Easy cosmoline removal from a mosin stock

[Archey]

I have a 91/30 stock that was so soaked with cosmoline that it would bubble out of the wood pores when the rifle got hot at the range.
This weekend I disassembled the rifle, wrapped all the wood with a couple of layers of paper towel and then wrapped it in a black trash bag. I placed the wood stock/paper towel/trash bag burrito on the back patio to sit in the direct sun light. Two full sun, 90 degree days later and the paper towels had soaked up a lot of the cosmoline.
There is probably still more soaked in the wood but I feel like I got a lot of it out, enough to stop the nasty cosmoline leak out when hot. The process did not hurt the finish at all.

[nhrifle]

I have a couple of milsurps that bleed cosmoline when they warm up, even after years of shooting and cleaning. I have to make sure and pack a rag with my Enfield when I take it to the range.

[dragon813gt]

Same process in a car trunk works even better. I had to change the towels twice a day and it still leaks some after three days in the trunk.

[Jupiter7]

I use the hair dryer and paper towels and old t-shirts. Can "dry out" a soaked stock in a few 2-3hr sessions. Work from one end to other in 2"x2" sections.

[dkf]

I use a heat gun, oven cleaner and paper towels. Hang it up above the coal stove to dry (during the winter) between treatments with those 3. Takes time but works real well for me.

[seaboltm]

I use a heat gun, oven cleaner and paper towels. Hang it up above the coal stove to dry (during the winter) between treatments with those 3. Takes time but works real well for me.

+1. Heat gun and oven cleaner will de-grease in a hurry.

[Uncle Grinch]

I built a heat box to sweat my milsurps in. It has light bulbs for heat and a catch pan in the bottom.

[seaboltm]

Uncle Grinch, that is a smart set up. It could double up as a sweat box for rust bluing. Looks like plywood?

[Dale in Louisiana]

Guys-

I don't know how it will work in cooler climes, but down here on the Gulf Coast, I wrapped a greasy rifle in old newspapers and stuck it in the back seat of the car in direct sun. That's usually good for a hundred and forty degrees or so, for hours. The newspaper soaked up the grease that oozed out of it.

In another place and time, CRC Electraclean, a trichlorethane solvent, was very useful at degreasing those cases of $60 Chicom SKS's I used to buy and sell.

dale in Louisiana.

[Uncle Grinch]

Uncle Grinch, that is a smart set up. It could double up as a sweat box for rust bluing. Looks like plywood?

Yep, good old plywood, tin foil and a couple of light fixtures and you may be on to something about the rust bluing.

[CopperniX]

I refinished my Mosin stock and after getting the finish off I figured cosmoline issue would be fixed did the trash bag thing and oh man did it ever surprise me. It is now basically free of cosmoline. But at first that is the only thing that bugged me about it is when I shot it when I first got it my hands would get all cosmoline soaked.