Ed's Red storage

[crabo]

Any problems with storing it in a heavy plastic jug? Arizona Tea has a heavy plastic jug that I was thinking about using. I was also think about keeping some in a plastic spray bottle to clean things up.

Anyone see a problem with this plan? Some of the things that I read said not to put in a thin plastic bottle.

Thanks,

[dbldblu]

I stored it in a plastic oil container but found that after a while the acetone seemed to be making the plastic swell or soften or something. Now I store the ingredients except acetone in plastic and then mix with acetone into a glass container a little bit at a time, 2 oz or so.

[cuzinbruce]

Could be a problem. The acetone can soften a lot of plastics. Might take hours, days or weeks, no way to know. Metal or glass are a known quantity. And you don't want to deal with the mess if the bottle lets go. Ed's Red is a great solvent but it is flammable. And you might not be there when it lets go.
Just my thoughts.
Bruce

[JesterGrin_1]

I broke down and took a trip to my Local paint store and purchased a couple of 1 Gallon containers and 1 Quart container of STEEL. I do not wish to take a chance. I mix it in a gas can and then pour it into the Steel Containers and seal the lid. I use one quart container for Ed's Red Gun Oil and 1 Quart for Ed's Red bore cleaner and store the rest in the gallon containers for future use.

You can use what you wish but I do wish to try and stay safe. :)

I do understand trying to save money as this is why I made Ed's Red but think of it this way you have made 1 gallon plus of this stuff for CHEAP why not spend the little bit extra for a good steel container you can trust.

Or heck look around and maybe purchase some 1 Pint containers and with the Extra Ed's Red you can make put it in those and sell them at your local shooting ranges. That way it might let you break even for what you use or a little profit and give other people an intro into Ed's Red. Spread the Faith my Man Spread the Faith. :)

[John Boy]

Ed's Red will severely soften a Zippo Lighter Fluid container

[jar-wv]

Mines in a 40 oz Bud Light bottle. Had to drink the beer first.

jar

[imashooter2]

When picking up the ingredients, I bought the mineral spirits in a one gallon tin can. Poured off 3/4 of it into suitable containers and used the gallon can for the ER. The other 3/4 of a gallon of mineral spirits are long gone, but the ER and can remain...

[Sprue]

I make it by the quart which insures freshness. I store it in a Quart size Canning/Pickling Jar. It looks like Red Kool Aid but its labeled otherwise.

[carpetman]

I bought the 4 ingredients by the quart--thus made a gallon of Ed's Red which I have stored it for years in an Empty Coleman fuel can---no problem.

[Dale53]

I HIGHLY recommend the one gallon steel container.

imashooter2 - we think alike.

Dale53

[Firebricker]

I use old jam and pickle jars. The big opening makes dipping patches easy. Same with denatered alcohol so if going to use a mould thats been oiled I just dunk the whole thing
and brush it. BTW Eds red is good stuff I had never heard of it till I became a member here.
It saves me a lot of $. The amount of info on this sight is incredible. FB

[jimkim]

I use old jam and pickle jars. The big opening makes dipping patches easy. Same with denatered alcohol so if going to use a mould thats been oiled I just dunk the whole thing
and brush it. BTW Eds red is good stuff I had never heard of it till I became a member here.
It saves me a lot of $. The amount of info on this sight is incredible. FB

I use these too. The big jar is ideal for soaking parts if you need to.

[Rockydog]

Iwent to the Hardware store and bought an old fashioned 1 gallon galvanized gas can. It has a standard gas can opening on one side and a pour spout with a screw cap about 1/2" dia. on the other. I'm so damn clumsy that I'd break a glass bottle. The acetone will definitely eat most plastics. RD

[DLCTEX]

Anyone ever buy acetone in anything but a steel can? There's a reason for that. Use steel.

[RayinNH]

In use a soy sauce bottle makes a dandy dispenser. The long thin next allows you to grasp the bottle with one hand with index finger over the mouth of the bottle to wet the patch. I remove the little plastic thingy from the mouth of the bottle...Ray

[Shiloh]

Mine is in a one gal. Coleman Fuel can.

Shiloh

[Echo]

When I made mine up, I bought a steel gallon can of mineral spirits, and juggled thing around so I could use it to store the cache. One always can use mineral spirits, and I had a nearly empty jug.
BTW - I use mineral spirits to clean up loaded rounds. I sprinkle some on an old towel, dump the rounds in the center of the towel, grab the ends, and see-saw the assembly for a minute or so. Picks up all the lube off the boolit noses and cases.

[higgins]

Wash with hot soapy water first so there's no chance of contamination with whatever crud was left in it.

[13Echo]

I buy the ingredients in quart containers and mix in a clean, glass, gallon jar. I remove the labels from the quart containers and relabel with permanent markers and store the Ed's in them. It's a lot more convenient to store as quarts.

Jerry Liles

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Steel can, mostly from the various ingredients. Mix in a steel can too.

Dave

[softpoint]

Big, beer joint size pickle jar (1 gal. size with a lid big enough so everbody can get their hand in)

[zxcvbob]

Anyone ever buy acetone in anything but a steel can? There's a reason for that. Use steel. Yes, I've got a pint of it that came in a plastic bottle. I assume it's HDPE, but not sure.

[Mk42gunner]

I store mine in a one gallon plastic gasoline container, Blitz brand I believe.

Robert

[gnoahhh]

I store mine in a 1 gallon brown glass jug that once held refined laboratory grade acetone here in the college lab I work in. (Never figured out just what the difference was between that stuff and hardware store grade. No difference in how well it cleans up epoxy squeeze-out in our lab workshop-- just costs more!)

[BerdanIII]

For the range, I use a Nalgene bottle with a flip-up spout (travel-size shampoo bottle) that I got at the Container Store. Before I decided I could trust it, I filled it with Ed's Red and left it in a sealed glass jar for about 8 months and used a glass bottle in the meantime. It's still going strong after a year. For bulk storage, I use one of the metal cans the separate ingredients came in.

[Dale53]

Ed Harris tells you about the safe plastics in his original article on Ed's Red:

http://home.comcast.net/~dsmjd/tux/dsmjd/tech/eds_red.htm

Dale53

[Bill*]

Yup...I mixed a gallon in a red plastic gasoline container over two years ago. Never had a problem nor is the plastic any less stiff than when new.

[Kskybroom]

Yup Coleman steel can, Nice tip a soy bottle ,,,

[jonk]

I bought the components in 1 quart cans. I mixed in a 5 gallon bucket, then poured back into said cans for storage. Easy enough.

[Nose Dive]

Whow! Ed would be proud. Here is the list of ingredients I have seen as the condiments accepatable for ED's RED bore cleaner. This is really scary.
Acetone
Aliphatic mineral spirits
Ammonia
Ammonium Oleate
Amyl Acetate (banana oil)
Benzene
Coleman fuel
commercial 'engine flush'
Dexron ATF
GOO GONE
JET-A fuel
Kerosene
Kroil Oil
Lanolin
Marvel Mystery Oil
MEK
Murphy OIL Soap
Naphtha
Nitro Benzene
Pratts Astral Oil (deodorized Kero)
Sperm Oil
Toluene
Turpentine
Varsol - "Stoddard Solvent"
White Gas (gasoline)
Xylene

Needless to say my fellow freinds at arms, mixing some of this stuff together can get fuzzy. Like it might easily render itself very dangerous. I certainly would not want to blend NITRO BENSENE with a wee bit of Toluene and ammonia. As far as storage containers, metal is the way to go here. Some of these things will disolve the rubber off your tires so be careful.
As for cleaning our firearms, I would remove any PLASTIC and WOOD componenets before indulguing some of the concoctions I have seen. Disolve the plastic and strip the wood it will. I think old ED was attempting to give us a 'safe' recipe for firearms cleaning that would leave us with a clean and protected tool. Keep in mind also, BENZENE, MEK, Toluene are BUSINESS LIKE MATERIALS and must be respected. I think the ATF, Kero, Acetone and Varsol is safe enough, past that mix, I would be careful with what you brew.

**Advanced skill is what is employed when performing the basics while your leg is on fire.**

[Dan Cash]

Empty powder cans.

[Flinchrock]

Yup...I mixed a gallon in a red plastic gasoline container over two years ago. Never had a problem nor is the plastic any less stiff than when new.

In my shop I use a lot of acetone in small quantities, and have been using the same plastic french's mustard dispenser for about eight years, to squirt a little acetone on to a paper towel to clean parallels etc.

[Dale53]

Keep in mind, folks, that there is plastic and then there is PLASTIC. As Ed mentions quite clearly in his treatise on Ed's Red that you must use the RIGHT plastic. Ignore this at YOUR peril.:evil:

Dale53

[jonk]

Keep in mind, folks, that there is plastic and then there is PLASTIC. As Ed mentions quite clearly in his treatise on Ed's Red that you must use the RIGHT plastic. Ignore this at YOUR peril.:evil:

Dale53
I think a good rule of thumb is, if the supplies came in it or you know for sure it is compatible and won't soften, you are good to go. So for instance my mineral spirits came in plastic, and I store in that bottle too. On the other hand the transmission fluid bottle is SLIGHTLY softer. I use that one up first.

[Dale53]

jonk;
Acetone is the real culprit. You need to be sure that the plastic will stand acetone. Ed's article told us how to tell (Google plastic in order to understand the "code" that is on the bottom of most plastic bottles). THAT is the authority (the code tells all).

Dale53

[bootsnthejeep]

I got a gallon metal paint can at Home Cheapo, but hated prying the lid off every time. So I had a case of quart mason jars anyway (I use them for drinking glasses. =) ) so the next batch I made I stored em in those. My only gripe with that was that it seems to eat the rubber off the metal lid.

[Dale53]

You can often buy a new, empty, rectangular, steel, gallon can with a screw lid from a real paint store. Professional painters use them for thinner, etc that they buy in bulk. I found one, locally, from the Sherwin Williams Paint store for a minor amount.

Dale53

[badgeredd]

FYI guys, acetone (as well as MEK) is used in the plastics industry with some resins as a solvent to join plastic parts together. It is also used as a degreaser in the plastics industry for other resins. polypropylene is generally the toughest plastic for petroleum based products, like gas cans and tanks. Containers are made from many different resins, so as said above, learn the recycle symbols and proceed accordingly. No doubt that glass or metal containers are the best as far as something that will resist chemical reactions for most products.

Edd

[sundog]

Empty Coleman fuel can, properly relabeled of course.

[alamogunr]

I've had some Ed's Red in a plastic container for about 3 years. I suspect that the acetone has migrated out by now based on what some with more knowledge of chemistry have posted. The container is marked for recycle on the bottom with the letters "PETE". I won't attempt to spell what that represents but I have been told that it does not react with most solvents. The screw cap is the weak spot so I use aluminum foil to line the cap.

I wish I could find some pint cans to store smaller quantities. My main objection to this plastic container is that if a child were to find it(not likely) they might be attracted to the pretty red color. I refuse to use glass. I'm too fumble fingered for that.

John
W.TN

[crabo]

I wish I could find some pint cans to store smaller quantities.
John
W.TN

Any automotive paint store will sell you empty pint, quart, or gallon cans with lids.

[alamogunr]

Any automotive paint store will sell you empty pint, quart, or gallon cans with lids.

I should have been more clear. What I want is pint cans with a small pour spout. The cans the paint store has are pry-off lid cans. Can't pour from them without spilling everywhere. At least I can't.

John
W.TN

[Dale53]

In the past, I have been able to buy new, empty steel containers with screw lids from a REAL paint store. You might "let your fingers do the walking" and find a supply before you drive all over and get "shot down".

I "googled" and found this:

http://www.freundcontainer.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_1905T01_A_SCREW-TOP+STEEL+CANS

And here is another:

http://www.thecarycompany.com/containers/ScrewTopCans.html

Of course, I would try locally and see what is available. Lowe's, WalMart, Home Depot, a Sherwin Williams paint store (or other REAL paint store), etc. If you use Coleman fuel, a clean empty gallon can previously used for Coleman fuel works very well.

Dale53

[sundog]

One pound DuPont and IMR powder cans or Goex BP can - the metal ones with screw lids. In fact, I have both a Coleman (maybe Ozark) fuel can and an old IMR 4895 one pound can, both labeled appropriately, for containers, out in the barn. On the cleaning bench is a plastic acetone resistant cosmetic bottle (from WM) with a dropper top screw lid for wetting patches (does not seem to leach any volatiles).

[utk]

How about a liquor hip flask (sp?) for carrying small quantities of ER in your gun bag? It is made of steel, sometimes even stainless steel for the "deluxe" versions. And you won't loose the cap either.
At home I also prefer a soy bottle as I've found that the acetone slowly evaporates from a polypropylene oil bottle, in fact several different types of plastic oil bottles.
When mixing I use a larger, glass "Absolut Vodka" bottle.

[bootsnthejeep]

How about a liquor hip flask (sp?) for carrying small quantities of ER in your gun bag?


And the jerk that snagged it out of your bag for a nip while you were changing targets would be in for a hell of a surprise!

[Dale53]

I am STRONGLY against putting ANYTHING flammable in a glass container. If you drop such a container (crap happens, folks) and it breaks in your basement (as an example) a simple gas hot water heater clear across the basement can ignite the fumes and put your house down around your head. I am a retired Major Case Claims Representative and I can tell you from personal experience that this happens time after time. We had one just the past week, locally. A person was cleaning auto parts in the basement of his home with gasoline - fumes ran clear across the basement from where he was working. He received second and third degree burns over most of his body and it burned the house down. It happens ALL of the time.

VERY BAD Ju-Ju!!

That's why it is illegal in most states to put gasoline in glass containers (aside from the Molotov cocktail possibilities, etc).

There are plenty of other options. Please, for your families sake, if not for yours, DO NOT DO THIS!

Pulpit closed...

Dale53

[alamogunr]

I am STRONGLY against putting ANYTHING flammable in a glass container. I

VERY BAD Ju-Ju!!

That's why it is illegal in most states to put gasoline in glass containers (aside from the Molotov cocktail possibilities, etc).

There are plenty of other options. Please, for your families sake, if not for yours, DO NOT DO THIS!

Pulpit closed...

Dale53

Thank you! I have stated many times that I will not use glass even if it means using plastic. I have not experienced the catastrophic collapse of a plastic container even though I have stored Ed's Red in a plastic container for many years. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. ????

[Dale53]

alamogunr;

>>>Maybe I'm doing something wrong. ???? <<<

No, you have just been lucky in your pick of that particular plastic container. Believe me, some plastics are absolutely subject to failure when exposed to acetone. My range bottles are plastic medicine bottles obtained free at the pharmacy where I spend my pension money:mrgreen:. However, I went with Ed Harris' recommendations and checked the plastic code on the base of the bottle. That is the key - the right KIND of plastic.

Dale53

[anachronism]

I use a one-gallon plastic gas can. My can is over 5 years old. My current batch in it is about 2 years old. The can has never softened and my mix still smells strongly of acetone, on the inside of the can only.

[theperfessor]

It's ALWAYS bad procedure to put dangerous chemicals in anything that could be mistaken for a food/beverage container. I never put ANY toxic chemical in mustard jars, sauce bottles, canning jars, whiskey flasks, etc. Same reason we were always taught to NEVER use a chemical flask or beaker as a drinking glass. Screw up once and bad things will happen.

If you do ignore this common-sense concept then at least remove the label and relabel it appropriately. It's easy enough to find unlabeled containers of all sizes, shapes and materials that can be used for dangerous chemicals.

Graingers and other places you can find on the 'Net will give you an idea of what's available for safe chemical storage.

I'd rather spend a little more to get the right container than to be even remotely responsible for poisoning somebody's kid.

[James C. Snodgrass]

I have been using a 5 qt oil can that is plastic it seems to be pretty much the same as the day I put in it . As far as a container to dispense I use a Hoppes # 9 bottle that has been relabeled properly .