. But "aquoil" could be kept an re-used in places where water was at a premium.

We also used to make a preserving grease of 50/50 mix of vaseline and wool fat (anhydrous lanolin) or castor oil and wool fat again 50/50. These had to be heated to get it to mix. This last the castor oil/wool fat makes a fine lubricant for bullet swaging as it like water it cannot be compressed.

I see that lanolin is also an optional ingredient of Ed's Red and J S ?Hatcher's #18.

I've used Ed's Red for years and it is a good formulation. I use it on my handguns (revolvers) that I shoot with mainly cast bullets as it won't clean copper but for general cleaning it is quite good.

Cheers,
Andy

In the US "aquoil" would be called soluable oil, also water pump oil or lubricant.

quote:

Originally posted by Leftoverdj:
Anyone know for sure whether a Hodgdon's gallon powder jug is a safe container for Ed's Red? Some powder has a considerable acetone content and does not etch the jugs so I'm guessing they'll work, but I'd rather know than guess.

Look for the recycling symbol and see what the jug is made of. Acetone should be stored in heavy gage PET or PVC plastic container.

FWIW, I have been storing the exact "Eds Red" formula listed here in 1/2 and five gallon plastic gas containers with no problems at all.

For the last 6-7yrs that is.

quote:

Originally posted by ARTJR338WM:
FWIW, I have been storing the exact "Eds Red" formula listed here in 1/2 and five gallon plastic gas containers with no problems at all.

For the last 6-7yrs that is.

I made five gallons of the stuff that long ago and still have about 1.5 gallons left.

The ER recipe calls for • CAS #64741-49-9, or substitute "Stoddard Solvent", CAS #8052-41-3, or equivalent can someone tell me what this is and where to find it?

I use a metal paint bucket, bought from Lowes, it's painted inside, to store my 'Ed's Red.
I can drop my S&Ws in, muzzle down and let them soak.
I also set the bucket on the ground, put the muzzle of my rifle in and use a cleaning patch on my cleaning rod to pull the solvent up into the barrel, like pump.

Jim

quote:

Originally posted by dustinl:
The ER recipe calls for • CAS #64741-49-9, or substitute "Stoddard Solvent", CAS #8052-41-3, or equivalent can someone tell me what this is and where to find it?

Stoddard solvent is a version of mineral spirits.
Get the odorless version if you can.
Probably find it at a hardware or paint store.
It is usually used to thin paint.

A friend mixed some of this up and gave me a large plastic liquor bottle full. The acetone escaped through the plastic of the liquor bottle.

0ne part GMC "Cleans" combustion chamber cleaner
One part Marvels Mystery Oil
One part 20% janitorial ammonia.

Shake before useing.

quote:

Stoddard solvent is a version of mineral spirits.
Get the odorless version if you can.
Probably find it at a hardware or paint store.
It is usually used to thin paint.

Thanks

wd40 has stoddard solvent in it

quote:

Originally posted by Don Edwards:
Here's a link to an excellent discussion of Ed's Red including information regarding the individual components....

read that with a grain of salt, as the author is flatly incorrect regarding what is in turpentine. turpentine is very aromatic in that it smells great, but it does not contain what organic chemists term "aromatic compunds" - compounds with the resonant benzene ring.

The old time benchresters had a stuff called "Blue Goop" and it worked then and works today...

1 qt. of 25% commercial amonia
1 cup of Hydrogen Peroxide
1 copper penny or bullet to turn it blue but this step is optional...

It will take the copper out of your barrel pronto...but don't leave it in the barrel more than 30 minutes max and 20 minutes is recommended, then swab with patches until dry and clean, repeat if necessary the one last but very important step and that is do not put the gun up without oiling it profusly...

I still use it.

I've used Ed's Red for several years now as a bore cleaner and rust protector. I don't add the acetone to avoid the hazard to my stock finishes.

I still use Hoppes #9 for cleaning out any residual Ed's in the bore before shooting. That, followed immediately by two clean, tight, dry patches, and my first shot from a cleaned bore will be in the group.

Use straight synthetic ATF as a light oil. It's a good lube, has good film strength and won't dry to leave a gummy surface. It's very good for triggers and fishing reels but turpentine is NOT!

Use water-proof outboard motor "hi-pressure grease" for anything that needs greasing, mostly bolt lugs. A single $9 plastic tube of it should last me maybe 300 years!