Home Made Gun Cleaner & Lubricant
 

I have been using this stuff (Ed's Red) for years and wanted to share this recipe with those interested:

This is a four part solution:

1 part Acetone
1 part ATF (Auto Transmission Fluid - thus the Ed's Red)
1 part Mineral Spirits (low odor)
1 part Kerosene

I made a gallon batch about 7+ years ago and have a little more than 2 quarts left today (you made need to add acetone / mineral spirits from time to time do to evaporation).

This has been an all around great cleaning solution and lubricant. Once the acetone, mineral spirits, kerosene evaporate you are left with ATF and the oil portion of the kerosene coating your weapon. I often will clean weapons leaving them wet with Ed's Red to protect them from rust while in storage. As you can see, in this volume it is EXTREMELY CHEAP to make.

There are no corrosive neutralizing agents that I am aware of in the above solution so you will need to still break out the windex/ammonia when cleaning after highly corrosive primers.

Enjoy,

Dave

Re: Home Made Gun Cleaner & Lubricant
 

In a pinch, any cooking oil will work.

Once when I was camping in the ( saltwater ) Everglades, I noticed a slight build-up of surface rust on my sidearm. I borrowed some cooking oil from other campers and with nothing more than paper towels the gun was saved. I hadn’t fired the weapon, so I wasn’t concerned with powder residue, but I’m sure it would have worked nonetheless, at least for another few days, till I was back home and gave the gun a proper cleaning.

Re: Home Made Gun Cleaner & Lubricant
 

I've found using a cheap airbrush for my CLP is handy and thrifty.