Solvable Mineral Spirits and Cosmoline?

[Hastur]

I see a lot of recommendations for dunking caked cosmoline in mineral spirits to dissolve. The stuff I got says "Solvable" on it so I wanted to make sure it is the same stuff and safe to use on a blued finish.

First time doing this, my plan is to soak in mineral spirits for an hour, and then transfer to another pan to spray ballistol and give a wipedown

Any other tips?

 

[Snider shooter]

You’re good to go. I usually use Fluid Film or Rust Check letting it soak for an hour then scrub with a brush. Cosmoline can also be boiled off. Chuck parts in a pan off boiling water and boil for a few minutes.

 

[B_noser]

I believe Solvable is the brand name. Purchased it at Home Depot?

 

[jcpal]

Solve able is brand name like stated above but most solvents will work. Mineral spirits , acatone , Mek, xylene, paint thinner

 

[GARY56]

Skip the solvent and just use the Ballistol.

I cleaned my SKS of cosmoline with Ballistol and a bit of Mean Green degreaser for the springs.

 

[Greenhorse six]

Wd-40 works too.

 

[thespen]

Why not just use kerosene? Much safer than any solvents for everything involved.

 

[Cocked&Locked]

I do use mineral spirits for this (Varsol is a brand name) as it is relatively cheap, and will not cause rust.
Use an old toothbrush to brush the liquid around to quickly dissolve the grease off your gun.

When done save the grease saturated Varsol to use as an excellent wood fire starter.

 

[Cocked&Locked]

Why not just use kerosene? Much safer than any solvents for everything involved.

That would work well also, but is more expensive than Varsol. Kerosene is also solvent.

 

[bearhunter]

Why not just use kerosene? Much safer than any solvents for everything involved.

Kerosene or Diesel work just fine, but they have toxins in them that can be absorbed into your pores.

Mean Green is safe and works better than Ballistol.

Ballistol works, but that doesn't mean there aren't other safe products that work better.

OP, the biggest issue is getting the preservative hot/warm enough to get it soft, which will make the job much easier all around.

Canadian Tire sells a cheap steam cleaner that doesn't generate a lot of pressure for around $30. It's an amazing tool for removing the first 98% of the preservative. Then, for the metal parts, a quick dip in just boiled water will heat them enough that what's left can be wiped away with paper towels.

If you really want to get fussy, this is where the "sovents" come into play. They get rid of the preservatives in the nooks and crannies.

Some cheap, hard bristle, tooth brushes will make life much easier, especially when cleaning the stock.

The steam cleaner will take care of most of the stock, and a good wipe down after will finish it.

If your stock is finished with Shellac, some solvents may take it away as well.

 

[smellofspentcasings]

We use to wash the cosmoline caked C1 mags in gasoline. Not sure what else they put in those half barrels.Sure dried out your hands.

 

[maple_leaf_eh]

My SOP for old grimy caked grease is: aerosol engine degreaser scrub with a sacrificial toothbrush, rinse with HOT water, oil with automatic transmission fluid. The heat will dry the parts and the ATF will soak into the cracks and displace any remaining moisture.

 

[Greenhorse six]

We use to wash the cosmoline caked C1 mags in gasoline. Not sure what else they put in those half barrels.Sure dried out your hands.

We used varsol solvent in a 55 gallon drum that was cut length wise like a bath tub.

 

[Claven2]

Some heat (like a heat gun or hair dryer) and paper towels gets most off, then varsol works best for the rest in my experience. YMMV.

 

[smellofspentcasings]

We used varsol solvent in a 55 gallon drum that was cut length wise like a bath tub.

I was talking to some of my army buddies and it was varsol and some oil was their recollections. Mine were wrong.

 

[I Dont Care About You]

Skip all the solvents and just use a heat gun. Warmed up, the cosmoline with drip and run right out of the tiniest of cracks and spaces.

Heat is the quickest and easiest method and avoids all the stinky, toxic chemicals etc.

 

[Ironballsmahoney]

I used Coleman fuel (Naptha) that I normally use for my lanterns and stove. Worked quite well on a couple of Norinco rifles I've bought as of late. Before the pandemic, I secured about 15 gallons of it down in the states for $7 pet gallon tin. Works well however, it dries the metal out for sure so it needs a Liberal.............. helping of oil afterwords.


Heat is a very good idea... never crossed my mint especially for the tiny intricut parts.