Youll finally remove the majority of the cosmoline from the gun after hours of scrubbingbut basically, you cant stop there. When I began removing the cosmoline from my new Precision Matthews PM-1440GT lathe, it was a little daunting. The absolute best stuff I had ever had was military PD680, the older stuff. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Gently remove parts and wipe off Cosmoline or move parts back and forth in bath and Cosmoline will start coming off. 3 100w light bulbs mounted in light boxes inside -- bakes the stuff out wonderfully. Blow the gun parts off using an air compressor until dry. Very fast and efficient. Then rinse in hot water and blow dry any areas that did not dried up. Cosmoline is petroleum-based rust and corrosion-inhibiting grease. For Cosmoline removal, I get a gallon of K1 kerosene, then put it in a tub. Water based chemicals eliminate the risk of fire. Treat surface with your favorite lube or set up for hot blueing. We already have an account registered for email address Lastly, there are many other ways to remove cosmoline, but these are methods that I have used with excellent results. Now its one of the best toys in the box. Today, the mineral spirits found in products like ours are more refined and processed (see hydrogenation, hydrotreating and distillation techniques) providing mixtures with varying boiling points, cleaning ability, and chemical composition. two weeks ago I used wd-40 to clean off cosmoline off a SAR-80 parts kit, I used it on the plastic stock and metal it worked real well and does not harm the bluing or crackle paint on the receiver stubs. Seems to take off anything, including paint spatters without harming the finish at all. It doesnt take a lot to complete this process. Cosmoline does an excellent job of preventing corrosion and preserving metal parts. Heat gun is a total saver. The heat will bleed the cosmo out. Old Steel is dedicated to finding historical and collectible items and making them available to the customer. I bought a bunch of those Yugo SKS rifles when cases of them started showing up at the gun shows. Just crank up your water heater to 180 and the cosmoline melts right off. Now I am off to buy a steam cleaner. Jump to Latest Follow 1 - 15 of 15 Posts . Worked really well. These two things will help eliminate the last residues out of your gun. Harsh chemical solvents that could strip paint, finishes, or other aesthetic/functional coatings from the guns surface. IMMEDIATELY hit it with penetrating oil (NOT WD-40but a real petroleum-based penetrating oil), and wipe down with a soft cloth. At this point, disassembling the gun or sections of it, such as bolt assembly, and being soaked in mineral spirits may be more beneficial. StingRay parts washers use a non-flammable alkaline cleaning detergent such as Power Kleen V or Power Kleen IIIL. We personally used a Lyman sonic cleaner and Lyman solvent, which worked pretty well and got us most of the way there, with only a tiny bit of extraneous scrubbing required afterwords. The surfaces will almost dry up instantly With the hot metal you end up with after removing from the boiling water. Now I know why I don't buy mil surplus stuff. Safe to use on firearms, military weaponry, automobiles, machinery, heavy equipment, gears, lathes, dies, molds, and anything else coated with Cosmoline. 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. WD 40 and mineral naptha (ligher fluid) are the cosmoline cutters of choice to the home shop machinist. Disassemble the SKS all the way down to clean it properly. Something to pay final attention to when doing the last pass on all of your small internal parts is the firing pin channel. The main difference between Rust Veto and cosmoline is that Rust Veto has a slightly higher melting point of 140-170 degrees Fahrenheit. It practically dissolves any Cosmoline product in seconds with very little effort. Dissembling can make the process somewhat easier but it isnt absolutely necessary. The spray and handy tube make it easy to get into grooves and slots, as well as bolt holes. Login with username, password and session length, Metal-hot water, WD 40, diesel, brake cleaner, or simple green. As the cold war came and went, many of these countries started to liquidate their warehouses, selling these surplus arms to importers and exporters in the United States. Your email address will not be published. Most of the cosmoline may be getting rid of after a few baths. For the small parts of the weapon, try to soak them first in hot water. The gooy, gross, petroleum preservative that is seemingly locked within every porous surface and crevice possible. I know this is not an easy process, its messy, and will most likely cause a little . Never miss a post! Despite being virtually entirely made up of hydrocarbons, the composition varies depending on the crude oil source. Ken 1942 GPW Refinish the wood with boiled linseed oil or Dansk oil. Just throw the parts in hot water. You must log in or register to reply here. The cleaning process starts by removing as much of the cosmolines as possible. I've done all my cosmo cleanups with mineral spirits, junk toothbrushes, and a heat gun. Just like everyone said, mineral spirits for metal (you can use hot water and simple green too), and bag/heat gun for the stock. Ive tried various methods in the past, none of which seemed to work particularly well. For some more cool old guns, take a look at our Walther P1 a much cleaner and easier milsurp. METHOD #2: Soak Parts in Cosmoline Remover. Ok, what method is easier. . Is either of these acceptable? The more you manipulate, wash, and rinse the firearm, the more youll see creep to the surface. Cosmoline & WD40 Removal I used WD40 to cut the cosmoline on some Yugo Mags. Once disassembled, I use a few methods to remove cosmoline. Wipe off the WD40. We wound up using about ~3 cans of cleaner total per rifle, using a general spray vigorously and begin wiping down method. Press J to jump to the feed. I'll do better next time. And stay in touch with newsletters of our best articles on techniques, guns, & gear. just cosmoline removed easy. We would rest the muzzle in a 5 gallon bucket to catch the cosmoline filled water. . You can use the oven and even the heat from the sun to melt the cosmos. Post author: Post published: June 2, 2022 Post category: symptoms of a bad metering valve Post comments: affidavit for police character certificate affidavit for police character certificate For metal, Boil water and combine with CONCENTRATED Simple Green in a disposable pan and wash all the metal. The cosmoline coated bumpers and trim was given an extra dose of solvent, then a high temperature pressure washer (yeah, a steam cleaner) was used to remove the cosmoline. In the realm of firearms, as technologies advanced, many militaries put their older, outdated weapons into long-term storage in preparation for any future conflicts or wars. If you have some cosmoline removal in your future, you may want to pick up a bottle of this stuff. cosmoline removal wd40; cosmoline removal wd40. Which makes it susceptible to environments that also kill small children and pets when they get locked inside minivans which well simulate by stuffing it in that trash bag and letting the angry heat orb outside do its thing. Mineral spirits are known as a major solvent for removing cosmoline, and you can apply it with a rag. That is why it is called CitriStrip. If you are into guns, tools, or guns and tools, youve undoubtedly run into problems removing cosmoline. You probably took it home and couldnt focus on anything until you tore it apart and cleaned that goo off to see what was underneath it. While really bad cosmoline build-up might require a few steps further than a field stripping for whatever rifle youre working on. Gets 95% of everything off and takes less time. When cosmoline is exposed to heat and pressure like this, it will essentially bake on the metal surface. You can also use a heat gun or an older oven to help melt the Cosmoline. Soak the bolt and small parts in mineral spirits. There are a ton of ways to do it and most work great. Not really. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Dont worry too much if you cant actually get to most of the grease yet, just consider this an initial pass thatll make later cleaning a little bit easier. I took it easy on the wood (making several passes) so as to not hurt the finish. When you shoot, residual fouling builds up in the barrel. CitriStrip on the wood parts. machine guns to get them ready for action. It should be treated as a bore obstruction and removed prior to firing. Drench them in it, let them sit, then rinse them out. With repeated heatings and wipe downs you can remove the Cosmoline without damaging the wood. purchase helps support my work in bringing you more awesome gun and gear articles. It doesnt cut the oil. My method is to clean with g96 aerosol for light cosmoline junk or if the problem is serious WD40. guns & Cosmoline is a trademarked brand of petroleum-based, wax-like corrosion inhibitors. Use coupon code KTG10 to get 10% off your order of $150 or more at Brownells. Removing Cosmoline has given people grief since 1939. This give us a headstart on polishing those bad boys up or if left long enough, cleans them totally with almost no extra work on your end. Sealing them in a greasy tomb of cosmo guards against the corrosive nature of maritime environments. (Demonstration video coming soon). Nylon brush. Repeating this multiple times will remove the cosmoline. Whatever their history was with the PLA prior to being locked in the goo grave for an indeterminate amount of time, they certainly werent babied. Breaks down (dissolves) all forms of Cosmoline in seconds with very little effort. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Clean and repeat until it stops weeping. Depending on the container or the size of the firearm, soaking guns in mineral spirits can be done in a huge container. Learn the 3 most popular shooting stances & more. 16 Jun June 16, 2022. cosmoline removal wd40. That means it will come off with kerosene or mineral spirit, and could even just wipe away with rubbing alcohol. This particular C96 seems have been dunked in the stuff, so I decided to try boiling it in water to melt the cosmoline rather than clean it all with rags and Q-tips. He grew up in Elk County, Pennsylvania, where he became obsessed with the world of firearms. Nothing else like it. Cosmoline melts at temperatures ranging from 115 to 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Q-tips for cleaning the other metal sections of the gun The protective layer was thick, tough and not easy to remove. This is how to remove cosmoline in the most effective and efficient manner from your newly-acquired Moist Nugget or other military surplus firearm. Type your email address and well send While our small parts soak, we took the barrelled action and receiver outside to just absolutely douse in brake cleaner. The U.S. military soon discovered its advantages when applied to military equipment. It worked great. Wipe off the sections or metal parts of the gun that you disassembled using shop rags. Collectors of C&R (Curio & Relic) firearms often find old firearms that were built around WWI or WWII and then put in storage. For tight areas, I used some Q-tips. Of course, after the wash and rinse process of cleaning, the firearm needs to be dry. You will need to use fresh diesel as it gets to thick and sticky with all the cosmoline. By . Worked great. (, 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. Rem oil would fit the bill although it . Stripping the finish is a big no-no for some. There is no way I would boil a stock! I stripped the whole gun down and used mineral spirits on the metal parts and Murphy's wood soap on the stock. You can now use, and regularly clean. Date: 10/10/14 I only use this method on metal parts and will do this prior to using the Kroil method below to remove the last bits and pieces. This can cause hang fires or, worse yet, negligent discharges. Consider this just a primer on how you might tackle a cosmoline cleanup job, but there are tons of ways to go about it. Only used it to finish wiping off the light residue. Apply some to a rag and patch and wipe down the cosmoline-soaked parts. WD40 worked well, but was basically a waste when the spirits did the same thing. Works great. It was great stuff. Just avoid gasoline as your cleaning solvent as its not advisable to use. Review SDS for complete safety precautions. A couple of hours later, I then wiped off most of the rest of the cosmoline, and then did a little scrubbing, spraying, wiping repeat until 99% of it was gone. Cosmoline found in the chamber area can cause failures to extract. 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. Next, you need to clean your gun. The cosmoline literally runs off with the water. A lot less toxic than brake cleaner, naphtha, and acetone. Cosmoline Removal I'm sure this has been discussed off an on before.but lets start a definitive thread with some tips and tricks! This can be done with a simple rag and some elbow grease. Kroil is known as The Oil That Creeps and has made quite a name for itself in the firearms industry. Attempting to remove the rust-preventive after letting it warm up will turn the Cosmoline into an oilier coating, as opposed to a thicker, wax-like substance. No wiping needed with mineral spirits. A dry film of it on the mags isn't going to hurt anything. This has worked well for me and has turned out to be the least labor intensive of the methods I have tried for cleaning off cosmoline. Then I laid the parts out in the blazing Texas sun. Do you think I would run into finishing problems with it? You do not pay PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: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. Crate after crate of Mosin Nagants, Mauser 98s, and everything in between started to arrive in the U.S. for dirt cheap. It dissolves dried grease and will work its way into openings as small as one-millionth of an inch. Back in the day, ethyl or "high test" gasoline was good stuff. [1]. Originally, it was sold as a home disinfectant and veterinary anti-swelling treatment in the late 1800s. Funny, as long as no one got set on fire and the machine guns made it to the front on time. However, I do not recommend doing it indoors; outside or in a garage is best. This P17 was packed in cosmoline, wrapped in paper, and shipped to its destination like millions of other rifles. For extra protection of the piece, youll need to add lubricant and stain (for wood stock), especially to the bolt assembly. 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. If you do it right, however, removing cosmoline preservatives can be easier than expected. Simple Green works great on metal parts, particularly in the ultrasonic cleaner. Oven cleaner works well.have used it a number of times. * 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. For best results, turn cloth frequently while cleaning. Mind you ,I keep a close watch on this. There are lots of options and choices you can make, but what we used were: Specifically, weve got 3 surplus Type 56 carbines that we picked up from Palmetto State Armory which are essentially Chinese domestic clones of the Soviet SKS with a few minor tweaks here and there. Get Our Top Shooting Drills and Zeroing Targets ($47 value - but FREE for a limited time). Mauser Rifles 1933 to 1945 - The Nazi Period. Wipe it down with a rag with a little denatured alcohol on it. Use an air gun to blow the cleaning fluid off after you finish, then apply lube as needed. Stock in a trash bag on a hot day Or mineral spirits scrub down? Be the first to review this product! A coat of Goo Gone, a brief soak in period and follow up with paper towels cleaned the material down to the bare metal. Note that if you are going to paint the part, use the brake parts cleaner which evaporates nearly completely and instantly (and skip the WD-40) and then paint immediately to prevent rust from starting. Fighting socialism one republocrat at a time. Brake cleaner does a good job but is very harsh on the skin and can eat some plastics and brake cleaner will remove painted on finishes on some firearms so test first. . There are a few rare examples where you shouldnt remove it. We use mineral spirits in the shop to remove cosmoline. You just stripped the finish off of your rifle. The diesel fuel with get thick as you wring out the microfiber towel repeatedly in the diesel. After peeling, they leave a greasy film for continued corrosion protection. It's much cheaper than WD40 or other chemicals and works great. Theres no study that cosmoline has a bad effect on rubber. **This product is not offered in aerosol can containers. 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. Just wipe it down with a soft cloth to remove things, maybe a gentle toothbrush for the hard to get stuff. I've tried various methods in the past, none of which seemed to work particularly well. Strips the finish and removes the cosmoline really, really well. 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). I used simple green on some that weren't as bad before. Thank you for the support! Corrosion-Resistant ReusablePeel-Away Coatings for Metal. Spray oil like PB blaster and a pile of rags will do it, swab out the chamber and bore same as you would during routine cleaning after shooting. Purchased a SKS Type 56 that was so loaded with Cosmoline that the sales person would not even touch it. The aerosol cans work best for this application. We have purchased closed to 20, mostly Chinese SKS"s, all of which were coated with cosmoline. These two things together will help dislodge and remove the remaining traces of Cosmoline, along with a fair amount of elbow grease. It won't get it sparkling clean but the heat and pressure will remove a large amount. All that being said I usually buy cotton cloths from a big box store ringspun or recycled and I just wipe. */ Which is just fine if your gonna leave her as it with the finish. So just wiping it off the surface is all that is required. Lightly go over the parts with the heat gun. How would a different solvent such as naphtha fare against the cosmoline? cosmoline will sweat out of your stock on its own. Type your new password and hit button below to confirm it. If you want to check this out in a video, take a look! Make sure. towards your level. To clean your gun, you can apply heat. Use soap and water to remove cosmoline: 1. WD-40 is a mediocre lubricant and an OK rust preventative. I do this on bare stocks after stripping them. WD40 is an expensive version of mineral spirits. 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. WD40 is designed to evaporate of surfaces. The first step you need to do is to gather the things youll need for this cosmoline removal. Military surplus firearms are typically very easy to fully disassemble with minimal tools, making it a pretty painless job. Following a wash-rinse cycle will help coax Cosmoline out from all the crevices and grooves, so repeat the process until your water runs clear and you can handle each part without it feeling greasy or oily. Q-Tips and cotton swabs also work. Born and raised in Austin TX, Alfred has been shooting guns since he was 18. Needed tools: Cosmoline soaked weapon; rags or paper towels; screw driver and tools for disassembly of firearm; bore brush; chamber brush; bore pull-through or cleaning rod; a good non-polar solvent (mineral spirits being one of the most preferred . You n00b! WD40 is an expensive version of mineral spirits. Again, if youve ever dealt with military surplus guns before, you might have some experience with the somewhat laborious process of removing the infamous goop from them. There are a few methods you can use in order to clean Cosmoline off in this state: WD-40 If you spray WD-40 . Boil and reoil the smaller metal parts. The other reason being is a nice coating of oil keeps your parts moving smoothly and protects guns in storage. comments sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment Dexter-the-Cat Immediately spray everything down with WD-40 to displace any remaining water. 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. Depending on the gun youre working on, this may or may not be a concern. WD40 is a good cleaner for surfaces that you have good access to wipe down, but when it comes to cleaning small parts such as springs, sears, hammers, and other hard to reach places, I find that mineral spirits does a better job. WOOD: Heat guns are like very hot hair dryers. WD40 pwnz cosmoline. By that, you can also grab the tiny residues that were left in the firearm. Let me show you how I safely remove cosmoline. Its worth noting that we didnt go SUPER deep with our cleanup job on the two in-house Type 56s as theyre already pretty thoroughly trashed. Deisel, mineral spirits, gasoline, lacquer thinner, etc are almost ineffective. There you go. Back in the day when I was a kid, we use to take packing grease of with gasoline. I've discovered recently that WD40 works good. Nearly as ubiquitous as duct tape, WD-40 claims to protect against rust and corrosion. No other commonly available solvent works as well but it aint magic. It will dry everything out so you can't use it on rubber, plastics or wood and don't get it on your skin either. You only have power over people so long as you do not take everything away from them. Cosmoline is a petroleum-based, grease-like rust inhibitor, that is typically used on firearms that are going into long term storage. All good tips, and this is how I clean the metal parts for the most part. It melts at 113-125 so hot soapy water or steam cleaning works. WD-40 does a good job of removing Cosmoline and is an excellent cleaner especially on plastics. Let it sit for a couple of minutes, then run a few dry patches through. It complies with us military MIL-C-11796C Class 3 rust preventative. Let soak for at least 30 seconds. Originally developed in the late 1800s and marketed as a home disinfectant and veterinary anti-swelling agent, presumably by the same turn of the century physicians inclined to prescribe you cocaine for a staph infection or whatever. I also use murphy's oil soap to help remove the oily Cosmoline from the wood. Even if your item only has a light coating of older Cosmoline, you might have questions as to how best to remove old coatings. A lot of people swear by mineral spirits as a primary solvent to remove Cosmoline, and you can either apply it with a rag or submerge/dip your gun into it. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. It practically dissolves any Cosmoline product in seconds with very little effort. Throw on a podcast or something youre likely going to be here for a bit. Grease will burn when exposed to temperatures, but it will not catch fire. I just go to the car wash and hit it with the degreaser setting then rinse setting. Will not soften, dull, or discolor finishes. cosmoline removal wd40excuses to get out of annual training. I have used slow heat and mineral spirits with a brush on several stocks with good results. In general, their toxicity to humans is minimal, although there are exceptions. 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. Your email address will not be published. That will do the cleaning with no damage to the wood or original oil finish. Very fast and efficient. Buy an 8" piece of HVAC round duct pipe, a blow dryer, and paper towels.