These guns were usually just dipped in a big vat of Cosmoline and then put into storage. All Rights Reserved. He is a firm believer in the freedom of exercising constitutional rights, and that includes the right of every law-abiding citizen to own and carry a gun. Blow the gun parts off using an air compressor until dry. 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. (cross-posted at mAss Backwards) After trying the old fashioned method of removing the cosmoline from the SKS by repeatedly spraying each piece with degreaser and/or WD-40 and wiping dry with a shop rag, I decided I'm going to give the "low-heat method" a try, and build my own version of the "Easy Bake Garbage Can", as illustrated there at www.surplusrifle.com. */ 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. Using your nylon brush scrub off any grease or cosmoline that is on the part. You would tie an old shoelace to a receiver, a gear, a bolt assembly, whateverdrop it in a pre-prepared tank of boiling water, watch the clock, and remove. Apply some to a rag and patch and wipe down the cosmoline-soaked parts. Trip83 . Press J to jump to the feed. It worked great. 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. Before I go full bore on this, has anyone used this? We wound up using about ~3 cans of cleaner total per rifle, using a general spray vigorously and begin wiping down method. Took days of cleaning for all the original proofs and markings to become visible. Retired technical instructor and master technician. WD40 and CRC 556 are recommended solvents. The protective layer was thick, tough and not easy to remove. It's thin or thickly applied depending on the monkey with the sprayer that particular day and is either easy or hard to get off depending on which monkey sprayed your car. In general, their toxicity to humans is minimal, although there are exceptions. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Purchased a SKS Type 56 that was so loaded with Cosmoline that the sales person would not even touch it. Using your nylon brush scrub off any grease or cosmoline that is on the part. 2. Mauser Rifles 1933 to 1945 - The Nazi Period. 4. For best results, turn cloth frequently while cleaning. Depending on how much hardened build-up youve got, itll probably take you a few cans of brake cleaner to get everything loosened up. Disassemble the SKS all the way down to clean it properly. 5 Steps in Removing Cosmoline 1. Like CitriStrip because you won't lose any proof marks in the wood. If you use these links, it helps me continue to put out free content for viewers. The honest-to-goodness proper way to remove Cosmoline from anything, really, is through working at it. These two things will help eliminate the last residues out of your gun. Ive always had the best luck with mineral spirits. Review SDS for complete safety precautions. I used WD40 to cut the cosmoline on some Yugo Mags. You can also use another heat source to melt the cosmoline to its liquid condition, such as a heat gun or an oven. If you go to fast or too aggressive you can strip out the moisture and mess up the stock. Not really. Thanks This post is brought to you in collaboration with Old Steel Historical Firearms, located in Littleton, Colorado. 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. 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). Back in the day, ethyl or "high test" gasoline was good stuff. The stock was so dry it could easily be sanded and refinished. Your email address will not be published. . Work in small areas and lightly spray the stock with WD-40. 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. Following high school, Kurt enlisted in the United States Air Force as a Boom Operator, where he eventually rose to the position of Instructor. You just stripped the finish off of your rifle. Cosmoline is a pain to remove though I found a heat lamp to work well to remove most of it without much effort. There is no way I would boil a stock! However, it gives you the opportunity to get to know the inner workings of your firearm on another level. Water and wood are NOT compatible. When I began removing the cosmoline from my new Precision Matthews PM-1440GT lathe, it was a little daunting. A heat gun on the low setting or a hairdryer both work great for this task. I have used before on other parts kits with paper towels or old cotton rags Remove the stock, get a few tooth brushes and start dousing and scrubbing the metal. 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. If you'd like to consider an effective Cosmoline Remover in aerosol, please see our, RP-342 "HEAVY" Military-Grade Rust Preventive Spray, COMBO OFFER: RP-342 Aerosols (Mix & Match), Cosmoline Direct VCI Paper Rolls (for Ferrous Metals), Cosmoline Direct VCI Industrial Paper Sheets (Pre-Cut). He grew up in Elk County, Pennsylvania, where he became obsessed with the world of firearms. 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. Very fast and efficient. got the cosmo out and it looks good too! Ive tried dozens of methods over the years until I stumbled upon a suggestion to use Goo Gone. If you are into guns, tools, or guns and tools, youve undoubtedly run into problems removing cosmoline. 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. Gently remove parts and wipe off Cosmoline or move parts back and forth in bath and Cosmoline will start coming off. The Best Accessories for Your Gunsmithing Bench for Under $11. Dissembling can make the process somewhat easier but it isnt absolutely necessary. StingRay parts washers use a non-flammable alkaline cleaning detergent such as Power Kleen V or Power Kleen IIIL. I disassembled the rifle and scraped/wiped off as much goo as I could. Very fast and efficient. 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. I lost count around the 200 mark. This process is simple but very messy and should be done in a well-ventilated area. For Cosmoline removal, I get a gallon of K1 kerosene, then put it in a tub. Reassemble the gun, perform a functions test to make sure that everything feels right and is operating correctly, and youre basically done! . Subscribe to Pew Pew Tactical's sales and deals email. If you do it right, however, removing cosmoline preservatives can be easier than expected. It practically dissolves any Cosmoline product in seconds with very little effort. If you have a firearm that has been stored in Cosmoline, the first step is to remove as much of the Cosmoline as possible. We would rest the muzzle in a 5 gallon bucket to catch the cosmoline filled water. Those of you with any amount of experience dealing with milsurp guns have probably also encountered the enigma of cosmoline. Something to pay final attention to when doing the last pass on all of your small internal parts is the firing pin channel. Over time, Cosmoline may have seeped into nooks, crevices, and gaps in the metal but it is actually fairly simple to remove. Will not soften, dull, or discolor finishes. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Note: Most of the links in this article earn me a small commission at no cost to you. 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. As expected, once we actually got them out to the desert, they had just a tiny bit more grease to leak out from weird places as the process of shooting warms up places not easily accessed by brush or rag, but so it goes! Brownells sells Rust Veto, a cosmoline equivalent optimized for long-term firearm storage. cosmoline will sweat out of your stock on its own. For the unfamiliar, cosmoline is sort of the genericized term for a family of petroleum-based greases with remarkably high viscosity with inherent rust and corrosion protective properties, a signature waxy brown visage, and unmistakable industrial smell. Youll finally remove the majority of the cosmoline from the gun after hours of scrubbingbut basically, you cant stop there. Cosmo just rolls off. Cosmoline does an excellent job of preventing corrosion and preserving metal parts. Which is just fine if your gonna leave her as it with the finish. Consider this just a primer on how you might tackle a cosmoline cleanup job, but there are tons of ways to go about it. If you have some cosmoline removal in your future, you may want to pick up a bottle of this stuff. Brake cleaner is pretty nasty even its not in chlorinated form though, so make sure youve got gloves and a well-ventilated area to work in. You have the option to disassemble your firearm before beginning this process or keeping it intact throughout the cleaning process. 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. When applied to a surface, the compound solidifies as it . Although, today, there are many rust-preventative oils and greases that are cleaner and will do an as good, if not better, job. I also use murphy's oil soap to help remove the oily Cosmoline from the wood. For the trigger group, I soaked it in some Hoppe's #9 for a few hours and it seemed to have gotten most of the cosmoline out of it. This is how to remove cosmoline in the most effective and efficient manner from your newly-acquired Moist Nugget or other military surplus firearm. Here is my latest brainstorm for cleaning up a Yugo M59/66. It shines like John Boehners nose now. Try to disassemble your rifle first, then clean its parts by section. Cosmoline was quickly adopted by militaries the world over as a way to chemically embalm small arms, artillery pieces, armored vehicles, and so on for either long term storage or trips across the Atlantic. It should be treated as a bore obstruction and removed prior to firing. I used the boiling water method for my cousin's 91/30. When cosmoline is exposed to heat and pressure like this, it will essentially bake on the metal surface. 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. You can accomplish this by wiping your handgun, placing it in a black trash bag, and leaving it out under the hot sun. Depending on the gun youre working on, this may or may not be a concern. I've done all my cosmo cleanups with mineral spirits, junk toothbrushes, and a heat gun. Don't forget to protect the machined surfaces after cleaning..HTH Take care, Gotcha6 Dennis Staff member Corporate Member Sep 26, 2007 #8 It is frequently used in indoor and outdoor applications and does a great job for long-term storage. 1 Jeep, 1 crate, and a barrel of cosmo! 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. Soak the bolt and small parts in mineral spirits. 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. Each car would come with a small bottle of "Cosmoline Remover" that you`d basically add to water and soak the car with. Then lay the bag on your dash in the hot sun for a week. Its the mess, gross and slimy petroleum that appears to be wrapped in every surface of firearms. Here are the stuff youll need: Avoid using gasoline and harsh chemical solvents as your cleaner because that can strip paint and other coatings from the guns surface. I bought a bunch of those Yugo SKS rifles when cases of them started showing up at the gun shows. And as if that were not enough it came from a heaver smokers home seemingly as everything, cosmoline, dirt, and grime were shellacked with thick coating of nicotine. If you search "ultrasonic cleaner" on Amazon you can find one identical to the Lyman for $30-$40 cheaper. Remove all metal from stock you are comfortable removing. /* Gently rub area to maximize contact between cleaner and surface. The cleaning process begins with removing as much of the Cosmoline as possible. Thats two decades of expertly upholding the Texan gun culture. Cosmoline Removal Help! The greasy substance is used to prevent their military surplus rifles from rusting. The military does buy shotguns so I can believe it is cosmoline. Love your family and keep your powder dry, Quote from: dwcopple on July 07, 2014, 07:08:24 AM. Removing Cosmoline has given people grief since 1939. For rifles like the SKS with a free-floating firing pin, its a critical place to make sure you got REALLY clean. Posted: 7/20/2014 7:07:20 AM EST [#2] Like this kind of content? Seems to take off anything, including paint spatters without harming the finish at all. Are you aware that cosmoline and shellac are, in fact, two different substances? Wipe it down with a rag with a little denatured alcohol on it. Immediately spray everything down with WD-40 to displace any remaining water. 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. There is no need the wood is already sealed, just wipe it down with penetrating oil (PB blaster wd40) and the cosmoline will wipe right off. Is either of these acceptable? 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. Kerosene is petroleum-based and will not hurt the metal or metal finish. **This product is not offered in aerosol can containers. There are other considerations that you think about if tackling this task. 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. Thats why it is important to clean and remove it in your rifle to keep your firearm operating at its best performance. That will do the cleaning with no damage to the wood or original oil finish. Social media guy and gucci gear nerd extraordinaire, he enjoys tracking the equipment trends of various SOF forces worldwide and collecting a wholly unnecessary amount of Multicam Black kit. I generally disassemble the gun into it's primary components first. Water based chemicals eliminate the risk of fire. It doesnt cut the oil. cosmoline removal wd40. It is brown in color and usually engulfs those beautiful surplus rifles at the local gun show. A coat of Goo Gone, a brief soak in period and follow up with paper towels cleaned the material down to the bare metal. Use it if you don't happen to have kerosene. 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. Competitive pistol and high power rifle shooter (200-600 yards). Before I do anything I'll regret, can anyone give me a definitive ruling on the best way to clean cosmoline off metal/wood? I've used this method on all four of my rifles and it worked very well. Originally, it was sold as a home disinfectant and veterinary anti-swelling treatment in the late 1800s. Video shows my process start to finish so you can see all stages. Amazon.com: Cosmoline Remover 1-48 of 129 results for "cosmoline remover" RESULTS Price and other details may vary based on product size and color. Even if your item only has a light coating of older Cosmoline, you might have questions as to how best to remove old coatings. (not optimized for mobile browsing), Copyright 2023 COSMOLINE DIRECT, LLC. Refinish the wood with boiled linseed oil or Dansk oil. Pour the boiling water into the grease, then repeat the process until your water runs clear and you can handle each part without feeling oily. This method works well on metal parts, but extreme care must be taken as Kerosene is very flammable. All prices are in USD. Title: Original Cosmoline It might just be the hardest challenge to returning the gun to a useable state. Remove the stock, get a few tooth brushes and start dousing and scrubbing the metal. It won't get it sparkling clean but the heat and pressure will remove a large amount. Your email address will not be published. Soak a cloth in the degreaser and rub it onto the firearm until the cosmoline is dissolved. Cosmolines melting point is pretty low, between 113 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Was thinking of boiling in dish detergent water. Wipe off the WD40. They were nasty rascals and I had to get creative about decrapping them. Bolt components I usually boil, just to make sure I get all of it out. WD-40 or any other petroleum based based solvents will cut it pretty good. you a link to reset your password. Before you start the process of removing the cosmoline, you need to disassemble the firearm fully. Aerosol brake of carburetor cleaner, dissolves the cosmolene into thin air almost instantly. Remove all metal parts, use a spray can of break cleaner to strip cosmoline. Many gunsmiths actually use it to cure or set a freshly blued gun. Those materials are classified as combustible rather than flammable. I remember when a "Yugo" was a piece of crap car. Cosmoline can cause the pin to get stuck in the forward position and lead to slam fires and a runaway rifle. The gooy, gross, petroleum preservative that is seemingly locked within every porous surface and crevice possible. I used a heat gun for metal and wood. Upon removing the parts, the hot water will evaporate and you will have totally degreased and cosmoline free parts. It wouldn't damage the metal bluing either. As a general rule, cosmoline can be removed with heat, kroil, WD-40, or Kerosene. If you want to spay, you could put it in a garden type sprayer. Type your new password and hit button below to confirm it. But there is a kind of cosmoline that is used for vehicles. Had some residual cosmoline on a receiver that came off surprisingly well last weekend with HOT water, near boiling temp. Cosmoline is a trademarked brand of petroleum-based, wax-like corrosion inhibitors. Cosmoline is great stuff for protecting guns from rusting in storage, but it can be a rear bear to remove. A & L Cosmoline Remover will quickly and easily remove petroleum-based transit coatings and cosmoline from vehicles. In our case, you might need to run the gadget a few times to really penetrate the crud. Funny, as long as no one got set on fire and the machine guns made it to the front on time. Heat and humidity make a heat gun or hair dryer a good option here. Its chemical composition consists primarily of a homogenous mixture of oil-based, non-polar hydrocarbons. Let me show you how I safely remove cosmoline. **This product is not offered in aerosol can containers. jumpscare links to send to friends; elliptical orbit simulator; babolat ambassador program. A couple of blasts of WD-40 helped out . This worked good for me since I did it in the winter. WOOD: Heat guns are like very hot hair dryers. 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. Cosmoline & WD40 Removal I used WD40 to cut the cosmoline on some Yugo Mags. Now how come some drug dealer/crook can buy one of this things and whamo bamo it works right out of the box?? http://www.surplusrifle.com/sks/index.asp, http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k36/cajuncj/M91%2030%20Finn/IMG_0849.jpg, Quote from: RangerAR on December 24, 2006, 08:37:16 PM, Quote from: singleshotcajun on January 05, 2007, 05:31:34 PM, Quote from: yber26 on January 21, 2007, 08:39:55 PM. We'll send you the latest guides and training tips geared Next, you need to clean your gun. This is most likely how you will encounter it on a surplus firearm or bayonet. A reminder on why you shouldnt use gasoline to clean a firearm: its simply not practicable to clean a firearm, especially in the quantities required to clean a standard C&R pistol. After his military service, he attended the Colorado School of Trades(CST) in Lakewood, CO for gunsmithing. We walk-through an SKS example with plenty of pics and video. No finish injured, wood stocks like-new (it cooks Cosmoline out of the wood grain), and IT'S CHEAP! Place parts covered in Cosmoline into the bath. All that being said I usually buy cotton cloths from a big box store ringspun or recycled and I just wipe. Stock in a trash bag on a hot day Or mineral spirits scrub down? The password should contain at least 8 characters with at least one number or special character. Soaking, washing, rinsing, and scrubbing will take hours to complete before you can handle your parts or firearm without the greasy residue covering your hands. This is one of the few times I will recommend WD-40 for working on guns. These two things together will help dislodge and remove the remaining traces of Cosmoline, along with a fair amount of elbow grease. Just be sure to oil thoroughly as soon as possible because it'll be bone dry when you're done. Learn all the important stuff about handgunswith none of the attitude. However, I do not recommend doing it indoors; outside or in a garage is best. If the metal is removed from the stock, it shouldn't make much of a difference. But its worth noting that every cosmolined gun is going to be a little bit different in terms of uh grease severity. However, it might not be necessary if you have no intentions of shooting it. Thanks, John. Once youve accomplished this, you can move on to the next step. 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. This can be done with a simple rag and some elbow grease.
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