How to clean cosmoline???

[coyotehunter]

I just bought my first SKS today at a gun show,just wondering what you guys use to get the cosmoline off. Thanks!!!

[rzwieg]

I haven't tried it but some folks claim a hair dryer works well.

[New Hampshire]

This is one of those things where everyone has all manner of ways that work for them.  Youll probably get all kinds of ideas.  Me?  I just use Hoppes #9 and some rubbing alcohol (I use the alcohol on the stock to get the cosmo off, but when I get tired of sniffing Hopes I switch over and it cleans metal just as well.)  The old military way of doing it was boiling hot water and elbow grease   .
Brian M.

[jgalar]

I use mineral spirits. Its cheap and works well. For small parts I put them in an old pot of boiling water and use a paper towel to soak up the grease that floats to the top. The bolt will have old cosmo in it causing the firing pin to stick and give slam fires and doubling or other problems. You can take the bolt apart to clean. I have found that the pot of boiling water will get the cosmo out of the bolt. Make sure the firing pin flops around freely inside the bolt, if you can't get it to do so with the boiling water you must take the bolt apart.

[Mikey]

coyotehunter - I have used just about everything you can imagine to remove cosmoline and about the best luck I have had is with a tub of hot steaming water mixed with a healthy dose of Murphy's Oil Soap.  It takes the cosmo right off the metal and cleans the wood up nicely.

Just be sure to dry the metal parts afterward and oil lightly.  Also, it is a real question as to whether you will ever get all the cosmo out of the stock.  I have Mauser 98 stocks I have oilsoaped 3 times and the still leach a bit of cosmo after a decent range session.  HTH.  Mikey.

[willysjeep134]

I've heard some people use Easy Off and a heat gun to get cosmoline out of wood.

[jgalar]

EasyOff will remove the finish. I have used it on a few stocks that I intended to sand and refinish.

One method I heard about that I may try is to wrap the stock with paper towels put it in a black plastic bag and put on the dashboard of your car on a hot day.

[1911crazy]

The worst cosmoline i have ever cleaned was the Albanian sks it was double dipped and it was very hard too.  It was worse than trying to get off crazy glue.  I had to take the gun apart and soak the metal in a large plastic tub of kerosene for many days while scrubbing it each day with a soft brush and letting it soak again that was the easiest way to do it.  Then after it was cleaned i did it again with G.I. Rifle Bore Cleaner.  Then I did the wood the best i could but it was caked so bad the wood needed refinishing to get it off because it was rock hard.  With the yugo sks's the cosmoline was very soft mainly because it was freshly done.  The kerosene worked very fast and i did the wood stocks with rubbing alcohol and they came out like new.(guns were advertised in "like new" condition) There is no easy way to do it, there is no short cuts, I stay away from using harse cleaners, just go slow and let it soak.            BigBill

Some guys use a plastic gutter with the ends capped too so it can soak in that.  I may make one of those because it takes up less room than the large plastic bucket from Walmart.  I would use gasoline but i'm inside so thats out of the question. (fumes) Using kerosene is much safer in that respect.  If you use a harse cleaner make sure your in a well ventilated area.

[ajj]

I remember a reply to this question, from a British SMLE expert, I saw in Precision Shooting a few years ago. I am NOT RECOMMENDING this, because IT'S DANGEROUS, OK? Goes like this.
"Gasoline. Outdoors. Unleaded. Don't smoke."