Whats the best way to remove cosemoline from a gun stock?

Question

I just bought a yugo mauser 24/47 rifle, and the stock is caked in cosemoline, whats the best way to remove it

Answer 1

Using hot water or steam will raise the grain of the wood as will oven cleaner. This will require you to sand the stock in order to refinish it. This is not a huge problem unless there are marking or cartouches you would like to preserve.
A slower but much easier and effective way is to lay the stock on some old newspapers out in the sun on a hot day. The cosemoline will melt and bleed out of the stock. Periodically you can wipe off the excess with an old rag. The more days you do this the more cosemoline bleeds out.
When done you can leave it this way or go over the stock lightly with some 000 steelwool dipped in Formby's furniture refinisher, be especially careful around any marking or cartouches.
Put on a couple of coats of linseed oil or tung oil. Linseed oil will give it a duller more military looking finish, tung oil a more glossy finish.

Answer 2

heat is the best bet i think. when the cosmoline gets hot its turns to liquid and bleeds out of the wood. i used all sorts of cleaners which got the surface clean, but heat was the only thing that worked to get it out of the pores in the wood. i set the stock by out wood stove and cranked up the heat. also i boiled water and poured over the stocked, worked pretty good for my yugo sks.

Answer 3

Just peel the cosmo away or take it down with a rag till its free & dry. Then get a soft rag, this'll be your new gun-rag. Dab it with some gun oil and rub it into the grain of the wood stock.Keep the gun-rag like forever,......... all it does is wipes away fingerprints ,and lightly oilsyour firearm. DON'T use the rag for cleaning!

Answer 4

Using a hand steamer works great
see http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting/cosmoline/index.asp for more techniques. they have a pdf version of the article as well.

Answer 5

Lighter fluid
Kerosene
Mineral spirits