Is the cosmosline gone yet?

[traveler57]

Okay,

Got my first milsurp this week. I did all the studying of all the information on cleaning on the web, for months. (surplusrifle.com) seems to the best place.
And I found about 6-8 other really great information websites.

Now, I am looking to all the "smarter guys than me" for some advise and input.

Fully disassembled my 1903 from CMP, wood from metal.
Used the steamer method for getting 95% of the cosmoline off both the wood and the metal. Next for the metal was mineral spirits. Got 99% of the cosmoline off. Next some spray brake cleaner in some of the hidden nooks and crannies. Then CLP the all metal except for inside the bore.

For the wood, I did a bit more cleaning with purple power, then it looked and felt really good. Did a next cleaning using lemon oil, and the stock looks very good, and clean.

SO.... my first question is --- How do make sure ALL the cosmoline is really gone from the wood, before I start the tung oil and then the reassembly? I am asking this because I say a LOT of people talking about leaving the stock in the sun in a black bag for 3 weeks, and others using the kitchen oven to back the stock at 130-150 or so for hours.

I think the steam idea really did the job well, and the wood "feels okay."

So, have I just lucked out on the cosmoline removal, or should I really still do the baking in the sun or oven deal anyway?

Second question - how many of you always fully disassembly the bolt for every milsurp they get? I know it is a firing pin safety issue. I cannot hear the pin inside the bolt, so maybe I have answered my own question. ??

What do you experts out there think? Of course, any experts that live near Franklin and have some time to drop by, I have a lot of milsurp beer still left.

Thanks in advance for everyone's advice.

 

[SKS Ray]

I'm no expert but I can offer these words of advice. First off the correct finish for that stock would be BLO (Boiled Linseed Oil). Tung Oil for Mauser types, Shellac for Mosins, BLO for US rifles. I usually only use Purple Power when I'm stripping the finish off a stock. After the steam, PP, and lemon oil which probably put some oil back in the stock, my next step would be slow gentle heat with a hair dryer on the problem areas that never seem to come clean like the pistol grip area. Of course this time of year you could fill a garbage bag with cheap cat litter and stick the rifle in there and leave it in the sun for an afternoon. The cat litter soaks up the grease and pulls it away from the wood.
You'll never get all the grease out of a stock. Thats stuff has been soaking in for years. I have many rifles that I refinished and after shooting 40 or so rounds the metal heats up and allows the wood near it to release more grease. I just rub it back in since it doesn't effect the rifle's new finish at all. Besides, traces of grease are keeping that would from drying out and splitting especially in high stress areas like behind the receiver.
As for using CLP, I spray Break Free all over the rifle, especially inside the bore. Its one of the best cleaners/protectors out there, even according to the military. Want proof? Clean a rifle bore with Hoppes, Sweets, whatever prefered cleaner you use, then dry patch it and run a wet patch with Break Free through a few times. You will get a grey patch, guaranteed. It cleans and protects all in one, especially bores.
Now about rifle bolts... these should always be completely disasembled, cleaned, dried, and oiled inside and out but not to the point that they're dripping in oil, just enough for a protected finish. Most bolts require a good soaking in cleaner over night, or you can speed up the grease removal by placing the parts in a pot filled with boiling water. Don't leave it on the stove, just let them sit covered for a while. You'll see the cosmolene float to the surface after about 10 minutes. A hand held steamer also works well. Then you can break out the Q Tips and cleaning jags to finish it up, just remember to oil the metal afterwards. Leaving old grease inside the bolt can cause the firing to stick and hold corrosive ammo deposits.

 

[traveler57]

Milsurps4Me,

Thanks for the great reply. I will go with your BLO suggestion, as I did find it a bit gray in the information I had for BLO vs. tung oil. So can I assume BLO for all US mil rifles? I also have a M1 Garand coming in next month.

I did fully disassemble the bolt, and did a full cleaing. And, YES, there was a lot more cosmoline inside that didn't come out with all the initial soaking and steaming.

Yes, the CLP really is great stuff.

Okay, so I will go ahead and do some more to get the rest of the cosmoline to leach out of the stock. The black bag/kitty litter in the sun seems to be a common way to do it. I know it does make sense to do it now, I was just get itchy to reassemble. But, with rain in the forecast I may have to wait.

Thanks.

 

[SKS Ray]

From what i've heard and read, BLO is what was used on all US rifles especially WW2 era. Only bad thing about BLO is that you have to occasionally re-apply which is no big deal because it rubs in pretty easy.
What does the stock look like now? Is it dry with no finish at all or does it have a sheen to it? It is possible to get cosmolene and grease to come out of a stock that still has its original military finish on it, but impossible to return a collectable rifle stock back to its original condition once you use harsh chemicals. In my early days of collecting I stripped a few Mosin stocks because the shellac was flaking. Now I find that they can be preserved and touched up with denatured alcohol. Often US rifle stocks can be cleaned with steam and scrubbed gently with soap and water to get the grime off, then a quick coat of BLO returns them to a beautiful finish.
The most important thing though is that it is your rifle. You can do anything you want with it. The purists and collectors will tell you to leave a stock alone and just clean with mild detergent and cleaners to get surface grease and grime off. I have a tiger striped K31 that I just picked up recently and it received the mildest cleaning ever out of all my rifles because the stock is so nice.

 

[USMA-82]

Since it is raining (and probably will be for a few more days), you can try the oven method. It worked pretty well with my cosmo-soaked sks.

 

[LoginName]

I love the smell of cosmoline!

Here's an excellent website for refinishing a milsurp rifle stock...

http://www.jouster.com/Bulletin/refinishing.htm

I tried the tung oil method on my SKS and it came out pretty good.

If I ever get around to buying a M1903 or M1, I'd probably give the boiled linseed oil, turpentine, and beeswax method a try. From the description, it sounds like a really nice finish.

 

[SKS Ray]

Here's an excellent website for refinishing a milsurp rifle stock...

http://www.jouster.com/Bulletin/refinishing.htm

I tried the tung oil method on my SKS and it came out pretty good.

If I ever get around to buying a M1903 or M1, I'd probably give the boiled linseed oil, turpentine, and beeswax method a try. From the description, it sounds like a really nice finish.

I use the 1/3 mix on my Finn M39 stocks and it comes out pretty close to original. Its a lot of work and takes some effort to buff smooth but its durable and hardens with age.