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Posted: 5/4/2009 4:37:53 AM EDT
[#1]
boiling water works well, remember to oil the shit out of it.
for the stock you can wrap in paper towels, then in a black trash bag.. put it in the sun and all the crap weeps out. |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 4:38:25 AM EDT
[#2]
double
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Posted: 5/4/2009 4:38:25 AM EDT
[#3]
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Posted: 5/4/2009 4:38:54 AM EDT
[#4]
For my C&Rs, I got a wallpaper pan (long pan that almost looks like a really long bread pan), disassembled the guns, put them in the pan and poured enough mineral spirits to cover. Let soak in a well-ventilated area for a few hours, and then break out the toothbrush, cleaning rod and patches and start scrubbing.
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Posted: 5/4/2009 4:49:07 AM EDT
[#5]
great thanks guys, that site helps a lot, and I just so happen to have a jug of paint thinner to use on removing this stuff. once again arfcom delivers
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Posted: 5/4/2009 4:50:50 AM EDT
[#6]
Mineral spirits is what I use. FYI, make sure you strip the bolts all the way down to their component pieces. They are usually packed full. If you don't, you'll get light/retarded strikes from the firing pin, especially in cooler weather. |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 5:02:58 AM EDT
[#7]
Quoted:
For my C&Rs, I got a wallpaper pan (long pan that almost looks like a really long bread pan), disassembled the guns, put them in the pan and poured enough mineral spirits to cover. Let soak in a well-ventilated area for a few hours, and then break out the toothbrush, cleaning rod and patches and start scrubbing. this you can bake it, heat it in a makeshift oven, etc. I've found that a good soaking in mineral spirits gets most of the gunk out, even on the stock. Does not swell the stock as water may do. Pretty quick as well. Just remember to give the stock a good cleaning, followed by a light sanding then if there are dings that need to come out, use a damp cloth and a cloths iron to raise the wood. (careful not to gouge the stock with the pointy end of the iron). Finally, I used boiled linseed oil as a finish. Apply the hot oil with a cloth or paintbrush, wipe away excess. You should be good to go. |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 5:04:21 AM EDT
[#8]
Blow dryer and patience
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Posted: 5/4/2009 5:05:03 AM EDT
[#9]
Steam works really well too. I have a wallpaper steamer; took the flat attachment that goes on the wall off, using just the hose to blow steam on the stock. Steam, rub excess off with a rag, rinse, repeat. Stock comes out squeaky clean.. Not as harsh chemically as mineral spirits, and the steam does double-duty as a dent/ding remover on the wood.
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Posted: 5/4/2009 5:05:31 AM EDT
[#10]
I used mineral spirits for the metal parts. First C&R I had somebody suggested baking the stock in the oven to remove it. Big mistake. I nearly ruined the stock and burned the house down at the same time. House smelled like a campfire for weeks. The wife was pissed.
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Posted: 5/4/2009 5:15:19 AM EDT
[#11]
Spirits will work.. You see such a wide range of suggestions because pretty much anything that will dissolve oil or grease will work. The big trick is heat making it softer.
I tried brake cleaner on a Mosin outside in the winter. Didn't work too well. Same setup in the summer under some good sun and the stuff sloughed off like nothing. It'll sweat out of the wood for a while though. Leave it in the sun and mop off periodically, or use a heatgun. You can stick it in the oven if you're single
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Posted: 5/4/2009 5:20:26 AM EDT
[#12]
for the stock you can wrap in paper towels, then in a black trash bag.. put it in the sun and all the crap weeps out.
This is what I have seen as a good way for the stock. For the parts, Ed's Red does the trick. It's listed as a bore cleaner, but I bought a rubbermaid storage box long enough for my barrels and put the parts in and soaked for a day or two. Cleaned everything up with little to no scrubbing. |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 5:21:55 AM EDT
[#13]
I just use WD-40. It works great and doesn't seem to harm anything.
I refer to it as "the universal solvent" (actually that is water, but WD-40 works a lot better on most everything) |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 5:29:11 AM EDT
[#14]
I put the wood parts in the oven. Bake at a LOW temperature for several hours, constantly wiping cosmo off with paper towels.
Metal parts get cleaned in kerosene, rinsed in hot water, blown dry with compressed air. |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 5:31:18 AM EDT
[#15]
I use gasoline, melts away. Just don't burn yourself up
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Posted: 5/4/2009 5:33:19 AM EDT
[#16]
What a great post!! That guy is amazing!! 
To the OP, do not use gasoline. It has carcinogens in it and is also much too highly flammable. Use mineral spirits. |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 5:34:17 AM EDT
[#17]
Build a Cosmo Cooker. Get a large galvanized metal trash can and mount a heat lamp in the lid. Break down gun into component parts (trigger group, bolt, barrel assembly, stock, etc.) Buy an oven thermomoeter too and stick it in there. Put gun parts in...temp will run around 160-180 deg. In about 3 hours all the cosmo, and I mean all of it, in all the nooks and crannies and everywhere turns to water and pools at bottom in a tin roasting pan or tin foil or whatever. Turn off, let parts cool, wipe down, oil, done. I've done several Yugo SKS's and an Ishpore Enfield, all of which were caked in thick, gooey, EVIL cosmoline. Way worse than your normal stuff.
Total cost of project is about $35 dollars, takes 1/2 hour to build, and you can easily, safely, and completely remove all cosmoline without harmful chemicals and hours of labor. The cooking cosmo will stink and is probably carinogenic so do it outside. |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 5:54:19 AM EDT
[#18]
Wood parts get a bath in boiling hot water and washing soda (not baking soda). Scrub with a green scrubbig pad made for pots / pans. Don't use the metal pad. The wood will be gray when you are done as it pulls all the oils out of the wood. Give them a final rinse to clean the washing soda off bath off. This also raises any dents in the wood. Wear heavy rubber gloves becuse the water is really hot (but not caustic) Let dry for a few days then cover them in your favorite oil finish of linseed oil tungoil etc and the beatuiful wood grain will appear and they will have a great deep wood finish to them.
For metal parts, I use solvent ( like a car parts tank has/ mineral spirits ) and a toothbrush. |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 6:00:07 AM EDT
[#19]
My sophisticated cosmoline removal apparatus
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Posted: 5/4/2009 6:06:01 AM EDT
[#20]
Quoted:
My sophisticated cosmoline removal apparatus http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii140/roomie21/P1000504.jpg http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii140/roomie21/P1000488.jpg Fire? |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 6:53:36 AM EDT
[#21]
Quoted:
What a great post!! That guy is amazing!!
To the OP, do not use gasoline. It has carcinogens in it and is also much too highly flammable. Use mineral spirits. I figured it was you after I poked around that site and saw your write up on the remington 700 did you make that site? |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 9:03:50 AM EDT
[#22]
Quoted:
Quoted:
What a great post!! That guy is amazing!!
To the OP, do not use gasoline. It has carcinogens in it and is also much too highly flammable. Use mineral spirits. I figured it was you after I poked around that site and saw your write up on the remington 700 did you make that site? I did all the tests, except for The Buick O' Truth, which was done by John_Wayne777. But all the work on the site was done by my Webmaster and friend, Deimos.
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Posted: 5/4/2009 9:07:27 AM EDT
[#23]
Elbow grease, a toothbrush and mineral spirits.
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Posted: 5/4/2009 10:42:35 AM EDT
[#24]
Quoted:
Quoted:
My sophisticated cosmoline removal apparatus http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii140/roomie21/P1000504.jpg http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii140/roomie21/P1000488.jpg Fire? Surprisingly no. I really wanted to play with the fire extinguisher too. 
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Posted: 5/4/2009 10:46:02 AM EDT
[#25]
The heat is coming... if it isn't here already.
All I do is grab a black trash bag (or two), put the gun inside and let it sit out all day, in the sun. Every 2-3 hours, I go out and wipe it down. |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 10:46:44 AM EDT
[#26]
scrape off as much as possible, then shooting will remove the rest
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Posted: 5/4/2009 11:32:08 AM EDT
[#27]
Quoted:
I'm going to be cleaning up a few mausers that are caked in cosmoline and I've never had to remove this crap from a rifle before. I've searched online and have found people use everything from brake cleaner to boiling water to soaking it in gasoline. Seeing as the internet is usually 90% bullshit I figured I'd ask arfcom. Also mods if you feel this needs to be moved thats ok, I just wanted this to get the most traffic. So has anyone ever done this before? I would like to not fuck this up so any details you can give would be great. Should I just get a bin and soak the whole rifle still assembled in gas? That seems to be what a good number of people have done. I don't have anything large enough to boil the gun in so I don't think thats an option. Help a guy out. We LOL'D 
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Posted: 5/4/2009 11:35:08 AM EDT
[#28]
Quoted:
Quoted:
I'm going to be cleaning up a few mausers that are caked in cosmoline and I've never had to remove this crap from a rifle before. I've searched online and have found people use everything from brake cleaner to boiling water to soaking it in gasoline. Seeing as the internet is usually 90% bullshit I figured I'd ask arfcom. Also mods if you feel this needs to be moved thats ok, I just wanted this to get the most traffic. So has anyone ever done this before? I would like to not fuck this up so any details you can give would be great. Should I just get a bin and soak the whole rifle still assembled in gas? That seems to be what a good number of people have done. I don't have anything large enough to boil the gun in so I don't think thats an option. Help a guy out. We LOL'D http://i724.photobucket.com/albums/ww250/jh2up/r9ppaf.gif 
Why? 50% of that bullshit come from here!! |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 11:36:49 AM EDT
[#29]
Quoted: Quoted: I'm going to be cleaning up a few mausers that are caked in cosmoline and I've never had to remove this crap from a rifle before. I've searched online and have found people use everything from brake cleaner to boiling water to soaking it in gasoline. Seeing as the internet is usually 90% bullshit I figured I'd ask arfcom. Also mods if you feel this needs to be moved thats ok, I just wanted this to get the most traffic. So has anyone ever done this before? I would like to not fuck this up so any details you can give would be great. Should I just get a bin and soak the whole rifle still assembled in gas? That seems to be what a good number of people have done. I don't have anything large enough to boil the gun in so I don't think thats an option. Help a guy out. My FIRST thought as well  |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 11:44:42 AM EDT
[#30]
I've tried all sorts of methods. The heating methods work well, but you never quite get rid of ALL the cosmo, leaving the rifle perpetually greasy. I've used solvents, even Acetone. Works great, but will dissolve just about any container you try to soak it in, or will leak out the seams of a metal bin.
Gasoline? ROFL... that's an awesome way to get dead, maybe just look like Freddy Krueger if you're lucky...
I finally just went with boiling water, and I use the generic automotive "purple degreaser" from Walmart that's about $5 a gallon. If you do the wooden stock too, this also works well, and you can steam out any dents with a clothes iron, or soldering iron etc. at the same time. The stock will look awful, a furry greyish-white, like an old backyard deck, then re-do the stock with a couple coats of BLO, shellac, or Tung Oil, whatever's appropriate for the milsurp's country of origin and it'll look beautiful. DO NOT, try to force the stock to dry afterward. Just let it sit undisturbed in a corner somewhere for a few days. If you try to force-dry it, it'll warp and crack. |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 11:46:23 AM EDT
[#31]
i use a heat gun
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Posted: 5/4/2009 11:49:48 AM EDT
[#32]
wrap in lots of paper towels.. Pack in a box with good tape.. Put a packing slip on the outside and ship to me for desposal....its the best way.
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Posted: 5/4/2009 11:51:50 AM EDT
[#33]
I'd recommend detail-stripping the guns. This will get you familiar with the gun as well as show you if any parts are broken. You might want to get yourself some headspace gages too.
Small parts can soak in mineral spirits. For the barreled action, I use mineral spirits applied with a paint brush. For stocks, I use boiling water and dish soap followed by furniture refinisher (which will remove the finish). Do not use gasoline. |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 12:08:52 PM EDT
[#34]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
My sophisticated cosmoline removal apparatus http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii140/roomie21/P1000504.jpg http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii140/roomie21/P1000488.jpg Fire? Surprisingly no. I really wanted to play with the fire extinguisher too. actually, if u have an old fridge... put in a small heating element like that har dryer and u have a very low heat convection oven
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Posted: 5/4/2009 12:19:26 PM EDT
[#35]
I made a cosmo cooker out of 4 inch metal duct work.
6 foot straight section with a T fitting on the bottom, then a 35,000 BTU straight blower set about 4 feet away. Hang the stock by a rafter using safety wire, let it cook until the cosmoline is baked out of the wood. I used rags soaked in denatured alcohol to rub the cosmo off, then recooked it again. |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 12:24:54 PM EDT
[#36]
I use a scuncie steamer that the wife bought to clean the bathroom, worked great on my mausers. that and ed`s red.
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Posted: 5/4/2009 12:25:15 PM EDT
[#37]
Quoted:
I made a cosmo cooker out of 4 inch metal duct work. 6 foot straight section with a T fitting on the bottom, then a 35,000 BTU straight blower set about 4 feet away. Hang the stock by a rafter using safety wire, let it cook until the cosmoline is baked out of the wood. I used rags soaked in denatured alcohol to rub the cosmo off, then recooked it again. I've used denatured alcohol to clean up the stocks on mosins before, takes that shitty shelac off pretty well, I was wondering if anyone used it for cosmo. Looks like I've got a chore ahead of me for the weekend, I'm kinda looking forward to it |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 1:57:53 PM EDT
[#38]
Quoted:
Quoted:
I made a cosmo cooker out of 4 inch metal duct work. 6 foot straight section with a T fitting on the bottom, then a 35,000 BTU straight blower set about 4 feet away. Hang the stock by a rafter using safety wire, let it cook until the cosmoline is baked out of the wood. I used rags soaked in denatured alcohol to rub the cosmo off, then recooked it again. I've used denatured alcohol to clean up the stocks on mosins before, takes that shitty shelac off pretty well, I was wondering if anyone used it for cosmo. Looks like I've got a chore ahead of me for the weekend, I'm kinda looking forward to it I used brake cleaner on the stock too. It still dripped shit every time I shot it for a while. You're going to respect cosmoline when this is over. Any number of helpful hints won't change that. |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 1:59:13 PM EDT
[#39]
Use Brakleen.
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Posted: 5/4/2009 2:06:21 PM EDT
[#40]
Quoted:
I use gasoline, melts away. Just don't burn yourself up NO People please do not use gasoline, use mineral spirits, hot water, scrub... just don’t use gasoline. I had to deal with the result of someone using gasoline as a cleaner... burnt flesh has a hell of a smell. |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 2:07:46 PM EDT
[#41]
Heat. Make a cosmoline cooker from a metal trash can and some light bulbs, get a heat gun, or cheap out and use a hair dryer like I did.
Mineral spirits work fine on metal parts. If the metal part doesn't have any bluing left, make sure you oil or re-blue it when it's dried, or it'll rust up. |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 2:22:01 PM EDT
[#42]
Quoted:
You're going to respect cosmoline when this is over. Any number of helpful hints won't change that. That is correct. But, as I pointed out in my post on TBOT, we need to remember that, "Cosmoline is our friend". It is the reason we have 50+ year old firearms that are "as new" under the grease.
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Posted: 5/4/2009 2:38:37 PM EDT
[#43]
I happened to have a bunch of acetone, and a length of 4-in diam PVC pipe with one end cap. No I don't cook meth
I put the rifle in the pipe upright, filed it with the actetone, wrapped it with an old electric heating pad, placed the whole thing in a bomb/fire proof location (I live in a baren desert type area), and waited a day or two or three. At the end the PVC pipe became rubbery, but held. I used some the remaining 'tone to scrub the gun, but pretty rapidly discarded the bulk of the 'tone in the nearby toxic waste dump being careful not to smoke, or otherwise ignite something.
It worked great, not even a sign of old cosmo. Just gone. And not much work involved. Boiling gasoline would be great too. 
Just use a flame proof heat source, like a laboratory electric heater, and use you handy flameproof/bombproof location. |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 2:42:56 PM EDT
[#44]
I like mineral spirits. It's relatively cheap, washes cosmo right off and isn't as dangerous as a lot of other stuff.
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Posted: 5/4/2009 2:45:29 PM EDT
[#45]
I waited until we had a hot summer day, put some towels down on my car, and put my Mauser on top of the towels for the afternoon.
Seemed to do the trick. |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 2:59:02 PM EDT
[#46]
Quoted:
I just use WD-40. It works great and doesn't seem to harm anything. I refer to it as "the universal solvent" (actually that is water, but WD-40 works a lot better on most everything) +1 |
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Posted: 5/4/2009 3:03:38 PM EDT
[#47]
i just wipe it off with paper towels, q-tips, and toothpics, then detail clean it with solvent(min spirits are good). then everytime you shoot it, a little oozes out the nooks that are inside the crannies... no big problem as cosmoline doesnt hurt anything.
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Posted: 5/4/2009 3:48:26 PM EDT
[#48]
Quoted:
I happened to have a bunch of acetone, and a length of 4-in diam PVC pipe with one end cap. No I don't cook meth
PVC usually doesn't stand up to acetone, not for long anyways.
The other problem with acetone is it will often remove the finish from the wood. Not a big deal if you're going to refinish anyways, but something to keep in mind. RF |
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