I keep a big ole jar of ED's Red in my carport. I like the smell myself, but my daughter hates it. Have any of you found something to give it a more appealing scent? I added some Hoppes 9 to it but she still complains, what nerve!!!! I think once the acetone evaporates it smells like a gun room should. If you add a little Carter Hall pipe tobacco smoke and it is Heaven.
ED's Red Smell Purty Formula
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- Last Post 19 July 2015
If you want Ed's Red which smells better substitute Marvel's Mystery Oil for the ATF.
You can also leave the acetone out to reduce VOC emissions. I do this for ER which I intend to use indoors. The cleaner still works, its action just isn't as fast and you need to leave it to soak for a while.
Many people have emailed me about using Marvel's Mystery Oil. It is sort of a cult item among motorcycle, off-road and hot rod enthusiasts. It does smell better, but makes the mix more expensive. It works every bit as well, some people think even better, but my reason for publishing the recipe was to enable use of inexpensive, common ingredients. Using more expensive substitutions defeats the purpose.
To each their own...
73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia
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Ed,
I've been using MMO for the last couple of batches because I bought a gallon for $.25 at a garage sale. It appears to be early (1940's style) automatic transmission oil, or Hudson clutch oil, reduced with kerosene. It doesn't work as fast as ER's normal formula, but does cling, wet, the bore longer.
Ric
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I've used MMO for gun oil before. I have also used it to lube bearings in die grinders. I never thought about using it as a substitute. When Peg goes to college next year I'll be able to use the regular ER again. I like how it smells, but then again I'm a reformed hot rodder. I thought about adding some slick 50 or duralube to the ER gun oil. Have you ever added PTFE to it?
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NEVER add any Teflon to ER. Teflon residues in the bore will cause wild fliers until the stuff is purged from the bore. Degrades accuracy.
73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia
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I once had a smith tell me never use Rem oil. I guess now I know why. Thanks.
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Ed, would substituting WD40 in place of the kerosene work to make ER smell better? Tho, I like the smell of kerosene also, maybe 50/50 WD40 and kerosene?.............Dan
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Ed, would substituting WD40 in place of the kerosene work to make ER smell better? Tho, I like the smell of kerosene also, maybe 50/50 WD40 and kerosene?.............Dan
WD40 should work OK. I heard from a guy who used CRC 5-56 or LPS1, depending upon whichever was cheapest in bulk gallon jugs at Southern States. Another one of those substitutions which raises the cost, but isn't harmful.
73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia
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Here's another dumb question. Have you or any body tried using Hi-Tach in it. I know it works pretty good for grease. I used it to grease M-1, M-14, and Mini-14's. It worked really good. Another odd thing is that peg doesn't seem to mind CLEANER-RIFLE BORE spec. RIXS-205. That stuff makes me gag. Whew!!! I still haven't found any anhydrous lanolin. None of our drug stores carry it. I was told I could find it at the (I'm afraid to ask)farm supply store.
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Here's another dumb question. Have you or any body tried using Hi-Tach in it. I know it works pretty good for grease. I used it to grease M-1, M-14, and Mini-14's. It worked really good. Another odd thing is that peg doesn't seem to mind CLEANER-RIFLE BORE spec. RIXS-205. That stuff makes me gag. Whew!!! I still haven't found any anhydrous lanolin. None of our drug stores carry it. I was told I could find it at the (I'm afraid to ask)farm supply store.
RIXS-205 was the old WWII water-based stuff.
Mil-C-372B is the Vietnam era stuff for which ER satisfies the performance specs and is an expedient replacement for.
As for anhydrous lanolin at the farm store ask for “bag balm” in the green can. (used to protect cow's udders in cold weather).
73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia
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Anhydrous lanolin is readily available here.
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I used to work at Pratt & Whitney as a toolmaker. We bought Marvel Mystery Oil by the 55 gallon barrel and used it to stone forge dies. I don't know that it worked better than others but folks didn't complain as much about having their hands in it all day.
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Just purchased a 1 Lb jar of Lanolin, USP (Geritrex Corp., 144 Kingsbridge Road East, Mount Vernon, NY 10550; 1-800-736-3437). Asked the manager-drugist at Wally World. He was nice enough to place the special order. Received it the next day. Cost was $13.00. Just made some ER...The lanolin, even though is optional, was difficult to dissolve in the mineral spirits. Patience here prevailed
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Back in 04 was cleaning up some RF and ML stuff from a trip to the range. My baby girl comes home with a blue hair boy, well he said that stuff, Ed's Red, smells like gun cleaner and do you need any help. Well he helped me clean guns, she did too, and now I have a very nice son in law. They both have CC permits and we all shoot regularly. I keep them in ER. Smells just fine to people know whats it is. G
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doesn't have the solvent function as does eds red, but for protection in nasty conditions i have been using * Liquid Film * ... seems to be a mix of lanolin and wax ...aerosol at Napa dealers ... on all my guns and tooling ...so handy ...
might be great also with black powder ... stays wet ...
ken
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I'd like to thank Ed, I sought a simple solvent for cleaning that did not break the bank. I mix about a quart at a time, keeping it in an old mason jar with sealed lid. Works good, I place a little in a squeeze bottle, place it on a patch. Smells in my man cave, but not in the house. Right affordable to.
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I couldn't resist resurrecting this old thread for an updated observation. Nowdays I find MMA for about half the price of ATF, and kerosene prices have gone through the roof! Still, it all comes in at less than half the cost of an equivalent amount of Hoppes #9 at todays retail prices. It's a bargain, no matter how you look at it.
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On 6-19-2015 MMO is advertised for 3.97 a quart and 15.97 a gallon at Walmart.
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Ed, thank you for all you do! I love using Lucas products in my automobiles, there oil stabilizer is used to make he oil stick to surfaces. They have little displays on the counter of some part stores, a series of gears, one with oil and one with their product, which you spin with a hand crank. Their product sticks to all the gears while the regular oil stays at the bottom. I thought about trying it on guns mixed with lube. Just wondering if you had used this product in Ed's Red, or with anything else?
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I use Lucas top cylinder lubricant in my high mileage older vehicles and it seems to help. I never used it in Ed's Red, because the standard mix does what I want it to and is economical.
73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia
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