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This was originally posted by KingPin on the BSB and has some excellent info in it..
Some time ago, I mentioned that I got some info about using automatic transmission fluid (ATF) for bore cleaner. I did some checking with the guy that sent me the info, and here is what he sent me. To be sure, use all the safety precautions that you can if you try it. Some of the quantities will be a life time of bore cleaner, but, the ingredients are reasonably priced. Some of the formulas will cause the EPA to have burst blood vessels, but who cares about them.I HAVE tried the first one. A guy gave me some at a match and it works, so, without further adue, I invite your attention to "Ed's Red."..............................Kingpin
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Homemade Firearm Cleaners & Lubricants
Here by popular request is some information on alternative products and on making up your own cleaning, lubricating, and related items for shooting and reloading. These products work as well as or sometimes better than the commercial products and cost less. (Every penny you save means more components or ammo you can buy!) In addition, many of the brand name proprietary cleaners and lubes are repackage commercially available compound and with a little research on can sometimes figure out what they are. If you have any favorite "home brews" that you use and find effective, or can offer any suggestions or improvements send me an email at: frfrog@sprynet.com and maybe you'll see them here.
SAFETY NOTICE
Some of the chemicals suggested here, particularly acetone, MEK, and ammonia are "hazardous materials" and can pose a significant health or fire hazards if not used correctly. Mix outdoors or with appropriate ventilation and respiratory protection, avoid flames or sparks, and avoid skin contact. Wear eye protection when mixing. If in doubt about proper safety measures obtain the appropriate Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) which can be obtained on line through
http://msds.pdc.cornell.edu/msdssrch.asp
http://hazard.com/msds/index.php
http://www.MSDS.com
[url=http://home.sprynet.com/~frfrog2/homemade.htm#Bore Cleaner]Bore Cleaners[/url]
Rust Preventatives
Copper Removal
Carbon / Grease Removal
Gun Oils
Lead Removal
[url=http://home.sprynet.com/~frfrog2/homemade.htm#Bore Paste]Bore Paste[/url]
Case Tumbling Media
Chemical Case Cleaners
Case Sizing Lubricants
Rust Removal
[url=http://home.sprynet.com/~frfrog2/homemade.htm#Stock Finish]Stock Finish Touch Up[/url]
http://www.selectoils.com/soaps/lanolin.htm and http://www.thesage.com/ .
According to Ed, "Ed's Red" will flow at -65oF and won't carbonize at 600oF. It has seen use by both the FBI and the Army marksmanship Training Units.
MIXING INSTRUCTIONS
Mix outdoors, in good ventilation. Use a clean 1 gallon metal, or chemical-resistant, heavy gage PET or PVC plastic container. NFPA approved plastic gasoline storage containers are also OK. Do NOT use high density polyethelyne (HDPE), which is breathable, because the acetone will evaporate. The acetone in ER will also attack HDPE in about 6 months, making a heck of a mess! A possible online source for metal 1 pint and 1 quart screw top metal containers suitable for storing Ed's Red is http://www.taxidermy.com . This site appears to be some sort of frames based design that does not allow you to link directly to containers, but you can find them via the following site links Products | Molding and Casting | Containers, Cups and Tools.
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 it in a hot water bath (lanolin melts at about 107 degrees F), or use a double boiler and avoid exposing to open flames. Pour the melted lanolin it into the larger container, rinsing the lanolin container with the bore cleaner mix, and stirring until it is all dissolved. (It will also, but slowly, dissolve in mineral spirits if you want to avoid using heat.)
You can divert a small quantity, up to 4 ounces per quart of the 50-50 ATF/kerosene mix for use as an "Ed's Red-compatible" gun oil. This can be done without impairing the effectiveness of the mix.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING
a) Insure that the firearm is unloaded and that all magazines are removed. Cleaning is most effective when done while the barrel is still warm to the touch from firing. Saturate a cotton patch with Ed's Red, wrap or impale on a 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.
b) 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.
c. For pitted, heavily carbon-fouled "rattle battle" guns, 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.
d) 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 up to 30 days. If the lanolin is incorporated into the mixture, it will protect the firearm from rust for up to two years.
e) 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 and it could damage some plastics if left in prolonged contact.
f) 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.
It has been reported 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 thorough 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 residue out.
Thanks to Jim Dodd for the above instructions
Eds Red Plus
This variation on the Ed's Red formula gives it a copper removing ability similar to the commercial bore cleaner Marksman's Choice MC-7. You will need:
11 ounces of basic Ed's Red
2 ounces of 10%-20% industrial strength ammonia
2 ounces of Rustlick WS-11 cutting oil or suitable alternative
1 ounce of Murphy's Oil Soap
Mix the oil soap and ammonia in a separate container. In a suitable 1 pint container containing 11 ounces of Ed's Red, add the cutting oil and mix together. Then add the oil soap/ammonia mixture to Ed's Red/ cutting oil and shake the container to mix the ingredients. You will end up with a pink opaque liquid that for the most part remains in solution, but some components may settle out over an extended period. It is always best to shake well before using. The resulting solution will remove mild copper deposits in bores if allowed to work about 15-20 minutes.
Water soluble cutting oils and rust inhibitors can be obtained online from http://www.mscdirect.com or locally from your industrial supplier. Metal screw top containers can be obtained from http://www.taxidermy.com under | Products | Molding and Casting | Containers, Cups and Tools.
Thanks to Bill Mecca for this information.
Black Powder Cleaners
Many black powder shooters swear by Simple Green™ and of all things Windex™ "glass cleaner with vinegar."
If you will be using Ed's Red mostly for black powder and old chlorate primed military ammo, there is a modification to ER that may be of interest. Substitute a "fire retardant hydraulic fluid concentrate," or "rust inhibiting water soluble oil" suited for water hydraulics for four fluid oz. of the ATF in a gallon mix of ER. The resulting mix will form a stable emulsion when mixed in a 50-50 ratio with distilled water (NOT tap water). The resulting mix is very similar to "Moose Milk", though it may actually be better. To do this, mix the ER as usual, substituting the water soluble oil for 1/8 of the ATF in the mix, or 4 oz. if you are adding a quart of ATF to mix a gallon of ER. Once the ER is mixed, heat the distilled water just short of the boiling point, steaming with bubbles just beginning to form, and pour this SLOWLY into the Ed's Red while stirring. It should form a pink, soapy looking liquid like Pepto Bismol. Arco Emulsiplex or Trimsol, Lyondell Satisol, or Tooltex cutting fluid concentrate, or other water soluble cutting oils are suitable, as long as they DO NOT contain any chlorine or sulfur. That's also why you should use distilled water instead of tap water.
Another black powder cleaner that is being used by Civil War re-enactors is composed of 1 part rubbing alcohol, 1 part hydrogen peroxide (typical 3 percent drugstore kind), and 1 part Murphy's Oil Soap or a generic equivalent. It cuts Black Powder (even caked on residue that has been left from one event to the next) very quickly. Because of the alcohol, it does tend to eliminate most of the oil it comes into contact with, so be sure to lightly oil everything unless you are going to be firing immediately.
Thanks to Warren Harrison for this recipe
...And For Historical Reference--The Original Hoppes No. 9
The original "Ode de Gun." If you don't like this smell you ain't a real shooter! This formula came from Hatcher's Notebook and the amounts are rounded from the original formula to make 1 quart. Any resemblance to the current "environmentally correct" No. 9 is accidental.
Original component
Notes
Ammonium oleate (CAS#544-60-5)
5.0 oz (also known as ammonium soap) Could substitute lanolin but this would sacrifice its mild copper removal qualities
Amyl Acetate (CAS#544-60-5)
8.5 oz ("banana oil")
Nitro-benzene
2.0 oz (the racing fuel additive)
K1 Kerosene
8.5 oz
Neutral Saponifiable Oil
8 oz (Not identified, probably sperm oil, but ATF could be substituted
Storage
frfrog@sprynet.com.
36" long TIG welding rod in stainless steel are available from local welding shop. Get 3/32" and 1/8" diameters at a cost of about $1.25 each. Ideally you want a rod about 1/2 to 2/3 of the bore diameter.
Thanks to Robert Schaedel, et. al. for this tip.
An Improved Homemade Electronic Copper Fouling Remover
I recently received some documentation on building an improved version of the copper remover from a correspondent, Roy Seifert. He has put together a very nice article giving several levels of improvements on the basic unit along with pictures and a Radio Shack parts list. You can download the article which is a 404K PDF document, by clicking here.
Some Interesting Information.
Just for those of you with curious minds, the Outers CopOut Plus solution contain approximately 0.6 percent cupric acetate and 2.5 percent ammonium acetate (3.62 grams/ liter of copper acetate and 38.5 grams/liter of ammonium acetate) in distilled/deionized water. The LeadOut Plus contains approximately 2 percent lead acetate and 5 percent ammonium acetate (6.50 grams/liter of lead acetate and 38.5 grams/liter of ammonium acetate ) in distilled/deionized water. A good basic solution for either would be
Copper Solution
125 grains Ammonium Acetate
25 grains Copper Acetate
1 quart distilled water
Lead Solution
630 grains Ammonium Acetate
92 grains Lead Acetate
1 quart distilled water
Note that the Outers FoulOut unit limits the voltage and current in the electrolysis process and runs at less than less than 2 volts--typically about .3 volts-- at less than 1 amp--typically a max of about 20 milliamps. If the vinegar/ammonia solution described for the homemade unit is used in an Outer's unit the cleaning process will be much slower because the solution does not contain any ions of the lead or copper (one reason the homemade unit runs at a higher voltage).
Possible sources for these chemicals in small quantities are:
Post Apple Scientific, Inc. http://www.postapplescientific.com
Sigma-Aldrich (800-325-3010) http://www.sigmaaldrich.com
The Science Company http://www.sciencecompany.com
The following is from Outer's Q&A page.
Q. Why has the solution become discolored during use?
A. You need to check the solution about every 30 minutes to see if it has changed color. Pour all the chemical into a clear container to see if there may be a color change. Sometimes there may be sediment or a color change but it isn't apparent by simply looking at the chemical in the barrel.
If chemical is orange or orange/brown you may have some rust. If chemical is black you may be lifting iron from the barrel or its oxidized copper salts. It could also be some powder fouling being removed from the barrel. The unit may have been on too long without checking the solution color often enough.
Black/Gunky chemical could mean that in the first 30 minutes you hit a lot of lead and lead started to settle set the bottom of the barrel as well as on the rod. It could also mean the unit was left unchecked too long and rust has formed.
Green colored chemical could mean that you may be pulling out iron, blueing or rust. Sometimes new barrels will have blueing and its removing that.
Q. What do I do if the chemical changes color?
A. Dispose of the chemicals according to local and state laws. Clean the barrel using regular gun cleaning methods. Degrease the barrel and rod with Outers Crud Cutter. If you can't find Crud Cutter, you can use Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber or household rubbing alcohol. On a scale of 1 to 10, alcohol rates as a 2 and Crud Cutter rates as a 10. After cleaning and degreasing the barrel and rod, start the Foul Out III according to the instruction book.
Q. The unit isn't cleaning fast enough.
A. To speed up the process, after cleaning for two hours, change the solution and you should obtain faster results.
Q. Can I Use Cop Out Plus and Lead Out Plus with my Foul Out II Unit?
A. Yes, You can use the Cop Out Plus and Lead Out Plus with Foul Out I and Foul Out II units. Because these are more potent chemicals than regular Cop Out and Lead Out, the customer needs to be more cautious and check the chemical for changes more often. The new chemicals will clean faster than the old.
Military Copper Fouling Removal Solution (c.1917)
Described in the US Military publications for the 1903 and M1917 rifles was the following "heavy duty" copper removal formula.
1 oz Ammonium persulfate
200 grains Ammonium carbonate
6 oz 28% ammonia
4 oz water
Finely grind the persulfate and carbonate, dissolve in the water and then add the ammonia. Allow to stand for 1 hour before using. Plug the breach and slip a piece of rubber hose over the muzzle. Fill the cold barrel and the section of hose with the solution. Allow to stand for 30 minutes. Dump the solution and clean the bore normally and oil.
Mac's Red
A modification of Ed's Red that is claimed to remove copper fouling was developed by Richard McQuisten and published in The Cast Bullet #113, Jan-Feb, '95.
1 part Dexron II, IIe or III Automatic Transmission Fluid
1 part K1 Kerosene
1 part Mineral Spirits or Stodard Solvent/Varsol
1 part Acetone
1 part GM Carburetor/Upper Cylinder Cleaner
Gun
http://www.maasinc.com in a 4 ounce size for about $12.
Chemical Case Cleaning
Case http://www.nutritionblvd.com/188045.html) and VitaGlo (http://www.vitaglo.com/7730.html).
I just recently discovered that my local Safeway store carries 99 percent isopropyl in their drug/cosmetic isle for $0.99 for a 16 ounce bottle. Ninety-nine percent isopropyl alcohol is also available from many large paint stores (used to some finishes), some electronics stores (it's used for cleaning electronics) or local industrial chemical suppliers.
A solution of 1 part liquid lanolin and 4 to 5 parts parts 99 percent isopropyl alcohol (4 oz of liquid lanolin to16 - 20 oz of isopropyl) works well. When mixing you may find that the lanolin mixes better if you warm both the alcohol and lanolin in a bath of warm water to about 105 - 110 degrees F before mixing. DO NOT WARM EITHER OF THEM OVER AN OPEN FLAME! Once the solutions are warm, pour together, mix thoroughly, allow the mix to cool (mix occasionally as it cools) and store in an air tight container to prevent water from being absorbed by the isopropyl.
For a spray bottle you can use an old commercial spray lube bottle or an old pump hair spray bottle that has been thoroughly cleaned. To apply the lube, spread the cases in a single layer on a clean surface (those disposable aluminum oven liner trays are great and prevent the wrath of your chef when it is discovered that the cookie trays were used) and lightly and evenly spray the cases. Allow the cases to sit for a couple of minutes, roll the cases around and lightly spray again. Wait until the alcohol has evaporated (about 5 minutes) and start sizing. Properly lubed cases will have a slightly greasy feel to them without feeling slimy. One of the advantages of using sprayed on lanolin as a case lube is that, in the quantities used, any residual lube has no effect on powder or primers.
Solid "Wipe On" Lubes
You can also use plain anhydrous lanolin straight from the can (but not as conveniently) for sizing by putting a little bit on your fingers (just lightly rub your fingers across the lanolin) and then rubbing the cases. "Mink Oil," a refined lanolin leather preservative also works well as a case lube.
Many large drug stores have bulk anhydrous lanolin or they will order it for you, or you can order in it 4, 8, or 16 ounce containers, from Majestic Mountain Sage, 881 West 700 North Ste 107, Logan, Utah 84321, Phone: 435-755-0863, or online at: http://www.thesage.com/catalog/FixedOil.html#Lanolin.
Many people have reported that they have used a little bit of STP oil treatment on their fingers or commercial water based silicone cable pulling lube as a sizing lube.
Rust
Please email comments to Fr. Frog at frfrog@sprynet.com
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Disclaimer
As far as I know all the information presented above is correct and I have attempted to insure that it is. However, I am not responsible for any errors, omissions, or damages resulting from the use or misuse of this information, nor for your doing something stupid with it. (Don't you hate these disclaimers? So do I, but there are people out there who refuse to be responsible for their own actions and who will sue anybody to make a buck.)
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"He who fights with monsters might take care, lest he thereby become a monster; For if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - F.Nietzche
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