Anybody use Ed's Red?

[Tanner68]

For anyone who doesn't know, Ed's Red (Easily found via google.) is a homebrewed gun solvent. It is equal parts mineral spirits, acetone, kerosene, and automatic transmission fluid. It doesn't do much for copper, but seems to work well on everything else. And it seems to me to have the added benefit of appearing to restore some of my gun's bluing. It sure makes 'em look dark and silky. I guess that is the ATF soaking in.

So anyway, anybody else here ever give it a try? It is nice to mix up a batch for a big job. Kinda has a little appeal to the do-it-yourselfer.

[SDJim]

Good stuff. I've also been known to mix equal parts of Kroil & Shooters Choice. As you said, it doesn't do much for copper, but it sure knocks out everything else.

[glennsche]

i for one think eezox is the bee's knees.

http://www.6mmbr.com/corrosiontest.html

[QuarterBoreGunner]

I like eezox too... but it's a corrosion protector, not a cleaner. Ed's Red is a great solvent bore cleaner. Apples and Oranges.

[Tanner68]

To be more precise about the restorative quality I mentioned, it seems to help the most with parkerized guns. I think the ATF soaks in a little.

[Grasshopper]

Mixed a gallon several years ago, still have some. Works very well, cheap, but smells very bad.

[rolo]

I did a pistol shoot once and hadn't brought my range bag. I needed an oil change in my truck, so I used atf to lube the rails. My wife asked me where had I gone that I came back smelling like cat urine. She made me promise never to use atf again. I'm looking to score some whale oil from a Japanese friend to replace the atf in Ed's Red before I mix up a batch.

[powderburns]

Has anyone used Ed's Red on a polymer gun? I don't want anything to melt.

[bruss01]

I've used Ed's Red on old milsurps slathered with decades-old cosmoline. It is a good solvent. But I always rinse afterwards with straight mineral spirits and then coat with a thin film of Break Free CLP. You have to be careful with ER - It will stain things pink (fabric, carpet) and the acetone will disolve many paints (sights etc) and plastics. I would not use ER on a polymer frame. Metal parts should be fine for a good long soak in it as long as they are not painted or poly-coated.

There are so many downsides to Ed's Red that the reason people still use it is that it is such a darn good solvent, and cheap compared to most "modern" gun cleaning liquids. For a big project like taking cosmo off an old SKS it simply can't be beat.

[otteray]

I made a few gallons and have happily used it for years with zero rust and corrosion problems here in Santa Cruz, a few blocks from the ocean.
I wipe my antique rifles down about once a year or after each use.

[dgey]

for odor control, try a painters trick... get a teaspoon of vanilla and mix it into a gallons worth of Ed's Red. It'll smell alot better. I mix my own Ed's Red and use it in an ultrasonic cleaner. it's fast and works great.

[Someguy925]

My roommate made a huge quantity of it. It does one hell of a job cleaning.