I just got my first SKS and it is really gobbed full of cosmoline and I would like to soak all the metal parts for awhile. I have a couple of Mosins and an SVT40 but they came fairly clean and I used mineral spirits which worked very well but smells terrible. I am in an apartment so I'm wondering if anyone has an idea what I can use that doesn't stink the place up so bad.
soaking SKS
- Thread starter scottrick
- Start date
This worked for me. I'm also in an apartment (condo) so I did it in the bathroom with the fan running because cosmoline stinks.
The dish soap really helps get rid of the residue too.
Also... Keep a can of draino on standby just in case a large glob of cosmoline happens to end up in your drain. I speak from experience.
Non Chlorinated Brake Cleaner and a 5 gallon plastic pail. Spray it down and boil the small parts in an old pot your willing to use only for the gun and dump water boiled from a kettle over the action and down the barrel. Fastest way in my opinion. Worked very well on my SKS. when you're all done lube and oil.
Just don't put any oil in the gas cylinder. spray it down with the brake cleaner, run some patches through and you're good to go.
Leave the bucket outside overnight and all you're left with is cosmoline at the bottom of the bucket.
Best of luck and enjoy the SKS. Mine is loads of fun.
Just don't put any oil in the gas cylinder. spray it down with the brake cleaner, run some patches through and you're good to go.
Leave the bucket outside overnight and all you're left with is cosmoline at the bottom of the bucket.
Best of luck and enjoy the SKS. Mine is loads of fun.
- Location
- Chilliwack BC
I put all the metal buts in a roasting pan on the stove with a heavy squirt of dishwashing soap in there and turned it up to med-high with enough water to cover the parts. Preheated oven to 170F. I have read that cosmo melted at 160. Wrapped stock in old 
ty pillow case. when oven is hot, chuck her in. by the time you have finished cleaning and drying the metal bits including shooting the barrel with the solvent of your choice, your stock will have sweated out most of the cosmo and the pillow case will soaked it up. Very little smell as you are keeping the temps fairly low. Easy clean up.
ty pillow case. when oven is hot, chuck her in. by the time you have finished cleaning and drying the metal bits including shooting the barrel with the solvent of your choice, your stock will have sweated out most of the cosmo and the pillow case will soaked it up. Very little smell as you are keeping the temps fairly low. Easy clean up.
Lots of tricks above on the metal parts work well. For the stock, wrap it up in newspaper ans place it in a warm spot by a heat radiator. I set one on a dashboard wrapped in paper in an old truck I was working during a sunny week. I was shocked how much cosmo came out of this old stock. I had already cleaned it once.
