Best Cosmoline remover.

[Benzman]

Hi folks, Just goit a SKS from J and G. What is the best way to expedite removal of cosmoline? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[yellowsled]

I just took a few hours and took mine apart, wiped it off, then cleaned with hops. Oiled after.

Or you can put on a foil hat, and dance around it while it is stashed inside a trash can on your front lawn.

 

[Mdeng]

For the metal, use a good automotive parts washer. Not Carb Cleaner, any costic chemical cleaner may remove the finish. So an engine degreaser should do the trick.

For the wood the only thing I found to really remove the cosmoline is heat. Not a lot but enough to make the cosmoline liquify but not smoke. With the outside temps reaching into the 80's today put the stock wrapped in paper towel into a large black plastic bag. Place it on the dash of your car with the windows rolled up and the car parked in the sun. Every few hours change the paper towel and wipe the stock down. You may have to do this several times to get most of the cosmoline out of the wood.

It may be suggested by others to use oven cleaner. While this may work, it will dry out the wood and possibly cause damage. I do not recommend it.

Mdeng

 

[Atlasarmory]

You could start by wrapping it it some news paper and a black trash bag put it out in the sun. impromptu cosmo oven

 

[Darkemp]

If you want to speed up the process to about an hour or so (after full disassembly) I'd recommend boiling the small parts (cosmoline falls off and rises to the top in a minute or two), then using a portable steamer on the receiver/ barrel. Works every time quickly, just be sure to oil generously afterwards.

 

[NathanJ]

I used mean green to clean my Enfield's metal and the cosmoline soaked wood I put in the dishwasher under high heat. Came out clean as hell and didn't damage the wood.

 

[mvee]

Paint thinner and mineral spirits dissolve cosmolene well.

 

[lx1x]

For the metal, use a good automotive parts washer. Not Carb Cleaner, any costic chemical cleaner may remove the finish. So an engine degreaser should do the trick.

For the wood the only thing I found to really remove the cosmoline is heat. Not a lot but enough to make the cosmoline liquify but not smoke. With the outside temps reaching into the 80's today put the stock wrapped in paper towel into a large black plastic bag. Place it on the dash of your car with the windows rolled up and the car parked in the sun. Every few hours change the paper towel and wipe the stock down. You may have to do this several times to get most of the cosmoline out of the wood.

It may be suggested by others to use oven cleaner. While this may work, it will dry out the wood and possibly cause damage. I do not recommend it.

Mdeng

im going to try it this way..

saw one guy on youtube most of his metal pieces went to oven at 200deg. for 30 min.

 

[Boondock Saint]

Lots of threads on this.

Mineral spirits and a light brushing for the metal parts works for me. For a larger piece, like a barreled receiver, I have a piece of PVC capped at one end. Slide the barreled receiver in there and dump in enough very hot (not boiling) water to cover it. Cosmo melts right off and the metal dries very fast once removed.

For wood, low/slow heat is best. Steam cleaners help for tough to reach areas. An oven or dishwasher might work if you're not married and/or like your home and food to taste like cosmo. Oven cleaner will absolutely do the trick, but it'll also remove or severely damage the finish.

 

[Neot]

Paint thinner and mineral spirits dissolve cosmolene well.

This . Also, as said earlier heat will help get the cosmoline out of the stock. However it's goin to bleed for a while until you use a good amount of heat. I thought I got it all out and after the first range session it still bled some out. I decided to take a heat gun and carefully put it to the stock and you would be amazed at the amount of cosmoline still in there. Also I hear that steam guns work well.

 

[shaddydan]

Small pieces....gun parts soup! Hot water is the best!

 

[WatTyler]

Boiling - good for small stuff. Dry heat - good for big stuff. But for all kinds of metal (NOT wood), my quick and dirty go-to is brake cleaner. Different from carb cleaner. Loosens everything up so you can get every last speck. And an air compressor, if you have one, is great for blowing the loose gook out of sight bases and the like. Check your metal first to make sure it's blued and isn't just painted with that black stove paint that's sometimes found on Mosin Nagants. Brake cleaner will eat paint. And wear goggles when you spray it - you do not want this in your eyes..

 

[Karl/PA]

 

[JOBU]

Gasoline

 

[Darkemp]

Gasoline

Add a match and it'll work even quicker...

 

[john_bud]

I use a plastic container with a tight lid with lacquer thinner in it for the metal parts. Let sit for a couple days.

Wrap wood parts in paper towels and put in black plastic.

Some guys hang them over a metal pan in the attic for a couple weeks in the summer.

 

[MikeTF]

Gasoline

you beat me to it!

 

[Tanker_Super]

You could start by wrapping it it some news paper and a black trash bag put it out in the sun. impromptu cosmo oven

+1

 

[jtarpley59]

I know this sounds wired, but I boil guns packed in cosmo. For my SKS I used my turkey fryer with water and soap pulled them out oiled them down with some 3 in 1 oil and then cleaned it normally.

 

[Superreverb]

I've had excellent luck using kerosene (it's cheaper than mineral spirits). When I received my 1918 belt loader it looked more like a solid block of cosmo than a loader. I soaked the parts in a bucket of kerosene and worked on them with a popsicle stick and some rags. Had the thing completely cosmo-free in about 20-mins.

YMMV, of course.