Removing Cosmolene

[Ian Robertson]

Microwave works well for wood that wil fit. About 10sec at a time and test for heat. The cosmo will boil out and can be wiped off.

[Cantom]

Microwave works well for wood that wil fit. About 10sec at a time and test for heat. The cosmo will boil out and can be wiped off.

Metal parts on the wood?

I'm thinking on using the sun on the back deck on some hot days.

[Ian Robertson]

I had no metal parts but I would try it anyway and go slow. (I use the mw at work!)

[Texas Trophy Hunter]

I use the bed of my pickup truck. On hot days, you just put the stock on a few sheets of newspaper and let it go. For cleanup afterwards, denatured alcohol or plain old brake cleaner seems to really get the cosmo out.

[Claven2]

As a word of caution, brake cleaner may damage the wood fibers on some stocks. Denatured alcohol is a much less intrusive solution IMHO.

[Stevo]

Mmmm, cosmolene. I'd rather spread it on toast than eat vegemite.

[gerryg]

I use the plastic bag trick. I put my stocks in a black trash bag lined with paper towels and set them out in the sun or on the car front dash car on a hot day and wipe off the oozing cosmo. May take some time but no harsh chemicals involved.

Gerry

[BEARMAN]

On my Garand even after really cleaning the gun good, when I fired it enough to get it hot, the cosmoline would start to weep out of the stock. I solved this by placing the bare stock in the summer sun on newspapers. It took a couple of days before the oils stopped oozing from the wood.

[Claven2]

The sun and paper towel method is GREAT for getting cosmolene out of the wood if any has seeped in, but it's clearly not the best method for removing it from the barelled action. Imagine trying to clean a soaked Yugo M48 this way! Not going to heppen, sadly.

Last yugo stock set I sun bathed took 5 days of 34 degree celsius weather in the back window of my car wrapped in black garbae bags before she stopped oozing!!!

[paulz]

I like the plastic bag trick for wood. I have done the hot water / oven cleaner on stocks, don't want to ever again, so I stick to sun, and a bit of varsol or similar.

For barelled actions (and this is controvercial), sticking it in the dishwasher has been suggested. (Haven't tried it myself!). Detail strip, put the small bits and bolt in the cutlery basket, and run the dishwasher as normal. SOme people object that it is environmentally unsound, and bad for you and your dishwasher, others say it is fine, just run it again empty before using it for dishes.