Bens Red batch part II

[runfiverun]

it's a pretty clean non smoky lube.
I know ben has been muddling over adding another 5% beeswax to the recipe but I haven't heard his final word on it yet.
I have been recommending that you try 5% more to many shooters and test it for yourself/themselves.
most like it, some don't care either way.
but the lube is made with a tacky grease and it will be that way, the tacky ingredient is part of why the lube works.
if you have good results but think maybe the accuracy can be better the addition of the wax or some atf will change the lubes characteristics one way or the other just enough to make a difference.

[JWFilips]

I love this lube: I make it the "original way like Ben taught us" works great for me ( no need to mess with perfection)
BTW: the brighter yellow the bacth of bee's wax you use, the brighter red the color of the finished lube will be

[Ben]

I love this lube: I make it the "original way like Ben taught us" works great for me ( no need to mess with perfection)
BTW: the brighter yellow the bacth of bee's wax you use, the brighter red the color of the finished lube will be

Glad that you're enjoying Ben's Red !

[Ben]

it's a pretty clean non smoky lube.
I know ben has been muddling over adding another 5% beeswax to the recipe but I haven't heard his final word on it yet.
I have been recommending that you try 5% more to many shooters and test it for yourself/themselves.
most like it, some don't care either way.
but the lube is made with a tacky grease and it will be that way, the tacky ingredient is part of why the lube works.
if you have good results but think maybe the accuracy can be better the addition of the wax or some atf will change the lubes characteristics one way or the other just enough to make a difference.

I'm at a point where I'm ready to officially declare another 5% Beeswax be added.

I have made 2 batches with the additional 5% added and things worked just fine.

The lube will always have a somewhat " tacky " feel. Personally that is a " non - issue " with me.

The added 5% Beeswax will not influence the performance of the lube, as seen below :

[nekshot]

I still am working off of my original batch but it is getting too tacky with the summer heat so I remelted and added more bees wax and thru in some red crayons to ensure the proper"red" color!

[JWFilips]

I still am working off of my original batch but it is getting too tacky with the summer heat so I remelted and added more bees wax and thru in some red crayons to ensure the proper"red" color!

Ah! you just added paraffin....now that's not real "Ben's Red"

[runfiverun]

if the crayons were from china they might not have been real paraffin either.
I dunno for sure what they use to make them [mud and rags maybe]

[Spawn-Inc]

for what it's worth i've added alot more then 5% beeswax as i wanted something that wasn't so messy. i don't remember exactly how much more i added but i think it was close to 50% more then the recipe lists. it's worked great for me from 9mm to 500 mag.

[MattOrgan]

I've never had any smoke issues with Ben's Red, it does vaporize and will keep the front of you revolver well lubed (your fingers too) when filling big lube grooves on certain bullets designs (Keith style) . On multiple groove bullets you can reduce this by filling one or two grooves. In the last week I shot up about 800 commercially cast 148 gr DE wadcutters that had what appeared to be blue crayon for lube. I was surprised at the amount of smoke with these loads (2.7 gr Bullseye). My hands were black as were both my revolvers. The lead build up was like the old days too. I removed the leading in the cylinder throats, forcing cone and bore by firing 20 rounds with my cast wadcutters lubed with Ben's Red. I can't see a downside to this lube for all handgun and rifle use, I've even gotten over the smell. It works for me from 600 to 2300 fps. I will admit to using 45/45/10 on some low velocity loads when the bullet does not require sizing. Sorry Ben.

[Ben]

MattOrgan

No " I'm sorry " required.

On my plain base .30 cal. cast bullets, I size, lube with Ben's Red, then roll them in 45-45-10 ( lar's ).

I'm sold on that technique.

If it's not broke, don't be trying to fix it, that's what I say.

Ben

[nekshot]

this really stiffened up nice!

[Ben]

nekshot

Now.......to remember the exact amounts
so that you can repeat it !

Repeatability is the key to lube making and batch after batch consistency.

[JWFilips]

On my plain base .30 cal. cast bullets, I size, lube with Ben's Red, then roll them in 45-45-10 ( lar's ).

I'm sold on that technique.


Ben

Hi Ben,
So you are coating in 45/45/10 after lubing in "Ben's Red" ?
And this is because.....?
Does it coat the BR to make it less tacky to the touch?
I know I have actually used it the reverse...... with a light alox coating then when dry the Ben's Red pan lubed then sized ( In Lee pass through)
Jim

[Ben]

And this is because.....?

I shoot about 95% bore riders.

You get a choice to shoot the noses , lubed or dry.

You now know which of the 2 that I've chosen...............

Ben

[44man]

I have found ben's will break case tension in the revolver, too slippery. I still say some Lanolin would help. One day I will have time to add some.

[Master_Mechanic]

I have found ben's will break case tension in the revolver, too slippery. I still say some Lanolin would help. One day I will have time to add some.

How do you know when breaking case tension? How much lanolin would you add? I have a bunch of bens red and a bunch of lanolin.

[JWFilips]

Oh Great! Now we got to call that "Ben's Red Sheep"! Always one to change good old Vanilla

[vwpieces]

Made my first batch of lube last night. Actually made 2, but first time to melting my own Lube.
First batch was more brown than red. Second is a pretty good red.
Here are some of my observations & revisions I did on my second batch.
Melting the R&T by it's self is difficult & requires too much heat, smokes a lot & turns brown. For the second batch I added the STP, Dex II & JPW with the R&T @ 350*F. it will liquefy but there is still small white-ish chunks in the mix. I used a variable deep fryer to melt my batch. It has a temp dial on the plug to adjust & gave an idea where the temps are. Now I slowly bumped the temp up 25* at a time till the small white chunks dissolved. You will see oil spots form in the mix as they melt & keep stirring them in. Once they start to melt they will be gone in about 5min & reduce the heat & add the beeswax.

I spooned out some of the small white chunks, let cool, & rubbed them between my fingers. They are stiff slikery things, not sure if they are stiffeners that coagulate in the grease when melted or part of the lubricators in the grease. But you need to raise the temp of the melt to make them blend. I am thinking that if some guys are straining these off they may be getting a softer & sticky final product but very red in color. There is a fine line to melting the small white-ish chunks & over-heating to brown.

The "Rival" Deep fryer worked well because I could monitor the temperature. I used a wood paint stick to stir as that is what I used to get the Red & Tacky out of the tube also. Also learned on the second batch that if I poured the Dex II into the pan on scale before the STP, the STP did not stick in the pan as bad & poured out easier. I also used the scale to measure ALL the ingredients in ounces by weight, not in a cup by volume.

My Beeswax was brown or "medium" color as described by my local bee keeper. No bee parts in it & was a few dollars a pound cheaper than the yellow. My second batch was smooth & reddish in color & did not need to be strained. It is pretty soft but not too soft & sticky. I will log in with my phone to post a pic.

[vwpieces]

Here is a pic of my second batch of Ben's Red

[Ben]

Looks good, start loading and head to the range and report back.

Good Work !

Ben