need hints cleaning cosmo

[corvette8n]

I am trying to clean the cosomoline off the trigger housing on my m1 carbine, I have been letting it soak in a coffee can of kerosene(thats the only solvent I have laying around) for about an hour, still not coming off unless I scrape it.
I can go to the hardware store and get something elae but what?, I need something to disolve the stuff in the deep recesses of the receiver etc.

[bruce drake]

Hot water. Boil the metal. The grease will come out.

Just make sure you oil the metal afterwards gto prevent rust issues.

[RU shooter]

along the same line as boiling ,Heat is all thats needed . wipe off most of it wrap it in a few paper towel and place in a black garbage bag and set it in the car (dash or rear deck) which ever is in the sun. leave till late afternoon unwrap and wipe it off most should be melted away and absorbed in the paper towels.

Tim

[waksupi]

I have used Goop handcleaner on such parts. Go where you can make a mess, use a toothbrush (preferrably some one else's), and get after it.

[Shiloh]

Mineral spirits or kerosene work good also. This is after the bulk of it is off with from heating in the car or garage on a hot day. Do it outside obviously.

Shiloh

[Kraschenbirn]

I've successfully used an electric heat gun to melt off the bulk of preservative gunk from a couple of really grungy milsurps. After that, a throrough scrubbing in a bucket of (very!) hot water with an ounce or so of "Simple Green" added got them to the point that only some "detailing" with a toothbrush and mineral spirits was needed to complete the job. As Bruce noted, oil thoroughly, after metal is clean.

Bill

[eljefe]

I use dawn dishwashing detergent in hot water and a firm bristle brush.

Brake cleaner also works, but is a lot messier.

[Niner]

If you have any WD40 around the house, that works pretty good in my experience on metal parts. Just spray it on and wipe it off.

[357tex]

Brake cleaner works the best for me.

[James C. Snodgrass]

I know it isn't enviro-friendly but we got a pile of sks one time and I found that gasoline will eat the gunk like candy.[smilie=1:

[KCSO]

Myy mix for cleaning military rifles is 5 gallons of Kero, 1 Gallon of concentrated Carb cleaner, 1 gallon of CLP breaak free. This is in a parts washer. I strip off the metal and put it in on circulate for 24 hours then brush off under the hose.

[missionary5155]

When I received my last 1903 Springfield (500xxx) it was well coated inside ... I had a long metal pan and half a gallon of gasoline and one of those "sash brushes " we used on tank (M60A1) parts and in about 30 minutes I was done. My back yard reeked of gas fumes for awhile but no one called the fire department.... My pan is still rustproofed.
Did discover the firing pin had a broke off tip .

[imashooter2]

Boiling water for me too. The hot metal flashes dry.

[johnly]

+1 on brake cleaner. I prefer the chlorinated formulation.

John

[10-x]

+2 on spray brake cleaner.
Check Wally World ,think it's about $1.50 a can vs at least twice that at the auto parts stores. :-D

[crowbeaner]

+3 on the carb cleaner. I use Gumout and a stiff toothbrush. Just lightly oil when done.

[TNsailorman]

I have used Simple Green for some time now. It is an excellent de-greaser and will remove even the hard dried stuff. Spray the parts to be cleaned in a pan with Simple Green and let soak for about an hour or so and then finish with a toothbrush scrubbing in it. Follow this with a very hot water bath of 5 or 10 minutes to rinse and then dry with air or just air dry and wipe down or spray with a good oil like Break Free. They will be sqeaky clean after cleaning with Simple Green so you Must Oil. Very easy and no smell. Works for me. James

[LAcaster]

go to your local muni airport and get a gallon on av-gas be sure to tell them this is for a aircraft or they cant sell it to you. seal this in a metal can and it will last a long time. cleans to the metal on most everything. this stuff is like what gasoline used to be like before the unleaded paint thinner they call gas of today. wear nitril (sp) gloves to protect hands. I clean reloading dies, gun parts, molds etc. all the time with this. and use it out doors very aromatic. oil fast afterwards to keep from rusting as it cleans all oils off.

[Scrounger]

I would think it would be pretty hard to convince them you're buying one gallon of gas for an airplane. Is that different from what they use in helicopters? I thought that was just plain old kerosene.

[Kraschenbirn]

I would think it would be pretty hard to convince them you're buying one gallon of gas for an airplane. Is that different from what they use in helicopters? I thought that was just plain old kerosene.

Uh-uh. "Real" avgas (80/87, 100/130, 115/145) is very heavily leaded and almost impossible to find these days. (Around here, guys get leaded 100 octane from a small airport just down the road where the owner has several WWII warbirds.) Avgas is strictly for reciprocating engines...just like a car or motorcycle. That "plain old kerosene" stuff is JP-4 or JP-5 (military designations) and is highly-refined, super-clean kerosene with anti-freeze and lubricant additives and is for use only in turbine engine...thrust jet, turbo-fan, or turboprop.

So far as telling them you're buying "one gallon for an airplane", my buddy shows up with a 5-gallon can and tells them it's for his '65 Dodge Street Stock drag racer and they sell to him without a blink.

Bill

[Slowpoke]

At Ryan field just W of Tucson, I used to gas my off road buggy up real often, used to just get in line with the planes.

I have used Ed's Red and WD 40 in the past for cosmolene

good luck