[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Freaking Cosmoline (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 6/17/2011 6:03:43 AM EDT
| My Yugo SKS arrived yesterday. It looks to be in excellent condition, but man is it loaded with cosmoline. I spent about an hour on it last night with rags and a hair dryer and made a slight dent. I really don't want to use a ton of solvents so I am trying the constant heat method. I wrapped it in a towel, placed it in a black trashbag, and it now sits in the back window of my car. Forecast high is 96 today, so I am hopeful. My car is shaded right now, but will be in full sun in about 30 minutes and stay that way for the rest of the day. I've got a laser thermometer and will be checking the temperature of the trashbag periodically. Right now it's at 85 degrees. I hope this takes care of some of the work. We shall see. |
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Quoted:
If it wasn't for the cosmoline, you wouldn't have a rifle to complain about.  Yep. Be thankful they cared enough to store it properly. The Yugos used some seriously viscous stuff, though. My M57 pistol came so completely coated in the stuff, I could have thrown it at a wall and it would have stuck. ETA: +1 on the mineral spirits - that's what I used on that Yugo Tok and it worked great. |
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I never understand why people do this the "hard way", when there is such an easy way available.
Go to Wallyworld, buy a gallon of paint thinner (sometimes labeled as mineral spirits), and wash the gun with it and a brush. Finished in about 15 minutes, even if you are slow. More here: Cosmoline Removal |
| It's just mild-mannered griping. I am taking this as a fun experiment. I will go to mineral spirits for the metal parts tonight. I just figured I'd give the car thing a shot while I'm at work since it didn't take much effort. I work on a secure National Guard base, so there's not much chance of someone busting out my back window. Besides, all any passer-by will see is a black trash bag. Next temp check in about 15 minutes. |
| I've been using the engine compartment of my FX35 as an oven to remove the cosmoline out of my Yugo SKS. Of course I do this with the engine off and the vehicle parked in my garage after I have been driving. I just lay an old towel on the engine cover, set the stock on it, close the hood and check on it every 15 minutes or so. It's been working pretty good so far, more cosmoline sweats out everytime I do it. With the 100*+ temps we've been having here though I might start setting it out in the sun on the patio. |
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Hang it from a rafter in the attic over a pan of kitty litter. My attic gets up to about 140 in the summer and the cosmoline melts right off. That's not a bad idea. Theres' the added bonus of confusing the crap out of the cats when i steal their litterbox. |
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Do you have an M57 yet? Because you totally need one to complete the Yugo C&R set. http://i747.photobucket.com/albums/xx116/MVolkJ1975/Milsurps/yugoslav2.jpg Maybe a Yugo Mauser too, that's it, now I know what I need next... Just what I need, more ideas for the want list. I'll probably go with a Yugo Mauser before the pistol, but I will have to wait a while. |
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Do you have an M57 yet? Because you totally need one to complete the Yugo C&R set. http://i747.photobucket.com/albums/xx116/MVolkJ1975/Milsurps/yugoslav2.jpg Maybe a Yugo Mauser too, that's it, now I know what I need next... Don't forget the Yugo underfolder. 
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I'd honestly like to find a gun packed in the stuff just to go through the cleaning process. Something reasonably priced or cheap for a project... ideas/links? Pick up a Mosin-Nagant M91/30. They generally come slathered in cosmo and they don't come any cheaper. ETA: If you'd prefer a pistol, snag the aformentioned Yugo M57. They'll come to you as a solid block of gunky cosmo and they generally run about $200. |
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Quoted:
It's just mild-mannered griping. I am taking this as a fun experiment. I will go to mineral spirits for the metal parts tonight. I just figured I'd give the car thing a shot while I'm at work since it didn't take much effort. I work on a secure National Guard base, so there's not much chance of someone busting out my back window. Besides, all any passer-by will see is a black trash bag. Next temp check in about 15 minutes. Is it so secure that they are going to observe someone repeatedly walking out to a parked car and shooting a laser at a trash bag in the back window and get suspicious?
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Quoted: I never understand why people do this the "hard way", when there is such an easy way available. Go to Wallyworld, buy a gallon of paint thinner (sometimes labeled as mineral spirits), and wash the gun with it and a brush. Finished in about 15 minutes, even if you are slow. More here: Cosmoline Removal That Silverado ad is annoying. |
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Quoted: I never understand why people do this the "hard way", when there is such an easy way available. Go to Wallyworld, buy a gallon of paint thinner (sometimes labeled as mineral spirits), and wash the gun with it and a brush. Finished in about 15 minutes, even if you are slow. More here: Cosmoline Removal +1 for mineral spirits...that stuff is handy for about 100 different tasks, always keep a can around in the garage. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
It's just mild-mannered griping. I am taking this as a fun experiment. I will go to mineral spirits for the metal parts tonight. I just figured I'd give the car thing a shot while I'm at work since it didn't take much effort. I work on a secure National Guard base, so there's not much chance of someone busting out my back window. Besides, all any passer-by will see is a black trash bag. Next temp check in about 15 minutes. Is it so secure that they are going to observe someone repeatedly walking out to a parked car and shooting a laser at a trash bag in the back window and get suspicious? So far, I've had one co-worker(female) ask me if I was trying to bake something. Current suface temp of bag is 144 in direct light. 107 where shaded by car roof. |
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Quoted:
I never understand why people do this the "hard way", when there is such an easy way available.
Go to Wallyworld, buy a gallon of paint thinner (sometimes labeled as mineral spirits), and wash the gun with it and a brush. Finished in about 15 minutes, even if you are slow. More here: Cosmoline Removal That Silverado ad is annoying. I agree. Why don't you send me the money to buy the bandwidth and I'll remove that ad.
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Quoted:
I never understand why people do this the "hard way", when there is such an easy way available.
Go to Wallyworld, buy a gallon of paint thinner (sometimes labeled as mineral spirits), and wash the gun with it and a brush. Finished in about 15 minutes, even if you are slow. More here: Cosmoline Removal Ummm in short no not for all rifles . I had a yugo m48 in unissued condition that looked like they literally dropped it in a vat of cosmoline. I used mineral spirits among many other things. After hours and hours of nasty work it looked great. Then I shot it the next day and cosmoline seeped out all over the place. I ended up putting a big pan in the bottom of my oven and slowly rotating the stock until the stuff stopped seeping and dripping out. I used a fairly low temp and I didin't do it until it was bone dry. To this day a little seeps out if I shoot a bunch of rds through it. |
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Cosmoline cooker.
I took a 6 foot length of 4 inch diameter metal duct and put a T fitting on the bottom. Then I hung the rifle stock from the top of the duct using safety wire. The I placed a gas fired forced air heater about 3 feet from the T fitting and fired it up. The hot air from the heater is forced up into the duct bvia the T fitting. I placed a thermometer in front of the T fitting and measured the air temp going into the T fitting, it was about 180 degrees. When the stock was covered with cosmoline I wiped it off with mineral spirits. I repeated this 4 times and pretty much got the cosmoline out of the stock of my Indian Ishapore 2A. I have a Yugo overstamped German Mauser K98, I have cooked that stock on 4 different occasions and cleaned it up with Simple Green, mineral spirits and Gunscrubber and it still bleeds cosmoline when I shoot it. 
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Quoted:
I never understand why people do this the "hard way", when there is such an easy way available.
Go to Wallyworld, buy a gallon of paint thinner (sometimes labeled as mineral spirits), and wash the gun with it and a brush. Finished in about 15 minutes, even if you are slow. More here: Cosmoline Removal Ummm in short no not for all rifles . I had a yugo m48 in unissued condition that looked like they literally dropped it in a vat of cosmoline. I used mineral spirits among many other things. After hours and hours of nasty work it looked great. Then I shot it the next day and cosmoline seeped out all over the place. I ended up putting a big pan in the bottom of my oven and slowly rotating the stock until the stuff stopped seeping and dripping out. I used a fairly low temp and I didin't do it until it was bone dry. To this day a little seeps out if I shoot a bunch of rds through it. Isn't that how they do it? I thought I read somewhere that said the procedure was to warm up a 55 gallon drum or whatever of cosmoline then dunk the firearm in it. |
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I used brake cleaner on my M91/30, it won't totally remove it, but it will thin it out enough to were its no longer an issue. I did the same to a Romanian PSL. This...for the metal parts only 
I've heard of hanging it in the attic before, It should work great this time of year. |
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Quoted: I'd honestly like to find a gun packed in the stuff just to go through the cleaning process. Something reasonably priced or cheap for a project... ideas/links? The M1 I got from CMP was pretty clogged up with it. Not exactly cheap, but how can you go wrong? |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I never understand why people do this the "hard way", when there is such an easy way available. Go to Wallyworld, buy a gallon of paint thinner (sometimes labeled as mineral spirits), and wash the gun with it and a brush. Finished in about 15 minutes, even if you are slow. More here: Cosmoline Removal That Silverado ad is annoying. I agree. Why don't you send me the money to buy the bandwidth and I'll remove that ad. Ok, I clicked it. Now make it go away. |
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Quoted: Quoted: I'd honestly like to find a gun packed in the stuff just to go through the cleaning process. Something reasonably priced or cheap for a project... ideas/links? The M1 I got from CMP was pretty clogged up with it. Not exactly cheap, but how can you go wrong? Mine had new CMP furniture, but the metal looked brand new minus a hint of finish wear on the muzzle. It was clean. I guess I lucked out there. |
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WARNING BEFORE TAKING THIS ADVICE DO THIS OUTSIDE IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA AWAY FROM SPARKS OR FLAMES!!!!
Coleman fuel is the BEST stuff for the task! i go into the back yard in a sunny area. I use 4 feet of old rain gutter with both ends sealed with silicone. Metal parts clean up great with this, and you actually need to put a light oil coat back on the parts because it sucks the cosmo right out of the pores of the metal! Stocks are easily cleaned up by replacing the used white gas with new, drop the wood components in and let them soak 2-3 hours. I usually cover the gutter with a piece of clear plastic or a shower curtain. You will need to be ready to replace some of the oils back into your wood parts after they dry thoroughly, I use a boiled linseed oil (MAKE SURE IT IS BOILED LINSEED AS REGULAR LINSEED WILL NOT DRY) application with a clean lint free cotton rag. Let each coat dry thoroughly before applying the next. You may need to reapply the linseed oil a couple times, as the wood will drink it in over a couple days. Finish the last couple coats by using your hand rather than the rags, it will actually make the wood look much nicer. 
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For both of mine, I used mineral spirits as Old_Painless mentioned and heat. Mine involved quite a bit of effort and there was still some smoking off from the grenade launcher area when I first shot it
I used the dishwasher for my stocks. The wood comes out swollen a bit and the pours are raised so I held them over my sink and displaced the water/remaining cosmo with a mineral spirits soaked rag. Wait till it is nice and dry and then "wet" sand with 400+ grit paper soaked in mineral spirits, then sand normally, stain if you want (I did not) then put whatever finish on you prefer. My stocks came out beautiful. The dishwasher method may not be good if you want the rifle to be authentic because it will force you to strip away any original finish. This may also not be a good idea for some types of wood. I have beechwood stocks and the wood is hardy enough to not warp in the dishwasher. To make sure the firing pin will not be stuck in the bolt from cosmoline and not have to take it apart; after you have cleaned it so you cannot see any more on the surface, soak it in mineral spirits for a bit then toss it in a pot of boiling water with a little simple green (optional). Boil for about 20 minutes then toss it back into the mineral spirits working the firing pin with your fingers until no more appears to come off it in the solution. |
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Quoted:
I never understand why people do this the "hard way", when there is such an easy way available.
Go to Wallyworld, buy a gallon of paint thinner (sometimes labeled as mineral spirits), and wash the gun with it and a brush. Finished in about 15 minutes, even if you are slow. More here: Cosmoline Removal Non-chlorinated brake cleaner works very well, too. |
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Be sure to take the bolt apart, its impossible to get all the cosmoline out of the bolt without taking it apart, mine was packed solid with it! http://www.surplusrifle.com/sks/boltdisassemble/index.asp http://www.surplusrifle.com/sks/index.asp |
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Quoted:
I never understand why people do this the "hard way", when there is such an easy way available.
Go to Wallyworld, buy a gallon of paint thinner (sometimes labeled as mineral spirits), and wash the gun with it and a brush. Finished in about 15 minutes, even if you are slow. More here: Cosmoline Removal +1 |