Mixing Bens Red

[41 mag fan]

Ben I hope you don't mind I post this, I'm hoping it'll help members who want to try making a batch!

To start off....DO NOT HEAT IN PYREX!!! UNLESS IT"S VERY LOW HEAT!!!
I was melting out my Bens Red and forgot to check the temp on my hotplate, noticed it when it was melting, took my Pyrex cup off the hotplate, poured what Bens Red I had in it, into an old Beer Mug, set the Pyrex down on my bench. Just as I turned, it shattered throwing pieces of glass all over the place.....hitting the back of my neck and head. If I hadn't of turned, possibly I might be in the ER getting glass out of my eyes...there was that potential, if the stars had lined up just right!!!

But I've noticed members wanting to make Bens Red, and asking lots of questions on hot to make, about substituting ingredients, and what amounts to use.
Well, IMO Ben came up with one very good lube and was very gracious to share his recipe with all of us.

But here's what I did to start off...
These amounts are what gwpercle posted in the thread of Bens Red ...help

24 ozs. = 3 cups - melted beeswax
14 ozs. = 1 3/4 cups - Red N Tacky , heat it..it doesn't really melt
4.6 ozs. = 2/3 cup - Johnsons Paste Wax - melted
2.3 ozs. = 1/3 cup - Dexron II or III ATF
2.3 ozs. = 1/3 cup- STP Oil Treatment

Now my first batches I made a few years back or so, I followed the oz, not the cups melted.
And I melted and mixed all together at once.
I slowly heat everything up, not letting it smoke. On a hotplate too, not over direct flame.
With the ingredients listed above, I slowly mixed it up, taking between 35-45 minutes to cook. Stirring constantly
The Lucas R&T, will be lumpy, to help break the lumps, I use a whisk while stirring.

After that time frame, I would pour it into a bowl with a tee shirt rubber banded around to sift it. I use the whisk, and push it thru the tee shirt, then It'll still be hot, I pour it into a baking pan. I've done it 2 ways, I've placed the pan in the freezer, the other i let set out and cool.
Afterwards, next day normally, I'd be able to just dump it out by turning it over, as it would pull away from the baking pan, shrinking basically.
Cut into strips, remelt if you make lube sticks, put in a baggie and use when needed.

After following the thread on Bens Red...need help, I noticed RunfiveRun, mentioned about melting the R&T first, then the JPW melted, with adding the beeswax last melted, I decided to try it.
So here's what I did, and my findings so far....
Actual cook time 2:00 hrs.

i started out by melting the R&T, watched it go to a liquidous state, then dropped the temp to let it kind of come back together. While going into the liquidous state, it did start separating, and when I dropped temp down, to came back together, looked likke a darkish tomato paste.
One thing I will add on this I increased temperature a little at a time, till it finally started liquifying.

Since i didn't have but 1 hotplate, I had to do everything singly, but the next thing I did was melt the JPW. I let it melt slow, and after fully melted, let it set on hotplate an extra 5 minutes or so.
Added this to the R&T and stirred it together.

Next I started the melting of the beeswax. Melt it SLOW, don't let it smoke, or you'll scorch it.
While the beeswax was melting, I added the Dexron and ATF to the R&T & JPW.
When the beeswax is melted, I add it immediately not letting it sit on the hotplate.

Next I turned my hotplate down to med/low, placed the mix on it, and put a lid on it, stirring it every couple of minutes. At 20 minutes, I took the lid off and started using a whisk to stir with.
After 35-40 minutes, I seen it starting to smoke, I pulled it off the hotplate, and started straining thru a tee shirt. Next I put mix in my baking pan and placed in the freezer.

After about 30 min, I took a look at it. I noticed this one is the same color as my other batches, but it felt firmer to the touch than my last batches.
This could be from using the oz not the cup version.

I'll let it set till tomorrow and try to get some pictures put up with it.
I hope this helps anyone who decides to try Bens Red. I think, if you follow how I or Ben Or Deanwinchester and others have made it, you'll be as satisfied as I am with it.

One thing I might add, don't steal a pot to melt things in from your wife or significant other. After I got a bright idea, we had a pot we never use, i went inside and got in the cabinet. Well that pot just cost me probably $200 before it's all said and done.
I now have to buy the evil eyed one a new set of pots and pans, but also a new pyrex measuring cup, as i took 1 of 2 of them she has.....
Dang women!!

Here's my test lube of Bens Red by reversing how to mix the ingredients. The one on the right is the new batch, the one on the left is my old batch. The old batch is 2 double batches melted together.
As you can see by the poor picture, but both of them are red, no discoloration by heating the LR&T first.

[Ben]

41 mag fan

If what you are doing will help with the making of Ben's Red, that's fine with me.

Thanks,
Ben

[41 mag fan]

41 mag fan

If what you are doing will help with the making of Ben's Red, that's fine with me.

Thanks,
Ben

That's all I'm wanting to do Ben is help the members who might be in question. Altering or substituting ingredients....no. What you've come up with works, and shouldn't be any substitutions or additions added to it.

[Ben]

Most of the problems with Ben's Red ( not all ) have come from people who said ...." I substituted XXX for Lucas R / T. I also substituted XXX for the Beeswax, my lube that I've made is useless, what do I do now ?

UUUuuummmm ? ? ?.............What do you tell these people ?

[fryboy]

to try again with the correct recipe :P

when i made my batch i too posted a break down ( complete with quantities used built around a whole tube as weighing out R&T is a messy task :P ) altho i have to admit that you 41 are a much better typer and detailer than i am :P

[runfiverun]

come on.
it's just lube.
what could possibly go wrong with substituting some stuff here and there.
i think I am gonna make some bread later and put in oatmeal instead of flour.

[OLPDon]

Hmmmm
Seems to be an ongoing theme on most of the Home Brew Lube Recipes “If it ant broke.... Fix it till it is!!!!!!!"

Don

[41 mag fan]

come on.
it's just lube.
what could possibly go wrong with substituting some stuff here and there.
i think I am gonna make some bread later and put in oatmeal instead of flour.

Could you make them muffins instead of bread and use bran instead??

[44man]

Never would I change Felix or Ben's red.
The only question is heat and sequence.
41 is helping me, I did get too hot with mine. Who knew the Coleman stove was hot as the sun?

[Wingnutt]

I've never made Bens Red, but I have made a lot of lithium grease/bees wax experimental lubes. This is what I do when the grease leaves the little stringy things like Ben describes.

I let the mix start to solidify and stir it as it sets up. This incorporates the grease completely. I then melt again on medium heat stiring all the while. The second melting is usually all I find that is needed.........

[KinkBreaker]

i made bens red the other day. used the ingredients exactly as called for in the measures listed. is it supposed to smell so bad?

[btroj]

Oh, it smells bad to me. It works far better than it smells. At least it smells better than Alpx.

[Ben]

Like btroj says It works far better than it smells.


What until you see those tight groups down range.

The smell issue will move to the back burner then.

Ben

[btroj]

I will always accept a bad smell if the results show up on the target. BR meets that criteria.

[billdean]

Hello Ben.............Thank you for posting your lube recipe. I had a chance to make some of it today and shoot some also. This was my very first time at making any lube so yes I am a novice at best. I thought I followed the recipe to the letter. I used exactly the ingredients as you laid them out or I think I did. I noticed my lube is not real red like yours is. When looking at the lubed bullets it is more orange. In the pan it looks like a diluted orange. Not that this matters but I am questioning whether I did things right. I noticed when I shot the lubed bullets they smoked a little, but very noticeable. My barrel was shiny clean though. The lube is firm but not hard and seem to have a little drag to it and not real slippery. The bullet seemed to group ok or at least as well as I can see through open sites. Anyone have any idea what I may have done? I followed the recipe below.

24 ozs. = 3 cups - melted beeswax
14 ozs. = 1 3/4 cups - Red N Tacky
4.6 ozs. = 2/3 cup - Johnson's Paste Wax - melted
2.3 ozs. = 1/3 cup - Dexron III ATF
2.3 ozs. = 1/3 cup- STP Oil Treatment

[kbstenberg]

I don't know if anyone has suggested it. But I found a good trick to get the R.T out of the tube. The plastic cover that is on the end of the tube. I take it off and use a knife to cut the outside flange off. Re-insert the cover where it was on the tube. It makes a good seal. Then use anything that is a little smaller than the inside wall dia. of the tube to push the grease out.
I must have been doing something wrong. Out of 2 batches that I have made I never have had any little globs of grease in the mix.
2 How can you guys get your heated lube to flow through a T-shirt? I just had a idea! My heated lube must be too thick to strain through the shirt. Ben should I add a little more of either the STP or Tranny fluid to make it thinner? Kevin

[DeanWinchester]

I've said this in several other posts. GET A TOASTER OVEN.

They hold in the heat and allow you to melt at lower, more controlled temps.


I use mine for making lube and pan lubing. When melting, say the beeswax. I'll turn the oven to about 180 degrees and come back whenever. It won't scortch and will be sitting there waiting.
The last batch I made I left the Lucas in there for two hours at about 200 degrees. I work here at home so it ain't nothing. It was smooth kinda like melted chocolate. When I added the melted beeswax there wasnt a lump hardly at all.

I'm telling you guys. A toaster oven is great. ...for pan lubing too. Say you have 100 boolits in the pan, you cut them out with a cookie cutter, place another hundred in the holes, pop it in the toaster oven, set the timer for twenty minutes and leave it. Come back tomorrow or next week and it's ready to go again

[runfiverun]

why is this so hard?
melt stuff together and pour it in a pan.
the way 41 mag made it this time is based on melting everything totally.

if you need to pour it through something a strainer from the second hand shop does just fine.
a blender from the same place helps too.


Ben.
now you know why I put up the recipe for the simple lube.

[billdean]

why is this so hard?
melt stuff together and pour it in a pan.
the way 41 mag made it this time is based on melting everything totally.

if you need to pour it through something a strainer from the second hand shop does just fine.
a blender from the same place helps too.


Ben.
now you know why I put up the recipe for the simple lube.

I would think that after 16,500 posts to this forum I would find it easy also. A little patients with us rookies, please.

[runfiverun]

fair enough, sorry.

many of those posts come from the quest lube thread where we make something and test it weekly [sometimes 2 or 3 in a week].
I probably have over 30 lube recipes memorized and 6-8 written out I haven't made yet.
most of them use base ingredients such as making the red and tacky grease from scratch or by altering the gelling stearate for a different outcome.
or by making a form of felix lube from different synthetic base oils.

41 MAG is just showing the outcome from a different cooking method based on those tests [except it can be a more efficient method]

making lube is quite easy but things can go wrong.
I have made the 3 am 50 yd dash out the garage door in a snow storm with a flaming ball of polyglycol on the end of a melting plastic fork heading to a snow bank to douse it more than once.
and have had stuff just poof into flames cooking solvents off or from exceeded their flash point.
learning the melt points of the ingredients and using them to your advantage as well as knowing which ingredients will cook off or will bond together or can be altered with heat is handy information.

Bens Red is a good lube.
you just have to pay attention when making it and follow the directions, as well as the ingredients listed.

could I modify it? yeah, [and I have] but there is no reason to change it.
it is made from stuff available to everybody and it does the job.
what's not to like?
the only minor issue with it was the unmixed grease chunks some are seeing, the modified cooking directions are dealing with that.