Question: the easiest way to remove cosmoline from wood furniture without refinishin

[nick]

As the title says, what's the easiest way to remove cosmoline from the AK wooden furniture without refinishing it? I want to keep the furniture the way it is, and I don't want to refinish. However, the furniture of my Egyptian AK is soaked in cosmoline.

Mrlonewolf has a good way of removing cosmoline from metal and plastic parts by treating them with WD-40. It works very well, and is easy and quick to do. However, I don't think it would work well with wood and the shellac on the furniture. Moreover, WD-40 is a carcinogen, and I'd rather not have it replacing the cosmoline in the buttstock.

So, any advice?

[69Mach1]

Just go for it nick, and then re-shellac.

[AndrewMendez]

Grab your girlfriends blow dryer, and a bunch of terry towels. Leave it out in the sun in a plastic trash bag for a few hours prior.

[rero360]

When I did my M1 what I did was put the wooden pieces on some tin foil and then stuck the whole deal in my back window of my car in direct sun, going out and wiping it down with a rag every hour or so.

[nick]

Just go for it nick, and then re-shellac.

I don't want to

There're some carvings on it, I'd rather keep them.

[Fate]

I have had good luck wrapping stock in paper towels, then putting in black garbage bags and leaving them on the back window deck of my car. Change towels every day. Leave stock in for 2-5 days and you'll get most of it out. No change to the finish and it really leeches out the deeply penetrated stuff, not just the surface layer.

[nick]

Alright, it looks like everything points to a long ordeal. No magic bullet here.

Thank you for the tips, blowdryer it is (it doesn't get that hot in Santa Monica, not for long, anyway).

[ejor]

very hot water and dish soap and dish washer detergent has worked good on cosmoline, I don't know how your wood will hold up though. my 1903 wood was ok.

[bigbob76]

Take it to the coin operated car wash. Set it to soap and be careful not to ding the wood with the tip of the wand.

[johnthomas]

Wrap it in paper towels, put on a cookie sheet and place in oven on warm. Every 20 minutes or so, wipe it down and replace the paper towels.

[mycrstuff]

Try using rubbing alcohol. I use it to get grease off of my guns. DON'T USE IT ON A MOSIN NAGANT STOCK. It will dissolve the shellac and strip it down to bare wood. Don't use on Garands and 1903s with the reddish tint. That is 60 years of oxidation of the BLO and you will never get that color again.

For Mausers and any other walnut stock it works great. For plastic stocks like a Glock, AR or G-3 it works even better to get rid of grease from cleaning and keeps from having the gun slip out of your hand.

[nick]

I ended up taking a blowdryer to it. Too much work

[HotRails]

Wrap it in paper towels, put on a cookie sheet and place in oven on warm. Every 20 minutes or so, wipe it down and replace the paper towels.

What oven temperature would you suggest using this method?

[shellyzsweet]

Grab your girlfriends blow dryer, and a bunch of terry towels. Leave it out in the sun in a plastic trash bag for a few hours prior.

OH ID BE PISSED IF YOU WERE MY MAN!!!!!!!!!

HE*L NO!!!!!!!!!!

That stuff is nasty and will undoubtedly end up on the hairdryer itself!! Then my hair will smell like Communism!!!

[HotRails]

OH ID BE PISSED IF YOU WERE MY MAN!!!!!!!!!

HE*L NO!!!!!!!!!!

That stuff is nasty and will undoubtedly end up on the hairdryer itself!! Then my hair will smell like Communism!!!

If its a 1903, then your hair will smell like good ole American know how!