I've finally pulled a 71/84 Mauser I bought for parts apart, and I must say I had a hell of a time doing so. The thing is full of solidified grease, oil, and general crud. I've had the parts soaking in Varsol for 3 days, and have been attacking this crud with a wire brush, and I can't seem to make any headway. I don't want to scrape it off, as I want to keep the markings intact and undamaged. I've owned and cleaned dozens of old military firearms, from Sniders to Martini's to 71 Mausers etc, but Ive never encountered anything like this.Guys, I realize that this isn't a true gunsmithing question, but I'm at my wits end. How the hell can I clean these parts without spending the rest of my days struggling with Varsol and a wire brush?

Brownell's sells a degreaser that works wonders on removing cosmolene and it overseas counterpart, as well as your ordinary run-of-the-mill grease/dirt combinations. It's a little pricy at about $30 a gallon, but well worth it. If the goop is soaked into the stock you can make a paste of whiting and the degreaser and smear it over the stock. You can watch it pull the oil out of the wood and it won't affect the stain or the natural color of the wood.

P.S. This is a chloronated solvent and you should use it in A REALLY WELL VENTILATED area, and wear gloves.

[ 04-29-2003, 21:22: Message edited by: Pa.Frank ]

[ 04-30-2003, 02:22: Message edited by: scot ]

I have a 50 cal ammo box with kerosine in it. I put it on an electric hotplate to heat up the kerosine. It melts the goo off the parts. Do not get it smoking hot, it may burst into flame. Just really warm will do. Probably best as an outside toy but, very effective. Some automotive places have a "hot tank". Same idea. Maybe you could put your stuff in a wire screen bag or tie it on wire and let them boil the goo off?

I'm pretty sure that you can still purchase Electric Motor cleaner which is 111-Trichloroethylene at your local NAPA or local hardware store. Squirt down the parts with cleaner(outdoors) and let them soak in a sealed garbage bag overnight. The next day put on a pair of rubber gloves and scrub the surfaces with a bristle brush or steel wool. Repeat as necessary.

Once you get it degreased you may want to try one of the rust/blue removers that Brownells offers. They have three or four different flavors. I've used their "Steel White" and it worked well.

Thanks for the ideas, guys. I believe I'll try the Electric Motor cleaner first, and if that doesn't work, the 'hot tank' gets the nod. I must say, in all my years, I've never had anything as stubborn as this stuff.

I use regular oven cleaner. Let it sit and wipe it off. Works great