AK Mags and Cosmoline

[shotgunshooter]

So I bought some AK mags and they are covered in cosmoline. The damn things are coated in it. Is the best way to remove the cosmoline in and on the mags to use mineral spirits or to put them in an oven? I haven't had to mess with cosmoline yet and I need some guidance.

[Garufa]

I cleaned up a batch several years ago with mineral spirits as I really didn't want to handle a bunch of hot, fresh from the oven magazines.

[Ron Padilla]

Alcohol might work or get some citrus degreaser

[cj0e]

Soak em in mineral spirits works well enough, you can also just soak in hot water.

[monkeylizard]

Mineral spirits will cut it. I cleaned some up using hot water and degreaser. Followed up with a spraying of CLP and a wipe down. Done.

Edited October 13, 2015 by monkeylizard

[MP5_Rizzo]

A gallon of kerosene or enough in a plastic container to cover the magazines and let them sit over night.  Mineral Spirits works too.

[Oh Shoot]

Disassemble, douche with brake cleaner, wipe: works for me.

 

And unlike any other mags, I coat them with CLP and wipe afterwards.

 

- OS

[peejman]

Simple Green and hot water.

[Hershmeister]

Disassemble, douche with brake cleaner, wipe: works for me.

And unlike any other mags, I coat them with CLP and wipe afterwards.

- OS

Be careful with brake cleaner on painted metal. Good chance it will strip the paint

[shotgunshooter]

Thanks guys. I'll be doing the disassembly this weekend and will be painting them sometime next week with Krylon.

[Mike.357]

Greased Lightning has worked for me.

[monkeylizard]

Be careful with brake cleaner on painted metal. Good chance it will strip the paint

 

Yep. Got to keep those milsurp AK mags looking mint.  :rofl:

 

Simple Green can strip paint too. The trick is to not let it sit. Just hit it and clean it. Follow up with CLP, etc. and call it a day.

Edited October 14, 2015 by monkeylizard

[Shepherd Master]

We used to take 3" or 4" PVC tubes with caps at each end, place parts kit inside with 1/2 gal spirits and seal it up. Throw the tube in the back of the truck for a day of driving around, comes out squeaky clean.

[Bill4282]

I seem to remember in the Corps we just dropped all our cosmoline parts in a trashcan of boiling water for about three minutes, boiled off the cosmoline, rinsed with hot water and lubed. A dutch oven on the stove would serve rhe same purpose I suppose.

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[Oh Shoot]

Yep. Got to keep those milsurp AK mags looking mint.  :rofl:

 

Simple Green can strip paint too. The trick is to not let it sit. Just hit it and clean it. Follow up with CLP, etc. and call it a day.

 

Yeah, I've never seen any paint come off of them myself. The brake cleaner evaporates PDQ really. I use on most all my firearms now and then too.

 

- OS

Edited October 15, 2015 by Oh Shoot

[Monkeyman2500]

Boil them in water. I like to use an older pot that I only use for this.

[viscero]

Already been said but disassemble the mags, soak in mineral spirits, rinse with hot water, DRY COMPLETELY(air compressor helps here), wd-40 or CLP liberally(use of air compressor again to get it into all the crevices), wipe off excess wd-40 or CLP, finally re-assemble and store somewhere cool and dry if possible.  Check for surface rust in a couple of days just in case you didn't get them completely dry.

Edited October 16, 2015 by viscero

[monkeylizard]

Yeah, I've never seen any paint come off of them myself. The brake cleaner evaporates PDQ really. I use on most all my firearms now and then too.

 

- OS

 

Me either, but I've never let them soak in the Simple Green. I just disassemble them, drop the parts in a bucket of hot water and Simple Green, scrub, dunk in a bucket of clean hot water to rinse, dry, spray with CLP, reassemble, done.

Edited October 16, 2015 by monkeylizard