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   Date: 01-10-98  19:26                Message #: 249           AirNSun
   From: Ed Harris                      Status: PUBLIC
     To: All                            Ref #:  0
Subject: Ed's Red Revisited             Conf: Firearms (72)
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"Ed's Red" - - Revisited
By C.E., "Ed" Harris
Since I mixed my first "Ed's Red" (ER) bore cleaner five years ago,
hundreds of users have told me that they find it as effective as
commercial products.   This cleaner has an action similar to military
rifle bore cleaner, such as Mil-C-372B.  It is highly effective for
removing plastic fouling from shotgun bores, caked carbon in
semi-automatic rifles or pistols, or leading in revolvers.  "ER" is not
a "decoppering" solution for fast removal of heavy jacket fouling, but
because is more effective in removal of caked carbon and primer residues
than most other cleaners, so metal fouling is reduced when "ER" is used.
I researched the subject rather thoroughly and determined there was no
technical reason why an effective firearm bore cleaner couldn't be mixed
using common hardware store ingredients.  The resulting cleaner is safe,
effective, inexpensive, provides excellent corrosion protection and
adequate residual lubrication.  Routine oiling after cleaning is
unnecessary except for storage exceeding 1 year, or in harsh
environments, such as salt air exposure.
The formula is adapted from Hatcher's "Frankford Arsenal Cleaner No.18,"
but substitutes equivalent modern materials.  Hatcher's recipe called
for equal parts of acetone, turpentine, Pratts Astral Oil and sperm oil,
and (optionally) 200 grams of anhydrous lanolin per liter into the
cleaner.
Some discussion of the ingredients in ER is helpful to understand the
properties of the cleaner and how it works.  Pratts Astral Oil was
nothing more than acid free, deodorized kerosene.  Today you would ask
for "K1" kerosene of the type sold for use in indoor space heaters.
An inexpensive, effective substitute for sperm oil is Dexron III
automatic transmission fluid.  Prior to 1950 most ATF's were sperm oil
based.  During WWII sperm oil was mostly unavailable, so highly refined,
dewaxed hydrofinished petroleum oils were developed, which had excellent
thermal stability. When antioxidants were added to prevent gumming these
worked well in precision instruments.
With the high demand for automatic transmission autos after WWII, sperm
oil was no longer practical to produce ATFs in the needed quantities
needed, so the wartime expedients were mass produced.  ATFs have been
continually improved over the years.  The additives contained in Dexron
include detergents or other surfactants which are highly suitable for
inclusion in an all-purpose cleaner, lubricant and preservative.
Hatcher's Frankford Arsenal No. 18 used gum spirits of turpentine, but
turpentine is both expensive and also highly flammable, so I chose not
to use it.  Much safer and more inexpensive are "aliphatic mineral
spirits," which are an open-chain organic solvent, rather than the
closed-chain, benzene ring structure, common to "aromatics," such as
naptha or "lighter fluid."  Sometimes called "safety solvent," aliphatic
mineral spirits are used for thinning oil based paint, as automotive
parts cleaner and is commonly sold under the names "odorless mineral
spirits," "Stoddard Solvent" or "Varsol".
Acetone is included to provide an aggressive, fast-acting solvent for
caked smokeless powder residues.  Because acetone readily evaporates and
the fumes are harmful in high concentrations, it is recommended that it
be left out if the cleaner will be used indoors, in soak tanks or in
enclosed spaces lacking forced air ventilation. Containers should be
kept tightly closed when not in use.  ER is still effective without
acetone, but not as "fast-acting."
"Ed's Red" does not chemically dissolve copper fouling in rifle bores,
but it does a better job of removing carbon and primer residue than most
othert cleaners.  Many users have told me, that frequent and exclusive
use of "ER" reduces copper deposits, because it removes the old impacted
powder fouling left behind by other cleaners.  This reduces the abrasion
and adhesion of jacket metal to the bore, leaving a cleaner surface
condition which reduces subsequent fouling.  Experience indicates that
"ER" will actually remove metal fouling in bores if if it left to
"soak," for a few days so the surfactants will do the job, when followed
by a repeat cleaning.  You simply have to be patient.
Addition of lanolin to ER is optional, because the cleaner works
perfectly well and gives adequate corrosion protection and lubrication
without it.  Inclusion of lanolin makes the cleaner easier on the hands,
increases its lubricity and film strength and improves corrosion
protection if firearms, tools or equipment will be routinely exposed to
salt air, water spray, or corrosive urban atmospheres.
I recommend the lanolin included if you intend to use the cleaner as a
protectant for long term storage or for a "flush" after water cleaning
of black powder firearms or those fired with military chlorate primers.
This is because lanolin has a great affinity for water and readily
emulsifies so that the bore can be wiped of residual moisture, leaving a
protective film.  If you inspect your guns and wipe them down twice
yearly, you can leave out the lanolin and save about $10 per gallon.
At current retail prices you can buy all the ingredients to mix ER,
without the lanolin for about $12 per gallon.  I urge you to mix some
yourself.  I am confident it will work as well for you as it does for me
and hundreds of users who got the "recipe" on the Fidonet Firearms Echo.
CONTENTS:     Ed's Red Bore Cleaner
1 part    Dexron ATF, GM Spec. D-20265 or later.
1 part    Kerosene - deodorized, K1
1 part    Aliphatic Mineral Spirits CAS #64741-49-9, or substitute
          "Stoddard Solvent", CAS #8052-41-3, or equivalent.
1 part    Acetone, CAS #67-64-1.
(Optional 1 lb. of Lanolin, Anhydrous, USP per gallon, or OK to
substitute Lanolin, Modified, Topical Lubricant, from the drug store)
MIXING INSTRUCTIONS:
Mix outdoors, in good ventilation.  Use a clean 1 gallon metal,
chemical-resistant, heavy gage PET or PVC plastic container.  NFPA
approved plastic gasoline storage containers are OK.  Do NOT use HDPE,
which is permeable, because the acetone will slowly evaporate.  Acetone
in ER will attack HDPE over time, causing the container to collapse,
making a heck of a mess!
Add the ATF first.  Use the empty container to measure the other
components, so that it is thoroughly rinsed.  If you incorporate the
lanolin into the mixture, melt this carefully in a double boiler, taking
precautions against fire.  Pour the melted lanolin it into a larger
container, rinsing the lanolin container with the bore cleaner mix, and
stirring until it is all dissolved.  I recommend diverting up to 4 ozs.
per quart of the 50-50 ATF/kerosene mix to use as "ER-compatible" gun
oil.  This can be done without impairing the effectiveness of the
remaining mix.  Label and safety warnings follow:.
                          FIREARM BORE CLEANER
                                CAUTION:
                           FLAMMABLE MIXTURE
                          HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED
                     KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN
             Contents: petroleum distillates, surfactants,
                organometallic antioxidants and acetone
1.   Flammable mixture, keep away from heat, sparks or flame.
2.   FIRST AID, If swallowed DO NOT induce vomiting, call  physician
     immediately.  In case of eye contact immediately flush thoroughly
     with water and call a physician.  For skin  contact wash
     thoroughly.
3.   Use with adequate ventilation.  Avoid breathing vapors or spray
     mist.  It is a violation of Federal law to use this  product in a
     manner inconsistent with its labelling.  Reports have associated
     repeated and prolonged occupational overexposure to solvents with
     permanent brain and nervous system damage.  If using in closed
     armory vaults lacking forced air ventilation wear respiratory
     protection meeting NIOSH TC23C or equivalent.  Keep container
     tightly closed when not in use.
                        INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE:
1.   Open the firearm action and ensure the bore is clear.  Cleaning is
     most effective when done while the barrel is still warm from
     firing.  Saturate a cotton patch with bore cleaner, wrap or impale
     on jag and push it through the bore from breech to muzzle. The
     patch should be a snug fit.  Let the first patch fall off and do
     not pull it back into the bore.
2.   Wet a second patch, and similarly start it into the bore from the
     breech, this time scrubbing from the throat area forward in 4-5"
     strokes and gradually advancing until the patch emerges out the
     muzzle. Waiting approximately 1 minute to let the bore cleaner soak
     will improve its action.
3.   For pitted, heavily carbon-fouled service rifles, leaded revolvers
     or neglected bores a bronze brush wet with bore cleaner may be used
     to remove stubborn deposits.  This is unnecessary for smooth,
     target-grade barrels in routine use.
4.   Use a final wet patch pushed straight through the bore to flush out
     loosened residue dissolved by Ed's Red.  Let the patch fall off the
     jag without pulling it back into the bore.  If you are finished
     firing, leaving the bore wet will  protect it from rust for 1 year
     under average atmospheric conditions.
5.   If lanolin is incorporated into the mixture, it will protect the
     firearm from rust for up to two years, even in a humid environment.
     (For longer storage use Lee Liquid Alox or Cosmolene). "ER" will
     readily remove hardened Alox or Cosmolene.
6.   Wipe spilled Ed's Red from exterior surfaces before storing the
     gun. While Ed's Red is harmless to blue and nickel finishes, the
     acetone it contains is harmful to most wood finishes.
7.   Before firing again, push two dry patches through the bore and dry
     the chamber, using a patch wrapped around a suitably sized brush or
     jag.  First shot point of impact usually will not be disturbed by
     Ed's Red if the bore is cleaned as described.
8.   I have determined to my satisfaction that when Ed's Red is used
     exclusively and thoroughly, that hot water cleaning is unnecessary
     after use of Pyrodex or military chlorate primers.  However, if
     bores are not wiped between shots and shots and are heavily caked
     from black powder fouling, hot water cleaning is recommended first
     to break up heavy fouling deposits.  Water cleaning should be
     followed by a flush with Ed's Red to prevent after-rusting which
     could result from residual moisture.  It is ALWAYS good practice to
     clean TWICE, TWO DAYS APART whenever using chlorate primed
     ammunition, just to make sure you get all  the corrosive residue
     out.
This "Recipe" has been placed in the public domain, and may be freely
distributed provided that it is done so in its entirely with all current
revisions, instructions and safety warnings included herein, and that
proper attribution is given to the author.
Reply To: ed.harris@p3006.F120.n109.z1.fidonet.org
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