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Thread: Making Ben's Red

  1. #61
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    Made my first ''Bens Red'' today. Was talking to a friend who makes candles about beeswax..

    She gifted me with a half pound block of it!!! Got the stuff needed and melted it down on grill..

    Will see how it looks in the morning

  2. #62
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    Well its dry. l put some in my sizer/luber..l am not lmpressed... Kinda gooey and it STINKS..

    Smells like my local JIFFY LUBE. I followed the recipe EXACTLY.. NO substitutions or variations..

    l know how to mix batches and components...As an lndustrial Painter l am certified in mixing

    lndustrial coatings. l will re-melt tomorrow, maybe add some paraffin to stiffen it up.. Get rid

    of the gooiness. Gotta get rid of the Jiffy Lube smell tho..ldeas anyone??

  3. #63
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    Don't add paraffin. Try a little more bees wax. Alternately you can ask your candle making friend for a little stearin. They use that to harden candles. As for the Jiffy Lube smell, that's the Red and Tacky. You may not like the smell, but you'll love what it does in your barrel.

  4. #64
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    You have to be real careful to not let it get too hot when melting. There is a very fine line between just mixed together and oh my gosh, what is that smell. I had to use OD-Ban to clear the air in the shop. Cooking it on the grill was probably the wrong step. I cooked a small patch in one of my small double boilers and everything went great until I poured some off into a pitcher to make sticks with. I put the pitcher on a hot plate to get it a little warmer and it turned on me.

  5. #65
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    lar-lf it gets too hot,(350f)Is it ruined??? Is this not hi temp grease.. 600f??

  6. #66
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    I don't know about being ruined, or being able to use it or not. Mine just smelled too bad to keep in the shop, so I chucked it all.

  7. #67
    Boolit Master 35 shooter's Avatar
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    When making Ben's Red, once the beeswax is melted and you add the ingredients...especially the grease....turn the heat DOWN.
    Your trying for a blend, not a melt.

    Stir the grease in the mix on just enough heat to keep the beeswax in it's melted form...Never try to melt the grease.
    Stir untill blended and you won't have a burnt grease smell.

    I would encourage anyone who makes Ben's Red for the first time to NOT add anything to the original recipe, untill you try it out first in it's "slick" form.
    It slings off the boolits very, very quickly and lays down a consistent condition in the bbl. shot after shot. That equals consistent accuracy.

    I've used this lube for over four years now, and have never felt a need to add or take away anything from the original recipe.
    It's performance has been nothing short of amazing in my rifles and handgun, from 575 fps. to about 2600 fps. so far.

    I use it year round in any temps. i hunt or shoot in with no difference in performance or poi.
    Don't try to melt the grease in and you won't get the loud burn't grease smell.

    The trick to making Ben's Red is low, low, low heat and stir, stir, stir...a little patience and time and it will come out perfect for you.
    The ONLY ingredient that needs to be melted in is the beeswax....everything else is just blended on low heat.

    I f you happen to get the grease too hot and get a smell from it, don't throw it away untill you try it first.
    It will probably still be okay, but it may not give you the deep red color it's supposed to be.
    If it turns out a light watermelon color, or slightly amberish, the grease was too hot.
    It will probably still work fine as far as performance.

    Just my .2...hope it helps.

  8. #68
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    l shot some lubed loads today with my new Bens Red lube...l mixed it EXACTLY how the recipe says.

    lt shot nicely with an improvement in Accuracy.. lt still STINKS and that cant be tolerated. May have

    solved that problem tho. l was talking to the candle maker who gave me the beeswax about the smell.

    She agreed wholeheartedly!!! She gave some sweet oil she uses to make scented candles... Said not

    to use more than 3 or 4 drops because its really potent.. Still wont cure the gooey sticky of it tho..

    lf l add something to stiffen the mixture l will no longer call Bens Red. lt'll be ''My SCENTED Red''

  9. #69
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Ben's Red , when made per the instructions, isn't gooey and sticky.
    It doesn't stink either.

    ???????????????

    Ben

  10. #70
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ben View Post
    Ben's Red , when made per the instructions, isn't gooey and sticky.
    It doesn't stink either.

    ???????????????

    Ben
    Very correct
    Robert Abbott
    "I don't save money reloading. I just get to shoot more."

  11. #71
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    +1. Good consistency. Flows good in my sizer without any heat. Granted, it does not smell like Hoppe's #9 but plenty good for my senses. However, smell is a personal thing. I can't imagine it, but I understand some people even don't like the smell of #9.
    Mark 5:34 And He said to her (Jesus speaking), "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction."

  12. #72
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    Well first batch is cooling
    Put the tacky in my trusty coffee can and began to heat in a double boiler
    When warm added stp and atf and stirred a while.
    Then added the johnsons and stirred a while.
    All along I had my beeswax in a double boiler getting that melted but that
    was taking forever so I put my beaker right on my burner a stirred constant til liquid.
    Then the moment of truth I put my coffee can on the burner it just fits over the top
    and will not slide around due to the lip on the bottom of the can.
    Poured my wax in and began stirring - stirred for about 30 minutes constantly.
    There was never any lumps and it seemed to be all blended.
    Poured it in a pan and it's sitting on my desk til I get enough set up to move into the freezer.
    It turned out a deep red as of now and I hope I have a good mix.
    Can anyone find a flaw I made?

  13. #73
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    Read through this thread multiple time and made my first batch last night. I didn't stir as well as I should have. When I poured it out to set there was maybe 1/4 cup of grease that didn't incorporate. I'd be surprised if that was enough to make a difference in performance. I'll be loading through the week and testing it next weekend.


    Heartfelt shout out to Ben for giving generously his knowledge and experience.

  14. #74
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Fellows,

    Making Ben's Red is like shooting and reloading.
    The more you do it, the better you get at it and the more comfortable you'll be with the entire process.

    If you do make a few minor errors in your 1st attempts, you'll be alert to that on your 2nd go-around.

    Ben

  15. #75
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    What procedure do you use to pan lube with this stuff?
    I had a hard time with it - double boiler not hot enough and I tried on my burner but must have
    got it to hot and it turned on me.
    Got some usable but the simple green I used was kids play compared to this.
    I really wanted to run this in my 06' but I pan lube all my rifle stuff.
    I may just have to run it in one of the lubrisizers for the hand cannons.
    Wife ain't happy with it getting to hot either - there is no doubt when it turns.

  16. #76
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    Did you make the lube inside your home ?

  17. #77
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    Made it in the basement - the lube turned out good.
    Its just the pan lubing part that's got me stumped.
    I can't get it to turn liquidous (is that even a word) enough to
    pour or flow into the grooves with out more heat than a
    double boiler set-up generates.
    Hot plate works but it must have a narrow window because
    I went from a lube smell to the burnt grease smell real quick.
    I'll give it another go in the garage on rest days.

  18. #78
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    If the bullets are not pre-heated with a heat gun and the lube hot, you won't have any luck pouring the lube onto the bullets.

    I've pan lubed a little ( not much ), I heat the lube on a hot plate until it it is a liquid. Then I place the bullets one at a time into the liquid lube.

    I know this process works.

    Here it is outlined for you :

    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-a-Budget-quot

    Ben

  19. #79
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    My usual routine is to melt lube in my intended pan - let cool.
    Take my drill with a bit as close to sized dia. as possible and
    drill my 50 holes for the bullets - stand the bullets in the holes.
    Then I use a electric fry pan with water in it and some wire peg board
    hooks laying on the bottom to keep my pan up off the bottom a little.
    Turn it on and once everything is liquid just pull it out and let it cool.
    Bullets come up to temp right with the lube.
    As soon as it is soild but not to solid I just grab them with my fingers
    and pull straight up - I get a little suction pop and they are perfect.
    But my Ben's would only get to the consistency of paste.
    So I put it on my burner and I must have got it to hot and it turned.
    Bullets came out ok but smell was a little much for the misses.
    I'll give it another go with a thicker pan and bring the temp up real
    slow - Not dissin the lube mind you - I'll make it work somehow.
    It has to as it didn't smell at all when I made it and it flowed
    well enough - I'm thinkin it's just real heat sensitive - read somewhere
    that 237* was a recorded temp for someone - I don't think a double
    boiler set up can reach that with out being a caldron.

  20. #80
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    If your " usual routine " works....fine, stay with it.
    If it doesn't work, it seems that a completely new technique that does work may be the best route for you ? ? ?

    Ben

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check