Hi all, I'm looking at making a batch of Ed's red. However, I can't seem to get my hands on a small (1 l.) quantity of kerosene. Buying 4 l. of kerosene would give me enough cleaning fluid for 17 generations.Would diesel be OK. has anyone tried this. Also, is Ballistol a lube only or is it a cleaner as well?
Using diesel instead of kerosene for making Ed's Red - and question about Ballistol
- Thread starter Papaclaude
- Start date
Check your local camping supply stores, Walmart and Crappy tire also stock the small bottles. Otherwise just use the rest of your kerosene as firestarter. Last I looked a 1l was $5 and 4l $15. You won't be disappointed with Ed's. Aside from the fumes I prefer it over anything I have ever tried.
The acetone in the mix would be way worse than diesel.
Great idea. I have a litre of that kicking around.
Pretty much, less parafinns and other long chain molecules.
- Location
- West Quebec
Bought my last 1 litre at CTC
Diesel fuel has a lot more things in it than just kerosene or it's close cousin. There's sulphurated compounds to perform something and that's where the smell comes from. I don't know about you but I don't want diesel fuel anywhere near me or my house. It stinks for days even to just get a little on your hands.
There should be a lot of places selling kerosene lamp fuel in smaller amounts. It's the same stuff. Namely de-odorized kerosene.
I never did buy the kerosene. Instead I slightly modified the mix to equal parts of low odor paint thinner or Varsol, common lacquer thinner instead of acetone and the ATF.
The low odor paint thinner or Varsol is sort of half way between the mineral spirits and the kerosene. The lacquer thinner sold at the local paint stores is mostly acetone with a few other 'tones and 'lenes mixed in. And of course the ATF is still red......
The resulting mixture sloughs it's way through fouling just lovely I suck it up into a plastic squeeze bottle and blast it down trough a semi auto frame and action and it goes on red and comes out the bottom black. Very little or no scrubbing is needed.
Ballistol is a CLP product. But it's a rather pricey way to clean a badly fouled gun. And it needs some extra brushing to peel away the fouling more than with the solvent rich Ed's Red mix. So I prefer the Ed's mix for the basic cleaning and protecting.
There should be a lot of places selling kerosene lamp fuel in smaller amounts. It's the same stuff. Namely de-odorized kerosene.
I never did buy the kerosene. Instead I slightly modified the mix to equal parts of low odor paint thinner or Varsol, common lacquer thinner instead of acetone and the ATF.
The low odor paint thinner or Varsol is sort of half way between the mineral spirits and the kerosene. The lacquer thinner sold at the local paint stores is mostly acetone with a few other 'tones and 'lenes mixed in. And of course the ATF is still red......
The resulting mixture sloughs it's way through fouling just lovely I suck it up into a plastic squeeze bottle and blast it down trough a semi auto frame and action and it goes on red and comes out the bottom black. Very little or no scrubbing is needed.
Ballistol is a CLP product. But it's a rather pricey way to clean a badly fouled gun. And it needs some extra brushing to peel away the fouling more than with the solvent rich Ed's Red mix. So I prefer the Ed's mix for the basic cleaning and protecting.
I have seen 1 liter bottles of kerosene at Canadian Tire and Walmart just in the last week. Look for "lamp oil."
As others have said - never use diesel. It stinks. For days. I also find it causes skin irritation (this may be a personal thing). Kerosene used to be called "liquid paraffin" (like wax) and it is odorless, has no fumes and has never caused me any skin irritation. I use it to dissolve glue residue from nasty labels. It is less harsh on skin than alcohol, let alone something as nasty as diesel.
Also, varsol makes a fine replacement for "mineral spirits." Again, less stinky than normal "white spirits."
As others have said - never use diesel. It stinks. For days. I also find it causes skin irritation (this may be a personal thing). Kerosene used to be called "liquid paraffin" (like wax) and it is odorless, has no fumes and has never caused me any skin irritation. I use it to dissolve glue residue from nasty labels. It is less harsh on skin than alcohol, let alone something as nasty as diesel.
Also, varsol makes a fine replacement for "mineral spirits." Again, less stinky than normal "white spirits."
I use Ballistol now for all general cleaning and lubing of my guns. Once you start using it, the carbon fouling doesn't stick and subsequent cleaning is easy. Everything pretty much wipes off with a micro fiber cloth.
I've put all the harsher stuff away.
If a bore needs copper fouling removed I use Sweet's 762 possibly followed by JB bore paste. Ballistol won't do much for copper fouling, neither will Ed's Red.
Yes, Ballistol is more expensive than Ed's by a lot. But it's easy on the hands and while it does have a distinctive smell, it doesn't try to dissolve your brain like acetone and kerosene.
*Edit* I don't use Ballistol on the lugs of bolt rifles, I still use grease for that.
I've put all the harsher stuff away.
If a bore needs copper fouling removed I use Sweet's 762 possibly followed by JB bore paste. Ballistol won't do much for copper fouling, neither will Ed's Red.
Yes, Ballistol is more expensive than Ed's by a lot. But it's easy on the hands and while it does have a distinctive smell, it doesn't try to dissolve your brain like acetone and kerosene.
*Edit* I don't use Ballistol on the lugs of bolt rifles, I still use grease for that.
Last edited:
maple leaf
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
Home Hardware sells kerosene.
I wouldn't change anything in the mix and here's why. Ed's Red (formulated by Ed Harris) was researched by him for quite some time. He didn't simply mix up some stuff in the garage. Mr Harris has quite an extensive background in the firearms industry and is very impressive. I've contacted Mr Harris several years ago and he's also quite the gent, willing to help anyone with his knowledge. To me it would be like bedding your rifle and using a hot glue gun and mixing it with crazy glue because you can't get the proper epoxy. I'm not trying to be disrespectful, just giving you my opinion on what to do. The solvents for the mix are not that difficult to obtain, avoid the change. Best of luck.
