You sir are a blessing to us all in the shooting/reloading world!! I'm late seeing the video but will make some tonight. All your videos have helped me in some way or another .... Thank you for all you do for us.
Great vid.....Like I said on another comment, I saw this stuff on someone else's vid and made up a gallon. I pour from that gallon into canning jars for ease of use. Just making sure I recap the lids so the solvents don't evaporate. They do fast. This old farmers "Ed's Red" recipe works great! Especially in dirty shot guns....plus like you said the cost cant be beat. Those old time farmers knew a thing or two."Ed's Red = Old Reliable" : ).......Have a great Thanksgiving....we have a lot to be thankful for!
+gman77gas -- You can sure say that again - amen to that. Ed's Red is just another good little way to go to be thankful for... Happy Holidays to ya, Gary - FC
Oh that's great. I have been using automotive grease & oil for lube for years. Back when I was racing & replacing/repacking bearings every 200-300 miles I bought a giant 5 gallon bucket of hi-temp bearing grease. lol That's a lifetime +++ supply so I started using it in my AR & it works great. It is the only thing that will stay on the gas rings for any amount of time. It's a little thick for winter use so in the winter I use a synthetic motor oil for the carrier & only use the grease on the gas rings & bolt tail. That works as well as any specialty gun lube I have seen & it's a fraction of the cost. Now I can mix up my own solvent & save on that too. I had heard of "Ed's Red" before but assumed it was a commercial solvent. I already have everything except the kerosene so I will have to mix some up & give it a try.
+shananagans5 -- Thanks for posting this - I used Shooter's Choice Gun Grease for my 1911 rails back in my steel shooting days. Fairly expensive stuff - I could have used your bearing grease just as well. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays to ya in the great SouthWest..!! FC
Cookie, I just want to thank you for absorbing the expense, Lots of us out here hear about home made solvents for our Gun cleaning (This stuff works the Best), However we don't want to take a chance on buying all the stuff to make the formula Just to find out the stuff doesn't work. As we all know there is a lot of "snake oil" being sold out there, You know as well as I do life isn't getting any cheaper, Lead for our bullet casting has sky rocked and we are doing something that 20 years ago was unheard of by sifting for scrap lead out of impact areas, I do remember the days of paying 22 dollars for 1,000 .38/.357 cast bullets and bullet casting is the only way to go for us volume shooters.
I Trust Cookie and that isn't a comment aimed at you John. I like how Cookie will research something to see if in fact it works. I personally use Kroil and Hoppie 50/50 mix. If the Crud is really thick I use a tight fitting Jag with kroil and JB bore cleaner. J/B also makes a Product called JB bore bright, I have used that in cases of barrels that have been neglected (Big-5 Military Surplus Rifles), as the name implies it will bring the shine back to bores that are Dark.
Nothing beats Ed's Red for the cost, utility and ability for maintanence cleaning. Other products may specialize like JB paste, but after that Ed's Red all the way. BTW: I was making a friendly comment regarding steering one in the right direction.
It's all good John. Thanks. I just might make up a batch of it. although I probably don't need two gallons of it. I will get the smaller cans at the local Home improvement store.
Thorsaxe777 That's how I started off doing the Ed's Red with the smaller cans until I really saw that it worked. I also recommend making one batch with no acetone in it for general cleaning near wood stocks or plastics.
Can't believe it's taken me this long to find this video, worth watching your old videos, every one has a useful fact. Now I've stumbled on to this, gotta make some! Thanks for the recipe!
PhillsGarage - Ed's Red ranks right up there with making our own case lube from lanolin and isopropyl alcohol. Neat thing about Ed's Red is that we can make it by the 1/2 gallon - allows keeping in a jar so that we can take revolver cylinders and just let 'em soak - makes cleaning easier. Plus, it works fine as any other solvent at fraction of cost. Empty paint thinner cans are great for storing Ed's Red along with that gasoline container I use. But the empty paint thinner cans are recycled at 0 cost... Best to ya, FC
+ecleveland1 -- Goodness, 40 years (doing the calculations) I'll be cleaning my 357 Blackhawks from my convalescent hospital bed in Mexico by then. But I do think that I'll be using that up much quicker than that. 1 fluid oz to clean 1 gun. 128 fluid oz in the 1 gallon of Ed's Red. Therefore clean 128 guns. 2 guns (conservative) each range trip = 64 range trips. Conservatively, that 1 gallon of Ed's Red should last a little over a year (cleaning shotguns takes more than 1 oz of Ed's Red). I feel much better now!! Happy Holidays, FC
+scott grizzle -- I'm thinking of putting some in the little 4 oz bottles to give to shooting buddies for stocking stuffers - sure beats spending $6- $7 each and will be very useful to them also - especially if they haven't heard of it (but most of 'em watch my videos - so the jig is up - hmmm forget that idea. Shucks!!) Happy Thanksgiving to ya.... FC
Is the acetone version just for cleaning? Or is it only for shotguns? I've been going through tons of videos and I'm thinking I'll make 2 types as well, one primarily a cleaner, second batch for dedicated lube adding grease. For the lubricating batch should I also skip kerosene? Or would that be a good idea to leave in? What's its purpose?
Great idea...except an old gun smith told me that acetone can leave a residue. He said that gun cleaners which contained a lot of acetone caused problems back in the 1970s. I don't shoot shotguns, so I will leave out the acetone.
+RyeOnHam -- Absolutely..!! The only reason I didn't do that was that you can't see the plastic bottle filling up so the "sudden overflow" could be a problem. I was thinking that I might try using a strong light through it, but the throw away jar solved all that - you really don't even need the scribe lines on the jar... Great hearing from RyeOnHam..!! Happy Holidays... FC
FortuneCookie45LC Ah, good point. I have used ATF for years as a bore cleaner straight up. I generally just swab the bore and leave it to sit overnight or until the next evening. Works especially well on shotgun bores. One thing I would caution is not to leave the ATF on any surfaces. It will eat many plastics, especially the inside of one of my cases that I set a shotgun barrel on at some point in the past to let it soak in.
I would not add the acetone. It is a highly combustible material that evaporates quickly and leaves a residue when blended with other chemicals. It will evaporate quickly during storage.
Mineral spirits is it a solvent? I am telling you, because in my country (Spain) there is no such product and I would like to know what it is ...... thank you
I have found that acetone does not mix with petroleum products so any mixture containing both needs to be shaken well before use. Over time the acetone will float on top.
Ron Treppeg - I do slosh the container around before I dispense the ER - it's been mighty fine so far...Best to ya and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to ya..!! FC
I never understood the reason for the acetone. Shotshells are made of polyethylene, which is not soluble in acetone (in fact, it is the same plastic the gas can is made of). I guess either Ed didn't realize this, or he added it to help the cleaner penetrate under the plastic to help loosen it mechanically. A mixture of ATF and acetone is about the best penetrating oil there is, so it's plausible. Either way, I don't bother to add it when I make Ed's Red. It's pretty nasty stuff to inhale, and makes the cleaner far more flammable.
+Alex Roark -- Thanks for taking the time to post...these short comments are very important for any TH-cam poster to get...much appreciated, and Happy Holidays to you FC
Steve, haven't seen much of ya lately? Hope is all well with you n your family.... Question because of soooo many toys my family owns all of the bore cleaning solvents start to add up in cost. Do you still use Ed's Red because this is a 3 yr. old video and if you do how long do you let it soak in a bore?. thanks Walt :)
Called O'Reilly auto parts, the guy told be that they do not have a brand of ATF without Mercon ! Same at the NAPA store near me. So I guess I use the one from NAPA. ( Valvoline DEX/MERC For vehicles requiring DEXRON-III/MERCON ) Any Thoughts ? Is the ATF that critical ? Just asking.
+Thereal111t -- You could get 3 other shooting buddies together to split the costs and have an Ed's Red Mix-it party along with a TV football or basketball game... Happy Holidays to ya, FC
I've heard great things about ER. One question though........ With so much K1 kerosene which is an excellent cleaning solvent, in the mix, Why bother with an equal amount of mineral spirits?
+Nick J - You have to be careful - easy test - put in 1 oz of acetone, cap the bottle and stand it on its cap. Return in a day and see if the bottle is destroyed. If seal is good or not, post it here and everywhere that Ed's Red is videoed so we can all benefit. The gasoline container I am using is good for Ed's Red - no damage to the plastic so far. Best of the Holidays to ya, FC.
Won't the acetone in the mix dissolve the plastic gas container? I seem to remember reading that for this reason you are supposed to store it only in metal or glass containers.
+isserfiq1 -- That gas container was supposed to be able to take acetone... It's been a over a week now, and I'm pleased to report the gas container is solid and happy holding the Ed's Red... Happy Holidays.... FC
+Nick J You can get nice little "bench bottles" like that by looking for lab/scientific bottles or if you want the brush, a brush-in-cap paint bottle. Your local hobby shop will probably have some small bottles too.
Walmart has Quart cans of Heater Kerosene for those like me who may never use a full gallon. I just mix mine up a quart at a time and keep it in an extra ATF Container.
+JunkfoodZombie -- I hope not - they can make their own. I might bottle some of it for stocking stuffers for shooting friends though.... Happy Holidays to ya, Jim.... FC
+ocean374 -- I've been using it solely since this video and it's a good solvent for cleaning guns - no problems - will dissolve certain types of cheap plastic, but polymer of Glocks and other guns are OK - no problem to wood or blued steel. If gun is to be stored for a long time, though, I hit it with some silicone spray before putting it away. It's good stuff and we save a lot on it... Best to ya, FC
Knowing a little about Acetone, one of the reason's it is stored in metal container is that it's hard on plastics and seals on containers. FortuneCookie45LC, I know gas can's have rubber seals, let us know if the seal still works in the next 10 months.
+James Heasley -- OK that...so far 4 months gone by and that gas can is still 100% - I've been pouring Ed's Red out of it regularly into my ready solvent bottle and the gas can makes refilling easy... will keep everybody onto this as time goes by... Best to ya, FC
+FortuneCookie45LC I just read in C.E. ''Ed'' Harris article under "MIXING INSTRUCTIONS FOR "ER" BORE CLEANER", He says "Use a clean 1 gallon metal, chemical-resistant, heavy gage PET or PVC plastic container. NFPA approved plastic gasoline storage containers are also OK. Do NOT use HDPE, which is permeable, because the acetone will eventually evaporate. The acetone in ER will also attack HDPE, causing the container to collapse, making a heck of a mess!" handloads.com/articles/default.asp?id=9
+James Heasley -- So far, so good with the red gasoline container. Sounds like to be safe, should switch to a metal container... Thanks for the heads up...there may be others out there using the wrong containers and having problems... Bye for now... FC
-- I've been using Ed's Red ever since I mixed it up and it's great because you can put some into a jar and use it to soak cylinders and other parts making cleaning even easier... Best to ya, FC
DenverLoveless - The recommended kerosene is odorless kerosene - Lamp oil is kerosene, but probably has other stuff mixed in, but you can certainly mix a small batch and try it - should work OK...Best to ya, FC
Austin Russell - The formula for Ed's Red does not encourage substitution of any of the components. Ed Harris consulted an organic chemist to come up with the formula...the compatibility of the components has to be taken into consideration...You could certainly try it, but the Ed's Red is thoroughly tested already. Best to ya, FC
+FortuneCookie45LC Kerosene is a seasonal item and is not available in some improvement stores. So I got denatured alcohol because it's almost the same thing. I had already purchased those items and mixed them up. Unfortunately denatured alcohol does not work, as you were saying stick to the formula. Trial and error as they say. But it's ok tho, I can get some kerosene at Walmart in the camping section hopefully. Thanks you for your help FortuneCookie45LC I really like and enjoy your videos as you provide to the community valuable information that is easily understood.
Austin Russell - Thanks for posting your information as there is great value there. The content is the whole idea of the Hot Lead Zone...It's a place where anybody can freely come and take away as much or as little as they want. The only thing I have on most of the viewers out there is that I have a lot of experience in the shooting sports - chances are if I haven't done it, I've been close to it. As for being a know-it-all, far from it. I know enough to know there's a lot I don't know. But that's the beauty of our videos - we can present information in a certain manner that provides help and benefit to others while also stimulating the exchange of ideas and information so each one of us can do more. You are part of that...and bravo to you..!! FC
danietkissenle - Thanks for the question. Ed Harris used consultation with chemists to develop his formula - I'm sure you can sub diesel for the kerosene, but then it would not be Ed's Red...can't tell you how well it would work - only testing would tell...Good shootin' to ya, FC
+hokeypokeyalso1 -- And thank you for taking the time to post - it is very valuable to TH-cam posters to get these little comments as each one represents many others who don't post comments... Happy Holidays to ya, FC
Now you just pour this into a tiny paint gun, and you get yourself a pressurized solvent spray. You can thank me in the comments, I just got the idea right now 😌
+Mr. Tolly (AKA: fatmantolly) -- I've figured out that cleaning one handgun takes about 1 fluid ounce of solvent. That would be about $1.50 worth for commercial solvents. I like 10-14 cents much better since this works just as well... Happy Holidays to ya, FC
Eds red has killed every spray bottle I've bought in about 2 weeks, anyone found one that will stand up to it? btw I've read all sorts of comments comparing it to hoppes, my 2 cents, it smells better than hoppes and definitely cleans and lubricates better.
Well, Ed's Red its formulated to dissolve shotgun plastic wads (acetone) and ATF is designed to swell seals to prevent leaks in a transmission. You are probably better off with using a rag or brush.
You need a HDPE(High Density Polyethylene) plastic bottle. It’s one of the most chemical resistant plastics made. It should be stamped on the bottom (HDPE). And almost all household chemical and insecticide spray bottles are made out of HDPE. So that’s a good way to repurpose a spray bottle that will stand up to the acetone. HDPE
Guys and gals, Fortune Cookie would not steer you wrong on the Ed's Red, it works very well and is very inexpensive as he points out. You can even make a soak tank for pistols and revolvers with a metal sealed ammo can. Just take off the grips and submerge, leave in for a few hours, let it drip and wipe the excess off and maybe a little effort in the bore and or chambers and you are done. You would be crazy not to make up a batch.
I have a theory about solvents........I think people who don't use respirators and gloves and also drink a lot of booze are more susceptible to liver cancer etc
Good video except the approval of these new gas cans. The suck IMO. First there is no air hole which tends to result in the liguid coming out in gushes. Next, if you have a 5 gallon can of gasoline for a zero turn mower unless you have strong wrists and don't mind holding 40 pounds of liquid first a near vertical then horizontal position, you're gonna be swearing at this nanny state regulation to save us from ourselves. I bite the bullet, buy the can then throw that piece of crap pouring system away and replace it with a flexible conventional gas can hose and cap. It comes with an airvent plug. I drill a hole for it and install it. Hence it costs me $25 for what should be a $12 - $15 plastic gas can.
They banned mineral spirits in my part of commiefornia, I have everything else in my garage, can you recommend a substitute for the mineral spirits? If not I may have to make a road trip to Nevada ha
always label poison clearly on cooking pans and utensils etc when you commit one to the garage work..........I got poisoned from an idiot who used a old pan to cook some chicken.....I had been cleaning paint brushes and specifically told the idiot NOT to use that pan..........my forehead swelled up so bad , I did not even resemble myself.........I am a bit weirded out by second hand cooking utensils now
You sir are a blessing to us all in the shooting/reloading world!! I'm late seeing the video but will make some tonight. All your videos have helped me in some way or another .... Thank you for all you do for us.
I've used Ed's Red for decades. It is awesome. I make a gallon at a time.
Great vid.....Like I said on another comment, I saw this stuff on someone else's vid and made up a gallon. I pour from that gallon into canning jars for ease of use. Just making sure I recap the lids so the solvents don't evaporate. They do fast. This old farmers "Ed's Red" recipe works great! Especially in dirty shot guns....plus like you said the cost cant be beat. Those old time farmers knew a thing or two."Ed's Red = Old Reliable" : ).......Have a great Thanksgiving....we have a lot to be thankful for!
+gman77gas -- You can sure say that again - amen to that. Ed's Red is just another good little way to go to be thankful for... Happy Holidays to ya, Gary - FC
Oh that's great. I have been using automotive grease & oil for lube for years. Back when I was racing & replacing/repacking bearings every 200-300 miles I bought a giant 5 gallon bucket of hi-temp bearing grease. lol That's a lifetime +++ supply so I started using it in my AR & it works great. It is the only thing that will stay on the gas rings for any amount of time. It's a little thick for winter use so in the winter I use a synthetic motor oil for the carrier & only use the grease on the gas rings & bolt tail. That works as well as any specialty gun lube I have seen & it's a fraction of the cost.
Now I can mix up my own solvent & save on that too. I had heard of "Ed's Red" before but assumed it was a commercial solvent. I already have everything except the kerosene so I will have to mix some up & give it a try.
+shananagans5 -- Thanks for posting this - I used Shooter's Choice Gun Grease for my 1911 rails back in my steel shooting days. Fairly expensive stuff - I could have used your bearing grease just as well. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays to ya in the great SouthWest..!! FC
I've got to ask, why not pour the ATF in the container, then use that container to measure the rest of the ingredients? No need for the jar.
Cookie, I just want to thank you for absorbing the expense, Lots of us out here hear about home made solvents for our Gun cleaning (This stuff works the Best), However we don't want to take a chance on buying all the stuff to make the formula Just to find out the stuff doesn't work. As we all know there is a lot of "snake oil" being sold out there, You know as well as I do life isn't getting any cheaper, Lead for our bullet casting has sky rocked and we are doing something that 20 years ago was unheard of by sifting for scrap lead out of impact areas, I do remember the days of paying 22 dollars for 1,000 .38/.357 cast bullets and bullet casting is the only way to go for us volume shooters.
+Thorsaxe777 Believe me, I have been using this stuff for almost 20 years and it not only works, but works very, very well.
I Trust Cookie and that isn't a comment aimed at you John. I like how Cookie will research something to see if in fact it works. I personally use Kroil and Hoppie 50/50 mix. If the Crud is really thick I use a tight fitting Jag with kroil and JB bore cleaner. J/B also makes a Product called JB bore bright, I have used that in cases of barrels that have been neglected (Big-5 Military Surplus Rifles), as the name implies it will bring the shine back to bores that are Dark.
Nothing beats Ed's Red for the cost, utility and ability for maintanence cleaning. Other products may specialize like JB paste, but after that Ed's Red all the way. BTW: I was making a friendly comment regarding steering one in the right direction.
It's all good John. Thanks. I just might make up a batch of it. although I probably don't need two gallons of it. I will get the smaller cans at the local Home improvement store.
Thorsaxe777 That's how I started off doing the Ed's Red with the smaller cans until I really saw that it worked. I also recommend making one batch with no acetone in it for general cleaning near wood stocks or plastics.
Can't believe it's taken me this long to find this video, worth watching your old videos, every one has a useful fact. Now I've stumbled on to this, gotta make some! Thanks for the recipe!
PhillsGarage - Ed's Red ranks right up there with making our own case lube from lanolin and isopropyl alcohol. Neat thing about Ed's Red is that we can make it by the 1/2 gallon - allows keeping in a jar so that we can take revolver cylinders and just let 'em soak - makes cleaning easier. Plus, it works fine as any other solvent at fraction of cost. Empty paint thinner cans are great for storing Ed's Red along with that gasoline container I use. But the empty paint thinner cans are recycled at 0 cost... Best to ya, FC
I'm looking forward to the video in 40 years when you run out and make a new batch!
+ecleveland1 -- Goodness, 40 years (doing the calculations) I'll be cleaning my 357 Blackhawks from my convalescent hospital bed in Mexico by then. But I do think that I'll be using that up much quicker than that. 1 fluid oz to clean 1 gun. 128 fluid oz in the 1 gallon of Ed's Red. Therefore clean 128 guns. 2 guns (conservative) each range trip = 64 range trips. Conservatively, that 1 gallon of Ed's Red should last a little over a year (cleaning shotguns takes more than 1 oz of Ed's Red). I feel much better now!! Happy Holidays, FC
ecleveland1 I agree hopefully by then I'll have made myself some.
I going to to whip up a batch ASAP .thanks for the very helpful and money saving video.
+scott grizzle -- I'm thinking of putting some in the little 4 oz bottles to give to shooting buddies for stocking stuffers - sure beats spending $6- $7 each and will be very useful to them also - especially if they haven't heard of it (but most of 'em watch my videos - so the jig is up - hmmm forget that idea. Shucks!!) Happy Thanksgiving to ya.... FC
I have two forms of this. One with acetone and one without. I also use parrifin lamp oil instead of kerosine.
Is the acetone version just for cleaning? Or is it only for shotguns? I've been going through tons of videos and I'm thinking I'll make 2 types as well, one primarily a cleaner, second batch for dedicated lube adding grease.
For the lubricating batch should I also skip kerosene? Or would that be a good idea to leave in? What's its purpose?
Great idea...except an old gun smith told me that acetone can leave a residue. He said that gun cleaners which contained a lot of acetone caused problems back in the 1970s. I don't shoot shotguns, so I will leave out the acetone.
Thanks Fortunecookie! I had misplaced the recipe for this and have been trying to find it again.. Old ways are often best!
fangirl Karen
Thank you,good Christmas gift for the boys :) Cheers.
+sooner54 -- and also the boys (and girls) at the range.... Merry Christmas to ya, FC
Cooking up some solvent. Tried it and it works.
Ed’s red is the best solvent for cleaning an AR bolt carrier group (and everything else) there is. I used it and I’m sold.
I wonder if there is an alternative for mineral spirits because these things are impossible to find in California now
Could have used the ATF bottle as a measure once it was empty?
+RyeOnHam -- Absolutely..!! The only reason I didn't do that was that you can't see the plastic bottle filling up so the "sudden overflow" could be a problem. I was thinking that I might try using a strong light through it, but the throw away jar solved all that - you really don't even need the scribe lines on the jar... Great hearing from RyeOnHam..!! Happy Holidays... FC
FortuneCookie45LC Ah, good point. I have used ATF for years as a bore cleaner straight up. I generally just swab the bore and leave it to sit overnight or until the next evening. Works especially well on shotgun bores. One thing I would caution is not to leave the ATF on any surfaces. It will eat many plastics, especially the inside of one of my cases that I set a shotgun barrel on at some point in the past to let it soak in.
+RyeOnHam -- Good info - thanks for the tip off... Happy Holidays, FC
I would not add the acetone. It is a highly combustible material that evaporates quickly and leaves a residue when blended with other chemicals. It will evaporate quickly during storage.
That stuff you show at 0:46 is the green eco stuff. Looks like milk and wouldn't cut anything. It might stratify in this mix.
Mineral spirits is it a solvent? I am telling you, because in my country (Spain) there is no such product and I would like to know what it is ...... thank you
It is also called paint thinner for oil based paints. It is a solvent.
Aguarras mineral.
@@excelsior6365 gracias.Tranks
I have found that acetone does not mix with petroleum products so any mixture containing both needs to be shaken well before use. Over time the acetone will float on top.
Ron Treppeg - I do slosh the container around before I dispense the ER - it's been mighty fine so far...Best to ya and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to ya..!! FC
Is this a general wipe down gun metal lube , clean and protection ??
I never understood the reason for the acetone. Shotshells are made of polyethylene, which is not soluble in acetone (in fact, it is the same plastic the gas can is made of).
I guess either Ed didn't realize this, or he added it to help the cleaner penetrate under the plastic to help loosen it mechanically.
A mixture of ATF and acetone is about the best penetrating oil there is, so it's plausible.
Either way, I don't bother to add it when I make Ed's Red. It's pretty nasty stuff to inhale, and makes the cleaner far more flammable.
great video once again!
+Alex Roark -- Thanks for taking the time to post...these short comments are very important for any TH-cam poster to get...much appreciated, and Happy Holidays to you FC
Steve, haven't seen much of ya lately? Hope is all well with you n your family.... Question because of soooo many toys my family owns all of the bore cleaning solvents start to add up in cost. Do you still use Ed's Red because this is a 3 yr. old video and if you do how long do you let it soak in a bore?. thanks Walt :)
and how does it work on ole milsurp bores ?
How does it work on lead/copper build up in Rifel’s barrel, and will it damage the brass cleaning brushes? Thanks
What the hell is a Rifel?
Called O'Reilly auto parts, the guy told be that they do not have a brand of ATF without Mercon ! Same at the NAPA store near me. So I guess I use the one from NAPA. ( Valvoline DEX/MERC For vehicles requiring DEXRON-III/MERCON ) Any Thoughts ?
Is the ATF that critical ? Just asking.
+Nick J - Any ATF Dexron III will do just fine... Your Valvoline DEX/MERC is perfect...Happy Holidays to ya, FC
+FortuneCookie45LC Thank you, Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Thanks! Good to know!
+Thereal111t -- You could get 3 other shooting buddies together to split the costs and have an Ed's Red Mix-it party along with a TV football or basketball game... Happy Holidays to ya, FC
Is this a lube and a cleaner or just a cleaner?
It is mainly cleaner with lanolin and rust protector. You will definitely need Synthetic oil 0-20W motor oil as lubricant.
I've heard great things about ER.
One question though........
With so much K1 kerosene which is an excellent cleaning solvent, in the mix,
Why bother with an equal amount of mineral spirits?
Can you put that mixture in condiment plastic containers, like catsup and mustard come in ?
+Nick J - You have to be careful - easy test - put in 1 oz of acetone, cap the bottle and stand it on its cap. Return in a day and see if the bottle is destroyed. If seal is good or not, post it here and everywhere that Ed's Red is videoed so we can all benefit. The gasoline container I am using is good for Ed's Red - no damage to the plastic so far. Best of the Holidays to ya, FC.
Thanks for the info. :O)
+Björn Ahlström -- Hi to ya, Bjorn - Glad it helped... FC
Won't the acetone in the mix dissolve the plastic gas container? I seem to remember reading that for this reason you are supposed to store it only in metal or glass containers.
+isserfiq1 If its a Polyethelene container it will work just fine. Interestingly an HDPE milk bottle will store it just as well :-)
+isserfiq1 -- That gas container was supposed to be able to take acetone... It's been a over a week now, and I'm pleased to report the gas container is solid and happy holding the Ed's Red... Happy Holidays.... FC
+joehunt1980 -- Thanks Joe, leave it up to you to know the technical aspects. That's good stuff... Happy Holidays to ya, FC
Great stuff, where's the small bottle from ?
+Nick J You can get nice little "bench bottles" like that by looking for lab/scientific bottles or if you want the brush, a brush-in-cap paint bottle. Your local hobby shop will probably have some small bottles too.
+Nick J -- Hello to Nick J - Have a great day..!! FC
+Nick J -- Appreciate mytmousemalibu chiming in - you are getting info from a hugely great source... and I'm appreciatin' it!! FC
FortuneCookie45LC Anything to help out the firearms community!
+mytmousemalibu thank you
Walmart has Quart cans of Heater Kerosene for those like me who may never use a full gallon. I just mix mine up a quart at a time and keep it in an extra ATF Container.
RKBA - Thanks for that... a quart is good. Still makes a lot of Ed's Red... Best to ya, FC
Looks like you'll have enough there to leave some to your grandchildren! :-)
+JunkfoodZombie -- I hope not - they can make their own. I might bottle some of it for stocking stuffers for shooting friends though.... Happy Holidays to ya, Jim.... FC
FortuneCookie45LC Sounds good. And the same to you!
I'm thinking of making a batch does it smells to be used in doors also how has it been on gun finish thanks
+ocean374 -- I've been using it solely since this video and it's a good solvent for cleaning guns - no problems - will dissolve certain types of cheap plastic, but polymer of Glocks and other guns are OK - no problem to wood or blued steel. If gun is to be stored for a long time, though, I hit it with some silicone spray before putting it away. It's good stuff and we save a lot on it... Best to ya, FC
How’s this work compared to hoppes or etc
I use mineral oil ,Atf and lamp oil works well .
Knowing a little about Acetone, one of the reason's it is stored in metal container is that it's hard on plastics and seals on containers. FortuneCookie45LC, I know gas can's have rubber seals, let us know if the seal still works in the next 10 months.
+James Heasley -- OK that...so far 4 months gone by and that gas can is still 100% - I've been pouring Ed's Red out of it regularly into my ready solvent bottle and the gas can makes refilling easy... will keep everybody onto this as time goes by... Best to ya, FC
Thanks, I'll try keeping a eye on this post in the future to see your updates
+FortuneCookie45LC I just read in C.E. ''Ed'' Harris article under "MIXING INSTRUCTIONS FOR "ER" BORE CLEANER", He says "Use a clean 1 gallon metal, chemical-resistant, heavy gage PET or PVC plastic container. NFPA approved plastic gasoline storage containers are also OK. Do NOT use HDPE, which is permeable, because the acetone will eventually evaporate. The acetone in ER will also attack HDPE, causing the container to collapse, making a heck of a mess!"
handloads.com/articles/default.asp?id=9
+James Heasley -- So far, so good with the red gasoline container. Sounds like to be safe, should switch to a metal container... Thanks for the heads up...there may be others out there using the wrong containers and having problems... Bye for now... FC
+James Heasley -- Thanks for the link - Ed's Red inside and out... Have a great day, FC
I think I wanna give this a try...
-- I've been using Ed's Red ever since I mixed it up and it's great because you can put some into a jar and use it to soak cylinders and other parts making cleaning even easier... Best to ya, FC
Or you could just use Odorless Mineral Spirits. Seems to work just as well.
I don't know if anyone asked this before but, is lamp oil ok for this? I mean isn't lamp oil kerosene anyway?
DenverLoveless - The recommended kerosene is odorless kerosene - Lamp oil is kerosene, but probably has other stuff mixed in, but you can certainly mix a small batch and try it - should work OK...Best to ya, FC
Thank you.
I mixed up a small batch using unscented lamp oil and worked great.
Why not use all of the ATF bottle then use the ATF bottle to measure the other 2 ingredients ?
Hi FortuneCookie45LC can you substitute kerosene for denatured alcohol???
Austin Russell - The formula for Ed's Red does not encourage substitution of any of the components. Ed Harris consulted an organic chemist to come up with the formula...the compatibility of the components has to be taken into consideration...You could certainly try it, but the Ed's Red is thoroughly tested already. Best to ya, FC
+FortuneCookie45LC Kerosene is a seasonal item and is not available in some improvement stores. So I got denatured alcohol because it's almost the same thing. I had already purchased those items and mixed them up. Unfortunately denatured alcohol does not work, as you were saying stick to the formula. Trial and error as they say. But it's ok tho, I can get some kerosene at Walmart in the camping section hopefully. Thanks you for your help FortuneCookie45LC I really like and enjoy your videos as you provide to the community valuable information that is easily understood.
Austin Russell - Thanks for posting your information as there is great value there. The content is the whole idea of the Hot Lead Zone...It's a place where anybody can freely come and take away as much or as little as they want. The only thing I have on most of the viewers out there is that I have a lot of experience in the shooting sports - chances are if I haven't done it, I've been close to it. As for being a know-it-all, far from it. I know enough to know there's a lot I don't know. But that's the beauty of our videos - we can present information in a certain manner that provides help and benefit to others while also stimulating the exchange of ideas and information so each one of us can do more. You are part of that...and bravo to you..!! FC
Sorry guys but denatured alcohol and kerosene are not even remotely the same thing. They may work the same in this solution.
Denatured Alcohol will separate from the other ingredients.
Alcohol works good with water based cleaners.
can you substitute diesel for the karosine
danietkissenle - Thanks for the question. Ed Harris used consultation with chemists to develop his formula - I'm sure you can sub diesel for the kerosene, but then it would not be Ed's Red...can't tell you how well it would work - only testing would tell...Good shootin' to ya, FC
Nice video, thanks
+hokeypokeyalso1 -- And thank you for taking the time to post - it is very valuable to TH-cam posters to get these little comments as each one represents many others who don't post comments... Happy Holidays to ya, FC
does anyone know if this solvent is ok to use on Nickel Boron bcgs???
6:05 what kind of cartridge case is that?
No reply, so I will venture a guess- .300 Weatherby Magnum?
Now you just pour this into a tiny paint gun, and you get yourself a pressurized solvent spray. You can thank me in the comments, I just got the idea right now 😌
That would probably last the rest of my life.
+Mr. Tolly (AKA: fatmantolly) -- I've figured out that cleaning one handgun takes about 1 fluid ounce of solvent. That would be about $1.50 worth for commercial solvents. I like 10-14 cents much better since this works just as well... Happy Holidays to ya, FC
I need to make this stuff
Eds red has killed every spray bottle I've bought in about 2 weeks, anyone found one that will stand up to it? btw I've read all sorts of comments comparing it to hoppes, my 2 cents, it smells better than hoppes and definitely cleans and lubricates better.
Well, Ed's Red its formulated to dissolve shotgun plastic wads (acetone) and ATF is designed to swell seals to prevent leaks in a transmission. You are probably better off with using a rag or brush.
You need a HDPE(High Density Polyethylene) plastic bottle. It’s one of the most chemical resistant plastics made. It should be stamped on the bottom (HDPE). And almost all household chemical and insecticide spray bottles are made out of HDPE. So that’s a good way to repurpose a spray bottle that will stand up to the acetone.
HDPE
Y not just use the atf no additives isn't it made to stop wear and tear on hot engines any way??
Guys and gals, Fortune Cookie would not steer you wrong on the Ed's Red, it works very well and is very inexpensive as he points out. You can even make a soak tank for pistols and revolvers with a metal sealed ammo can. Just take off the grips and submerge, leave in for a few hours, let it drip and wipe the excess off and maybe a little effort in the bore and or chambers and you are done. You would be crazy not to make up a batch.
+John Saia -- That is a fabulous idea - I'm getting a 30 cal ammo can ready for that as we speak... Happy Holidays to ya, John.. FC
+John Saia beware of soaking plastic sights, painted sights, etc.
Rob Aldridge Yes, big time esepcially if acetone is used in Ed's Red.
+Rob Aldridge -- Oh yes, but Ruger Blackhawk cylinders and dip the barrel up to the forcing cone would be nice... Best to ya, FC
Just got my ed's red ingredients, will hopefully do my container test soon.
+Nick J - Congrats on making your own Ed's Red...we are set for cleaning solutions...Happy Holidays, FC
5:21 I wear gloves with all this stuff
I have a theory about solvents........I think people who don't use respirators and gloves and also drink a lot of booze are more susceptible to liver cancer etc
What you get is an adult proof gas can... :D
Tom Lodge - Yes, indeed... Have a great day, FC
:-)
Weird looking Home Depot
Good video except the approval of these new gas cans. The suck IMO. First there is no air hole which tends to result in the liguid coming out in gushes. Next, if you have a 5 gallon can of gasoline for a zero turn mower unless you have strong wrists and don't mind holding 40 pounds of liquid first a near vertical then horizontal position, you're gonna be swearing at this nanny state regulation to save us from ourselves. I bite the bullet, buy the can then throw that piece of crap pouring system away and replace it with a flexible conventional gas can hose and cap. It comes with an airvent plug. I drill a hole for it and install it. Hence it costs me $25 for what should be a $12 - $15 plastic gas can.
They banned mineral spirits in my part of commiefornia, I have everything else in my garage, can you recommend a substitute for the mineral spirits? If not I may have to make a road trip to Nevada ha
Paint thinner as a substitute for mineral spirits.
I hate the modern "moron-proof" spouts on gas cans.
ShinyPartsUp
I agree ! I've never spilled gas until they came out with these "spill proof" spouts.
always label poison clearly on cooking pans and utensils etc when you commit one to the garage work..........I got poisoned from an idiot who used a old pan to cook some chicken.....I had been cleaning paint brushes and specifically told the idiot NOT to use that pan..........my forehead swelled up so bad , I did not even resemble myself.........I am a bit weirded out by second hand cooking utensils now
Those new gas cans suck ass
Plastic has a short life span,metal WILL,RUST,SO,ID USE A GLASS GALLON JUG,BETTER,JUSTMDONT DROP IT,😂😂😂😂😂
You probably shouldn't be handling firearms