cleaning, military-surplus, gunstock, cosmolineWhat is the safest method of removing cosmoline from a gun’s wood? I’ve seen lots of conflicting advice. Also, how can I tell whether I’m removing cosmoline or just damaging the finish?
A solid method would be to remove the stock from the weapon and place it in a black plastic garbage bag. Leave it outside in the sun in the summer, and every couple of hours, wipe the cosmoline off of the stock. In the winter, if you have a big enough oven, place the stock on an oven rack with a baking sheet below it. Turn the oven to warm (no more than 100 - 150 degrees) and let the cosmoline drip off. Neither of those methods should damage the finish.
A lot of rifles can be too long to fit into a standard oven even after dis-assembly. What I have found as the best method is to dis-assemble the weapon and then heat it up with a hair dryer or heat gun. Cosmoline melts at around 110 degrees so it takes a couple hours but it works very well. You just need to start at one end of the stock and work your way to the other, don’t try to heat up the whole stock all at once because it will cool too quickly.
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