I'm trying to remove the cosmo from a Enfield and the wood is just soaked with cosmoline!!!! I let the wood soak in Mineral sprits for 5 days and it got a lot out but even more is sweating from the wood. I also tried a heat gun and that boils the cosmo but as soon as I wipe it away more seeps out of the wood.

I hear you can bake the stock in an oven but at what temp and for how long? Also won't the Cosmo stick to the sides of the oven and make it unfit to cook food in? My wife will not allow that and given the oven is new I don't want to take the chance.

So what can I do to rid the wood of this nasty stuff that doen not take forever to compleet? Thank you!

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Do not use oven cleaner...some folks recommend that.I tried it a couple times and ened up with a green stock.
I would not bake it either.
On hardwood stocks I use acetone followed up with alcohol and air dried for a few hours.Then apply a few coats of tung or BLO.If you want a very hard finish use True oil.Apply about five coats per the directions and knock the gloss off with 0000 bronze wool or steel wool.Bronze wool is best if you can find it.
I would avoid washing the stock with water and soap as it will lift the proofs.
The stocks still weep some cosmo out once you get them hot during firing or in the sun,but its not a big deal.Eventually the cosmo will weep out from use.
On laminates such as used with WW2 German K98's you have to be careful as they used a water based glue on late war and a resin early war.
Water is the solvent on the water based glue and the resin can be damaged by solvents.Either way not a good think as the stock will start coming apart.
I would not get too serious about it really.

Thnak you guys! Will the toung oil work if the wood still has cosmo in it?

I don't know what the "experts" recommend. I cleaned a Springfield 1903 that was packed with cosmoline this way.

On a warm summer day, I disassembled the rifle and blew most of the stuff off with my daughter's hair dryer. Then I cleaned the wood with low odor mineral spirits and tooth brushes and rags. I kept putting the stocks in the sun for the next couple days and cleaned it with rags and mineral spirits. I'm not kidding, it will sweat cosmoline for a long time.

The metal parts are a lot easier, because, of course, they don't sweat. I cleaned those with mineral spirits and Birchwood Casey's gun scrubber, then lubed it up good with FP-10.

I put it in the safe over the winter and got it out this weekend. Took the stocks off and believe it or not, it was still sweating cosmoline a little. Not much, but still some. I used MinWax antique furniture refinisher on it because it is less harsh and has some oil in it. I used those green pads that work like steel wool and toothbrushes. Then I used Minwax clear wood finish and finished with a coat of Minwax Tung Oil Finish. This has thinners and varnishes in it and is less sticky than pure Tung Oil. It looks pretty good right now., But I'm going to put another coat of the Tung Oil Finish on it next weekend.

It's a lot of work, but Cosmoline is pretty tough stuff. I don't know of any easy way to get rid of it. Be patient, let the stocks sit in the sun a bunch. Good luck!

I tried the "sitting in the sun" idea today and it worked pretty well. When I got home form work the stock bleed out a lot and was much lighter in color! I'll keep at it! Thank you!

Skag,

Look to Brownells.

Look up "Whiting".

The stuff works as advertised.

It alsohelps touse awaterbased degreaser like Simple green or Castrol "Superclean", before running the whiting.

Cosmolene soaks into the wood as the wood loses it's natural moisture content.

Untill the wood is stabilized, the cosmolene will be an issue with anything but an oil finish.

Tung oil works.

The Great wall in China is proof.

Then again I might be a bit biased against urethanes covering svelt brit lasses, when a thin coat of natural oil is all that is needed.

Keep it out of the oven.

It ain't good for the stock or the marriage!!!!!!!!!

Don't ask me how I know!!!!!!

I'm thinking I need another MKIII.

S-28

"Do not use oven cleaner...some folks recommend that. I tried it a couple times and ended up with a green stock."

I did use oven cleaner on my CMP M1 and M1903A3 stocks and it worked well for me. I sprayed the stocks outdoors and let them sit for 15-20 minutes. Then I scrubbed them down in the basement sink with a green pad and the hottest water my gloved hands could stand. I let them dry for several days then (very) lightly sanded them, avoiding any proof markings. I followed this with 5-10 light coats of tung oil using xxxx steel wool between coats. I did not end up with a green stock. I had to repeat the spray and clean on the M1903A3 due to the excessive grease.

Quoted: Skag, Look to Brownells. Look up "Whiting". The stuff works as advertised. It alsohelps touse awaterbased degreaser like Simple green or Castrol "Superclean", before running the whiting. Cosmolene soaks into the wood as the wood loses it's natural moisture content. Untill the wood is stabilized, the cosmolene will be an issue with anything but an oil finish. Tung oil works. The Great wall in China is proof. Then again I might be a bit biased against urethanes covering svelt brit lasses, when a thin coat of natural oil is all that is needed. Keep it out of the oven. It ain't good for the stock or the marriage!!!!!!!!! Don't ask me how I know!!!!!! I'm thinking I need another MKIII. S-28

So will the toung oil soak/stick to the wood if there is still some cosmo in it?

Castrol super clean, and water! Do this on a warm day soak the wood in straight super clean, let it stand for 15 or 20 min, and rinse with cold water, do the soak and rinse thing until you no longer get an oily sheen on the water running off the wood when you rinse it done this several times, and have yet to destroy any arsenal markings in the wood. Let it dry for at least a week somewhere warm, then you can move on to steel wool, and whatever finish you decide on. I was told NEVER use oven cleaner, as it destroys the wood, along with the dirt and cosmoline.
I use Behr's Tung oil finish with good results, most Ace hardware stores carry it, it's tung oil, boiled linseed oil, and some dryers added so you don't have to wait months between coats.
Give this a shot, I have used it on a few guns who's wood was BLACK with cosmoline, and god knows what, and they turned out beautifully, just take your time, and be patient, the end results will be worth it!

      Hope it helps!

               John

I got the stuff out of my IZZY FAL furniture by running it through the dishwasher once then drying
in the oven at low temp.
Worked O.K. but it enhanced a split at the butt end of the stock, no biggie since i could fix it
and it was going to get an epoxy finish.