How to clean parts kit?

[RaccoonRough]

I have three parts kits that are covered in Cosmolene (I dont think I spelled that right?) anyway...... heavy sticky grease. What is the best way to clean them up? What about the wood?

Hopefully someone has some good experience with this.

Thanks

RR

[Genocide]

I used WD-40 and elbow grease.

[oilhead]

Sounds crazy, but steam from a wallpaper-remover outfit works very well.

[Smokehouse69]

I used Mineral Spirits in an oil change pan. I took everything, wood and all and scrubbed it in Mineral Spirits using 4-0 steel wool. It really cleaned up everything very nicely. I'll post some pics of before and after this weekend, if my 5 year-old grandson gives me a chance to. :D

[drine]

I bought a different bunch of parts a few years ago and they were nasty. Greased lightning cuts better than anything I have ever tried.
Other means the fellas here use are:
put it all in a dishwasher...........my wife would gouge my eyes out.

use steam cleaner..............I got one at the last tool sale, but don't have anything dirty to try it on.

simple green............greased lightning beats it hands down.

solvent and elbow grease............nothing beats hard work, except easy work.

You will be amazed at how much crap falls off when just spraying this stuff on let alone it soaking an hour or so.

I wouldn't clean my barrel with it. An old barrel is seasoned like an iron skillet. Never wash an iron skillet, wipe it out. Same principle here.
A new barrel won't need heavy cleaning.

Oh yeah, the stuff is fairly cheap, not over powering in the odor department but will take the paint off of anything so clean carefully.

[Smokehouse69]

Greased Lightening and other Purple cleaners do work good, but it is slightly caustic and will burn your skin if you don't wash it off pretty quickly.
I used it to degrease large portions of my 69 Corvette when I first go it (my other hobby.) It works good as a presoak before pressure washing.
Mineral spirts, then lacquer thinner or acetone for a final degreasing, then a coat of light oil to preserve the metal until I finally get around to painting or or refinishing.
Simple Green is pretty worthless, you might as well pizz on it for all the good it will do compared to Greased Lightening or Castrol Purple cleaner.

[hulygan]

I found that the Costco oil eater works the best. i used a cheap paint brush to scub off the cosmo, and it fell off in chunks. Just be careful to use gloves, it dried the heck out of my hands.

[drhall762]

If you have a pan/tank that is large enough, the easiest way to clean the metal is with boiling water. The Cosmo floats to the surface and you skim it off. What little may remain is an easy job for the solvents and a tooth brush.

On the wood, Murphy's Oil Soap will get it done with no damage to the wood. Takes a bit. The other solvents will work all the way up to oven cleaner. It is harsh and can damage the wood.

Dave :sniper:

[SteelCore]

but I'd recommend the one I've used--WD-40 will melt the stuff, as will mineral sprirts. USe the mineral spirits on the wood, too. you'll never really get all the cosmoline outta the wood, and if you did the thing would be all dry and brittle.


Remember to say while you're cleaning "Cosmoline is my friend" because it is the reason you can have an ol rifle that stopped aging and rotting when it got dunked in the cosmo.

I've also used the oven to loosen some cosmo as well, heat will make it run from trigger packs on SKS's

[okie shooter]

I used a powered automotive cleaning tank, complete with a brush with flowing solvent. That made it easy to clean, I let the more stuborn parts sit in the fluid soaking then hit them with the brush. Used the pump to push fluid down the barrel then dried the parts. Just need to buddy up to someone with one of these. :)

[texlurch]

One can of brake cleaner per gun, works on the wood also. No residue, it evaporates.

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!

[Smokehouse69]

If you have a pan/tank that is large enough, the easiest way to clean the metal is with boiling water. The Cosmo floats to the surface and you skim it off. What little may remain is an easy job for the solvents and a tooth brush.

On the wood, Murphy's Oil Soap will get it done with no damage to the wood. Takes a bit. The other solvents will work all the way up to oven cleaner. It is harsh and can damage the wood.

Dave :sniper:

That reminds me of when I turned in my M-16 after finishing basic training. I'd cleaned it as good as I ever had, it was spot less, but the First Sargeant kept sending me (me and everybody else)back to clean it again (along with 50 push-ups.) After the second time, I went back to the barracks and stuck the damned thing in the mop sink and scalded it for 10 minutes under nearly boiling water straight out of the building boiler.
I dried it off, ran a patch with LSA on it over it, and took it back. This time it passed with flying colors. After that everybody was standing in line to boil out their rifles.

[Amegalops]

I used the D'solve from Brownell's diluted 1:4 in a small automotive flow thru cleaner with a brush. I followed this with the aerosol(sp) TCE cleaner (also from Brownell's). Worked very well.
As always, YMMV.

[Anthropy]

diesel fuel works pretty good on heavy grease. I like kroil as well.

[richl]

dishwasher works great but you can taste the Cosmo for a few loads after ... really ticks the misses off... how well i know ....... Greased Lightening works but will take the paint off if you let it soak too long . and damages the skin on your hands.. litterally it will take the skin off your hands a day or two later ........

the best thing i use is kerosene . dose a nice job wont harm your finish or hands.. and is easly cleaned by hot water


just my .02

[jettag]

Try taking a shower with your rifle and explaining it to her!!!
I've used our crappy dishwasher on mags too...
I really can't stand using solvents on anything but they are effective.

My vote is for steam but be cautious with your wood anytime you mix heat/water as you don't want to crack it.

[-COK-]

dishwasher works great but you can taste the Cosmo for a few loads after ... really ticks the misses off... how well i know ....... Greased Lightening works but will take the paint off if you let it soak too long . and damages the skin on your hands.. litterally it will take the skin off your hands a day or two later ........

the best thing i use is kerosene . dose a nice job wont harm your finish or hands.. and is easly cleaned by hot water


just my .02


yup, kerosene.

if you let the sludge settle in your soak tub for a few days after cleaning,
you can put it back in your heater too. no problem.

let the sludge air a bit, and you have a reborn supply of fresh cozmo.

its a win/win situation.


ETA, i use Pledge funiture polish to get the stink off the wood.
only an idiot would pick on you about the "lemony fresh scent"
when your holding a fully loaded M44 at the line....

[:)]

[weasel_master]

A little scrubbing and some Rem Oil took the cosmo off my Vickers kit. Usually I just use carb cleaner or brake cleaner and it works pretty well.

[GreenWolf]

I dip all metal parts in a simmering pot of water with a tablespoon of laundry detergent added. If needed I even stand the barrel in the pot and pour this hot soapy water down the barrel through the chamber. Everything dries quickly, and then gets a light coat of oil.

Wood gets cleaned in mineral spirits over an oil pan. I will be trying purple power next chance I get. Residual cosmo is removed by wrapping the wood in paper towels and an old towel, and applying constant low heat, like in a slow oven.

[Planning]

i have been using "DENATURED ALCOHOL" i use a cotton rag and just soak the parts good with it. then paper towels to wipe it off.

i never use anything with water, it is to hard to get water out of some places. why start rust..??

[vair65]

I had a Mauser bolt so packed and sticky with cosmo it was usless in trying to take it apart. I just threw it into a pan of lacquer thinner and put it in the sun all day. It was cool to see all the different layers of crap come out of it, black, then grey, white and then black crap again. When I took it apart, brake clean took care of the rest which wasn't much and no scrubbing of anything! The lacquer thinner-sun approach works for me. I had to change the thinner about half the way thru because it was sludge.