Cosmoline removal ??

[Tylden]

I picked up a Russian Mosin Nagant M44 carbine today that's in pretty good shape considering it's been through a war Anyhow, I'm hoping to come up with some suggestions on how I should clean the rifle and remove the 50+ year old cosmoline. Does anyone know the best solvents to break this stuff down without doing any harm to the bluing and stocks ? I guess there is always good old fashioned elbow grease, but I was hoping to find an easier way. Any suggestions please ??

 

[AndyC]

Paintbrush and gasoline, turpentine, mineral spirits - all will dissolve cosmo, but the usual warnings apply re flammable liquids

 

[pacodelahoya]

I like Marvels mystery oil and a tooth brush.. Let it sit a little while and it takes it right off without hurting the stock. It smells nice and is relatively inexpensive.

 

[Tylden]

Thanks for the tips ! I'd much rather work smart when it comes to cleaning this petrified funk, and I didn't want to take the chance on anything that might damage the rifle. Afterall, I spent the hefty sum of $79.95 for the rifle (complete with accessories) and another $42 for 300 rounds of ammo that appears to have spent the last half century buried in a field somewhere in Bulgaria lol ....pretty sweet package for $129 out the door though, and a nice little piece of history to boot Thanks again....now its off to the basement for disassembly, soaking, and scrubbing.

 

[10-Ring]

Outside, well vented w/ basic precautions nearby...also kerosene in a bucket and just soak your parts until clean.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

Heat (180-200F) works wonders for the wood and metal. Watch it if you use an oven--the stuff will flare up and smoke. Great results though. My yugo sks stock did 3 hours at 185 being wiped every 15 min. I also did some smaller metal pieces this way in a turkey pan BEFORE soaking in mineral spirits. This let the solvent get to the really gummy center of the old mess more efficiently. Have fun!

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

Mineral spirits or Kerosene work great.

I use a heat gun to melt off the majority of the cosmoline and wipe down all of the parts with rags and/or paper towels.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

Also, some guys have said there are steam/heat guns from the hardware store that will help. I'd not over heat the wood but the metal would be fine into a few hundred degrees. I like heat better than solvent for cosmo. SOmebody went into detail on here in the past and explained the logic is that you are doing a reverse process of how the cosmo was firt applied--as a hot liquid.

 

[joneb]

I've boiled SKS strip clips in water to remove cosmoline, it acts like wax just let the pot cool and remove the cosmo

 

[MCgunner]

I would not remove Cosmoline, he's one of my favorite posters.

 

[adaman04]

Here's a little tidbit from my buddy Old Painless.

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

 

[Spiggy]

scunci steamer on the metal parts for me

if you want, you can build a gun gravy generator out of lightbulbs and an aluminium trashcan, I believe the article can be found on surplusrifle.com with instructions on building it.

 

[thales]

*

I would not remove Cosmoline, he's one of my favorite posters.

Cosmoline lives in Alaska, right? Further proof that heat is an excellent way of removing cosmoline.


*

 

[Limeyfellow]

Steam, hot water and mineral spirits work great on the metal parts. On the wooden stock I like to use really hot (near boiling) water and it melts the cosmoline and gets out the nasty stuff out the stock. Then its a matter of reoiling with BLO, tung oil or shallack or whatever you want to use. If you want to strip the stock all the way down you can always use oven cleaner on it. Leave it to soak and then wipe off the offset and let it dry.

 

[Cosmoline]

Thanks for those votes of support. I don't get any respect! Yes, heat works, both for me and my namesake

The metal is easy. The wood can be MUCH more difficult. The @#$# stuff will soak deep into the grain and weaken the wood. I've found a slow melt will be kinder to stock wood than the chemical treatments. The cat litter in a garbage bag in the hot sun is about ideal.

 

[BsChoy]

I liked 170 to 180degrees in an oven with the door cracked to watch closely. Put a layer of tun foil down and bend the edges up to catch the cosmo run off. Wipe down occassionally with alcohol or similar (I used rubbing alcohol as it evaporates quickly and doesn't burn too long or hot if it does flare)

 

[ScottsGT]

Someone once posted to stick your stock in the dishwasher.
DON'T DO IT!
Ask me how I know.....All I'm saying is that I spent the weekend cleaning our 1 year old dishwasher. Simple Green wouldn't cut it, Purple Power wouldn't cut it, bleach wouldn't cut it, Soft Scrub with bleach wouldn't cut it. Last resort, Tide Laundry detergent mixed with a small ammount of water to form a paste. Sponged it on, let it set and then scrubbed it with a scrung pad and a tooth brush in the tight corners.
I'm betting the same mix would work great for a stock or any metal parts.

 

[dolanp]

Non-chlorinated brake parts cleaner in an aerosol can is very effective at getting it out of nooks and crannies. It will evaporate off and leave the metal dry (and you'd protect it with CLP or whatever once you were done cleaning of course). It's like $1-2 at Walmart last I checked. Mineral spirits is good for soaking little parts in to loosen it up, then you can spray it off with the brake parts cleaner.

The oven method is good for wooden stocks. It will stink up your house though.

 

[MrDig]

Why what did cosmo do?
Sorry try steaming it off, and or using paint thinner to refinish the whole dang thing/

 

[igorts]

cleaned up my SKS with kerosin and hot sun after...

 

[Bentonville]

Homer Formby's Lemon Oil Furniture Treatment ( I believe that's the right name) worked really well on the wood of my two SKS rifles without any changing of the wood color. WD40 on the metal, Gun Scrubber on non-blued parts like the inside of the bolt, fp, etc. Lots of paper towels and lots of patience and time. Some folks put the various parts on pans and put in the oven at a very low heat to soften and melt the cosmoline then clean it up.

 

[Janos Dracwlya]

I disassemble the weapon and put all of the metal parts into a bathtub full of the hottest water I can manage (which is pretty hot because we have our water heater set a bit high). I use either dish soap or Simple Green in the water. After letting the parts soak for a few, I pull them out and scrub them with a toothbrush onto which I have sprayed more dish soap or Simple Green. Then I throw them back in and repeat.

When I've washed everything twice, I take the receiver and barrel outside and wipe it down then spray out the nooks and crannies with compressed air. After that, I run a WD-40 soaked patch down the barrel, followed by a few dry patches to remove the WD-40, followed by a patch soaked in Ballistol.

I dry the rest of the parts first with the compressed air and then by hand and lightly oil them with Ballistol.

For the stock, I have a Scunci steam gun. I usually go over the wood twice, steaming and scrubbing an area with one of the plastic brushes and then wiping the area down with a cloth. That's followed up by whatever treatment I think the individual stock requires.

I've had some luck with the Scunci on cosmoline on the gun, but the bath tub seems a little more thorough..

Now that the gun is clean, dry and oiled, I put the parts away and leave the stock in a corner for a day or so to make sure it is dry from the steaming. I return to the bathroom and - VERY IMPORTANT - use foaming cleaner and a scrub brush on the bathtub so my wife won't kill me.

 

[MCgunner]

The cat litter in a garbage bag in the hot sun is about ideal.

Hot sun in Alaska???? Send it down here in August and I can clean it that way in about 5 minutes....while I watch it through the window in the AC drinkin' a cold Shiner...

 

[BobMcG]

Yup, brake cleaner works well but use well vented, and I've been told oven cleaner works too but I haven't tried it myself. Not that it's cheap to use but I'd be willing to bet Gun Scrubber would work well too if that's what you had on hand.

 

[CU74]

BCR Kit

My Basic Cosmoline Removal Kit is a hand-held steamer, lacquer thinner, brake cleanerand old toothbrushes - plus lots of paper towels and old tee-shirts. The BCR Kit should come with every C&R license..............