Using a rag, wipe the stock off. Bolt components I usually boil, just to make sure I get all of it out. Stock in a trash bag on a hot day Or mineral spirits scrub down? The other reason being is a nice coating of oil keeps your parts moving smoothly and protects guns in storage. 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. got the cosmo out and it looks good too! Use an air gun to blow the cleaning fluid off after you finish, then apply lube as needed. Cosmoline is our stuff, product of a first world economy, the commies used grease, cheap grease, much easier to remove. There's two main types of cosmoline: RP- 342 and RP- 344 I belive. All prices are in USD. That only works if there is a person close by that can yell "CUT" right after the take. StingRay parts washers use a non-flammable alkaline cleaning detergent such as Power Kleen V or Power Kleen IIIL. 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. cosmoline removal wd40excuses to get out of annual training. You don't realize how many times you say it until you record yourself without ade. Drench them in it, let them sit, then rinse them out. Cosmoline is used to protect the gun against rusting; however, many military surplus rifles were previously submerged in the greasy substance, making its eventual removal seemingly problematic. I really like the fact that it doesn't dry out, but sits there and works on softening up the Cosmoline. You can also apply chemicals such as acetone and kerosene. Those who have dealt with firearms for a long time most certainly have experienced the dilemmas of cosmoline. It should be treated as a bore obstruction and removed prior to firing. This restriction only affects the following Southern California counties: Orange, Riverside, Los Angeles and San Bernardino. WD40 is actually mostly kerosene along with something like floor polish that remains when the paraffin has evaporated. We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe. 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. Removing the cosmoline off of this rifle would greatly reduce its value. you a link to reset your password. Attempting to remove the rust-preventive after allowing the cosmoline to warm up can result in an oilier finish. However, I do not recommend doing it indoors; outside or in a garage is best. Repeating that for a couple of days, gave me a pretty nice, undamaged rifle! The gooy, gross, petroleum preservative that is seemingly locked within every porous surface and crevice possible. Aerosol brake of carburetor cleaner, dissolves the cosmolene into thin air almost instantly. Let me show you how I safely remove cosmoline. Simple, cheap, efficient, but time consuming to remove all the cosmoline before shooting. Stripping the finish is a big no-no for some. Nothing else like it. I soaked them in mineral spirits then rinsed with hot water and dried them. When I began removing the cosmoline from my new Precision Matthews PM-1440GT lathe, it was a little daunting. 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. Thanks, John. Wd40 on the metal parts that you can't soak. All Rights Reserved. This process is simple but very messy and should be done in a well-ventilated area. gear. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. So we essentially got just enough cosmoline out of them to make them safe to fire and left it at that. Because of the general porous nature of wood, chances are pretty decent that a good amount of grease has managed to penetrate the wood fiber itself, even if it retained its original finish. 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. Its important to extract as many residues and greases out of the gun as possible to avoid the risk of disassembling the gun in the future to uncover a hidden chunk of the rust-preventive gunk. Afterward, you can dry out your gun and finish it with lube. When sourcing our Cosmoline Remover, we took into consideration: effectiveness, safety, cost and convenience of application and clean-up. In the Marine Corps, more than once did we have to 'un-Cosmoline' weapons, gear or other 'NOS stuff'and without fail, the answer was always the same: 'Disassemble the device (if required) to field strip position, place the Cosmolined-item into the BOILING WATER TANK, and allow to soak for 4-5 minutes, as needed'. Learn the 3 most popular shooting stances & more. Don't forget to protect the machined surfaces after cleaning..HTH Take care, Gotcha6 Dennis Staff member Corporate Member Sep 26, 2007 #8 The cosmo bubbled to the top and I wiped it up, then repeated. Date: 10/10/14 Apply some to a rag and patch and wipe down the cosmoline-soaked parts. Heat gun saved a lot of solvent. You are using an out of date browser. Title: Original Cosmoline Dissembling can make the process somewhat easier but it isnt absolutely necessary. Cosmoline Removal Wd40 ; Conclusion ; What Removes Cosmoline? Thanks Boil and reoil the smaller metal parts. IMMEDIATELY hit it with penetrating oil (NOT WD-40but a real petroleum-based penetrating oil), and wipe down with a soft cloth. The U.S. military soon discovered its advantages when applied to military equipment. You will need to use fresh diesel as it gets to thick and sticky with all the cosmoline. But when you have robbed a man of everything, he is no longer in your power he is free again. It took me a good 3 hours to get everything clean but the action is nice and smooth(ish). Despite being virtually entirely made up of hydrocarbons, the composition varies depending on the crude oil source. This is how to remove cosmoline in the most effective and efficient manner from your newly-acquired Moist Nugget or other military surplus firearm. Address: www.originalcosmoline.com Heat gun is a total saver. Click the button below to add the Cosmoline Remover to your wish list. Try simple green first. It was great stuff. Ive always had the best luck with mineral spirits. The decision to either remove or not remove cosmoline from the rifle is based on each individual situation. I used simple green on some that weren't as bad before. Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. Weve got a dedicated section for the AR-15 here. purchase helps support my work in bringing you more awesome gun and gear articles. Forget the other 'dangerous processes'boil with water, and you're good-as-new! If you have some cosmoline removal in your future, you may want to pick up a bottle of this stuff. Review, Shortening a shotgun stock and fitting a recoil pad, Rogers Single Point M4 Rifle Harness Review, Howa 1500 v Winchester 70 action comparsion, Muzzle Brake Installation on a Precision Rifle: Timing and Installing an OPS R3E2C, 223 Remington/5.56mm NATO Barrel length versus Velocity- Short Barrels- 6 to 14 inches, Building a custom 7mm Rem Mag Hunting Rifle-PART 1, Customizing the 1911: machining a golf ball pattern slide, Installing a muzzle brake between centers, 1911 Rear Sight Installation (Novak style cut). Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. After eight days, only the very top was showing . These guns were usually just dipped in a big vat of Cosmoline and then put into storage. Login with username, password and session length, Metal-hot water, WD 40, diesel, brake cleaner, or simple green. Cosmoline RP-342 "Heavy" Rust Preventative Spray (Military-Grade) 1-Can https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRRYF6N/?tag=wranglerorg-20 For Cosmoline removal, I get a gallon of K1 kerosene, then put it in a tub. There you go. After peeling, they leave a greasy film for continued corrosion protection. I used WD40 to cut the cosmoline on some Yugo Mags. The diesel fuel with get thick as you wring out the microfiber towel repeatedly in the diesel. Should be good to go after that. 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. **This product is not offered in aerosol can containers. 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. These two things together will help dislodge and remove the remaining traces of Cosmoline, along with a fair amount of elbow grease. While really bad cosmoline build-up might require a few steps further than a field stripping for whatever rifle youre working on. towards your level. 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. Before using the Kroil, take an old rag and lightly wipe off any heavy concentrations of cosmoline. 2. When I began removing the cosmoline from my new Precision Matthews PM-1440GT lathe, it was a little daunting. If you need suggestions, try one of our favorite YouTube channels. Buy an 8" piece of HVAC round duct pipe, a blow dryer, and paper towels. You can also use a heat gun or an older oven to help melt the Cosmoline. 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. You worry too much. Place parts covered in Cosmoline into the bath. My method is to clean with g96 aerosol for light cosmoline junk or if the problem is serious WD40. The first step you need to do is to gather the things youll need for this cosmoline removal. I cleaned a heavily soiled 37 bSw last week, I use Krud Kutter. 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). All good tips, and this is how I clean the metal parts for the most part. I do this on bare stocks after stripping them. Make sure you get all of the Cosmolene off of the gun! The cleaning process starts by removing as much of the cosmolines as possible. Saturate a clean cloth with Cosmoline Remover. Your Complete Guide to All Things Cosmoline, All the Questions You Need to Ask to Pick the Right Rust Preventative, How to Properly Remove Cosmoline from Military Surplus Firearms, How to Make Your Outdoor Furniture Last Longer. WD-40 or any other petroleum based based solvents will cut it pretty good. We'll only use the information provided according to our privacy policy. Military surplus firearms are typically very easy to fully disassemble with minimal tools, making it a pretty painless job. You may find that some firearms have been brushed . Was thinking of boiling in dish detergent water. Once youve uh unslimed your wood, return to your sonic cleaner components and use brake cleaner as needed to grab any chunks that might be left with your Q-tips. **This product is not offered in aerosol can containers. I've read that I should use mineral oil or WD40. Mind you ,I keep a close watch on this. Repeat this until the patches come out relatively clean. It practically dissolves any Cosmoline product in seconds with very little effort. Trip83 . You can accomplish this by wiping your handgun, placing it in a black trash bag, and leaving it out under the hot sun. It only has penetrative properties when wet. The more you manipulate, wash, and rinse the firearm, the more youll see creep to the surface. 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. I bought a bunch of those Yugo SKS rifles when cases of them started showing up at the gun shows. Removing all of that cosmoline is the first chore to accomplish. Simple Green has never worked that well for me. Then I laid the parts out in the blazing Texas sun. 1 Place a part in a solvent-compatible container and spray down with brake cleaner. Once you have removed as much of the Cosmoline as you can, it's time to move on to the next step. Really, you'd have to soak ammo in WD40 to have a chance of it seeping in and killing the primer. Social media guy and gucci gear nerd extraordinaire, he enjoys tracking the equipment trends of various SOF forces worldwide and collecting a wholly unnecessary amount of Multicam Black kit. After his military service, he attended the Colorado School of Trades(CST) in Lakewood, CO for gunsmithing. 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. Had some residual cosmoline on a receiver that came off surprisingly well last weekend with HOT water, near boiling temp. Fact: Over the past few decades, the name Stoddard Solvent was synonymous with all mineral spirits. Review SDS for complete safety precautions. Once youve got your barrel and receiver assembly cleaned up, you can check on your sweaty wood bois and see where theyre at. 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). It doesnt cut the oil. It dissolves dried grease and will work its way into openings as small as one-millionth of an inch. 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. Even if your item only has a light coating of older Cosmoline, you might have questions as to how best to remove old coatings. Was thinking of boiling in dish detergent water. From there if youre working on a rifle with wooden components, nows the time to separate them and toss them in a trash bag. Once disassembled, I use a few methods to remove cosmoline. Use a hair dryer on the stock and wipe it down until clean. Eliminates Manual Cleaning with Solvents Green aqueous chemistry eliminates manual cleaning using flammable solvents, acetone and WD-40. Pour Cosmoline Remover in safe container. 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. Cosmoline doesn't penetrate the wood like most stock finishes unless its areas where its flaking. The stuff will bubble up as a wonderfully aromatic orange oil like layer on the water. But its a background process that you can mostly leave alone outside of hitting the timer again once its finished a round of cleaning. Removing all of the Cosmoline will take significant work regardless, so it comes down to a matter of preference. This process is simple but very messy and should be done in a well-ventilated area. This method works exceptionally well. For the unfamiliar, cosmoline is sort of the genericized term for a family of petroleum-based greases with remarkably high viscosity with inherent rust and corrosion protective properties, a signature waxy brown visage, and unmistakable industrial smell. Lightly go over the parts with the heat gun. 3. Contact Us 24/7 Customer Service Phone: (866) 802-2906 Fax: (866) 607-5965 Sales@CosmolineDirect.com Cosmoline does an excellent job of preventing corrosion and preserving metal parts. It depends on the matter of your desire. When I started cleaning it I used a heat gun after tearing it completely down. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Took days of cleaning for all the original proofs and markings to become visible. Just wipe it down with a soft cloth to remove things, maybe a gentle toothbrush for the hard to get stuff. The surfaces will almost dry up instantly With the hot metal you end up with after removing from the boiling water. 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. Breaks down (dissolves) all forms of Cosmoline in seconds with very little effort. The stories of miss steps with gas are legion. Posted: 7/20/2014 7:07:20 AM EST [#2] In our case, you might need to run the gadget a few times to really penetrate the crud. Wrap in paper towels and aluminum foil. This has worked well for me and has turned out to be the least labor intensive of the methods I have tried for cleaning off cosmoline. Cosmoline Removal I'm sure this has been discussed off an on before.but lets start a definitive thread with some tips and tricks! We wound up using about ~3 cans of cleaner total per rifle, using a general spray vigorously and begin wiping down method. The process is very dirty. Please avoid producing WW1-era invisible poisons in your shed. Type your email address and well send This rifle had not been disassembled in MANY moons and had dried cosmoline in all the tight areas. 16 Jun June 16, 2022. cosmoline removal wd40. 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. Kroil is known as The Oil That Creeps and has made quite a name for itself in the firearms industry. Brake cleaner and acetone will dissolve nearly anything but often they evaporate before you can get the gunk off and you are back where you started. Works great. It's also called "dry chemical". 5. Kurt is a Gunsmith, Reloader, Hunter, and Outdoorsman. The Fastest, Easiest & Safest Way to Remove Cosmoline (Easy Cosmoline Removal in Seconds)Removing Cosmoline has given people grief since 1939. Cosmoline & WD40 Removal I used WD40 to cut the cosmoline on some Yugo Mags. Once it's clean, remove the bolt assembly from the water and place it on a towel. I paid $4 for a spray bottle. Place the bolt assembly into the boiling water. Safe to use on firearms, military weaponry, automobiles, machinery, heavy equipment, gears, lathes, dies, molds, and anything else coated with Cosmoline. guns & The cosmoline literally runs off with the water. hey thanks for this information. 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. Good or bad idea? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Today, the mineral spirits found in products like ours are more refined and . Not really. Weve built dozens of ARs and well cover all the best AR-15 upgrades such as handguards, triggers, BCGs, gas blocks, and more. CitriStrip on the wood parts. Cosmoline is a greenish man-butter stuff that most car manufacturers spray on engines/undercarriages of cars to protect during transport. That will do the cleaning with no damage to the wood or original oil finish. Only used it to finish wiping off the light residue. You can use the oven and even the heat from the sun to melt the cosmos. 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. Thank you for the support! Hosting, Website & SEO services provided by EZMarketing. To help you get rid of this slimy substance, our team spent 48 hours researching the easiest steps in removing cosmoline from your firearms. There are other ways to achieve this same effect, however. (not optimized for mobile browsing), Copyright 2023 COSMOLINE DIRECT, LLC. All of the above is primarily educated guessing for Eastern Bloc procedures, aka a WAG American practice for removing actual Cosmoline (not the ersatz Cosmoline that communist countries used) was the chlorinated solvent approach (disposal in pits, not rivers), based on first hand accounts. 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. It shines like John Boehners nose now. Goo Gone is a cirtus gel product that is marketed for the removal of adhesive residue on consumer projects. I strongly urge people to avoid the use of water (at any temperature) on wood. After hours of scrubbing, you will eventually remove the majority of Cosmoline from the gunbut you cant stop with that. This can be done with a simple rag and some elbow grease. Reference a disassembly manual and take every piece and part out of it. For metal, Boil water and combine with CONCENTRATED Simple Green in a disposable pan and wash all the metal. You have the option to disassemble your firearm before beginning this process or keeping it intact throughout the cleaning process. If you search "ultrasonic cleaner" on Amazon you can find one identical to the Lyman for $30-$40 cheaper. If you have chunks of cosmo, remove them out first.. carefully remove the "deep" stuff. Soak a cloth in the degreaser and rub it onto the firearm until the cosmoline is dissolved. Hand-Picked Daily GUN DEALS, and Exclusive Coupons Codes >>>. Over time, Cosmoline may have seeped into nooks, crevices, and gaps in the metal but it is actually fairly simple to remove. Q-tips for cleaning the other metal sections of the gun Safety is a good tool for tyrants; no one can be against safety. For best results, turn cloth frequently while cleaning. Hang the parts from metal coat hangers and lay out a piece of plastic to protect the floor. Using your nylon brush scrub off any grease or cosmoline that is on the part. Its the mess, gross and slimy petroleum that appears to be wrapped in every surface of firearms. Gently rub area to maximize contact between cleaner and surface. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, M91, M91/30, M91/30 PU, M38, M44, 48M, T53, Enough Glorious Rifle to arm small milita. With repeated heatings and wipe downs you can remove the Cosmoline without damaging the wood. WD40 works well enough and wont hurt a thing. It will melt off. Repeating this multiple times will remove the cosmoline. Cosmoline found in the chamber area can cause failures to extract. 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). They are the go-to gun shop for collectors and shooters alike. Like CitriStrip because you won't lose any proof marks in the wood. 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. Hmm, so it's like packing grease. The cosmoline should start to melt and run off the parts onto the ground cloth. WD40 worked well, but was basically a waste when the spirits did the same thing. Shopping Cart Software by BigCommerce. All ultrasonic cleaners are made in the same factory in the PRC. Just be sure to oil thoroughly as soon as possible because it'll be bone dry when you're done.