Removing cosmoline

[trapdoor]

I just received a couple A3O3 remington rifle from my Grandfather they have been stored in his shed for about 30 years . They still have the cosmoline in the barrels and action . Does anyone have a recipe for removing the stuff . Trapdoor

[Stan in SC]

The best thing I have found for both the wood and the metal is mineral spirits(paint thinner).For hard to reach places use carb cleaner or brake parts cleaner in a spray can.Both of these can be obtained from Wal Mart.

[1911crazy]

On the heavy coated cosmo guns i use a large plastic tub from walmart with 4 gallons of kerosene and take the wood off and soak the metal with a soft parts cleaning brush. Then I may use G.I. Rifle Bore Cleaner its good stuff too.  If the cosmo is soft I will take it apart and use rubbing alcohol like with the yugo sks's even on the wood it cleans up like new.                                                      BigBill

[flintlock54]

I agree with using mineral spirits. Few weeks ago I cleaned up a greasy++++ 1908. Used the cheap MS and a few small paint brushes from walmart. Using a small plastic paint pail, I cleaned the metal parts and the action in a bath of MS. Wiped down the stock with a shop rag damped with MS. Let the stock dry for few hours and applied a coat of BLO. The rifle looks great.

[Mikey]

trapdoor - like BigBill said, an inexpensive plastic tank and a couple of gallons of kerosene or diesel fuel will clean the cosmo right out of the metal parts, but I like Murphy's Oil Soap for the stock.  Mikey.

[IntrepidWizard]

Mikey hit it on the head.We used gas and diesel,then stripped all metal off the wood and heated it in a oven and wiped it with alcohal as it seeped out.

[trapdoor]

I want to thank all of you for the quick response. I will get it done this weekend. Trapdoor

[Bigdog57]

I just cleaned up a new (to me!) Enfield No.4 Mk.1 from AIM.  Outside looked pretty good, then I disassembled it - UHGG!  Somebody dipped the barrel in cosmo then slapped it back in the stock during FTR!
I scrapped most of it off with a plastic scraper, then rubbed it down with a mineral-spirit soaked rag - the stuff came right off!
A good going over with hot soapy water using grease-cutting dishwashing liquid got the stock cleaned of the gunk, without destroying the little finish it still had.  That let me see the state of the wood, before deciding how far to go with restoration or total stripping.  Looked pretty good - I opted for a simple restoration - freshening it up with a couple thin coats of BLO.  Kept all the nice "character" it has earned through the years.
Hopefully I'll see how the old girl shoots this weekend.  

[1911crazy]

The worst guns with cosmo I have ever seen were the albanian sks's.  These guns were takin apart dipped then assembled and they stored them for many years. They were just caked up really bad. The kerosene did the trick after a few days of washing with the soft brush and resoaking it again over and over it finally came off with little effort.  I use Murphy's wood soap on the stocks but with no water rinse.  I just wipe them dry after using the Murphy's.  If the stock is really bad I may let the murphy's wood soap soak for a while.  If you use water with the stocks it can lighten the wood in some spots. I have one yugo M59 used sks stock that is still sweating the cosmoline out no matter what i do with it.  I plan on doing the black plastic garbage bag in the hot sun on it this summer to get the cosmo out of it.  I guess some stocks are just stubborn.  BigBill

[Chargar]

Years ago, when the GIs were issued rifles in cosmoline and their first job was to remove this gunk. The smart ones removed the wood and beat feet to the motor pool where they used the steam cleaning machine. Made quick work of the brown goo. Still will if you have access to a steam cleaning machine.

[drdoolittle_1]

Pardon me for having to ask....BLO?
Cheers,
Dave

[S.S.]

DON"T GET OUT MUCH DO YA" DOC.? :oops:

[Yukon Gold]

BLO - Boiled Linseed Oil (I'm pretty sure)

[trapdoor]

I want to thank everyone for their input I will try the mineral spirits first , and if that doesn't do the job I will try the other recipies. Trapdoor

[R. Tillery]

I use Easy-Off Oven Cleaner, Brake Parts cleaner and WD40...in that order.

[catblaster.375]

non-clorinated brake cleaner at your local auto store

[Jim B.]

I took a tip from a fellow on one of the Enfield sites and used my dishwasher.  There are two important things about using this method: 1) you have to remove the top rack, and 2) you have to do this when your wife is gone!

Seriously, the Enfield having a separate buttstock meant all of the wood fit easily inside the dishwasher.  Before putting the wood in the dishwasher I scraped/wiped off all of the cosmo I could get at with a rag.  Then put the stock pieces in, added dishwashing soap and ran a normal cycle (no heat dry!).  When the cycle was done the stock was beautifully clean and oil-free.  As a bonus, the dishwasher was also clean so no evidence to clean up!

Once the wood dried thoroughly I applied tung oil and ended up with a stock that looked just like the new ones in the books.