Degrease with kerosene?!

muscles1000

muscles1000

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Hey all!

I was thinking i would tear down, completely degrease and clean two of my Norc M-14s today, One is in need of a 500round cleanup, one is new and still has some cosmoline hiding in places. Both need the sights pulled apart, cleaned and greased, etc etc.

Question: Can i get a big tray of kerosene and just drop the parts right in? would it be OK to submerge a stripped receiver in kerosene? what about a un-stripped bolt? (i don't care to disassemble the bolt, i will leave that for the Victoria clinic in November)

I am thinking that this might be easier than spraying each part in brake cleaner and then wiping them down.

I was told this was a pretty good way to go about this, provided the rifle was completely cleaned up and re-greased after.

will this work? any other better suggestions?

Thanks!
 
Compressed air works really well for getting rid of the left over varsol as well. I usually hold a rag where the varsol mist is getting blown so you don't end up with it all over :)

Never done it with rifle parts though, usually it's motorcycle parts fresh out of the parts washer.

Edit: I meant varsol... I always get the two mixed up :)
 
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One of the main ingredients in Kroil is kerosene.

Varsol is really good at degreasing too, and some people add kerosene to their varsol tanks so the metal doesn't come out so dry.

Varsol will literally suck all the oil out of the metal.
 
Use Varsol. It's safer. Same 'big tray' though. Stock off, field strip and drop the whole lot into the varsol and leave it there for 24 hours.
"...cosmoline hiding in places..." Toothbrush.
 
Don't panic that you've ruined the phosphate finish, if when you are done degreasing, it looks all white and funny. That's normal until you get oil back on the finish again.

There's lots of solvents that will get the job done. Some will work faster than others, some stink more or are more of a fire hazard. Use a nylon brush and stay away from sparks or sources of ignition. In other words, use common sense.

Who knows how safe those brake part cleaners are. They are fast and convenient, but the smell like dry cleaning fluid to me, and a lot of those compounds have either been shown to be carcinogenic or damaging to the lungs (esp the chlorinated ones).
 
CONTENTS: Ed's Red Bore Cleaner

1 part Dexron ATF, GM Spec. D-20265 or later.

1 part Kerosene - deodorized, K1

1 part Aliphatic Mineral Spirits

CAS #64741-49-9, or substitute "Stoddard Solvent", CAS #8052-41-3, or equivalent.

1 part Acetone, CAS #67-64-1.
 
Nonus said:
Simple Green! That stuff is da bomb yo, it gets real jiggy with da grease :D
Click to expand...

Actually, it is really good, and biodegradable.

However, I don't like the fumes.

To really get rid of the grease in a safe manner, I boil parts in a large pot of water with some plain dish soap.

Then I rinse under hot tap water.

The hot metal almost completely evaporates the residual water, but an air gun wouldn't hurt to get it out of all the nooks and crannies.

That way you don't have an explosive, or nearly as toxic, mess to clean up.
 
You can use bicycle chain degreaser. It does an excellent job, is bio-degradable and your pecker will not fall off (as it will with halogenated solvents). http://www.pedros.com/proj.htm

ProJ.jpg
 
Gasoline, cheap? and effective.

Soak for 3-4 hours, brush, swab out the bore and chamber, let soak for another hour, brush, re-swab then lay out to dry. Once dry, apply gun oil inside and out ASAP.

Use a gasoline soaked rag to wipe down that cosmoline soaked stock.

It worked well for me.
 
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