Ben's Red

[Ben]

It was pleasant outside today. About 60 degrees and bright sun. I thought it would be a good day to get outside and make some Ben's Red. ( I have always begged people not to make Ben's Red inside their home ! )

The usual recipe was used today with the exception of the 50% Beeswax was increased to 55%.

The usual formula :

50% beeswax
30% Red, Tacky Lucas High Temp Grease
10% Johnson's Paste Wax
5% Dexron II or Dexron III Trans. Fluid
5% STP Oil Treatment

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO MIX THESE INGREDIENTS TOGETHER INSIDE YOUR HOME !



I used an old wisk and gently stirred the mixture for about 20 - 25 minutes. No smoke, it is more about time and stirring than about high heat. High heat IS NOT your friend.

Here are photos :

 

[Ian]

Thanks, Ben. I made a half-batch of your lube a couple of years ago and found it to be excellent. Personally, I like the softer, original recipe because soft lubes jettison better from deep groove pistol bullets while the principle ingredients fortify the lube well enough for most rifle work. Anyone looking to make their own and wanting to replace the old standard NRA 50/50 will be well served with this recipe.

I assume you re-melt the lube as required in a double-boiler or pot warmer and pour it directly into your lube-sizer machine?

 

[Brad]

I made some BR a few years back but I have gotten away from using it. That will end soon as I think I will go to it for accuracy testing in my HV quest. I had good results with BR in the past and need to revisit the lube.
It isn't that hard to make. I did all my measuring by weight, not volume but I doubt it makes a difference in the end. All ingredients have a density below 1 and I bet they are all pretty similar so weight or volume should give very similar results.

 

[Ben]

Thanks, Ben. I made a half-batch of your lube a couple of years ago and found it to be excellent. Personally, I like the softer, original recipe because soft lubes jettison better from deep groove pistol bullets while the principle ingredients fortify the lube well enough for most rifle work. Anyone looking to make their own and wanting to replace the old standard NRA 50/50 will be well served with this recipe.

I assume you re-melt the lube as required in a double-boiler or pot warmer and pour it directly into your lube-sizer machine?

Yes, I have a coffee pot with a pouring spout on it. Works great.
The hot plate has a temp control. You can turn it down on its lowest setting and it will melt the lube and liquify it, but won't burn it and discolor it.
Easy to fill my Lyman 45 and 450 with the pouring spout on the coffee pot.
I usually don't spill a drop.

Ben

 

[Ben]

I made some BR a few years back but I have gotten away from using it. That will end soon as I think I will go to it for accuracy testing in my HV quest. I had good results with BR in the past and need to revisit the lube.
It isn't that hard to make. I did all my measuring by weight, not volume but I doubt it makes a difference in the end. All ingredients have a density below 1 and I bet they are all pretty similar so weight or volume should give very similar results.

Brad,

I've never been able to distinguish much difference in weight and volume when I mix the components together. The final mix usually looks and performs the same.

Ben

 

[358156hp]

Extremely versatile, and simple to make. I've been watching you lube threads and have been impressed with the results you've been getting.

Thanks Ben!

 

[Ben]

You are more than welcome !

Ben

 

[Brad]

Finger lubed some bullets tonight for shooting tomorrow. I have no doubt it will not be the lube if poor results are seen.

 

[Ian]

I have six lube-sizers and have finger-lubed at least 95% of the bullets I've shot in the past three years. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed sometimes. Speaking of that....I found a new ingredient to try, you guessed it, available at an auto parts store near you.......Grote electrical connector grease. It's not silicone dielectric paste, it's two flavors of mineral oil thickened with straight lithium stearate (not 12-hydroxy), and fortified with an anti-oxidant like Bruce told us about. I've been looking for a straight lithium soap/mineral oil base plus some antioxidants to control brass corrosion to throw in with some microwax and Ivory soap. Still in search of that pesky and elusive middle modifier. Lithium soap has its place in lube, paraffin might also. I also want to see how the two soaps get along.

 

[Ben]

Ian,

You're way over my head. I'm no chemist.
I've had people ask me.........." Are you a research chemist , I say No, I'm
a retired school principal." A long way from a research chemist.

They want to know ...." How do you invent all these successful lubes."
I tell them ...." Poker Luck ". If you've got to be good or lucky, sometimes you're better off to be lucky.

Of course, they don't get told about the lube concoctions that ended up being used as flux.I've made some witches brew that was horrible. I guess if you're an experimenter like a lot of us that kind of thing is inevitable.

Ben

 

[Ian]

I'm no chemist either, though some people seem to think I am on the internet. This lube journey is quite educational, though, and it is good mental exercise doing research and semi-educated, productive testing. I'm just a parts-guy-turned-grease-monkey.

 

[Brad]

Come on Ian, you are better than that. You are a certified wrench monkey!


We certainly have learned much about what does, or doesn't, work well in a lube. Getting people to understand that slickum isn't the primary need is tough.

 

[Ian]

At least I managed to coax you past your autopartstorophobia.

 

[Brad]

Yes you did. I bet O'Reilly's is wondering why I haven't been in for a while.....

 

[Glen]

Ben, as a research chemist, I will tell you that research chemists are experimenters too, and I have had more than a few "stinker" experiments myself. ;-)

 

[Ben]

Now that makes me feel better.

Thanks,
Ben

 

[Brad]

But even a "failure" teaches us something.

 

[Rick]

Same with load data, sometimes your notes on what didn't work will teach you more than what did. That's why I keep notes on all loads, good & bad.

 

[Brad]

I am a lousy note taker but I tend to remember the hard learned lessons.

I personally think we learn more from the things that don't work out than the ones that do. The failures make us stop and think about what happened and why. The why and how are what matters, not the what.

 

[Ben]

I walked into Wal Mart today, they had plenty of the Lucas Red and Tacky :