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. Stock in bag on hot summer day worked well enough for me, but left blemishes on the shellac where it bubbled up. 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. Cosmoline is our stuff, product of a first world economy, the commies used grease, cheap grease, much easier to remove. Now what's the best way to clean the residual WD40 off so I won't have primers getting compromised? As a general rule, cosmoline can be removed with heat, kroil, WD-40, or Kerosene. The Enfield P1917 above is a perfect example. Following graduation, he accepted a job at C. Sharps Arms in Montana, where he still works full time as a stockmaker and gunsmith. . Click below for a FREE LESSON! Q-Tips and cotton swabs also work. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Jump to Latest Follow 1 - 15 of 15 Posts . Address: www.originalcosmoline.com Cosmoline removal questions. Good or bad idea? In the realm of firearms, as technologies advanced, many militaries put their older, outdated weapons into long-term storage in preparation for any future conflicts or wars. I've used mineral spirits, gasoline, heat, soapy water, etc. Gently remove parts and wipe off Cosmoline or move parts back and forth in bath and Cosmoline will start coming off. As it drives out moisture, it does little to oil a surface but sits on top of the surface to protect it. It only has penetrative properties when wet. This is one of the few times I will recommend WD-40 for working on guns. Militaries worldwide immediately embraced cosmoline as a means of chemically embalming small weapons, armored vehicles, and other items for long-term depot or transatlantic transport. All good tips, and this is how I clean the metal parts for the most part. gear. It worked great. Today, you can find literally hundreds of recipes, formulas, tips, trick and strategies online for removing our favorite rust preventative coatingbe careful though, some of these "solutions" are more credible than others. IMMEDIATELY hit it with penetrating oil (NOT WD-40but a real petroleum-based penetrating oil), and wipe down with a soft cloth. **This product is not offered in aerosol can containers. After that, dry thoroughly, degrease, then apply oil and a film of liquid silicone. CitriStrip on the wood parts. It is frequently used in indoor and outdoor applications and does a great job for long-term storage. Boil and reoil the smaller metal parts. 16 Jun June 16, 2022. cosmoline removal wd40. If the metal is removed from the stock, it shouldn't make much of a difference. Once youve uh unslimed your wood, return to your sonic cleaner components and use brake cleaner as needed to grab any chunks that might be left with your Q-tips. A lot less toxic than brake cleaner, naphtha, and acetone. Another tip for faster drying without any extra work is to place it in a well-ventilated area so that the wind or air can travel smoothly around the area. I use fluid film on all my cars, but fluid film won't hold up under a car for more than six months without re-applying it. Make sure to get into all the internals. Wipe stock every 15 minutes until rags are clean enough for you (also make sure to suspend stock on the other end every once in a while so the heat can reach that end as well). Cosmoline does an excellent job of preventing corrosion and preserving metal parts. It practically dissolves any Cosmoline product in seconds with very little effort. Then rinse in hot water and blow dry any areas that did not dried up. 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. A couple of blasts of WD-40 helped out . For the small parts of the weapon, try to soak them first in hot water. Now its one of the best toys in the box. Collectors of C&R (Curio & Relic) firearms often find old firearms that were built around WWI or WWII and then put in storage. Refinish the wood with boiled linseed oil or Dansk oil. Once youve got all of the surface cosmoline more or less handled, youll want to really start tackling the goo in all of the nooks and crannies of the receiver. When I started cleaning it I used a heat gun after tearing it completely down. 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. WD40 is actually mostly kerosene along with something like floor polish that remains when the paraffin has evaporated. Be that as it may, your general overall approach to de-gunking your gun is going to be pretty similar no matter how much shit is built up within it. Was thinking of boiling in dish detergent water. 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. Heat is an extremely effective way of removing cosmoline. You have to apply the necessary gun oil, lubrication, and stain (for wooden stocks) to preserve the piece you worked so hard on cleaning up. As a general rule, cosmoline can be removed with heat, kroil, WD-40, or Kerosene. But its a background process that you can mostly leave alone outside of hitting the timer again once its finished a round of cleaning. Before you start cleaning, here is a list of things you will need: Some things you should avoid when trying to remove Cosmoline: A note on why you shouldnt use gasoline: using gasoline to clean a firearm just isnt practical, especially in the quantity you would need to clean a typical C&R firearm. There are a few rare examples where you shouldnt remove it. 2. A kitty litter can also remove cosmo in your guns. Sorry for the "ums." and "ahh." guys. Brake cleaner and acetone will dissolve nearly anything but often they evaporate before you can get the gunk off and you are back where you started. The Fastest, Easiest & Safest Way to Remove Cosmoline (Easy Cosmoline Removal in Seconds)Removing Cosmoline has given people grief since 1939. A heatgun or trashbag works well enough to get the cosmoline out of the stock. Wipe it down with a rag with a little denatured alcohol on it. It won't get it sparkling clean but the heat and pressure will remove a large amount. Nylon brush. Thanks 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. That will do the cleaning with no damage to the wood or original oil finish. Afterward, you can dry out your gun and finish it with lube. That only works if there is a person close by that can yell "CUT" right after the take. Also, this is perfect to use in the bore and chamber area as it will not attack metal. Cosmolines melting point is pretty low, between 113 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit. I found some PD680 from a chemical company, but it must be neutured or something because it doesn't smell the same and doesn't work anywhere near what the older stuff did back in the '90's. 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. Before I do anything I'll regret, can anyone give me a definitive ruling on the best way to clean cosmoline off metal/wood? Cosmoline can create a dangerous situation with your firearm. Cosmoline is a petroleum based brown wax. 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 . If you go to fast or too aggressive you can strip out the moisture and mess up the stock. Free-floating firing pins, like the one found in AR-15s and the SKS, need to freely float. These two things will help eliminate the last residues out of your gun. 3 100w light bulbs mounted in light boxes inside -- bakes the stuff out wonderfully. This worked good for me since I did it in the winter. You can accomplish this by wiping your handgun, placing it in a black trash bag, and leaving it out under the hot sun. I've discovered recently that WD40 works good. I lost count around the 200 mark. Subscribe to Pew Pew Tactical's sales and deals email. I used simple green on some that weren't as bad before. 1 Place a part in a solvent-compatible container and spray down with brake cleaner. The surfaces will almost dry up instantly With the hot metal you end up with after removing from the boiling water. With repeated heatings and wipe downs you can remove the Cosmoline without damaging the wood. They were nasty rascals and I had to get creative about decrapping them. 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. Originally, it was sold as a home disinfectant and veterinary anti-swelling treatment in the late 1800s. [1]. 2023, Schafco Packaging Company. just cosmoline removed easy. Because of the general porous nature of wood, chances are pretty decent that a good amount of grease has managed to penetrate the wood fiber itself, even if it retained its original finish. It worked so well that I took pictures and video of the last small cosmoline section of metal I had to clean. Lightly go over the parts with the heat gun. If you have chunks of cosmo, remove them out first.. carefully remove the "deep" stuff. It is brown in color and usually engulfs those beautiful surplus rifles at the local gun show. The water will melt the Cosmoline off the bolt, and the Cosmoline will rise to the surface. Brownells Retro Rifle XBRNM16E1 Review: Initial Impressions. Worked really well. Basically this was the in thing to do prior to the plastic wrapping OEM`s use now. Its important to extract as many residues and greases out of the gun as possible to avoid the risk of disassembling the gun in the future to uncover a hidden chunk of the rust-preventive gunk. This restriction only affects the following Southern California counties: Orange, Riverside, Los Angeles and San Bernardino. Oil or grease, residue, and dirt can build up in the barrel and internal parts during shooting sessions. Back in the day, ethyl or "high test" gasoline was good stuff. For the detail areas i use tooth brushes/ q tips. you a link to reset your password. How to clean cosmoline off your Mosin Nagant 91/30, SKS or any other surplus gun using Mineral Spirits and hot water. Now I am off to buy a steam cleaner. 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. 5-Gallon Pail ($265.00) << Special Price, Best Value! However, I do not recommend doing it indoors; outside or in a garage is best. Wipe off the sections or metal parts of the gun that you disassembled using shop rags. Pour Cosmoline Remover in safe container. I bought a bunch of those Yugo SKS rifles when cases of them started showing up at the gun shows. Sealing them in a greasy tomb of cosmo guards against the corrosive nature of maritime environments. There is something hugely satisfying about bringing one of these old things back to life. If you need suggestions, try one of our favorite YouTube channels. A dry film of it on the mags isn't going to hurt anything. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Let it sit for a couple of minutes, then run a few dry patches through. As for wood, I've had limited success with WD-40. Nothing else like it. If you'd like to consider an effective Cosmoline Remover in aerosol, please see our SS-245 product option. It was great stuff. Over time, Cosmoline may have seeped into nooks, crevices, and gaps in the metal but it is actually fairly simple to remove. Repeat this until the patches come out relatively clean. Those who have dealt with firearms for a long time most certainly have experienced the dilemmas of cosmoline. It practically dissolves any Cosmoline product in seconds with very little effort. The greasy substance is used to prevent their military surplus rifles from rusting. By that, you can also grab the tiny residues that were left in the firearm. Everyone else has your straight on the steel part. Which is just fine if your gonna leave her as it with the finish. Reassemble the gun, perform a functions test to make sure that everything feels right and is operating correctly, and youre basically done! Yes, cosmoline is toxic because it is a petroleum-based grease. To clean your gun, you can apply heat. Used a brass brush to help clear the heel lettering. After peeling, they leave a greasy film for continued corrosion protection. Strips the finish and removes the cosmoline really, really well. Trip83 . cosmoline removal wd40; cosmoline removal wd40. We walk-through an SKS example with plenty of pics and video. Cosmoline is a greenish man-butter stuff that most car manufacturers spray on engines/undercarriages of cars to protect during transport. Next, wash the firearm with soap and hot water. I soaked them in mineral spirits then rinsed with hot water and dried them. after that just give it a good cleaning with some hoppes 9 or whatever and you are good to go. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, M91, M91/30, M91/30 PU, M38, M44, 48M, T53, Enough Glorious Rifle to arm small milita. Remove the stock, get a few tooth brushes and start dousing and scrubbing the metal. It melts at 113-125 so hot soapy water or steam cleaning works. I have used slow heat and mineral spirits with a brush on several stocks with good results. After his military service, he attended the Colorado School of Trades(CST) in Lakewood, CO for gunsmithing. Cosmoline & WD40 Removal I used WD40 to cut the cosmoline on some Yugo Mags. Let soak for at least 30 seconds. Your email address will not be published. Cosmo just rolls off. Usually requiring a full detail stripping and cleaning of the rifle before its remotely capable of being operated safely. Video shows my process start to finish so you can see all stages. I paid $4 for a spray bottle. I used a heat gun for metal and wood. Following high school, Kurt enlisted in the United States Air Force as a Boom Operator, where he eventually rose to the position of Instructor. 2 When all the parts have been cleaned they must be treated with oil to prevent corrosion. The consistency of cosmoline varies widely but is mostly found as grease or wax. It took me a good 3 hours to get everything clean but the action is nice and smooth(ish). Use it if you don't happen to have kerosene. Removing all of the Cosmoline will take significant work regardless, so it comes down to a matter of preference. Mix denatured alcohol and boiled linseed oil 50/50 and scrub a stock with it using 0000 steel wool.