Use an air gun to blow the cleaning fluid off after you finish, then apply lube as needed. Its chemical composition consists primarily of a homogenous mixture of oil-based, non-polar hydrocarbons. From there if youre working on a rifle with wooden components, nows the time to separate them and toss them in a trash bag. 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. Make sure. There is something hugely satisfying about bringing one of these old things back to life. You are using an out of date browser. However, it gives you the opportunity to get to know the inner workings of your firearm on another level. 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. You may find that some firearms have been brushed . I stripped the whole gun down and used mineral spirits on the metal parts and Murphy's wood soap on the stock. cosmoline removal wd40excuses to get out of annual training. Cosmoline is a Vaseline-type preservative that was used to preserve firearms. Sealing them in a greasy tomb of cosmo guards against the corrosive nature of maritime environments. Used a brass brush to help clear the heel lettering. Usually requiring a full detail stripping and cleaning of the rifle before its remotely capable of being operated safely. Repeating this multiple times will remove the cosmoline. 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. Select what level shooter you are! If you'd like to consider an effective Cosmoline Remover in aerosol, please see our, RP-342 "HEAVY" Military-Grade Rust Preventive Spray, COMBO OFFER: RP-342 Aerosols (Mix & Match), Cosmoline Direct VCI Paper Rolls (for Ferrous Metals), Cosmoline Direct VCI Industrial Paper Sheets (Pre-Cut). That only works if there is a person close by that can yell "CUT" right after the take. 4. Once disassembled, I use a few methods to remove cosmoline. Not so sure about current unleaded bio-fuel with all the additives. Always handy to have around for frozen pipes, freezer defrost, melting ice on front steps (or from gutter downspouts) after an ice storm, etc. The cosmoline literally runs off with the water. Next, wash the firearm with soap and hot water. Acetone, mineral spirits, or kerosene (but avoid the latter when possible, or when your firearm has been painted or blued). The cleaning process starts by removing as much of the cosmolines as possible. Be that as it may, your general overall approach to de-gunking your gun is going to be pretty similar no matter how much shit is built up within it. So just wiping it off the surface is all that is required. Ken 1942 GPW You worry too much. Type your email address and well send I just go to the car wash and hit it with the degreaser setting then rinse setting. Cosmoline can create a dangerous situation with your firearm. If you need suggestions, try one of our favorite YouTube channels. Following a wash-rinse cycle will help coax Cosmoline out from all the crevices and grooves, so repeat the process until your water runs clear and you can handle each part without it feeling greasy or oily. It is frequently used in indoor and outdoor applications and does a great job for long-term storage. It's thin or thickly applied depending on the monkey with the sprayer that particular day and is either easy or hard to get off depending on which monkey sprayed your car. My method is to clean with g96 aerosol for light cosmoline junk or if the problem is serious WD40. Place parts covered in Cosmoline into the bath. It might just be the hardest challenge to returning the gun to a useable state. 1 Jeep, 1 crate, and a barrel of cosmo! Because it was so darn cold (sub-zero temperatures) they decided to speed the process with heat. Just like everyone said, mineral spirits for metal (you can use hot water and simple green too), and bag/heat gun for the stock. Click below for a FREE LESSON! I generally disassemble the gun into it's primary components first. (, 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. Cosmoline is helpful because it offers long-term rust prevention, but if youre a Curios & Relics (C&R) Firearms collector or have ever purchased a gun, you may have what looks to be a mess on your hands. Mind you ,I keep a close watch on this. I will offer that after trying everything, the absolute best method for degreasing the stock is to put it in a large black garbage bag and fill it with either kitty litter, or that similar stuff you use to soak up oil on the driveway. It took me a good 3 hours to get everything clean but the action is nice and smooth(ish). The consistency of cosmoline varies widely but is mostly found as grease or wax. Not only does WD-40 dissolve the Cosmoline, it does it better and faster than acetone. Suspend stock in pipe using a wire coat hanger, rest blow dryer on either the top or cut a hole in the bottom then set to low heat high fan setting (Don't let the heat in the pipe get over ~165 Fahrenheit due to shellac having a low melting point). Attempting to remove the rust-preventive after allowing the cosmoline to warm up can result in an oilier finish. 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. We'll send you the latest guides and training tips geared Be sure to use a decent gun oil on any moving parts when you reassemble. I'm putting together my jointer and it's time to take off the cosmoline. No other commonly available solvent works as well but it aint magic. They cost around $20 if you want something cheap. . Pick any other cleaning option! 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. Originally developed in the late 1800s and marketed as a home disinfectant and veterinary anti-swelling agent, presumably by the same turn of the century physicians inclined to prescribe you cocaine for a staph infection or whatever. http://www.surplusrifle.com/sks/index.asp, http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k36/cajuncj/M91%2030%20Finn/IMG_0849.jpg, Quote from: RangerAR on December 24, 2006, 08:37:16 PM, Quote from: singleshotcajun on January 05, 2007, 05:31:34 PM, Quote from: yber26 on January 21, 2007, 08:39:55 PM. Cosmoline Removal: Step-by-Step. When the grease came to the surface or began to run off, I hit the parts with Brake Kleen then put them back out in the sun again. #1 Engine Bay Cleaning/Cosmoline Removal 03-02-2012, 08:52 AM Hey guys, I want to get my engine bay as clean as possible without shaving or paint work before the new engine goes in. It is brown in color and usually engulfs those beautiful surplus rifles at the local gun show. I lost count around the 200 mark. I had to pull it out of the plastic to verify numbers. Basically this was the in thing to do prior to the plastic wrapping OEM`s use now. We used our same bore brush to ram out the gas tube as well and while its not as critical to get this part as sparkling clean as the barrel, you obviously dont want any obstructions in the cavity that your piston sits within. Use an air gun to blow the cleaning fluid off after you finish, then apply lube as needed. The cosmoline coated bumpers and trim was given an extra dose of solvent, then a high temperature pressure washer (yeah, a steam cleaner) was used to remove the cosmoline. WD 40 and mineral naptha (ligher fluid) are the cosmoline cutters of choice to the home shop machinist. Note that if you are going to paint the part, use the brake parts cleaner which evaporates nearly completely and instantly (and skip the WD-40) and then paint immediately to prevent rust from starting. 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. Buy an 8" piece of HVAC round duct pipe, a blow dryer, and paper towels. Everyone else has your straight on the steel part. When you shoot, residual fouling builds up in the barrel. Change the paper towel and put back at a slightly higher temp every cycle. 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. 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. No wiping needed with mineral spirits. Thank you for the support! Again, if youve ever dealt with military surplus guns before, you might have some experience with the somewhat laborious process of removing the infamous goop from them. Want the best cosmoline removal methods for cleaning up your milsurp gun? All Rights Reserved. They were nasty rascals and I had to get creative about decrapping them. I use fluid film on all my cars, but fluid film won't hold up under a car for more than six months without re-applying it. Press J to jump to the feed. WD-40 and a rag take it off easily enough. I'll do better next time. Hand-Picked Daily GUN DEALS, and Exclusive Coupons Codes >>>. (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. you a link to reset your password. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. When sourcing our Cosmoline Remover, we took into consideration: effectiveness, safety, cost and convenience of application and clean-up. Before using the Kroil, take an old rag and lightly wipe off any heavy concentrations of cosmoline. Born and raised in Austin TX, Alfred has been shooting guns since he was 18. You will need to use fresh diesel as it gets to thick and sticky with all the cosmoline. You don't realize how many times you say it until you record yourself without ade. If you want to check this out in a video, take a look! The heat will bleed the cosmo out. Be the first to review this product! Refinish the wood with boiled linseed oil or Dansk oil. If you use these links, it helps me continue to put out free content for viewers. There are a few methods you can use in order to clean Cosmoline off in this state: WD-40 If you spray WD-40 . Military surplus firearms are typically very easy to fully disassemble with minimal tools, making it a pretty painless job. Once you have removed as much of the Cosmoline as you can, it's time to move on to the next step. If you want to spay, you could put it in a garden type sprayer. Air compressor. Simple, cheap, efficient, but time consuming to remove all the cosmoline before shooting. We made a trash can cosmo melter. While our small parts soak, we took the barrelled action and receiver outside to just absolutely douse in brake cleaner. Afterward, disassemble the rifle down the the point where you can remove all the moisture and clean a few nooks and crannys and properly lube. WD40 works well enough and wont hurt a thing. Re: Cosmoline removal Ford & Pontiac used alot of Cosmoline back in the 80`s & 90`s to protect the car from transit contaminants. Fact: Over the past few decades, the name Stoddard Solvent was synonymous with all mineral spirits. 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. Good or bad idea? I tried Hoppes #9 (gun cleaner) on a small section and was surprised at how easy it took it off. We wound up using about ~3 cans of cleaner total per rifle, using a general spray vigorously and begin wiping down method. However, I do not recommend doing it indoors; outside or in a garage is best. 3. WD40 and CRC 556 are recommended solvents. It melts at 113-125 so hot soapy water or steam cleaning works. 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. Following graduation, he accepted a job at C. Sharps Arms in Montana, where he still works full time as a stockmaker and gunsmith. From there, we like to take all of the small components and run them through a nice sonic cleaner bath to free up some of the hardened gunk thats worked its way into small spaces. You just stripped the finish off of your rifle. A coat of Goo Gone, a brief soak in period and follow up with paper towels cleaned the material down to the bare metal. Wipe it off with a combination of shop rags for the surface grease, as well as goof-off to grab any of the sticky residues that are going to be left behind.