Because it was so darn cold (sub-zero temperatures) they decided to speed the process with heat. Here's how I did it. Simple, cheap, efficient, but time consuming to remove all the cosmoline before shooting. Cosmoline can be dipped or brushed onto the firearm at temperatures between 140 and 160 degrees F. While it can be dipped into hotter melts it's not necessary and is done, generally, to allow more firearms to be dipped without cooling the liquid. Note: Most of the links in this article earn me a small commission at no cost to you. That will do the cleaning with no damage to the wood or original oil finish. For Cosmoline removal, I get a gallon of K1 kerosene, then put it in a tub. It doesnt cut the oil. Q-tips for cleaning the other metal sections of the gun . * SCAQMD -This product is not to be used in California's South Coast Air Quality Management District because it does not comply with Rule 1144. 3. Please avoid producing WW1-era invisible poisons in your shed. Competitive pistol and high power rifle shooter (200-600 yards). Cosmoline is a Vaseline-type preservative that was used to preserve firearms. Date: 10/10/14 A lot less toxic than brake cleaner, naphtha, and acetone. towards your level. You can accomplish this by wiping your handgun, placing it in a black trash bag, and leaving it out under the hot sun. A coat of Goo Gone, a brief soak in period and follow up with paper towels cleaned the material down to the bare metal. If youve lucked out and scored a surplus rifle with some relatively light cosmo packing, you can probably jump ahead to cleaning the individual components, but for us, step 1 was wiping away what external grease was easily accessible with some basic shop rags. 1 Place a part in a solvent compatible container and spray down with brake cleaner. WD-40 does indeed have 50% mineral spirits, but they are refined and purified for specific characteristics needed to meet todays performance, regulatory and safety requirements. The aerosol cans work best for this application. 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). I've done all my cosmo cleanups with mineral spirits, junk toothbrushes, and a heat gun. We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe. Set the temp to 130 degrees, bake for a while. I took it easy on the wood (making several passes) so as to not hurt the finish. I soaked them in mineral spirits then rinsed with hot water and dried them. The more you wash and rinse the rifle, the more creep will appear. Then I laid the parts out in the blazing Texas sun. 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. A & L Cosmoline Remover will quickly and easily remove petroleum-based transit coatings and cosmoline from vehicles. This solvent-based formula is safe to use on any painted surface and is ideal for preparing new vehicles for sale. By . Well its winter here in Ohio, so when I was in the garage I held my M38 mosin stock in front of my Reddy Heater. This is one of the few times I will recommend WD-40 for working on guns. If the firearm is left to accumulate for too long, it may clog, resulting in a firing failure or the need for repairs. WD-40 and a rag take it off easily enough. Just wipe it down with a soft cloth to remove things, maybe a gentle toothbrush for the hard to get stuff. I'm putting together my jointer and it's time to take off the cosmoline. All Rights Reserved. Place the bolt assembly into the boiling water. We personally found Q-tips to be useful if a bit tedious. Login with username, password and session length, Metal-hot water, WD 40, diesel, brake cleaner, or simple green. So we essentially got just enough cosmoline out of them to make them safe to fire and left it at that. I tried Hoppes #9 (gun cleaner) on a small section and was surprised at how easy it took it off. But there is a kind of cosmoline that is used for vehicles. the metal is hot enough from the water that when removed, it's warm enough to evaporate all moisture from itself. I bake all the stocks in a long homemade oven I made. Use an air gun to blow the cleaning fluid off after you finish, then apply lube as needed. I've tried various methods in the past, none of which seemed to work particularly well. It will dry everything out so you can't use it on rubber, plastics or wood and don't get it on your skin either. Just be sure to oil thoroughly as soon as possible because it'll be bone dry when you're done. How would a different solvent such as naphtha fare against the cosmoline? I think some that were around it a lot had long term health problems from exposure, so they probably had to change the make up of it or something. 2 When all the parts have been cleaned they must be treated with oil to prevent corrosion. Always handy to have around for frozen pipes, freezer defrost, melting ice on front steps (or from gutter downspouts) after an ice storm, etc. 1 Place a part in a solvent-compatible container and spray down with brake cleaner. Spray oil like PB blaster and a pile of rags will do it, swab out the chamber and bore same as you would during routine cleaning after shooting. You worry too much. Cosmoline RP-342 "Heavy" Rust Preventative Spray (Military-Grade) 1-Can https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRRYF6N/?tag=wranglerorg-20 This involves two steps: You can do this by wrapping your firearm in towels and placing it in a black trash bag and leaving it sit out in the sun, or using another heat sourcesuch as a heat gun or older ovento return the Cosmoline to its liquid state. Sorry for the "ums." and "ahh." guys. Saturate a clean cloth with Cosmoline Remover. It should be treated as a bore obstruction and removed prior to firing. In between cleanings use mineral spirits to wipe the surface. Try to disassemble your rifle first, then clean its parts by section. Most of the cosmoline may be getting rid of after a few baths. I used simple green on some that weren't as bad before. Required fields are marked *. Collector, reloader, amateur gunsmith and CHL holder. Youll finally remove the majority of the cosmoline from the gun after hours of scrubbingbut basically, you cant stop there. You are using an out of date browser. The cosmo bubbled to the top and I wiped it up, then repeated. When you shoot, residual fouling builds up in the barrel. I've read that I should use mineral oil or WD40. Its very important that you get as much of the Cosmoline out of the gun as possible if only to eliminate the risk of having to disassemble the gun to find a hidden chunk of the rust-preventive gunking it up. It won't get it sparkling clean but the heat and pressure will remove a large amount. I disassembled the rifle and scraped/wiped off as much goo as I could. 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. Although the fine, colorless sprays coating was dry after a week of freshwater sprays, the panel had no rust. There are other considerations that you think about if tackling this task. That means it will come off with kerosene or mineral spirit, and could even just wipe away with rubbing alcohol. Heat is an extremely effective way of removing cosmoline. Use a hair dryer on the stock and wipe it down until clean. I have used before on other parts kits with paper towels or old cotton rags Will not soften, dull, or discolor finishes. WD 40 and mineral naptha (ligher fluid) are the cosmoline cutters of choice to the home shop machinist. The more you manipulate, wash, and rinse the firearm, the more youll see creep to the surface. Wrap in paper towels and aluminum foil. I remember when a "Yugo" was a piece of crap car. I may earn a small part of the sale from links to any products or services on this site. Halogen lamps do the trick or me. Ehhhh, was my first try with Cosmo. The main difference between Rust Veto and cosmoline is that Rust Veto has a slightly higher melting point of 140-170 degrees Fahrenheit. To help you get rid of this slimy substance, our team spent 48 hours researching the easiest steps in removing cosmoline from your firearms. Harsh chemical solvents that could strip paint, finishes, or other aesthetic/functional coatings from the guns surface. Now I know why I don't buy mil surplus stuff. Eliminates Manual Cleaning with Solvents Green aqueous chemistry eliminates manual cleaning using flammable solvents, acetone and WD-40. 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. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Once youve got your barrel and receiver assembly cleaned up, you can check on your sweaty wood bois and see where theyre at. WD-40 is a mediocre lubricant and an OK rust preventative. Brake cleaner does a good job but is very harsh on the skin and can eat some plastics and brake cleaner will remove painted on finishes on some firearms so test first. When applied to a surface, the compound solidifies as it . 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. How to clean cosmoline off your Mosin Nagant 91/30, SKS or any other surplus gun using Mineral Spirits and hot water. It's much cheaper than WD40 or other chemicals and works great. Let the bolt assembly soak for awhile to make sure all the Cosmoline is boiled out. The gooy, gross, petroleum preservative that is seemingly locked within every porous surface and crevice possible. Common internet gun wisdom is that youre going to want non-chlorinated brake cleaner, as a byproduct of chlorinated brake cleaner heating up is phosgene gas. Aerosol brake of carburetor cleaner, dissolves the cosmolene into thin air almost instantly. WOOD: Heat guns are like very hot hair dryers. We'll only use the information provided according to our privacy policy. You probably took it home and couldnt focus on anything until you tore it apart and cleaned that goo off to see what was underneath it. Was thinking of boiling in dish detergent water. As the cold war came and went, many of these countries started to liquidate their warehouses, selling these surplus arms to importers and exporters in the United States. All prices are in USD. 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. Cosmoline can create a dangerous situation with your firearm. While our small parts soak, we took the barrelled action and receiver outside to just absolutely douse in brake cleaner. Before I do anything I'll regret, can anyone give me a definitive ruling on the best way to clean cosmoline off metal/wood? Cosmo just rolls off. WD40 is a good cleaner for surfaces that you have good access to wipe down, but when it comes to cleaning small parts such as springs, sears, hammers, and other hard to reach places, I find that mineral spirits does a better job. We use mineral spirits in the shop to remove cosmoline. Heat and humidity make a heat gun or hair dryer a good option here. Like this kind of content? It dissolves dried grease and will work its way into openings as small as one-millionth of an inch. Ive always had the best luck with mineral spirits. Trip83 . These guns were usually just dipped in a big vat of Cosmoline and then put into storage. Type your new password and hit button below to confirm it. I used the boiling water method for my cousin's 91/30. 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. The diesel fuel with get thick as you wring out the microfiber towel repeatedly in the diesel. If you plan to fire the firearm, it absolutely needs to be removed for the reason stated above. Safety is a good tool for tyrants; no one can be against safety. 2. For the stocks, I generally do the dish washer routine (of course, I wait for my wife to be gone for the day first!lol). The spray and handy tube make it easy to get into grooves and slots, as well as bolt holes. If planning to shoot your surplus firearms, leaving cosmoline in the bore can ruin your firearm or, worse yet, cause injury to the shooter. Cosmoline Removal I'm sure this has been discussed off an on before.but lets start a definitive thread with some tips and tricks! The stories of miss steps with gas are legion. The cosmoline should start to melt and run off the parts onto the ground cloth. Works great. Gets 95% of everything off and takes less time. I've restored a couple cosmoline soaked rifles using different techniques. This is how to remove cosmoline in the most effective and efficient manner from your newly-acquired Moist Nugget or other military surplus firearm. With the Type 56, we broke the guns down into their main field-strippable components: rifle stock, barreled action, bolt carrier, assembly, trigger assembly, magazine, op rod, etc. I generally disassemble the gun into it's primary components first. Ive tried various methods in the past, none of which seemed to work particularly well. WD40 worked well, but was basically a waste when the spirits did the same thing. Although most greases will burn, cosmolines are rarely considered a fire threat. Not so sure about current unleaded bio-fuel with all the additives. At this stage, you may benefit more from dissembling the entire gun or parts of it, like the bolt assembly of a rifle, and letting it soak in mineral spirits. 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. I really like the fact that it doesn't dry out, but sits there and works on softening up the Cosmoline. Heat gun saved a lot of solvent. just cosmoline removed easy. Both my SKS's I cleaned by first taking off as much cosmoline as possible with paper towels, then soaking everything in WD-40.