Chlorinated brake cleans is the best solvent, but be careful around plastics and paints as it might eat or scar the finish.
Chlorinated brake cleans is the best solvent, but be careful around plastics and paints as it might eat or scar the finish.
Simple green is awesome as it was invented as a commercial engine degreaser. safe non flammable and it won't poison you. Some of the ideas here are a bit off course. Some solvents are very dangerous indoors and if you get them on your skin you can absorb them that way too. Gasoline should never be considered a cleaning solvent.
There is a decent green-coloured concentrated degreaser you can get at Princess Auto in big jugs that is much more environmentally freindly and way less toxic/hazardous to your skin and breathing than brake cleaner (and less damaging if you spill it on something else). Read the labels as they make more than one kind. (check the items it is targeted for degreasing) It's water soluble, just mix it with water in a dunk tank and soak your parts (but not the wood). If it's tougher than other cosmo you've seen, just let it soak longer, or scrub it with some soft (brass or stiff nylon) brushes a bit harder. I would avoid using steel wool unless you want to ruin the finish on your bluing (if you have any left on your milsurp). That would just be for extreme cases. This topic has been covered in other posts previously elsewhere on CGN, about cosmoline removal (cosmo or whatever the junk they used on your K98 is, the technique is the same). Just search for the posts here with some key words. Googling would have told you reams of info on it too. The SKS guys have posted tons of stuff on this already here on and the web.
Trisodium phospatef(TSP) has worked for me well on any cosmoline job I had. Might be worth a shot.
CCFR
Do it right THIS time, you may not get a NEXT time.
"If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a veteran."
It is also VERY nasty stuff! Only use in a well ventilated area! I only use it during warmer weather outside.
It is amazing for getting into all the spaces that you can't reach very well or areas that you won't ever reach like complicated trigger groups. This, combined with a likewise aerosol CLP like G96, is an amazing combination for cleaning complex areas. I love the brake cleaner for the forward recessed locking areas in mauser type actions where you can't really get in there very well and for the little tiny recesses in the chamber end of the barrels that are there for the ends of the extractors on some guns.
It also comes out very fast when you push down the nozzle all the way so you get a blasting action as well as the dissolving action!
Ian
The safest and most effective I've used is a good quality fuel injector cleaner. It's safe to use on plastic and rubber as well. Let it soak and use non clorinated brake clean to rinse
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Waiting for #131 to show up on Friday. Watching disassembly videos with simple green on standby.
Mine came today, spent the morning degreasing the metal with simple green and sweating the grease out by the wood stove. I have seen less grease used in repacking a wheel bearing.
It is pretty much scrubbed, but found a few markings intact.
Wood is pretty good and the metal is excellent. The sight markings are still in the white but only marked on the top.
This is the crack near the stock as described in the ad. (K98-131) It is about 2 inches long. Anthony said wood filler would fix it.
I am very pleased with my purchase. The bolt is slick and the trigger is a little creepy but with a lighter pull than the Mosins.
Using the assorted mentioned chemicals work, but slow and create a lot of "goo".
Pour kettles of boiling water over parts - use a laundry tub. Most of grease/cosmoline will melt away. 95% of the boiling water evaporates immediately.
Then go in the corners/crevices with a toothbrush and your favourite solvent.
Then spray with G96 or oil - to fill the exposed pores in the metal - no issues then with possible rust corrosion.