There are a few rare examples where you shouldnt remove it. Yes, I used it back in the day when I did not know better. I last did this with an SMLE stock from 1944, and it was wicked completely dry of every spec of cosmoline, and the oil absorbing compound was almost black. Basically this was the in thing to do prior to the plastic wrapping OEM`s use now. In our case, you might need to run the gadget a few times to really penetrate the crud. This will speed up the process. Place the parts on some cardboard and the cleanup is minimal. It doesnt cut the oil. 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). After his military service, he attended the Colorado School of Trades(CST) in Lakewood, CO for gunsmithing. Type your email address and well send For hand protection I would recommend nitrile gloves. WD-40 does a good job cleaning up wood stocks without removing the underlying finish. Remove all metal from stock you are comfortable removing. A couple of hours in the hot seat predictably allowed a ton of cosmoline that had been locked inside of the wood fibers the opportunity to seep out to the surface. . You don't realize how many times you say it until you record yourself without ade. CitriStrip on the wood parts. For the small parts of the weapon, try to soak them first in hot water. The cosmoline literally runs off with the water. 5 Steps in Removing Cosmoline 1. Then I laid the parts out in the blazing Texas sun. I tried Hoppes #9 (gun cleaner) on a small section and was surprised at how easy it took it off. You may find the cosmoline caked on the stock, gumming up the receiver and bolt carrier, plugging up the bore, and covering the internal parts of the firearm. Very fast and efficient. 1 Jeep, 1 crate, and a barrel of cosmo! 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. If you'd like to consider an effective Cosmoline Remover in aerosol, please see our SS-245 product option. Before you start cleaning, here is a list of things you will need: Some things you should avoid when trying to remove Cosmoline: A note on why you shouldnt use gasoline: using gasoline to clean a firearm just isnt practical, especially in the quantity you would need to clean a typical C&R firearm. Military surplus firearms are typically very easy to fully disassemble with minimal tools, making it a pretty painless job. If you search "ultrasonic cleaner" on Amazon you can find one identical to the Lyman for $30-$40 cheaper. Disassemble the SKS all the way down to clean it properly. 2023, Schafco Packaging Company. Mauser Rifles 1933 to 1945 - The Nazi Period. This post is brought to you in collaboration with Old Steel Historical Firearms, located in Littleton, Colorado. jumpscare links to send to friends; elliptical orbit simulator; babolat ambassador program. Water and wood are NOT compatible. Treat surface with your favorite lube or set up for hot blueing. Date: 10/10/14 It's original purpose was as a water dispersant for machining - since the 60s, machine shops have gone to water-based machining lubrication/coolants and when you're done machining a part, you want to get the water-based lube/coolant off the part quickly. Thats why it is important to clean and remove it in your rifle to keep your firearm operating at its best performance. Your email address will not be published. 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. Breaks down (dissolves) all forms of Cosmoline in seconds with very little effort. Use an air gun to blow the cleaning fluid off after you finish, then apply lube as needed. Video shows my process start to finish so you can see all stages. We made a trash can cosmo melter. It complies with us military MIL-C-11796C Class 3 rust preventative. However, it might not be necessary if you have no intentions of shooting it. cosmoline removal wd40excuses to get out of annual training. Ive tried various methods in the past, none of which seemed to work particularly well. For metal, Boil water and combine with CONCENTRATED Simple Green in a disposable pan and wash all the metal. Cosmoline is a pain to remove though I found a heat lamp to work well to remove most of it without much effort. Very fast and efficient. WD-40 is a mediocre lubricant and an OK rust preventative. Copyright 2023 Pew Pew Media, Inc. All rights reserved. (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. The Fastest, Easiest & Safest Way to Remove Cosmoline (Easy Cosmoline Removal in Seconds)Removing Cosmoline has given people grief since 1939. Remove the stock, get a few tooth brushes and start dousing and scrubbing the metal. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. I used the boiling water method for my cousin's 91/30. It dissolves dried grease and will work its way into openings as small as one-millionth of an inch. Once disassembled, I use a few methods to remove cosmoline. Upon removing the parts, the hot water will evaporate and you will have totally degreased and cosmoline free parts. Was thinking of boiling in dish detergent water. AK-47 Tips/Tricks, Links, Content and Buyer Guides. Sealing them in a greasy tomb of cosmo guards against the corrosive nature of maritime environments. A little spark/open flame & gas vapors can be a recipe for personal disaster, even outside. Not so sure about current unleaded bio-fuel with all the additives. 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. A sealed PVC tube or large container are both good for soaking guns in mineral spirits, depending on the size of the firearm and container. Cosmoline is a trademarked brand of petroleum-based, wax-like corrosion inhibitors. Each car would come with a small bottle of "Cosmoline Remover" that you`d basically add to water and soak the car with. Cosmoline Removal Help! In the realm of firearms, as technologies advanced, many militaries put their older, outdated weapons into long-term storage in preparation for any future conflicts or wars. Your email address will not be published. I have seen both commercial and military rifles that sat in closets unprotected for many decades that didn't have any wood issues, some rust speckling on metal, but good wood. Start using a degreaser such as mineral spirits or turpentine to break down the cosmoline. Personalize your experience. 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. In between cleanings use mineral spirits to wipe the surface. 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. WD-40 Specialist Rust Remover Soak, One Gallon, 1-Pack 1,330 $2494 ($0.19/Fl Oz) Save more with Subscribe & Save FREE delivery Sat, Feb 18 on $25 of items shipped by Amazon Make sure to get into all the internals. Want the best cosmoline removal methods for cleaning up your milsurp gun? This is obviously going to be one of the more critical parts of your cosmoline cleaning voyage, as any residue buildup you dont address is going to negatively affect the accuracy of the rifle once you get it out to the range. For rifles like the SKS with a free-floating firing pin, its a critical place to make sure you got REALLY clean. For the detail areas i use tooth brushes/ q tips. Removing all of that cosmoline is the first chore to accomplish. Do you think I would run into finishing problems with it? Rem oil would fit the bill although it . It's also called "dry chemical". We walk-through an SKS example with plenty of pics and video. Repeat this until the patches come out relatively clean. If you have some cosmoline removal in your future, you may want to pick up a bottle of this stuff. 15 Best Gun Shops In California (2022 Updated), AR-15 Upper Assembly Guide (2022 UPDATED) Must-Read, Q-tips for cleaning the other metal sections of the gun. The cosmoline should start to melt and run off the parts onto the ground cloth. Heat is an extremely effective way of removing cosmoline. Contact Us 24/7 Customer Service Phone: (866) 802-2906 Fax: (866) 607-5965
[email protected] When I began removing the cosmoline from my new Precision Matthews PM-1440GT lathe, it was a little daunting. 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. Remove all metal parts, use a spray can of break cleaner to strip cosmoline. The use of gasoline as a cleaning solvent is DRAMATICALLY Dangerous. Dont worry too much if you cant actually get to most of the grease yet, just consider this an initial pass thatll make later cleaning a little bit easier. Lightly go over the parts with the heat gun. All prices are in USD. Fact: Over the past few decades, the name Stoddard Solvent was synonymous with all mineral spirits. Avoid that by making sure its very clean! This product hasn't received any reviews yet. In our case, the two Type-56s we received directly were definitely in the latter category of goo-boundedness, with lots of solvent-resistant hardened grease nuggets tucked away throughout the entire firearm. The cosmo bubbled to the top and I wiped it up, then repeated. Something to pay final attention to when doing the last pass on all of your small internal parts is the firing pin channel. The protective layer was thick, tough and not easy to remove. Stock in bag on hot summer day worked well enough for me, but left blemishes on the shellac where it bubbled up. Will brake cleaner remove cosmoline? . Despite being virtually entirely made up of hydrocarbons, the composition varies depending on the crude oil source. Trip83 . Hang the parts from metal coat hangers and lay out a piece of plastic to protect the floor. We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe. If you need suggestions, try one of our favorite YouTube channels. Although, today, there are many rust-preventative oils and greases that are cleaner and will do an as good, if not better, job. You do not pay (, We noticed that you have previously logged in with your, Check what do you get by creating an account, Bookmark and compare your favorite firearms, [Complete Guide] Cosmoline Removal: SKS Example. For future cosmo removal, try mineral spirits. If you use these links, it helps me continue to put out free content for viewers. 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.