Cosmoline Removal

[made2order]

What are the best products to remove cosmoline besides mineral spirits? I cannot find any mineral spirits locally, because of the regulations. Should I use acetone, WD-40 or brake cleaner? I have seen a lot of removal videos but they mostly use mineral spirits, diesel fuel or hot water. Thank you for your time.

[baih777]

Heat gun works good on all the steel parts. And brake cleaner for final cleanup.

[The War Wagon]

Black tarp (or trash bag), HOT day, back yard.


Let mother nature do the hard work FOR you. Then cleanup is much easier.

[cannon]

Gasoline BABY!

outside using a trash can. Only takes minutes.

P.S. No smoking. Be fire safe.

Yeah, somewhat unsafe but fast, easy and it gets all the nooks and crannies.

[meno377]

The quick and dirty? Brake cleaner. Another option that is natural? Boiling water for the metal. The best way for wood? Wrapped in newspaper and placed under your car windshield on a hot day. Wipe off and repeat if necessary. Boiling hot water for the metal will take maybe 5 gallons or less. Pour it down the barrel to clean it completely if you DON'T want to use brake cleaner. After that make sure you oil EVERYTHING.

I've done this to 12 91/30s.

[kcheung2]

Mineral spirits are still available in CA. It's the weaker odorless kind so it's not so great for mixing paints, but for the purpose of removing cosmoline it works fine.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klean-Strip-1-qt-Odorless-Mineral-Spirits-CARB-Formula-QKSP94005CA/202511760

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Jasco-32-fl-oz-Fast-to-Dissolve-Odorless-Mineral-Spirits/50298049

[003]

Plain hot water. I know it sounds much too simple; cosmoline has a very low melding point somewhere around 125/130 degrees. Use plain hot water, ideally under pressure. For small parts, I use the kitchen sink with the spray attachment. works well.

Before anyone dismisses it out of hand, do a bit of on line research.

No need for chemicals, heat guns etc. Plain hot water.

[hellayella]

Black trash bag under the sun then wipe down as much as u can...then rinse down using boiling water... if still present use mineral spirits

[BigPimping]

I would do it just like they said above. Disassemble the whole thing and put it inside a car on a hot day. Preferably up by the windshield. Then just wipe everything off and oil everything.

I've heard some people putting all the parts inside a big pan and putting it in their oven on very low heat. They said that seems to work as well.

[The Gleam]

Gasoline BABY!

outside using a trash can. Only takes minutes.

P.S. No smoking. Be fire safe.

Yeah, somewhat unsafe but fast, easy and it gets all the nooks and crannies.

I second this. If used safely, it's one of the best solvents for this and cleaning various parts cutting through grime and grease that would take forever with mineral-spirits, WD-40, detergents, gun cleaners, heat treats, or other methods, and cause no damage to bluing.

I've recommended the dishwasher option in the past (turn up your water heater before you do) but it still doesn't get into all nooks and crannies, and makes a mess - don't really want that in the waste-drains either - gasoline just works better and faster than anything else.

[M1A Rifleman]

Gasoline, in a well vented area.......

[ar15barrels]

What are the best products to remove cosmoline besides mineral spirits?
I cannot find any mineral spirits locally, because of the regulations.
Should I use acetone, WD-40 or brake cleaner?
I have seen a lot of removal videos but they mostly use mineral spirits, diesel fuel or hot water.
Thank you for your time.

Paint thinner and gasoline work good too.

Paint thinner is just a lower grade of mineral spirits.
You need the parts to soak for a while.
Brake cleaner dries WAY too fast so you will have to use a LOT of it but it will also work.

Go get a gallon of gasoline and a glass or metal pan to put your parts into.
Way cheaper than any other material.
Use a brush on the parts that won't fit into the pan.

[heidad01]

Gasoline BABY!

outside using a trash can. Only takes minutes.

P.S. No smoking. Be fire safe.

Yeah, somewhat unsafe but fast, easy and it gets all the nooks and crannies.

^^this^^

Long before all the fancy products showed up and became available at every store, Gasoline, diesel fuel, and kerosene were used for washing off greasy parts. Highly effective, inexpensive, and does not damage the wooden parts.

[Lebaneseblonde]

Simple green

[NATO762]

For all of the hot water rocket scientists, make sure you pick up a drain snake or have roto rooter on speed dial. You can get away with small amounts, but eventually you will plug your drains. Or capture all of the drain water in a bucket or dishpan, and toss the water outside.