Advice needed on Tokarev cosmoline removal

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KanadianShooter

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Hey guys,

I have a Yugoslavian M57 in the cosmoline and want to remove it to bring the gun out to the range. What product(s) and procedures do you recommend that DO NOT deteriorate the gun's finish. Also I wont be disassembling all the small parts just a field strip and clean. I have never cleaned off cosmoline from a pistol. Thanks for the help.
 
There are threads here on cosmoline removal from SKS. One of the methods involved wrapping a gun in a plastic bag and exposing it to sun heat. Not much sun in winter but heat in general should liquify cosmoline and it will run off the gun.
 
Sharp Shoot R FLUSH-OUT - it dissolves all that gunk and leaves anti corrosive layer, so don't need to fully disassemble.
 
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I have had great luck with really hot tap water to soften any caked on grease, and then spray engine degreaser. Where rubber glove, rinse and repeat. The heat from the water will warm the steel, and the water will evaporate more quickly. Then once you're content that the grease is off, oil immediately.
 
KanadianShooter said:
Hey guys,

I have a Yugoslavian M57 in the cosmoline and want to remove it to bring the gun out to the range. What product(s) and procedures do you recommend that DO NOT deteriorate the gun's finish. Also I wont be disassembling all the small parts just a field strip and clean. I have never cleaned off cosmoline from a pistol. Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...



https://www.originalcosmoline.com/s...ove-cosmoline-from-military-surplus-firearms/


How to Properly Remove Cosmoline from Military Surplus Firearms
Cosmoline is helpful because it offers long-term rust prevention, but if you’re a Curios & Relics (C&R) Firearms collector or have ever purchased a gun, you may have what looks to be a mess on your hands. Cosmoline is used to protect the gun against rusting; however, many military surplus rifles were previously submerged in the greasy substance, making its eventual removal seemingly problematic.

Even if your item only has a light coating of older Cosmoline, you might have questions as to how best to remove old coatings. Over time, Cosmoline may have seeped into nooks, crevices, and gaps in the metal but it is actually fairly simple to remove.

Before you start cleaning, here is a list of things you will need:

Acetone, mineral spirits, or kerosene (but avoid the latter when possible, or when your firearm has been painted or blued).
Soap and water.
Shop rags.
Toothbrush or smaller paintbrush for cleaning small, hard to reach spots in metal. Q-Tips and cotton swabs also work.
You can also use a heat gun or an older oven to help “melt” the Cosmoline. There are other ways to achieve this same effect, however.
Some things you should avoid when trying to remove Cosmoline:

Harsh chemical solvents that could strip paint, finishes, or other aesthetic/functional coatings from the gun’s surface.
A note on why you shouldn’t use gasoline: using gasoline to clean a firearm just isn’t practical, especially in the quantity you would need to clean a typical C&R firearm.

How to clean your gun
The cleaning process begins with removing as much of the Cosmoline as possible. This involves two steps:

1. Applying heat to the gun
You can do this by wrapping your firearm in towels and placing it in a black trash bag and leaving it sit out in the sun, or using another heat source—such as a heat gun or older oven—to return the Cosmoline to its liquid state. Attempting to remove the rust-preventive after letting it warm up will turn the Cosmoline into an oilier coating, as opposed to a thicker, wax-like substance. Once you’ve accomplished this, you can move on to the next step.

2. Apply your chemicals
A lot of people swear by mineral spirits as a primary solvent to remove Cosmoline, and you can either apply it with a rag or submerge/dip your gun into it. A sealed PVC tube or large container are both good for soaking guns in mineral spirits, depending on the size of the firearm and container.

You can opt to disassemble your firearm before you start this process or keep your gun intact throughout the cleaning process. Removing all of the Cosmoline will take significant work regardless, so it comes down to a matter of preference. Dissembling can make the process somewhat easier but it isn’t absolutely necessary.

It may take a few dips or baths to get the majority of Cosmoline off. Once you’re satisfied, you can move on to the actual cleaning.

3. Hot water and dish soap
These two things together will help dislodge and remove the remaining traces of Cosmoline, along with a fair amount of elbow grease. Following a wash-rinse cycle will help coax Cosmoline out from all the crevices and grooves, so repeat the process until your water runs clear and you can handle each part without it feeling greasy or oily.

You’ll want to move, rotate, and flex parts to exercise hidden bits of Cosmoline. The more you manipulate, wash, and rinse the firearm, the more you’ll see creep to the surface. At this stage, you may benefit more from dissembling the entire gun or parts of it, like the bolt assembly of a rifle, and letting it soak in mineral spirits.

4. Finishing the job with oil and lube
After hours of scrubbing, you will eventually remove the majority of Cosmoline from the gun—but you can’t stop with that. You have to apply the necessary gun oil, lubrication, and stain (for wooden stocks) to preserve the piece you worked so hard on cleaning up. It’s very important that you get as much of the Cosmoline out of the gun as possible if only to eliminate the risk of having to disassemble the gun to find a hidden chunk of the rust-preventive gunking it up.



The honest-to-goodness proper way to remove Cosmoline from anything, really, is through working at it. Soaking, washing, rinsing, and scrubbing will take hours to complete before you can handle your parts or firearm without the greasy residue covering your hands.


Video
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I have never seen any case where varsol, mineral spirits did any harm to finish on a fire arm., I have soaked small parts over night many times.
Most of those guns I have seen where not that bad, not like some old SKS's.
I don't do it, but pouring real hot water should get a lot off. and hot metal dries fast.
If you use brake clean, do it out side.
I sprayed a dab on a cloth this winter and wiped off some pistol sights I was re blueing, and it set off the carbon m. alarms in the shop/ house
 
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I soak it in mineral spirits for a couple of hours and the use a toothbrush. if I want to compete degrease I would wipe the metal parts with Acetone. But be careful, Acetone will destroy the plastic parts like the handgrips.
 
Was issued new C1A1 in the Army, used diesel to clean the rifle. It doesn't strip the metal of oil neither does mineral spritis...
 
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