Bens red cost?

[cheese1566]

What's it costing you guys to make a batch of Bens Red lube, according to the directions?

Approx price per pound when all said and done....

[Hardcast416taylor]

I either got all my needed utensils at the local Salvation Army thrift store or asked the Frau if she had anything I could have. I already had the tranny fluid and a new bottle of STP. I had plenty of beeswax from my candle making days and JPW from my paper patching. I got the Lucas grease at an Auto Zone store, I`ve since then seen it in `Big Box` type stores in their auto repair section. My total cost/investment is probably $20 - $25 since I already had so much of what was needed. So it is kinda hard for me to find an actual price per lb. at this time. What I do know is this stuff works good.Robert

[cheese1566]

I have most the hardware,

hoping for a basic idea of ingredients cost. Kinda like when I went to make a batch of Eds Red gun cleaner. The stuff adds up...

[runfiverun]

don't use the red and tacky and the cost goes down like 3 dollars.
all that's in the tacky [and not in the other grease] is paratack and the stp has that anyway.

[WALLNUTT]

There is a generic red & tacky, same stuff less $. I used the recipe that uses the entire tube of grease, makes a lot of lube.

[Landshark9025]

Taking the ingredients and amounts from this thread:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?269207-Making-Ben-s-Red
and assuming you have none of them, a quick Google-fu yields the following:
1.5 lbs Beeswax from RandyRat - $13(two lbs purchased, plus shipping, using only 1.5lbs and rounding up)
Red and Tacky - $5
Johnson's Paste Wax - $6.5
ATF - $9
STP - $5

So you are looking at about $40 for a **** ton of lube. Your next few batches will be a lot cheaper as your only costs will be beeswax and grease.

Lube is not where I'd spend time thinking about cost. Lead, tin, powder- there's your real cost. At $40 for your first batch and a yield north of 2.5lbs, it's a pretty low "per round" cost.

Hope that helps. The stuff does work though.

[Ben]

Money in this life has always been a problem for me.

However the " pittance " of money it takes to buy the components for Ben's Red ( as has been pointed out ) is not a major concern when you look at the cost of reloading dies, powder, primers, presses, lube sizer dies, etc. etc.

The cost ends up be a minor factor, not a major one.

Ben

[cheese1566]

True. That's why I gather lead, smelt it; gather brass and clean it, I haven't bought factory ammo in about 25 years except for obvious rimfire. I have a limited fun budget as we all do. I would rather build something and tinker for a pastime. But I am also conscious that if I can buy the same equivalent for about the same, it's a no brainer.

i never count the cost of equipment, otherwise reloading and casting wouldn't make sense. Especially when you are married to a bean counter. My biggest expense would be a few spatulas from the dollar store and a pot from a second hand store. Maybe some pvc to craft up some sticks.

I figure as popular and simple as the formula is, someone would have computed a material cost.

[cheese1566]

I had a stroke of memory and recalled I had some beeswax for smelting. I found it, but it's only about 4 ounces. If I recall, I bought it at hobby lobby using a 40% off coupon.
Found an old can of JPW as well.

What the heck!

[runfiverun]

compare what buying lube sticks would cost versus the base components.
8 sticks is about a pound.

[Butler Ford]

Midway has Lyman Alox lube on sale for $4.29 for one hollow stick ( about 1.5 oz.). My BRL was less than $2 and I have enough components except beeswax and grease for about 10 more batches.

BF

[Hardcast416taylor]

Once you acquire the cooking utensils needed for the melting/blending/cooling the next batch would comprise only more of the ingredients to make the lube thus making the 2nd batch a great deal less than the first. I remember how I used to cuss at making beeswax candles. Now I have enough for several more batches of lube. When I bought some of the cooking implements at a Salvation Army resale shop the check out lady politely asked if I was setting up a bachelors kitchen?Robert

[gwpercle]

I have most the hardware,

hoping for a basic idea of ingredients cost. Kinda like when I went to make a batch of Eds Red gun cleaner. The stuff adds up...

Last month I bought a quart of each ingredient for a gallon of Ed's Red , from wally Mart, cost was $17.00. I just bought store brands or whatever was cheapest . That's not too bad for a gallon of bore cleaner. A gallon of Hoppe's #9 is $55.00 + postage from Midway !
Gary

[Hardcast416taylor]

In my `poor old, often ignored, opinion` I feel if you want a cost breakdown against buying ready made lube, then you don`t seem to want to make it anyway. In the handloading/casting/shooting world in general there is a cost outlay to be made at first and then figured after the inital expenses. Example, buy a Ruger 10/22 for $275.00 and a brick of ammo for $40.00. Does the $275.00 for the rifle cost you again when you buy another brick of ammo? This may be a poor example, but I believe you see what I am trying to get across. There are many fine lubes on the market for about $4.00 +/- a stick. However once you have made a batch of lube (about 3 lb. +/-) you will appreciate it more as you use it.Robert

[mdi]

While this ain't an answer to this thread, I really have no idea what any of my reloading supplies cost, and most of the time I don't wanna know. My powder varies in age from 18 years to 4 months, so what price do I use? I have primers I bought on sale in '96, what price do I use? The costs of my components when I bought them or what they cost today? Same with lube ingredients, I found some in Ma's kitchen and old stuff in a drawer and the beeswax and lanolin I had to buy. Finding a cost of homemade vs. store bought is waaaay too much trouble and would lessen my appreciation for a pleasurable project. Not everything's about money... :roll:

[35 shooter]

You've got some pretty good break downs on the cost of making Ben's Red here, plus the fact you will have plenty of everything left to make several more batches except for maybe beeswax and the grease.
So the cost per batch just keeps getting less and less and makes a ton of lube each batch.

The only thing i would add to this is...the performance of Ben's Red in my rifles and handgun is "Priceless".

[cheese1566]

Jeez, yikes, wow, all I was curious about was an approx cost per stick, pound, ounce etc. . Just wanted a ball park if it was $1 , $5 , or whatever.

My applogies to the forum for wasting your times.

[w5pv]

Don't worry about the cost one batch will lube thousands of bullets and thank Ben for sharing his lube with us.I shoot any where from 20 to a hundred rounds most everyday and still haven't ran out of the 1st batch with no leading and after you get that carnauba shine in the barrel all you have to do is clean the chamber.Good shooting.

[mdi]

Sorry if you're offended, but when you bring up a subject on a forum, you gotta expect all kinds of answers. If my opinion truly bothered you, I apologise...

[Hardcast416taylor]

Just made another batch this Noon time. This was my 3rd batch. The only item needed for this batch was a tube of Lucas grease! I`m still using my beeswax from my younger candle making days, lots left in my tranny fluid bottle and STP bottle that I already had on the shelves. Lots left in the JPW can I had with my boolet patching stuff. So this batch in actual new cost was less than $5.00 for over 3 +/- lbs. Now that word has gotten around with a `few` of my boolet lubing `friends` that I now make a great lube and I have lots of it I may have to put a donations jar next to my hotplate. I hit upon a neat way of getting the grease out of the tube. Use a wood 1 gal. paint stir stick for getting the first half out. I then unroll the cardboard tube and cut it off ahead of the remainder of grease and finish with the stir stick. When finished I scrape the stick with a spatula and toss the stick. The spatula is used to stir the mix till the grease is melted off, then wiped off and put in a zip bag till next batch, a whisk is used to mix/stir the remainder of the pot mixing time.Robert

[Geezer in NH]

Never figured it out but usage made shooting cheaper and better.

And I am a formal competitive muzzleloader shooter, known to be the cheapest shooters alive!!!!

[Brett Ross]

Made my first FULL batch the other day but fid not remit thonk much on my savings over buying. I just like the idea I can make my own. By the way making bens red in sn old crock pot worked great yore me as I had no overheating is us sith this batch. It was truly Bens RED not Bens kinda red, altho the Bens kinda red worked, just fine.

[Brett Ross]

Wow, typing on my phone my not be my best bet.
QUOTE=Brett Ross;3841205]Made my first FULL batch the other day but fid not remit thonk much on my savings over buying. I just like the idea I can make my own. By the way making bens red in sn old crock pot worked great yore me as I had no overheating is us sith this batch. It was truly Bens RED not Bens kinda red, altho the Bens kinda red worked, just fine.[/QUOTE]

[Digger]

Don't worry about the cost one batch will lube thousands of bullets and thank Ben for sharing his lube with us.I shoot any where from 20 to a hundred rounds most everyday and still haven't ran out of the 1st batch with no leading and after you get that carnauba shine in the barrel all you have to do is clean the chamber.Good shooting. I will back that 100 percent ! , with a quick coat of Ben's BLL to finish off ... yes , the barrel is "mirror" clean . All I do is a quick swab after range use and maybe a bit of powder kernal here and there . Love showing the doubters out there ... Your shooting lead ? ... After quite a few rounds , give them a quick peek down the barrel and next is a look of astonishment on their face.

[runfiverun]

I don't know what they expect to see??
I have shown some the mirror bright finish from modified BAC and a balanced load with a filler.
they seen me shooting the rifle and still wouldn't believe it wasn't just scrubbed clean.