Tokarev Cleaning

[Zero19]

M57 Tokarev, Cosmo special

After several boiling water baths and heated ultrasonic cleanings with various cleaners the end result isn't what I expected. While in direct light the finish seems to have a cosmo/light rusting redish tint to it as if the cosmo is still in the deep in the surface metal. It almost looks as if the entire gun is starting to get that light red rust event though after all the cleanings I slowly and firmly rubbed CLP all over it.

Is there anything I can do to make the finish more black and original especially in direct sunlight?
Is it safe to lightly run over it with some 0000 steel wool without damaging or scratching the finish?

 

[MihiT]

Red rust bad. Black rust good. Oil better.

 

[GBExpat]

Welcome to THR, Zero19!

I am Old School, so I would start by scubbing & re-cleaning the entire thing (not with steel wool, btw) with something like Mineral Spirits, dry it, then oil oil and see how it looks.

I have a few of the TT-33s and Variants. They are a lot of fun ... and concealable (the -33s more than the -57).

FWIW.

 

[Zero19]

Sorry its taken so long, in the middle of some major house repairs.
UPDATE- I gave it a quick bath in mineral spirits, using 3 different types of brush, a scrub pad & microfiber cloth. Then hit it with a water & simple green scrubbing and ultrasonic cleaning. Air dried with my air compressor and more microfiber. After I a combo on different parts of the gun to see which worked best, CLP or Hoppes. I put some of both on a fresh cut up T-shirt & Microfiber and rubbed it all over until my thumb got a small blister.

It did seem to lighten the coloring more to the original finish but the redish tint is still there, mainly toward the muzzle end. I took it to my coating guy who said hes seen this before from old imports that were never issued and spent almost all their life in cosmoline. As if its soaked into the metal itself and will only come out with repeated use(heating it up) and heavy cleaning after. He said its like when your trying to get all the cosmo out the a wood stock and sometimes have to take it to the range and the heat from the gun causes the leftover to slowly leak out of the wood. Ive had that happen on a couple different guns with old stocks but never with metal so Im a little on the fence of if its accurate. Only time will tell I guess.

Now the only problem is getting the magazine issue fixed before it can go to the range and this theory can be tested. If I can get another one soon or mine fixed Ill post before and after pics.

I do appreciate the responses and suggestions. I'm new to guns like this(older, cosmo specials, imports ect)