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S&W-Smithing Maintenance, Repair, and Enhancement of Smith & Wesson and Other Firearms.


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Old 04-10-2025, 10:13 AM
-BTM- -BTM- is offline
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Default Ed’s Red discussion from the man himself

Found this on castbulletassoc.org-

Attention Required! | Cloudflare

I’m going to mix up a batch and soak some stubborn parts.

Last edited by -BTM-; 04-10-2025 at 10:16 AM.
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Old 04-10-2025, 10:49 AM
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I'm a fan. Been using for several years. I mix up two different batches, one with Acetone and one without.
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Old 04-10-2025, 11:10 AM
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Thanks for posting that link .
I'm a long time Ed' Red Bore Cleaner user and have that printed out and in my Lyman Relosding Manual for safe keeping .
A great cleaner for bullet lube/sizer , reloading press and long soak for any rusty part or tool .

If You have never tried it ... you missing out on a good bore solvent and gun cleaner . $23 will buy the 4 ingredients from wally-mart and let you mix up a gallon of great solvent / cleaner ...

Try it ... You'll Like It !

Tip : Do Not use synthetidc ATF ... it will not mix with the other 3 ingredients ... Use Conventional ATF ... old school stuff , General Motors compatable !
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Old 04-10-2025, 11:58 PM
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Thanks for posting this. I've read of Ed's Red for years, but never tried it. Having seen all sorts of variations, I wasn't sure what was what. It's good to read the words directly from the inventor.
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Old 04-11-2025, 02:07 AM
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As a black powder revolver shooter, I regularly use ER to clean my guns after each shooting session.
My formula does not contain acetone.
It contains 1 part Dexron III, 1 part dearomatized petroleum, 1 part white spirit, and 120g of anhydrous lanolin per liter.
After an initial soak of all parts of the revolver, I finish cleaning the barrel and chambers with Parker Hale 009.
I may be a bit excessive, but my Black Power revolvers are impeccable
For my revolvers that fire FMJ cartridges, I don't use ER, only Parker Hale 009, which is recommended for removing copper residue.
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Old 04-11-2025, 08:23 AM
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I use Ed's Red a lot for cleaning shotgun bores. The acetone evidently helps clean the plastic out of the bore.

I gave a friend of mine the recipe several years ago. He uses it to wipe down his guns, even the wood. I'd be afraid that the acetone would eat the wood finish, but he claims to have never had any issues. I'll stick with gun oil for wipe downs.
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Old 04-11-2025, 10:34 AM
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Never used it. Too much work for me when off the shelf product are plentiful.
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Old 04-11-2025, 11:58 AM
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Never used it. Too much work for me when off the shelf product are plentiful.
As I'm retired I have time to make different "home products" that refers to traditional practices of black powder.

Sure that takes some time, but it saves some money
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Old 04-11-2025, 05:14 PM
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Never used it. Too much work for me when off the shelf product are plentiful.
I'm cheap and $23.00 for a gallon of good cleaner is just too good a deal for this frugal cajun to pass up .
Pour all 4 quarts into a gallon can ... it just that easy .
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Old 04-11-2025, 05:23 PM
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Quote:
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Never used it. Too much work for me when off the shelf product are plentiful.
I’m doing it in order to soak a complete revolver with an 8 3/8 barrel
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Old 04-11-2025, 06:31 PM
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I’m retired as well. Over 2 yrs now. Love it by the way!!!! But a gallon of cleaner would last me 2 lifetimes. Unless of course I was working on a “project”. But even then Walmart brake cleaner works for me.
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Old 04-11-2025, 06:39 PM
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I made some once, but on longer had ATF fluid in the garage, The smell of it makes me want to puke, Plus the whole mix leaves to much on the firearm Much better stuff out there.


Plus price out the ingredients at today's prices.
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Old 04-11-2025, 06:47 PM
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I'm not sure how much trouble it is mixing 4 components in a small bucket that lasts for years, but I have been using it with acetone since the 1980s and it has paid for itself time and time again with no fuss.
It has penetrating abilities much like Kroil which is another of my "go to" gun solvents.
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Old 04-11-2025, 08:28 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by markeb View Post
I'm a fan. Been using for several years. I mix up two different batches, one with Acetone and one without.
So you drink the one with Acetone after dinner?? to aid with digestion??
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Old 04-11-2025, 08:32 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rule3 View Post
I made some once, but on longer had ATF fluid in the garage, The smell of it makes me want to puke, Plus the whole mix leaves to much on the firearm Much better stuff out there.


Plus price out the ingredients at today's prices.
I made some once too. HATED the way it smelled and I didn’t think it cleaned that good.
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Old 04-12-2025, 06:23 AM
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Quote:
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I’m retired as well. Over 2 yrs now. Love it by the way!!!! But a gallon of cleaner would last me 2 lifetimes. Unless of course I was working on a “project”. But even then Walmart brake cleaner works for me.
Understand, I made my ER 6 years ago and uses it to clean my 15 black powder revolvers, and the can is still half full...

As you, I use brake cleaner whan comming back from the range, as frist operation in order to remove the burnt black powder residue from the barrel and chambers, which is particularly corrosive.

As said I'm perhaps to much obsessed with cleaning

Otherwise, for my S&Ws I only use Parker Hale 009 and CLP oil.
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Old 04-12-2025, 06:38 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BillyMagg View Post
So you drink the one with Acetone after dinner?? to aid with digestion??
Personnaly I prefer the Ricard made in Marseille to clean my stomac

To be drunk in moderation and with plenty of water if you want to reach the target
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Old 04-12-2025, 07:23 AM
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Clearly, this is NOT the original ER recipe, but I read about this concoction several years ago as a more “lubricant/preservative” version. I have found it works well.
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