Homemade Red CLP

[john]

I got this recipe years ago in an American Gunsmithing magazine. It is NOT "Ed's Red" and tests out better than that, and matches commercial Break free and Mil CLP.

I use it in a six gallon pail with a spaghetti cooker in the bottom and a Beta lid. A parts cleaner brush, some toothbrushes, bore brushes, etc are left inside and for washing I use a battery filler (black tube with red rubber bulb) to suck up cleaner and rinse parts.

The recipe is as follows:

 

2 gallons Kerosene (I use low odor heater fuel)

 

2 gallons Mineral Spirits (again, low odor)

 

The low odor isn't necessary and costs more but doesn't stink up the garage.

 

Add three quarts Marvel Mystery oil, one quart of Rislone Engine treatment and if you want, a small can of Kroil allows this to penetrate faster to cut carbon.

 

Mix it all up and hold out two gallons (put in mineral spirits jugs) to add as the three gallons left in the pail are used up.

 

We did a test using freshly surface ground steel strap, dipping three pieces, one in Ed's Red, one in Mil. CLP and one in this Red CLP.

After a year hanging off the edge of a friend's shop awning (in full elements and rain runoff) the Mil CLP and the Red CLP (this recipe) tied with no rust, the Ed's Red had dime sized spots with some pitting. Unscientific, but this is pretty good, cleans and protects really well and lubricates very well (use on all my guns).

It will stain some plastic polymers and will remove oil finishes so care is needed to strip gun but at about $6-7 a gallon is really cost effective.

The pail goes with me to shoots and travels well.

 

If you want a PSDS sheet I do have that too, but absent of the Kroil.

We shipped gallons of this stuff to Marine units in Iraq during a shortage of cleaning solvents during that and it worked great for everything it was used on.

 

Try it....the stuff is awesome!

Edited October 1, 2020 by john