Sticky Stock on M1D

[GBA]

Mineral Spirits will not harm anything. If one application does not achieve the desired result (after drying,) then wipe it down again, and again if necessary. I got two 1903s from the North Store years ago. They were so oily and sticky that I put the wood in Kitty Litter in the barn attic for a couple of years. The heat in the summer allowed the oil to migrate out of the wood, where it would be absorbed by the Kitty Litter. Several applications of mineral spirits followed, and you can now handle the rifles without that tacky feeling. BTW, I didn't apply any BLO or anything else to the wood since. They look fine, and un-messed-with.

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[Bob Seijas]

"cosmoline is sticky and smelly"

I LOVE the smell of Cosmo, almost as much as Hoppe's #9 -- I wanted my wife to use Hoppe's as perfume but she refused... go figure.

[HILLBILLY-06]

I have an opinion to offer too... "It's not people freindly" and I used it on two collector grade K98 Mausers (for a friend of mine) who supplied it for me to use on his rifles one day... (Keytone-Acetone) I think it was, completely removed "all the cosmoline" even from inside the bolt. We immidiately oiled the stocks afterwards several times, as he had said it may dry the wood so much that they may eventually crack or something. But this worked real good, However I realize it's just my opinion, and I only did it twice, and those results were good. I know that stuff is bad stuff to get on you, so many people may choose never to try to use it. I'm just saying that "I used it" and it worked on those two rifles at that time.
Its bad stuff, I remember that, but one aplication is all it took, just be careful with it if you decide to use it, and oil the heck out of your wood with "Tung oil" or something of that nature when you are done. I was told not to let those stocks sit and continue to dry out, but oil em good with tungue oil after the cleaning is done.
(This is just my opinion)... no harm intended, it worked for me, on a limited basis of two rifles.

[joem]

Try a little mineral spirits in a area that doesn't show, say right in front of the trigger guard. Someone may have used linseed oil or too much BLO.

[andiarisaka]

Mineral spirits will dissolve the cosmoline. I use it to thin Alox bullet lube, which is similar to cosmoline, and I have used it to clean the cosmoline out of an old Krag I bought. No big deal, no need for caustic cleaners. I believe the old GI way, when the Krag was originally issued, was dunk the metal parts in kerosene, wipe with a rag until off. With the stock it was wipe with kerosene soaked rags until it was off. The wood absorbs some of the cosmoline over time. The Krag stock I mentioned must've weighed a couple lbs more than the other I had. It absorbed so much in fact, that the cartouche is an outtie! Hard to say how long it was in there, up to 117yrs!