Ben's Red

[quicksylver]

My experience with Ben's Red and BLL has exceeded all expectations.
Yes taking your time to heat and stir is the secret to making a good batch.
On my second go around I found that using a hair dryer or elect. heat gun to
speed up the melting of the BW worked just dandy.
I also found that letting the Red and Tacky to sit without proper sealing allows it
to dry and harden some where it is exposed to the air ,causing my second batch to have a
very slight strawberry ice cream look to it.
The only down side of Ben's Red for me is getting use to how easily it works in the lube sizer,
I keep using too much pressure and it gets under the bullet when sizing.
Great stuff, thanks Ben !

 

[quicksylver]

WOW didn't look like that on my screen!

 

[Ben]

Yes, it does have a tendency to " crawl " under the base of a bullet if too much hydraulic pressure is placed on the lube.

Once you find the right lube pressure, all is good however.

Ben

 

[freebullet]

In learning to use the star I've found it will break off the base of boolits if you have to much pressure on the lube.

I was gunna make my first batch of Ben's red but, I had to use the red and tacky to grease my machines/trucks. I'll have to try again this spring.

 

[JWFilips]

Made a Nice batch of Ben's Red today because I started getting dangerously low. Didn't have any more to replenish my pan lube pans.
First time I ever used that 24 Ounce Bee's wax formula ( which uses the full tube of Red and Tacky) Nice to not have to try to store the unused Red And Tacky tube which is usually a mess. Man, that makes a big batch ! plenty for my purposes now!

 

[KHornet]

Brad spotted me some of Ben's Red a couple of weeks ago to try. Will do that as soon as I run out of Lars Can Red, in the 45. I use the old sizer for 22's and 6mm's only, and a little lube goes a long way. Could probably heat the 45 and purge the Can Red, and replace it with Ben's, but that is a pain in the tush. Can red is a great lube, but it wants to be shot at temps above 40 degrees.

Have all of the materials to make a batch of Bens, but will now wait until spring. Have probably 20 sticks of the various Lars lubes, and really like the 2500 with one or two coats of BLL over them. Just did a batch of 7mm and 6.5mm's that way this morning and sized, lubed (checked those that weren't PB's). As I cast the majority of my rifle bullets harder than lino, lilke to size and lube the same day before they harden. Waited a couple of weeks on a batch of 30's a few weeks ago, and that was a big mistake. Tried sizing a half dozen of them and thought I was going to break the sizer handle. They went back into the pot.

 

[freebullet]

If that happens again you could anneal them. 400 for an hour then air cool they'll be about as soft as they can be. Might be faster than a recast.

 

[Ben]

Tried sizing a half dozen of them and thought I was going to break the sizer handle. They went back into the pot.

I was casting some 30's a few days ago.
Wanted to quickly check the nose dia. of the bullets coming from the mould.
Took a freshly cast bullet and dropped it into cold water.

Brought it inside and miked it and tried to push it through a .311 Lee Push through sizer.
Yes, that is tough to do.
I had to really get on the end of the handle to get that bullet through the sizer die.
Ben

 

[Brad]

That is when a Lee push thru gets used for the majority of the sizing. Your loading press laughs at the effort required, your sizer breaks

 

[Ben]

I can easily see how a Lyman 45 could be broken with a bullet as hard as what I was sizing .

Ben

 

[KHornet]

That is why I only use the 45 for 22's & 6MM, and size and lube on same day. Great little lube sizer, but like all things it has its limitations.

 

[Ben]

Yes, I've seen several Lyman 45 handles that have been broken.

 

[Stonecrusher]

A question for Ben. I have been using Ben's Red for about and year and really like it. My batch came out looking just like yours. After I melt it and pour it into my 450 when I lube the bullets the color is very light with a bare tinge of pink even in deep lube grooves. Does yours not lighten in the sizer or do you photoshop your pics with the pretty red lube in the grooves. I know it doesn't matter because the performance is there, I am just curious.

 

[35 shooter]

KHornet,

I predict your going to love Ben's Red's performance.

 

[Ben]

Stonecrusher,

The color of Ben's Red can be affected by the color of the beeswax and the EXACT proportions of each of the sub components in the lube. If it is overheated , it will also develop a brown / burgundy color and often times an unpleasant odor. If that condition displays itself , it has not been made as per the instructions. The lube was allowed to get way too hot.

Like you've said..........the performance is there regardless of subtle coloration differences.
I've made batches of Ben's Red that leaned more towards pink than red, however the targets down range looked the same, regardless of the color.

My photos are not run through Photo Shop.

Ben

 

[Stonecrusher]

I was joking about th photoshop. Your looks as dark as Carnauba Red.

 

[Ben]

Most of the color comes from the red dye pigment in the Lucas Red and Tacky.

 

[Stonecrusher]

Thanks Ben. My batch looks as dark as yours but after applying to bullets with lubesizer the color looks just like 50/50. Just curious where the color went.

 

[JWFilips]

There is a big color difference created by the Beewax factor. My early batches of Ben Red were made with "County Fair Beeswax" That being well cleaned & flltered no doubt. Because it was being sold to the fair goers Nice bright yellow (and it was pure beeswax) I also have a stock of pure bee's wax bars that are sold in bulk they are a brown color like "Octagon soap" (oh geeze now I'm showing my age!) The Brighter yellow the wax the brighter red the lube. The duller and darker the wax the more burgundy brown the lube.

OBSERVATION Report: This morning after sitting in the pot for about 20 hours I do notice that there is a difference in "Full stick of Lucas Red and Tacky formulae" posted earlier in this thread and the old traditional Ben's way of % Volume This is the first time I made it different from Ben's "gradated pot" method and I do have to say it yields a slight harder lube!
Being a traditionalist; I now wish I just went the old way using my smaller gradated pot! I really doubt that it will matter much but it just bugs me when something like that changes!

 

[JWFilips]

Stonecrusher,
Many times the intensity of the color is also dependent on the depth of the lube grooves. On some of my bulletmould bullets the lube can look lighter pink (almost faded) especially when I use it on a tumble lube design bullet
Jim