Cosmoline

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richmond_driver

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So I just bought a Mosin-Nagant that had at least two previous owners from someone here on EE.

I picked it up on a nice, sunny day here in Vancouver. I brought it home from the post office and disassembled it. It's clearly been cleaned/shot many times in the past. I gave it a thorough cleaning in a room with a large window with the sun shining in. So while cleaning it/huffing the solvent I use, I couldn't help but notice the overwhelming odour of cosmoline emanating from the stock.

This thread is mostly a curiosity because I own a SKS which has the same problem/feature - does the cosmoline ever fully sweat out of the stock on its own, do I need to throw it in a bonfire to rid it of this curse or should I just embrace my life choices and accept that if I don't want my shoebox apartment to smell of cosmoline I should go steal some scented candles from my girlfriend's place?

Help.
 
I've heard of people putting their stock in a black garbage back out on the back patio in order to 'sweat out' the worst of the cosmoline.

Also I think the dishwasher is supposed to easily take care of this?:p
Enjoy that sweet Russian aftershave!
 
you can get it all out or at least 90% of it but putting in a garbage bag with some paper towel wrapped around it on a hot sunny day and I honestly prefer the smell cosmoline than solvent
 
richmond_driver said:
I'll try the garbage bag trick. Thanks!
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I've done this many times but on the dash of my car with the windows up on +30, sunny days. First tightly wrap the stock in a few layers of paper towel and wrap some tape around to keep it tight. After the paper towel wrap it in a black garbage bag and let it sit on the car dash all day. Unwrap, remover oily towel, wipe it down and repeat for several day.
 
gordonlbyrne said:
cosmoline smells better,i just love that smell of cosmoline .
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Ditto.I use to stick my nose into gun cabinet just to have a whiff of it.Right now I can smell it just from memory-thanks :)

I still remember my first extended shoot of M48 after delivery .Smell of warmed up cosmo+ surplus ammo I had at the time= good times.
 
Similar to the garbage trick I bought a cheapo heat gun from Home Hardware and hit the stock for a couple minutes and then wiped it with a cloth... then repeated. I wanted to go the car route but my wife didn't think it was safe. We live out in the middle of nowhere so I'm not sure who she thought would be stealing it but the one thing I've learned from being married is to pick your battles wisely.
 
Just embrace the smell comrade, you’ll never get rid of itAAE04A90-9D73-4E42-962C-B1B2E2BED2B9.jpeg
 

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Another option is to leave the stock in the sun during a hot summer day..Wipe as required and repeat...
 
Wrap the stock in a towel, then put it in a black garbage bag in the sun. Every hour, take the stock out and wipe it clean, change towel as needed.

This should do the trick.
 
I have a Russian capture K98 that still sweats it out even after almost a thousand rounds. I suppose it will stop eventually but... almost every range trip, a little more comes out.

The stuff just doesn't quit.
 
I often wipe a "new" milsurp down with Murphy's Oil Soap. Its a furniture cleaner so is reasonably safe on most old finishes. The effect? My daughter once said "I just love shooting these old guns, they smell so nice" … cosmoline with a hint of lemon. Aside from the smell effect, it does take off layers of dirt. Doesn't greatly change the original patina but cleans things off sufficiently that you don't mind touching the gun.
 
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