Sign up for our newsletter and stay up to date, Blowback Operated Guns: Way More Than You Need To Know, CZ-457 Accuracy: The Most Affordable Way to Accurize Your CZ, How to Clean and Lube an Over/Under Shotgun, The Complete History of the Lyman Alaskan Scope, Gun Bluing Basics: All of the Methods Gunsmiths Use. I bake all the stocks in a long homemade oven I made. Author: Marie Sonder But its a background process that you can mostly leave alone outside of hitting the timer again once its finished a round of cleaning. Many gunsmiths actually use it to cure or set a freshly blued gun. OMS, odorless mineral spirits for me, too. 2 When all the parts have been cleaned they must be treated with oil to prevent corrosion. All content Copyright 1998-2018 Rifleshooter.com, FTC disclosure: some links on this site are monetized, Sig Sauer MCX Virtus PCP Air Rifle Review- Initial Impressions, Project Guns- Gunsmithing articles and posts, Ruger Precision Rifle Suppressed Load Development: Hornady 147 ELD-Match and H4350 with THUNDER CHICKEN, Wilson Combats Tactical Rail Interface, Modular (T.R.I.M.) Press J to jump to the feed. Reassemble the gun, perform a functions test to make sure that everything feels right and is operating correctly, and youre basically done! Cosmoline can be dipped or brushed onto the firearm at temperatures between 140 and 160 degrees F. While it can be dipped into hotter melts it's not necessary and is done, generally, to allow more firearms to be dipped without cooling the liquid. 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. I've tried various methods in the past, none of which seemed to work particularly well. Seems to take off anything, including paint spatters without harming the finish at all. Re: Cosmoline removal Ford & Pontiac used alot of Cosmoline back in the 80`s & 90`s to protect the car from transit contaminants. Heat is an extremely effective way of removing cosmoline. Thanks! For the metal, I used a hot water/Simple Green mixture, supplemented by automotive brake cleaner. Before I do anything I'll regret, can anyone give me a definitive ruling on the best way to clean cosmoline off metal/wood? In addition, dish soap and water can remove the excess residues in your weapon too. All ultrasonic cleaners are made in the same factory in the PRC. Then reassemble and enjoy boom. jumpscare links to send to friends; elliptical orbit simulator; babolat ambassador program. Subscribe to Pew Pew Tactical's sales and deals email. Title: Original Cosmoline That will do the cleaning with no damage to the wood or original oil finish. This is how to remove cosmoline in the most effective and efficient manner from your newly-acquired Moist Nugget or other military surplus firearm. Harsh chemical solvents that could strip paint, finishes, or other aesthetic/functional coatings from the guns surface. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. story somewhere on the interwebs (possible urban legend) about some guys during the Battle of the Bulge in WWII who were assigned to strip cosmoline off M2 .50 cal. * SCAQMD -This product is not to be used in California's South Coast Air Quality Management District because it does not comply with Rule 1144. Oven cleaner works well.have used it a number of times. Cosmoline Removal Wd40 ; Conclusion ; What Removes Cosmoline? However, after three days in salt water, the metal strip was completely rusted, except the top. . WD40 pwnz cosmoline. Was thinking of boiling in dish detergent water. Suspend stock in pipe using a wire coat hanger, rest blow dryer on either the top or cut a hole in the bottom then set to low heat high fan setting (Don't let the heat in the pipe get over ~165 Fahrenheit due to shellac having a low melting point). This post is brought to you in collaboration with Old Steel Historical Firearms, located in Littleton, Colorado. Of course, after the wash and rinse process of cleaning, the firearm needs to be dry. If youve lucked out and scored a surplus rifle with some relatively light cosmo packing, you can probably jump ahead to cleaning the individual components, but for us, step 1 was wiping away what external grease was easily accessible with some basic shop rags. We finally discovered the quickest way to remove the cosmoline was to fill up a teapot with water, bring to boil, then slowly pour the boiling water onto the SKS. Works great. We use mineral spirits in the shop to remove cosmoline. Had some residual cosmoline on a receiver that came off surprisingly well last weekend with HOT water, near boiling temp. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. It may not display this or other websites correctly. All prices are in USD. They were nasty rascals and I had to get creative about decrapping them. For the detail areas i use tooth brushes/ q tips. Cosmoline - in my experience - is stronger, but the cost per can . This is obviously going to be one of the more critical parts of your cosmoline cleaning voyage, as any residue buildup you dont address is going to negatively affect the accuracy of the rifle once you get it out to the range. Despite being virtually entirely made up of hydrocarbons, the composition varies depending on the crude oil source. Cosmoline is a petroleum-based, grease-like rust inhibitor, that is typically used on firearms that are going into long term storage. Gather The Things You'll Need The first step you need to do is to gather the things you'll need for this cosmoline removal. I'll do better next time. Cosmoline does an excellent job of preventing corrosion and preserving metal parts. Here's one of the several main versions of cosmoline in an aerosol. (, We noticed that you have previously logged in with your, Check what do you get by creating an account, Bookmark and compare your favorite firearms, [Complete Guide] Cosmoline Removal: SKS Example. Take this time to look over and inspect all of the parts for cracks and excessive wear. Mind you ,I keep a close watch on this. METHOD #2: Soak Parts in Cosmoline Remover. Review, Shortening a shotgun stock and fitting a recoil pad, Rogers Single Point M4 Rifle Harness Review, Howa 1500 v Winchester 70 action comparsion, Muzzle Brake Installation on a Precision Rifle: Timing and Installing an OPS R3E2C, 223 Remington/5.56mm NATO Barrel length versus Velocity- Short Barrels- 6 to 14 inches, Building a custom 7mm Rem Mag Hunting Rifle-PART 1, Customizing the 1911: machining a golf ball pattern slide, Installing a muzzle brake between centers, 1911 Rear Sight Installation (Novak style cut). 15 Best Gun Shops In California (2022 Updated), AR-15 Upper Assembly Guide (2022 UPDATED) Must-Read, Q-tips for cleaning the other metal sections of the gun. WD40 is actually mostly kerosene along with something like floor polish that remains when the paraffin has evaporated. But on the wood I wipe the excess then use a hair dryer and wipe as it sweats. Use a hair dryer on the stock and wipe it down until clean. Upon removing the parts, the hot water will evaporate and you will have totally degreased and cosmoline free parts. Although the fine, colorless sprays coating was dry after a week of freshwater sprays, the panel had no rust. Thats two decades of expertly upholding the Texan gun culture. Youll finally remove the majority of the cosmoline from the gun after hours of scrubbingbut basically, you cant stop there. The old surface grease and grime can be removed with a good cleaning. It will melt off the Cosmoline then wipe and oil everything down. Dissembling can make the process somewhat easier but it isnt absolutely necessary. Disassemble the SKS all the way down to clean it properly. Its very important that you get as much of the Cosmoline out of the gun as possible if only to eliminate the risk of having to disassemble the gun to find a hidden chunk of the rust-preventive gunking it up. This solvent-based formula is safe to use on any painted surface and is ideal for preparing new vehicles for sale. This is most likely how you will encounter it on a surplus firearm or bayonet. Simple Green has never worked that well for me. So we essentially got just enough cosmoline out of them to make them safe to fire and left it at that. The car was washed and dried, then taken back to the detail shop where the paint was buffed out, and a protective coating placed on all of the brightwork. Pressure steam and air dry large parts and wipe down with good oil 3 in 1 is good run hoppes#9 thru the bore after steaming and compressed air drying. WD40 is an expensive version of mineral spirits. Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. A sealed PVC tube or large container are both good for soaking guns in mineral spirits, depending on the size of the firearm and container. Spray part again and set aside to air dry. Removing Cosmoline has given people grief since 1939. Just like everyone said, mineral spirits for metal (you can use hot water and simple green too), and bag/heat gun for the stock. Let me show you how I safely remove cosmoline. Buy an 8" piece of HVAC round duct pipe, a blow dryer, and paper towels. Although most greases will burn, cosmolines are rarely considered a fire threat. Strips the finish and removes the cosmoline really, really well. In fact, this exact scenario is what probably led you to this article. We have purchased closed to 20, mostly Chinese SKS"s, all of which were coated with cosmoline. Try simple green first. The military does buy shotguns so I can believe it is cosmoline. 1 Place a part in a solvent-compatible container and spray down with brake cleaner. The protective layer was thick, tough and not easy to remove. Mineral spirits on metal. You can also use a heat gun or an older oven to help melt the Cosmoline. Those who have dealt with firearms for a long time most certainly have experienced the dilemmas of cosmoline. Are you aware that cosmoline and shellac are, in fact, two different substances? Make sure you get all of the Cosmolene off of the gun! Learn all the important stuff about handgunswith none of the attitude. gear. Once you have removed as much of the Cosmoline as you can, it's time to move on to the next step. There are a ton of ways to do it and most work great. Cosmoline is usually very good under a car going up against salt, water, heavy splashing/traffic spots, but sitting water I guess is just too much to ask. Cosmoline Remover is a solvent-based industrial cleaner specifically formulated to quickly & effectively remove all types of Cosmoline and other petroleum-based transportation and storage coatings. Once youre satisfied, you can move on to the actual cleaning. Change the paper towel and put back at a slightly higher temp every cycle. I have used slow heat and mineral spirits with a brush on several stocks with good results. Ive always had the best luck with mineral spirits. I've used this method on all four of my rifles and it worked very well. You do not pay How to clean cosmoline off your Mosin Nagant 91/30, SKS or any other surplus gun using Mineral Spirits and hot water. Login with username, password and session length, Metal-hot water, WD 40, diesel, brake cleaner, or simple green. WD40 worked well, but was basically a waste when the spirits did the same thing. Depending on the gun youre working on, this may or may not be a concern. Purchased a SKS Type 56 that was so loaded with Cosmoline that the sales person would not even touch it. Q-tips for cleaning the other metal sections of the gun If the metal is removed from the stock, it shouldn't make much of a difference. From there if youre working on a rifle with wooden components, nows the time to separate them and toss them in a trash bag. WD40 and CRC 556 are recommended solvents. Simple Green works great on metal parts, particularly in the ultrasonic cleaner. Just avoid gasoline as your cleaning solvent as its not advisable to use. Oil or grease, residue, and dirt can build up in the barrel and internal parts during shooting sessions. All of the above is primarily educated guessing for Eastern Bloc procedures, aka a WAG American practice for removing actual Cosmoline (not the ersatz Cosmoline that communist countries used) was the chlorinated solvent approach (disposal in pits, not rivers), based on first hand accounts. For Cosmoline removal, I get a gallon of K1 kerosene, then put it in a tub. hey thanks for this information. Blow the gun parts off using an air compressor until dry. Stock in a trash bag on a hot day Or mineral spirits scrub down? If you mean the stock, wrap it in a black plastic garbage bag, put it on the dash of a car in the sun for several hours. You can opt to disassemble your firearm before you start this process or keep your gun intact throughout the cleaning process. WD-40 does a good job cleaning up wood stocks without removing the underlying finish. . When the grease came to the surface or began to run off, I hit the parts with Brake Kleen then put them back out in the sun again. Select what level shooter you are! Ive tried various methods in the past, none of which seemed to work particularly well. As a general rule, cosmoline can be removed with heat, kroil, WD-40, or Kerosene. There are other ways to achieve this same effect, however. (Just like the tutorial on surplusrifle.com) boiling or extremely warm water is THE BEST way to get cosmo off metal parts with little or no effort and is completely safe to the components. I've read that I should use mineral oil or WD40. Here are the stuff you'll need: Mineral spirits or acetone and kerosene Water and soap Shop rags A toothbrush or a smaller paintbrush. You may find the cosmoline caked on the stock, gumming up the receiver and bolt carrier, plugging up the bore, and covering the internal parts of the firearm. You can now use, and regularly clean.