Thanks to one of you who suggested steam cleaning my SVTs... BEST EVER

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ADHDCanuck

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No chemicals needed, powerful enough to tear the cosmo out of the tiniest nook and cranny, no boiling in a pot for ten minutes, it takes only moments.

THe entire gun was cleaned in half an hour and is bone dry and totally clear of any grease.

ready for oiling.

This little steam jobbie was bought for $20 at one of those liquidation places.
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I had read the initial thread and was curious if it actually worked. Thanks for posting the follow-up. I'll keep this trick in my back pocket.

Cheers.

ITB
 
The steam cleaner I alluded to borrowing in the another thread was a fancy 250-300 dollar unit, never realized there were smaller hand held units like this available - I'll have to look into getting one.

Now I can make my wife happy and tell her I cleaned the kitchen sink with steam (But not that I did it because I filled in with cosmoline first).

FYI They work awesome for cleaning BBQ's and Ovens out too.
 
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i took the whole thing apart, as far as the bare wood stock.. laid each piece on at a time on a folded towel on the floor and shot the living hell out of it, like a push broom only heavy pressurized steam from the jet nozzle. you can see the cosmoline turn into an emulsification and foam off...
each piece will dry in a minute as it is hot.

set aside.

hold the barrel near vertical (i stood it up at a 45 degree angle) and fire into it, rotating the barrel to ensure the pressure gets equally applied.
a nicer unit will do it in one shot but my toy sized steamer didnt get everything, but it sure heated up the barrel!! and loosened the gunk and sweated the cosmo.

all i did was fill the barrel with WIPEOUT (use whatever cleaner you like but that one is an expanding foam that eats anything and leaves a corrosion inhibitor dry finish that eliminates the need for extra oil) then three patches and the barrel is mirror finish.

I used the original cleaning rod and just shoved a couple .50 calibre patches thru.. but it just loves doubled over .30 calibre patches too.

all the little nooks and crannies in the receiver area, the rails for the bolt and cover, the trigger seat, all of it cleans out with steam no problem, its like a jet wash. then just wipe after and give it a drop of oil.

Its good to follow the steaming of the barrel with a hit of solvent then an oil or corrosion product just to make sure everything moisture related is out.. but its so hot you have to hold the barrel with a towel so no worries about drying!
 
for the stock, i wiped it all down with a rag drizzled in varsol, then wiped with a paper towel dry, and then just sprayed some hoppes #9 gun oil on the stock and wiped it all over with a clean paper towel.

its beautiful, rich, colours pop, light gloss.... just beautiful.
 
the SVT is worlds easier to take apart, clean, and put back together than the SKS. only the one spring is a pain in the ass (the one in the bolt in multi parts) but i figured out a neat trick, just push it back with a flat piece of metal like the gas system disassembly tool, then hook the cover on and slide back into the rails. EASY.

I might make a video since all the youtube videos just have some guy forcing it back with a thumb (that HURTS my fingers are nice and soft!) then awkwardly slipping the cover on. tsk tsk.

Give it to a lazy soft fingered geek if you want a nice easy painless way of doing something.
 
G.Mitchell said:
Bet that'd be handy after corrosive ammo too!
Click to expand...

i was told that high pressure steam will lift copper and fouling and eliminate corrosive residue... and i'd believe it. a slightly nicer steamer than mine would be amazing.. might shell out for the $50 model next time.

but just to be safe, always best to follow it up with one patch of solvent and a dry patch then a drop of oil or whatever.

I use wipeout, so no need for the oil anymore... impregnates the metal with a coating of corrosion inhibitors and prevents future fouling, makes cleaning easier:)

For some reason, i still put a patch thru with a drop of oil on..just because I don't trust newfangled things... but on the gun where i never did that, its still mirror clean after a couple thousand rounds.
 
I will have to get some of this wipeout to do my sks, which is by the way WAY easier to disassemble than the SVT and has way less moving parts
 
I will have to get some of this wipeout to do my sks, which is by the way WAY easier to disassemble than the SVT and has way less moving parts
 
I got the idea from haretrigger but i found the cheaper version at xcess cargo for $20. I used it on my sks, svt and nor 1911. Really easy to clean guys...really. like OP said, just disassembled and spray away. It really gets into the nooks and crannies that you would normally not get to. The best part is no chemicals involved and won't harm the finish or blueing.

Good for when using a corrosive ammo. You just need to find an outlet to plug it in then use the needle spray head then blast away. I purchased a second to keep in the car and a bottle of water.
 
Looks like a good tool to have. Wifes got a steamer for clothes I might be able to try. I was going to use the dishwasher but she thought that was not a good idea.
 
Thanks for the update, I remember reading the thread where a steam cleaner was mentioned for cleaning cosmo. I'll have to see what's available locally and grab one.
 
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