A story and a question on cleaning cosmoline

[12guagecody]

Well visiting with family this thanksgiving talk of guns came up and my uncle offered to show me a rifle that my grandfather had owned. my grandfather died in 1997 when i was six years old so i never really went shooting with him. i really miss him.
so we headed over to my uncles house and he brought the rifle out. a norinco sks in a synthetic stock. in perfect condition. and i mean perfect. my grandfather had purchased it around late '96 early '97, he wanted to shoot it with my uncle but my uncle didnt make the time, thinking he would be around longer. so when my grandfather past it had never been shot, and now 13 years later it still hasnt been shot.
I love my norinco sks, and i'm building one as a surprise for my brother for this christmas. i feel a connection to my grandfather knowing he liked the sks too.
so here is the question, the gun is FULL of cosmoline, i've never gotten a surplus rifle with cosmoline ( i generally buy from individuals and shows) so whats the best process for cleaning the cosmo out??? thanks guys!

 

[blackrussian]

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu23.htm

 

[PT1911]

HOTTT water and dawn dish soap along with a cleaning rod and tight patch.

 

[GBExpat]

First step, take the metal out of the wood and over a large trashcan with a new plastic liner bag in it and some newspapers in the bottom, melt out MOST of the cosmo by heating the metal with a hairdryer.

After streaming-off most of it, you can remove the rest in various ways ... I prefer a mineral spirits bath for the purpose.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

... I prefer a mineral spirits bath for the purpose.

Same here. I prefer ODORLESS mineral spirits.

HOTTT water and dawn dish soap

This is good as well.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Cleaning cosmo...

12 Gauge Cody--For large general cleaning of cosmoline from metal you have been given good advice. For getting into nooks and crannies--again, in METAL, a spray can of non-chlorinated brake cleaner works really well. Birchwood Casey's Gun Scrubber is the same thing, only pricier.

Use the brake cleaner outdoors--the fumes aren't good for you. Don't use the brake cleaner on wood--it'll probably remove the finish, and damage the wood underneath.

One place on an SKS to clean very carefully is the firing pin channel in the bolt. The firing pin must be able to move very freely in its channel, so clean that well. The penalty for having a stuck firing pin in an SKS (or any autoloading cartridge-firing weapon without a firing pin return spring) is slam-fires, i.e. the weapon turns itself into a machine gun, and keeps firing until it either runs out of ammo or jams.

So you keep the firing pin channel CLEAN!!! There are 2 schools of thought about lubricating the firing pin in its channel. One school says, leave it dry. The other says, use very light oil, like sewing machine oil or Kroil. Either way, the firing pin must be free to move back and forth of its own weight as you tilt the SKS up and down, while watching the firing pin hole in the bolt face. If the firing pin does so move, then you are good to go. Should the firing pin stick, even a little, it's time for firing-pin-channel cleaning. But mebbe you knew all this anyhow.

It's very nice that you have this SKS connection w/yr grandfather!

 

[Jeremy2171]

A hair dryer or paint strip gun will work wonders for the "initial" cleaning. Hang the action from a coat hanger and work your way from the top down. You will get about 99% of the cosmo off if you take your time and keep it hot! Be sure to catch the cosmo in a jar/can in case you need it later.

 

[GBExpat]

Same here. I prefer ODORLESS mineral spirits.

Same here ... in the basement I have the low odor variety but in the garage, regular, due to the price difference.


I have used a paint strip gun also, but I found that you must pay much more attention to what you are doing ... things will get very hot very fast ... o'course it DOES speed the process.

Whatever you do, do not be tempted to use a paint strip gun to remove cosmo slathered on wood ... stick with a hair dryer unless you want to be cursing yourself for the charred spot(s) ... and, worst case, the "charred spot" may be where your house used to be ...

 

[MrOldLude]

and, worst case, the "charred spot" may be where your house used to be ...

If someone is somehow stupid enough to somehow burn down their from misusing a heat-gun, they don't deserve a house, much less life.

 

[Jeff H]

Its hard to beat boiling water.

Disassemble the bolt, trigger and anything else you can get off of the gun. Put them in a pan full of water and put it on the grill for 1/2 hour or so. Then take a couple of tea pots of boiling water and run it through the inside and outside of the barrel/receiver. Finally, just run patches through the bore with a little Hoppes until they come out clean. For the stock, I used mineral spirits.

The last one I did (a Mosin) was completely cleaned up in about 45 minutes.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

If someone is somehow stupid enough

A first time user of a heat gun may not be aware of just how hot a heat gun can get and how quickly it can get that way. If using a very flammable solvent to remove cosmolene a person could VERY QUICKLY find themselves in a hot situation. It would be ignorance of the capability of the equipment not stupidity.

 

[MrOldLude]

A first time user of a heat gun may not be aware of just how hot a heat gun can get and how quickly it can get that way. If using a very flammable solvent to remove cosmolene a person could VERY QUICKLY find themselves in a hot situation. It would be ignorance of the capability of the equipment not stupidity.

So by that rationale, it's okay to accidentally shooting someone because they weren't aware of the firearms capability to kill or maim.

Admit it. What have you set on fire with a heat-gun?

 

[longdayjake]

I have done a lot of cosmo covered guns. One thing that I have learned from trying several methods of getting cosmo off of stuff is that after you have used break cleaner, steam heat, mineral spirits, etc. there will still be a lot of cosmo in the wood. I have found that the only way to clean the wood for good is to put it through the dishwasher. Even then, it can take a couple of times through the dishwasher to clean it well. Once clean it will need a light sanding and some BLO or your choice of finish.

There will be many folks that say the dishwasher method is unwise because it can crack the wood or it will dirty up your dishwasher. I have done quite a few in the dishwasher now and I have yet to get a crack in the wood. I only do it after I have cleaned as much cosmo off as possible so I doubt there was that much cosmo to dirty up my dishwasher or plumbing. Just be wise and it will work well for you.

 

[Cosmoline]

Very hot water for the metal parts is the best method I know. I have no idea why folks are tempted to use the toxic chemicals for the job. Wood can be trickier, but

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Admit it. What have you set on fire with a heat-gun?

I've never set anything ablaze with one but I have melted paint off and blistered my hand by inadvertantly touching the metal. A heat gun on high setting can easily set wood soaked in a flammable liquid afire. All it takes is a little carelessness. I have used a heat gun to solder with,it gets plenty hot.