Everybody wants to know how to get cosmoline OFF.....

Brookwood said:
The best option is open storage, as in a gun safe, with a light coating of the appropriate film to prevent corrosion.
Click to expand...

Take a look at the case designs many milsurps come in coated in cosmoline: they are single (or multiple rifles stacked) with air flow around them. I would use the Fluid Film and then store in a box made to replicate a milsurp transit box:

(Not my photo, random Internet searched)
TRANSITBOXESFORMILSURP021-1.jpg
 
peacemaker56 said:
Wrap metal parts in anti corrosion paper(VCI) and vacuum seal in a plastic bag,
Click to expand...

Unless you could draw all the moisture out of the firearm prior to sealing it up (tough to do with a wood stock) AND in the environment you sealed the bag in, this is perhaps the worst thing you could do. First off, this method creates a greenhouse effect, trapping any humidity and sealing it into the bag which would be repelled by the anti corrosion paper causing it to condense on the metal, promoting corrosion on the external surfaces of the un-treated firearm, as well as all the close tolerance internal components. Second, anti corrosion paper is part of a (typically short term) storage system - the parts to be stored are usually covered in a protective film prior to being wrapped in paper. The paper contributes to the protection, but does not do the job alone. Parts packed in anti-corrosion paper need some amount of air circulation to compensate for fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity - that's why you see things like bearings, machine tool bits, ect wrapped in anti corrosion paper packed loosely in cardboard boxes. Another important thing to remember is that paper is acidic - even though anti corrosion paper has been chemically treated, it is still paper. In a vacuum sealed environment with even trace amounts of humidity, the trapped moisture will eventually break down the paper and cause the acid to leech out, and with no place to go, wind up attacking the firearm.
 
Last edited:
Deuce-deuce said:
http://www.cosmolinedirect.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMItNfyn9ud1wIVSGt-Ch2iGw_qEAAYASAAEgK2W_D_BwE
Click to expand...

Bingo. Why buy a substitute and speculate what it might do, when you can buy the real McCoy and follow a time proven storage method that preserved your milsurp in the first place?

From their website -

"Cosmoline Direct has extended its Distribution footprint to our Neighbors of the North and South. Customers in Canada and Mexico can now purchase our products online through the normal secure Checkout process offered on this website (www.CosmolineDirect.com). All orders to Canada & Mexico will ship via UPS Standard. Most orders ship within 1 business day, unless otherwise noted. "
 
Fluid Film would also be my pick. A shaving brush or RIG Rag (piece of sheepskin) makes a handy applicator. I would just apply it a little heavier than you would for guns that are used regularly.

You don't need anything as messy as Cosmoline to preserve guns indoors at room temperature.
 
Brookwood said:
Unless you could draw all the moisture out of the firearm prior to sealing it up (tough to do with a wood stock) AND in the environment you sealed the bag in, this is perhaps the worst thing you could do. First off, this method creates a greenhouse effect, trapping any humidity and sealing it into the bag which would be repelled by the anti corrosion paper causing it to condense on the metal, promoting corrosion on the external surfaces of the un-treated firearm, as well as all the close tolerance internal components. Second, anti corrosion paper is part of a (typically short term) storage system - the parts to be stored are usually covered in a protective film prior to being wrapped in paper. The paper contributes to the protection, but does not do the job alone. Parts packed in anti-corrosion paper need some amount of air circulation to compensate for fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity - that's why you see things like bearings, machine tool bits, ect wrapped in anti corrosion paper packed loosely in cardboard boxes. Another important thing to remember is that paper is acidic - even though anti corrosion paper has been chemically treated, it is still paper. In a vacuum sealed environment with even trace amounts of humidity, the trapped moisture will eventually break down the paper and cause the acid to leech out, and with no place to go, wind up attacking the firearm.
Click to expand...

Good to know ,
I did this with a maverick 88 shotgun , I did spray a little synthetic gun oil on it , wrapped in paper , not tight , but not loose and sealed with a cabelas food vacuum sealer , it was in my basement like that for a little over 2 years , suffered no ill effects
lucky i guess
 
peacemaker56 said:
Good to know ,
I did this with a maverick 88 shotgun , I did spray a little synthetic gun oil on it , wrapped in paper , not tight , but not loose and sealed with a cabelas food vacuum sealer , it was in my basement like that for a little over 2 years , suffered no ill effects
lucky i guess
Click to expand...

Spraying it with oil saved your firearm, otherwise you would have most likely wound up with a rusty mess. Anti-corrosion paper is an excellent preservative when used in conjunction with a surface sealant and utilized correctly, BUT it is primarily for temporary preservation of bulky, simple items like structural steel, tooling, bearings,ect - not for long term storage of something as complex and precise like a firearm.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom