cosmoline and ak bayonets.

[james peek 14]

whats the best way to remove cosmoline without damaging bakelite and other plastic type parts.

thinking of trying the mineral spirits route first.  thanks,

[vulcan16 971]

Hot water. We use it on some aircraft parts at work. We warm it up in an old fashion type coffee pot until it becomes liquid, then brush it on. Heat will turn it back to a liquid form.

Edited April 27, 2015 by Jet

[james peek 14]

Hot water. We use it on some aircraft parts at work. We warm it up in an old fashion type coffee pot until it becomes liquid, then brush it on. Heat will turn it back to a liquid form.

but does it completely come off or do you need to clean it further.

[SGL 530]

Hot water should get the vast majority of it off.   You can then follow up with rubbing alcohol and an old tooth brush for any gunk that remains but the hot water should take off 95% of it.

[semper299 284]

Simple Green works really good too

[DLT 1,646]

Hot water, simple green, cheap lighter fluid. Take your pick.

[storm6490 2,768]

hot soap from your local self service car wash wand.

 

soak in clp after dry and wash.

 

you may need to brush after the pressure wash with nylon tooth brush and clp.

 

items put in cosmo are resistant to mild solvents by design and anything short of brake cleaner in a can will work fine.

 

welcome to hell!

[David Mark 2,452]

I picked up one of these a while back for a Mosin and an SKS cleanup and was very pleased with the results.

About $40.00. Just search mini steam cleaners.

[james peek 14]

any one ever used gun scrubber.

[mancat 2,368]

You live in FL, so prop it up vertically and leave it in the sun. Most of the cosmo will melt and drip out by the end of the day.

[sobrenegade 795]

any one ever used gun scrubber.

I used Breakfree Powder Blast to clean pretty much anything metal. It always took care of heavily accumulated gunk and light rust. I made the mistake of trying to clean a Walther PP mag that was rusted up. I was afraid I would damage the finger rest so I soaked the mag overnight in it. It loosened everything up and melted the finger rest into an unrecognizable black turd. I won't do that again, so I would hesitate using any chemical if it resembled plastic or bakelite. I like gun scrubber, but I'm down to my last five "new" PP mags and would hate to see if it worked like Powder Blast. Who knows, bakelite may be impervious to everything. 

[horatio 515]

You live in FL, so prop it up vertically and leave it in the sun. Most of the cosmo will melt and drip out by the end of the day.

Mancat knows his stuff. IMHO I'd listen to him. I work as an elevator mechanic, and I'm on new construction job that had a load of rails (think train, but vertical) delivered mid January. Cosmoline was frozen on. We used a pretty nasty solvent to remove it from the important areas, but recently, ive noticed any area we stop at that our halogen light ( for illumination ) stops at for a few minutes, tends to make it kind if watery.

 

I've also used contact cleaner to clean push button contacts. A few seconds of spray, and bam! Clean contacts. Take the same button and slap it against a table. Bam! Million little pieces.

 

Make sure you know what chemicals will do before you do it. I've learned the hard way.

[james peek 14]

gun scrubber is good on plastic ak 103 style plastic stocks and glock plastic in my experience so i think it will work on the bayonets.

just wondered if it will handle the cosmo well.

[Bigtwin 219]

I picked up one of these a while back for a Mosin and an SKS cleanup and was very pleased with the results.

About $40.00. Just search mini steam cleaners.

steam-cleaner-1559004.jpg

This is just what I did (and for the same reason as DaveM), but was the Shark brand. Works well and no chemicals.

 

Bonus is the wife uses it around the house from time to time.

Edited April 28, 2015 by Bigtwin

[Dad2142Dad 6,559]

 

 

I picked up one of these a while back for a Mosin and an SKS cleanup and was very pleased with the results.

About $40.00. Just search mini steam cleaners.

steam-cleaner-1559004.jpg

This is just what I did (and for the same reason as DaveM), but was the Shark brand. Works well and no chemicals.

 

Bonus is the wife uses it around the house from time to time.

She uses it on your house? Edited April 28, 2015 by Dad2142Dad

[Bigtwin 219]

    oops! Fixed!  LMFAO

 

Hard to type laughing now! I might be fun but I'm not that fun!

 

Good catch Dad!

[mancat 2,368]

 

You live in FL, so prop it up vertically and leave it in the sun. Most of the cosmo will melt and drip out by the end of the day.

Mancat knows his stuff. IMHO I'd listen to him. I work as an elevator mechanic, and I'm on new construction job that had a load of rails (think train, but vertical) delivered mid January. Cosmoline was frozen on. We used a pretty nasty solvent to remove it from the important areas, but recently, ive noticed any area we stop at that our halogen light ( for illumination ) stops at for a few minutes, tends to make it kind if watery.

 

I've also used contact cleaner to clean push button contacts. A few seconds of spray, and bam! Clean contacts. Take the same button and slap it against a table. Bam! Million little pieces.

 

Make sure you know what chemicals will do before you do it. I've learned the hard way.

 

 

Yep, by the time you find out its usually too late. I used to try and clean cosmoline off with solvent, but found it was easier to get it out of the deep crevices and cracks on parts using heat. It can take forever to get at it with solvent, but when it heats up it just oozes out usually. Wipe it off, no mess, and no nasty fumes.

 

If you ever work with cosmoline in wood this is also the best way to do it, as the wood will sweat it out easier than the chemicals will leech into the wood, dissolve it, and allow it to be pulled out.

Edited April 28, 2015 by mancat

[james peek 14]

 

 

You live in FL, so prop it up vertically and leave it in the sun. Most of the cosmo will melt and drip out by the end of the day.

Mancat knows his stuff. IMHO I'd listen to him. I work as an elevator mechanic, and I'm on new construction job that had a load of rails (think train, but vertical) delivered mid January. Cosmoline was frozen on. We used a pretty nasty solvent to remove it from the important areas, but recently, ive noticed any area we stop at that our halogen light ( for illumination ) stops at for a few minutes, tends to make it kind if watery.

 

I've also used contact cleaner to clean push button contacts. A few seconds of spray, and bam! Clean contacts. Take the same button and slap it against a table. Bam! Million little pieces.

 

Make sure you know what chemicals will do before you do it. I've learned the hard way.

 

 

Yep, by the time you find out its usually too late. I used to try and clean cosmoline off with solvent, but found it was easier to get it out of the deep crevices and cracks on parts using heat. It can take forever to get at it with solvent, but when it heats up it just oozes out usually. Wipe it off, no mess, and no nasty fumes.

 

If you ever work with cosmoline in wood this is also the best way to do it, as the wood will sweat it out easier than the chemicals will leech into the wood, dissolve it, and allow it to be pulled out.

 

yep i'm going to try heat first then maybe simple green to finish it off. especially since i have to get inside the sheath...

[sccritterkiller 473]

Find an old pot that will fit your turkey frier stand. I found one athat yard sale for 2 bucks. Fill it with water and hook up the gas and bring it to a boil. Finds some old metal coat hangers to make handles out of. Dip and repeat until cosmoline is gone wipe clean with WD. Depending on how much you need to clean a water change may be needed about half way thru.

.

[G O B 3,516]

 

You live in FL, so prop it up vertically and leave it in the sun. Most of the cosmo will melt and drip out by the end of the day.

Mancat knows his stuff. IMHO I'd listen to him. I work as an elevator mechanic, and I'm on new construction job that had a load of rails (think train, but vertical) delivered mid January. Cosmoline was frozen on. We used a pretty nasty solvent to remove it from the important areas, but recently, ive noticed any area we stop at that our halogen light ( for illumination ) stops at for a few minutes, tends to make it kind if watery.

 

I've also used contact cleaner to clean push button contacts. A few seconds of spray, and bam! Clean contacts. Take the same button and slap it against a table. Bam! Million little pieces.

 

Make sure you know what chemicals will do before you do it. I've learned the hard way.

 

 Fatty,

 

   When you unload those rails, wipe the blades down with hydro oil. Later when you are ready to stack them, the cosmo will come right off with simple green (or whatever safety solvent crap the company sends you)  This works for bayo's and guns too, but I use 0w30 motor oil to soften the crud on them.

[VR762Shooter 838]

I used some good old sun and soap and water on many an SKS bayonet. Don't see how this would really be any different. Let it warm in the sun and drip onto paper towels, trashed rags or into a cat litter pillow. Follow it up with a good cleaning with hot water and soap and you should be good. Avoid solvents as has been said, you never know what they will do. Seeing as the plastic/bakelite could have been treated unfairly in its former life, the last thing you want to do is mess around with anything that could cause it to become brittle