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Nos Cosmoline
Way back in Nov. I picked up this nice motor ,in the box with military tags etc intact and preped in the great stuff COSMOLINE. Time now to take it down and what I'm finding is that wonderful stuff is now almost a varnish or shellac. Went back and read the article on the stuff and all I've got so far is warm it up. No go! So just how do you get this stuff off after 60 yrs or so? I mean i'm not above putting the whole thing in a wash tubb and covering it with your favorite solvent. No rust no nothing. Just hard mahogahny colered varnish. HELP!
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I use good high octane gasoling as a solvent. It is still less expensive than other solvents for me. I have several different sized stainless pots and I use the one that will hold the part or parts I wish to clean. Since gasoline is so flamable I take extreme precausions in its' use. If you use my technic...use enough gasoline to completely cover the part you wish to clean up. Let the part soak in the gasoline a good 12 hours. When you remove it from the solution it is a good idea to have a standby tin, like a deep cookie sheet, to set it on. I use an automotive parts cleaning brush to sweep away all the loose stuff and I rinse with a small amount of clean fuel. Most of the time it all will come off on the first try. Once in a while you will need to resoak it again in order to remove some of the stubborn preservative. Parts come out awesomely clean this way. I store the used fuel away and re-use it for rough cleaning purposes over and over again. Paps -
Solvent
Thanks Paps, I should have known it would be something common. I'm guessing the gas will not damage the original OD or black paint? Hate to loose it because this stuff is as delivered in 45. Do you know if they pumped that stuff thru the motor or did they just merrilly pour a few cups into the cylinders and such? My plan was to pull the top end clean things up and go from there but so far things are so gummed up it won't even turn over . Maybe put the whole thing in a pot and walk away for a day> What do you think? ChrisComment
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Chris this may also work,I use a pressure washer that has a heater so what ever solvent you use warms up,it has always worked for me Id use gunk the liquid type to spray the motor down with 24 hours pryor to using the pressure washer it may take a time or two to work but I think youll find it wont hurt the finish,GOOD LUCK and please let us know how it goes!Comment
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Varsol is another good product to use. It is a petrolium product like gasoline but not as flamable. It can be hard to find--I get mine at an old fashioned hardware store.Comment
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I've only had the paint peel on one front cylinder using the gasoline but I have done hundreds of parts with great results. The cylinder that peeled would have done so with other means of removal anyway. I have done dozens of other nos cylinders and never lost a flake of paint. I never did a completely assembled nos engine but I would recommend a complete disassembly of it anyhow. If just for inspection purposes, due to moisture vapors over the years, because rollers in the bearings and the races could already be damaged. Age can make a big difference. Risking a start up without truely knowing what you now have could be costly. I don't want to scare you but I have also removed cosmolene from a few parts that were completely rusted out underneath the preservative. I have seen inlet nipple threads on cylinders completely ate away even though they were coated. I personally think the coating may have been put on at the factory while the parts were damp in these cases. I strongly suggest a complete disassembly for this reason. PapsComment
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More on cosmo
Thanks guys. Paps that's my plan. Take her down all the way because I need to know what shape everything is in. Wanted to try to just rotate the crank a littlle to close vavlve on the cyl. before removing jugs. Read somewhere that you want the things closed or there is a possibility of popping a base flange. I'm with you on rusted parts under cosmoline. Recieved a couple NOS parts that were good but rusted. We'll see how it goes. ChrisComment
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I have used Coleman fuel on smaller parts with good results.
It also is flammable.
VPH-DComment
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Cosmo
Paps:inlne4
aque&vhd< Wow what great stuff after many yrs. What I did was put samples in little tupper wares frm moms kitchn( I got them after I pulled the heads and found gobs of it) I think i've got every solvent known (eccept Varsol) and soaked the little ******s. What a trip! Paps you win after 10 hrs. I finally decided to just blow the shop up!! Gas! Premium! And a mix of kerosene with WD-40 & a touch of penetrol. 71/2 gls gas/5 gls kerosene/1 gl.WD-40 1 cup penetrol. If it doesn't soften up now I set a match to it. It's a big pot. Never thought I'd have this much fun when I bought that little motor--just always wanted one. One guy in the club Mr. Hester was really neat with his comments. Now I'm stuck with trying to save the stupid OD paint. Am I crazy? Truth is I can never bring it back. Right? CHris
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Coleman fuel would work too. It is basically a white gasoline. I use unleaded fuel in Coleman products as a substitute for the white fuel once in a while but I don't recommend it as a permanent alternative. There is still some crap in unleaded fuels.
Chris....just be cautious !! Seriously be careful !! Don't worry though, your parts will clean up pretty easily with just the gasoline alone. I never added other ingredients to my soakings like you have but if Mr. Hester [if he is the one in the same individual I know] said to. I would take his word in a heart beat. Paint is always an iffy issue when it comes to removing that awesome preservative cosmoline. 9 times out of 10 your paint will survive though. I would also recommend a good soapy washing after you get the goop off of your parts. I like the light dish detergents such as Dawn or Joy. PapsComment
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I only use straight gasoline, Paul, on cosmoline. As to preserving the paint, Chris, the cosmoline has already stained it to a different shade from what would be considered correct. However, it may be of historic value with it's cosmoline tint, still. Depends on what your build. If it will be a stock WLA, then the OD paint will be for the later ones. The earlier ones are natural finish aluminum. I can't speak for frame and sheetmetal finishes, as engines are all that I do.
JackComment
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All Varsol is is mineral spirits packaged in an Exxon can and called Varsol. I grew up in an Exxon Station and we sold Varsol in cans or in bulk(pure mineral spirits)Comment
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Indianut...mineral spirits costs less than gasoline in my area. I've never used it for cosmoline removal though. I always have gasoline on hand so I naturally go with it. Besides.....if I keep minerals spirits around, the Ole Lady will have me painting something. LOL !
Jack....sorry I miss understood Chris's reply on the mix. Yes..it does seem the paint is a bit darkened under the preservative. PapsComment
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Cosmo Engine
I'm back on the same subject but now have good news for anybody that might get unlucky enough to find a whole /sealed/engine in it. Parts and such that you might find that are in cosmo will cut very nicely with gas but with a whole engine what you have is thick build ups and lots of very thin layers that have dried and stuck everything together. They really did pump this stuff thru the oiling system and it creats the problem. The thin layers dry and are just like gasket cement. The key goes back to as suggested in the fall mag. and keep in mind that cosmo is petro based. NO solvent and warm it up. the solvents just cause the thin layers to dry up even more and get tougher. Basically you will find the heads come off no problem/the oil pump might and from here things are stuck. To cut the story really short. Diesel fuel(so you don't blow up) with the cheapest oil you can find, heated in a turkey fryer(200deg.+) and poured over the tempered engine(as on the cooking channels put enough cool liquid in the BIG container to just coat the eng then pour the hot oil in) Presto! That stuck stuff now is soft and you can proceed to remove the cyl./tapppets/and eventually split the cases to look at those pesky bearings(that in your heart you know caint even be bad after all this). This has been the readers digest version of a very interesting problem and if you really? would like to hear the nitty stuff.. send me an "e" ChrisComment
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