Official cosmoline removal thread.

[TrickyNicky]

So after a bit of searching I've found a few threads about removing this gunk but figured it might be cool to have a go to place for posting up ideas and tips and what not. Good idea? Maybe worthy of getting pinned to the top of the C&R page?

Anyway, after a bit of reading it seems there are a few different ways alot of folks are doing this.

1. Gasoline/Kerosene- removing all metal bits and soaking them for anywhere from a few hours to over night and blowing out the refuse with an air compressor. People seem to either love or hate this method, one things for sure, you NEED adequate ventilation if your going this route. In fact you might even be better off doing this outside.

2. Boiling water with simple green/ degreaser/ dishwasher soap- Same as above, strip off all metal parts, place them in a tub and let em soak. What you want to do this time is keep that water HOT! Adding new water or replacing as neccasery to keep it as hot as you can, as long as you can. This one is going to need some relatively frequent checking to keep the temps up but may a good option if your in an apartment or somewhere else with limited space.

3. Mineral spirits/paint thinner- very similar in theory to gasoline exept you use less and utilize a paint brush to spread the the solution around the metal parts.

4. Heat gun/handheld steamer- this is pretty neat, using bits of wire or coat hanger hang you metal and wood pieces over a bin and use the heat to melt the cosmoline off. May take awhile but this seems like a good idea for the stock, be sure to keep the gun a little ways away from the wood and keep it moving a bit to keep from scorching the wood. Make sure the bin is under the parts being worked on unless you want 50-70 year old gunk on your floor or lawn.

5. Oven- this seems like the riskiest of them all to me but apparently some people do it and swear by it. The first thing youll want to is wrap the oven racks in foil making a lip aroumd the edges to collect all that cosmoline and keep it off your oven floor. Pre heat your oven to desired temp, I believe around 200-250 degrees is what I've read on this. Place your metal bits over a heat resistant tray, chuck them in the oven for a few hours and blast the gunk out with a compressor after the parts have cooled but before they get cold. Apparently stinks up your house and upsets the wife.

So there we have it, five very different ways to accomplish a goal that's left more than one person scratching their heads.

Which one works best is probably in the eye of the beholder so to speak so try whichever ones suits your fancy and you'll know which suits you best.

On a side note, some of the above methods make use of some noxious chemicals, be sure to do more research on the correct handling and use before diving in.

For that matter you will probably find more detailed information on any of the methods above by doing a quick Internet search, this is mearely intended to give people an idea on the various ways to rid your old/new weapons of the slimy yellow crud that is cosmoline.

Hopefully this thread gains some momentum and some people here with some first hand experience are willing to share other methods or more complete walkthroughs on the above.

[pcrc11]

I wrap the stocks in paper towels, then wrap tightly in a black plastic garbage bag and put on the dashboard of my truck for a day in so in the sun. Then wipe down with mineral spirits. Seems to get most of out of the stock although I dont think you can ever get it all out. Heat gun and mineral spirits for the metal parts.

[gjohnsoniv]

^^This.

[Guest pfries]

I strip the metal parts off and use brake cleaner on them

[Murgatroy]

I have been using the hand held steamer method, my favorite so far.

[DMark]

Mineral Spirits.

[R1100R]

A steamer to start with then Mineral Spirits.

[TrickyNicky]

A steamer to start with then Mineral Spirits.

That's funny, I did just the opposite last night. Bathed a mosin using a brush to knock out the bulk of the crud then hung it up and used the steamer to blast out even more. Maybe I did it backwards but the results where good so whatever.

For the wood I used murphys oil soap mixed a bit heavy and a green Brillo pad sponge thing. Seemed to work ok, but I think I need to blast it with the heat gun first next time it's all taken apart then wash it off.

[Jonnin]

what did I miss? I used a roll of paper towels and a box of q tips, got it out of the barrel/chamber/bolt and magazine (internal not detachable) and the gun was good to shoot. If there is still a smear on something, it keeps the rust away.

[dou44]

break cleaner on the metal parts hair dryer on high on the wood

[peejman]

I think there's 2 different goals with removing cosmoline. The first goal is to simple remove enough so that the gun will function and not get you greasy when you shoot it. The second goal is more akin to refinishing the wood and detailing all the metal parts to make it "pretty" again. I've got one that's still pretty greasy and needs the paper towel/plastic bag treatment. I've got another that's received the full refinish (bought that way). Just depends on what you want.

[Guest rebeldrummer]

all of the above work...i use a few different methods.

just depends on how much time i have and what supplies i have readily available.

[Caster]

I never got into cleaning it out completely because I just don't see the need to. Cleaning out the works is easy, and I always wiped the stock off with acetone after shooting. Get it hot again, it bleeds a little, wipe again. Cleaning out the inletted parts of the stock makes no sense because you can't see it, it stops rust, so I just leave it be.

[SonnyCrockett]

I have an auto parts washer in my shop,nothing is better IMO

but if you need cans of solvent BrakeClean works also

[Guest HvyMtl]

Hmm. The trash bag thing works. I also use Murphy's oil to clean the stock afterwords, the dirt gets removed, does not damage the wood.

[TrickyNicky]

Just bumping this up in case it can be of any help or anyone wants to add anything.

[ironsniper1]

i have watched different youtube videos and one person used 180 degree water (with nothing in it) on the metal and stock to remove it all dont know if it messed up the stock any though Edited November 10, 2012 by luke9511

[TrickyNicky]

I'm leary of introducing that much water to the wood, seems Ike it could warp but then again I'm sure most of these things have seen their fare share of water, mud, blood and who knows what, so who knows.

[ironsniper1]

[quote name='TrickyNicky' timestamp='1352550845' post='843000']
I'm leary of introducing that much water to the wood, seems Ike it could warp but then again I'm sure most of these things have seen their fare share of water, mud, blood and who knows what, so who knows.
[/quote]i posted a question on the video asking if it did anything to the stock now im just waiting for a reply

[bajabuc]

Wrapped it papertowels and stuck it in my car for a couple days. Only works in the summer.

[ironsniper1]

[quote name='bajabuc' timestamp='1352552133' post='843006']
Wrapped it papertowels and stuck it in my car for a couple days. Only works in the summer.
[/quote]yeah mine is going to be a winter project lol

[ironsniper1]

[quote name='luke9511' timestamp='1352551468' post='843002']
i posted a question on the video asking if it did anything to the stock now im just waiting for a reply
[/quote]got a reply back the person is socalpreppers if you know who that is and he said it did nothing to the stock dont know if i would try or not but you never know

[enfield]

I used an automotive degreasing tank on the metal parts.

[TrickyNicky]

Yeah wish I still had my parts washer that would definitely come in handy for the cleanups.

[bajabuc]

when I removed my finish...I found out that re-arsenaled can include wood putty. My stock looked like it had been infested by mice...and they were hungry.