Cosmoline Removal- Without harsh chemicals

[Marrok857 51]

Ive been searching around the net for the best way to remove cosmoline without using gasoline/kerosene, brake cleaner, etc.... From what I read I dont want the bluing to come off the gun once I get it.

 

I found alot of people using boiling hot water and alot of elbow grease, and was wondering how you guys did it.

 

And do note, I did try searching for Cosmoline removal and just plain cosmoline on here and didnt find anything helpful.

[IndyArms 10,186]

you can try HEAT

 

Whether your wife will let you stick parts in a slow oven... ( like 200-250 degrees )

 

Or maybe you can get a 1500 watt, plug in blow dryer, and heat the parts up then wipe clean.

 

I always used brake cleaner... it evaporates leaving no residue... and the cosmoline just disappears... ( well... onto whatever the brake cleaner is dripping on... LOL ) Then just re-apply a light coating of your choice of oil, and voila... Fini!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Juggernaut 11,054]

boiling water.. DONT use it on the wood, though!!!!

[Marrok857 51]

I was thinking water for the most part, then using a little brake cleaner on the inside of the receiver, since I dont care what the fisnish looks like in there as long as it doesnt rust.

 

A hair dryer....my sister has about 3 of them I might be able to steal one from her.

 

 

LOL to Indy, iam not married (thank odin).

[nalioth 405]

I always used brake cleaner... it evaporates leaving no residue...

If you use it on a painted gun, you can kiss the paint goodbye.

 

 

Steam (clothes) cleaners are good, too (use the tip that produces the most concentrated steam plume).

[jimdigriz 580]

Use the heat of your attic in the summer to melt most of it away. Elbow grease should be good enough for whatever else remains in the stock. I used boiling water on the metal parts, and WD-40 for any really stubborn places. Be careful about boiling water though. Oil the gun down quickly after using it.

[Marrok857 51]

Use the heat of your attic in the summer to melt most of it away. Elbow grease should be good enough for whatever else remains in the stock. I used boiling water on the metal parts, and WD-40 for any really stubborn places. Be careful about boiling water though. Oil the gun down quickly after using it.

 

well using attic heat might be alittle hard to do, I will be moving here soon after i get the gun. do iam gunna have to use sunlight thru a window and a garbage bag.

 

Iam finally getting out of this horrible house.

[nalioth 405]

do iam gunna have to use sunlight thru a window and a garbage bag.

Use the sunlight through your car window. Make sure your garbage bag is full of dry-sweep/kitty litter/oil-absorb (whatever y'all call it in your neck of the woods).

 

Hey, they bake cakes in cars around here.

[Arik 565]

Simple green or Purple Power. Both are sold in Pep Boys or Advanced Auto Parts stores. just spray it onto the gun and then use a toothbrush or any kind of none metal brush to remove the cosmo.

 

Or, just regular transmission fluid. Even better if you have or have access to a parts cleaner. This way you apply the trans fluid while using the brush to remove the cosmo all at once.

 

Dont know how it effects wood.

Edited August 7, 2010 by Arik

[Marrok857 51]

Simple green or Purple Power. Both are sold in Pep Boys or Advanced Auto Parts stores. just spray it onto the gun and then use a toothbrush or any kind of none metal brush to remove the cosmo.

 

Or, just regular transmission fluid. Even better if you have or have access to a parts cleaner. This way you apply the trans fluid while using the brush to remove the cosmo all at once.

 

Dont know how it effects wood.

 

Transmission fluid will eat the cosmo? I use simple green alot when it comes to cleaning off car parts.........I didnt even think of using it.

[N4KVE 14]

I hose my Saiga .308 with Brake Cleaner after every trip to the range. The finish still looks like the day I bought the gun. The Bulgy stamped AK's that Arsenal imports definitely don't like brake cleaner, but all of my guns do. There are 2 types of brake cleaner. The CFC free stuff which has harsh chemicals that turn the parts ice cold after a spray. Then the older stuff which ruins the atmosphere, but the parts stay warm after being sprayed. This is the stuff that is safe to use. Made by Radiator Specialty Co. Indiantrail NC. Solder Seal Gunk pt # M720. White & yellow can. I have been using this stuff for many years on many different guns without problem. Even my plastic Glock. GARY N4KVE

[vbrtrmn 167]

[banshee 69]

1....4 inch PVC pipe and pipe cap,

2....a couple of gal of varsol or mineral spirits

3... soak for a couple of days.

 

 

[Marrok857 51]

[Arik 565]

Simple green or Purple Power. Both are sold in Pep Boys or Advanced Auto Parts stores. just spray it onto the gun and then use a toothbrush or any kind of none metal brush to remove the cosmo.

 

Or, just regular transmission fluid. Even better if you have or have access to a parts cleaner. This way you apply the trans fluid while using the brush to remove the cosmo all at once.

 

Dont know how it effects wood.

 

Transmission fluid will eat the cosmo? I use simple green alot when it comes to cleaning off car parts.........I didnt even think of using it.

 

Yes it does! I have Purple Power at home (same as simple green). I didnt know about the trans fluid until a mechanic at work told me about it. He said thats how they did it back in the early 90's when he was in the Red Army. Next day I brought over my cosmo covered Yugo TT and sure enough it worked. Using the parts cleaner machine it took all of 10 minuted to get 99% clean. the other 1% had to be done by hand since the parts cleaner brush couldnt fit in between the small cracks on the inside.

[akastormi 617]

Am I the only one guilty of taking a nasty covered Yugo to the carwash?

[Marrok857 51]

Simple green or Purple Power. Both are sold in Pep Boys or Advanced Auto Parts stores. just spray it onto the gun and then use a toothbrush or any kind of none metal brush to remove the cosmo.

 

Or, just regular transmission fluid. Even better if you have or have access to a parts cleaner. This way you apply the trans fluid while using the brush to remove the cosmo all at once.

 

Dont know how it effects wood.

 

Transmission fluid will eat the cosmo? I use simple green alot when it comes to cleaning off car parts.........I didnt even think of using it.

 

Yes it does! I have Purple Power at home (same as simple green). I didnt know about the trans fluid until a mechanic at work told me about it. He said thats how they did it back in the early 90's when he was in the Red Army. Next day I brought over my cosmo covered Yugo TT and sure enough it worked. Using the parts cleaner machine it took all of 10 minuted to get 99% clean. the other 1% had to be done by hand since the parts cleaner brush couldnt fit in between the small cracks on the inside.

 

 

 

So if I get a large long flat container, take all the wood off the gun and put it in the trans fluid will that work without a part cleaner setup?

 

akastormi- That was something I thought of for a quick "hyper" clean, just blast the crud out on hot soap.

[Arik 565]

Simple green or Purple Power. Both are sold in Pep Boys or Advanced Auto Parts stores. just spray it onto the gun and then use a toothbrush or any kind of none metal brush to remove the cosmo.

 

Or, just regular transmission fluid. Even better if you have or have access to a parts cleaner. This way you apply the trans fluid while using the brush to remove the cosmo all at once.

 

Dont know how it effects wood.

 

Transmission fluid will eat the cosmo? I use simple green alot when it comes to cleaning off car parts.........I didnt even think of using it.

 

Yes it does! I have Purple Power at home (same as simple green). I didnt know about the trans fluid until a mechanic at work told me about it. He said thats how they did it back in the early 90's when he was in the Red Army. Next day I brought over my cosmo covered Yugo TT and sure enough it worked. Using the parts cleaner machine it took all of 10 minuted to get 99% clean. the other 1% had to be done by hand since the parts cleaner brush couldnt fit in between the small cracks on the inside.

 

 

 

So if I get a large long flat container, take all the wood off the gun and put it in the trans fluid will that work without a part cleaner setup?

 

akastormi- That was something I thought of for a quick "hyper" clean, just blast the crud out on hot soap.

 

I assume you ment that you'll take the wood off and put it aside? Rigth? I have no idea what happenes to wood in trans fluid, if anything.

 

Yes just put the gun in the container and grab some sort of a bristle brush like a thoothbrush or something simular ( those small brushes for cleaning rims. Something that wount scratch) and just scrub the cosmo right off.

[Marrok857 51]

Simple green or Purple Power. Both are sold in Pep Boys or Advanced Auto Parts stores. just spray it onto the gun and then use a toothbrush or any kind of none metal brush to remove the cosmo.

 

Or, just regular transmission fluid. Even better if you have or have access to a parts cleaner. This way you apply the trans fluid while using the brush to remove the cosmo all at once.

 

Dont know how it effects wood.

 

Transmission fluid will eat the cosmo? I use simple green alot when it comes to cleaning off car parts.........I didnt even think of using it.

 

Yes it does! I have Purple Power at home (same as simple green). I didnt know about the trans fluid until a mechanic at work told me about it. He said thats how they did it back in the early 90's when he was in the Red Army. Next day I brought over my cosmo covered Yugo TT and sure enough it worked. Using the parts cleaner machine it took all of 10 minuted to get 99% clean. the other 1% had to be done by hand since the parts cleaner brush couldnt fit in between the small cracks on the inside.

 

 

 

So if I get a large long flat container, take all the wood off the gun and put it in the trans fluid will that work without a part cleaner setup?

 

akastormi- That was something I thought of for a quick "hyper" clean, just blast the crud out on hot soap.

 

I assume you ment that you'll take the wood off and put it aside? Rigth? I have no idea what happenes to wood in trans fluid, if anything.

 

Yes just put the gun in the container and grab some sort of a bristle brush like a thoothbrush or something simular ( those small brushes for cleaning rims. Something that wount scratch) and just scrub the cosmo right off.

 

lol yea i meant set the wood aside. Trans would prolly stain the wood red and stink whenever it got hot. As for the wood i was going to do that garbage bag trick.

[Ruffian72 548]

dillion precision sells a product called Slip 2000. Really did a great job on a case of Enfields Carbine .308s. Not petroleum based. So, it didn't harm any finish. Safe for the environment also. Environmental part, didn't give a crap about, just want what works. P.S. Need rehab., buying surplus weapons by the case. Make great christmas presents. It's what I told the woman.

[SirROFL 13]

Windex worked well for me, but I didn't have access to an oven, so I was more or less limited in my options.

[Marrok857 51]

Windex worked well for me, but I didn't have access to an oven, so I was more or less limited in my options.

 

Windex with ammonia? or just plain windex?

[nalioth 405]

Windex worked well for me, but I didn't have access to an oven, so I was more or less limited in my options.

 

Windex with ammonia? or just plain windex?

Windex (regular or ammoniated) is not known for it's cosmoline-cutting abilities.

 

It was perhaps the only cleaning agent SirROFL had at hand, which he used in conjunction with copious amounts of elbow grease.

[Marrok857 51]

Windex worked well for me, but I didn't have access to an oven, so I was more or less limited in my options.

 

Windex with ammonia? or just plain windex?

Windex (regular or ammoniated) is not known for it's cosmoline-cutting abilities.

 

It was perhaps the only cleaning agent SirROFL had at hand, which he used in conjunction with copious amounts of elbow grease.

 

 

I think your right. form what ive read the thing people use windex on is after firing corrosive ammo and spraying it down the barrel to neutralize the corrosive (salts?)

[nalioth 405]

Windex worked well for me, but I didn't have access to an oven, so I was more or less limited in my options.

 

Windex with ammonia? or just plain windex?

Windex (regular or ammoniated) is not known for it's cosmoline-cutting abilities.

 

It was perhaps the only cleaning agent SirROFL had at hand, which he used in conjunction with copious amounts of elbow grease.

 

 

I think your right. form what ive read the thing people use windex on is after firing corrosive ammo and spraying it down the barrel to neutralize the corrosive (salts?)

It is the dihydrogen monoxide content of Windex (and the convenient spray bottle) that is the reason Windex is oft named for this use.

[Marrok857 51]

ok

[SirROFL 13]

Not much elbow grease at all, then again, it was used in conjunction with a little heat. The Windex doesn't cut into the wood well enough to be used by itself.

[kmanator 45]

Purple power sold at auto parts stores in 3 gal. jugs cheap.Heat PP up in old metal pot on bar-b-que grill and clean away..Cheap,bio-degradable,no harsh chemicals or after smell...been using it for years...melts commie butter like magic.I have a 50 inch piece of rain gutter with the end caps siliconed on that i will soak the parts in for an hour or 2 then rinse off with the hot water hose ..kman

Edited August 17, 2010 by kmanator

[Marrok857 51]

Purple power sold at auto parts stores in 3 gal. jugs cheap.Heat PP up in old metal pot on bar-b-que grill and clean away..Cheap,bio-degradable,no harsh chemicals or after smell...been using it for years...melts commie butter like magic.I have a 50 inch piece of rain gutter with the end caps siliconed on that i will soak the parts in for an hour or 2 then rinse off with the hot water hose ..kman

 

 

ok, I was gunna do this with a length of pvc with the ends capped. Note "was", my father (even tho iam almost 24) would rather get me a 308 bolt action rifle. "Its more functional, and the ak is not exactly the best to walk in the woods with deer hunting. And a .308 rifle has better range."

Edited August 18, 2010 by Marrok

[uzitiger 193]

Costco has a product called Oil Eater which takes the cosmoline right off and then you can wash it away. Make sure to spray the metal with oil or WD-40 to displace the water. I've used brake cleaner and it works but the fumes are nasty.