how to clean but not strip a MN91/30????

[bluebayou]

I got a deal that I couldn't pass up on a Mosin with shellac finish.  How do I clean the finish without losing it?  The rifle is tacky and cloudy with cosmoline, but the reasenal finish looks smooth and intact.

[Steve P]

Clean but not strip?  Strip as in taking apart? or strip as in removing finish?
If I got a new gun in excellent condition covered with cosmoline I would take it apart as much as possible.  I would use wd40 or hoppes to clean the metal.  I would use heat to clean up the cosmoline.  Some folks say to use super hot water to remove it.  I have also heard of using a hair dryer to heat it up. 

The last couple of really nice guns I got I took apart and cleaned the metal really well.  I also wiped down the stock good and then used a hair dryer to heat it up a little bit to draw out the cosmoline.  I set them inside where the sun could beat on them.  I wiped the cosmoline off each day for about a week.  After a week they were put back together.  Cosmoline still comes out once in a while, but they still look great.

Steve 

[bluebayou]

Thanks for the reply.  The metal I am good at.  I soak in mineral spirits and use a brush to remove most. Then brake cleaner and a pick if needed.

I am concerned about the easiest way to clean the shellac finish without dissolving the shellac finish.  I don't want to strip the wood, but need to get it clean of cosmo.

I figured that if i used methanol, ethanol, or acetone (like I wood if it was just an old piece of furniture) then I would end up with cosmo impregnated shellac.  The alcohol or acetone just dissolves the top of the shellac and I would think that the cosmo would just get smeared around. 

I guess that I could just strip and re-shellac it......

I will post at Military Rifles and see if anyone chimes in.

[Steve P]

If you are stripping the gun down to a bare stock (taking the metal pieces off, not the finish), put the stock in a bath tub full of super hot water.   A steamer will also work.   One guy I know dips a towel in boiling water and holds it on the stock to draw it out.  These hot/moist methods work OK, but you have to give the stock plenty of time to dry before reassembly.

Steve 

P.S.  If you use brake cleaner on the metal, be careful as some finishes can come off.  That is why I use WD40 (water soluble) and Hoppes.

[Dixie Dude]

I just take it completely apart and get a roll of paper towels and wipe as much off of everything as possible including the stock.  I leave whatever is still on the metal on to protect it.  I do the stock the same way.  Should be ok after that without doing a lot of work. 

[bluebayou]

I used boiling water straight from the stove on the SKS stock that I have.  It worked great......but swelled the wood.  I had to wait a few days for it to air out.  The plus to this was that all of the grain that was going to raise got raised pretty quick.  The SKS and Ishapore Enfield had some kind of crappy varnish on them.  This Mosin has shellac which is kind of nice looking. 

As a side note, I put the SKS bolt assembly in a pot of boiling water and all kinds of goop came out of it.  My wife was thrilled to find me boiling rifle parts on the stove.

[gunnut69]

A pressure washer with hot water would work,,, even a car wash, with a  hand wand system. Don't soak the wood too long or it may swell a bit. The metal is easily cleaned in a car wash too. The high pressure hot water really works on the cosmoline. Small parts should NOT be pressure washed.. Always finish with the hottest water available. It will heat the metal and allow it to flash dry.. Be sure to oil after as the bare metal will want to rust quickly..