I have used mineral spirits outdoors during Summer months.

Screw the cap on and shake, rinse and repeat as needed.

Compressed air to dry....gtg

 

This method is hard to beat IMO. I use mineral spirits in an old tupperware bowl with lid and let stuff soak if real bad. Have several old nylon toothbrushes for hitting cracks and crevices.

 

I just clean up the oil bottles and keep them in the proper mag pouch. I like to collect all the accessories that were issued with the rifles. It's just as fun for me as buying a new rifle, is searching for all the hard to find items. The mineral spirits works good for me in cleaning them as TRAAK's has stated.

 

A good soaking in near boiling water with some dish soap will expand the material and let all the junk out of the pores.

 

I've done the boiling water thing a lot, but be warned that it makes your kitchen smell rather combloc. My wife has gotten really good at the game "Where's it been?" particularly when it comes to items from Yugoslavia

 

I use the dishwasher for just about everything

 

:doh:

 

Boiling water with some Simple Green works for me.

 

I clean these things on a weekly basis usually 7-10 at a time. They're paint fodder for me. Best results; remove cap , remove rubber or cork seal,fully submerge in degreaser for at least 24 hours , pull out and cap it then shake it , uncap and resubmerge probably 10 times in that 24 hr period. Rinse thoroughly then bring some water to a boil with a few drops of Dawn or Simple Green and submerge O.B.'s fully . Let boil for 10 minutes , longer for heavily caked on old oil. Pull them out let air dry and cool for a few minutes then shake the inside dry , air dry for 2 days or blow dry with compressed air or a hair dryer. Clean the outside with denatured alcohol or the like using lots of pressure on the seams & creases. ... for me here I would lightly sand the O.B. and reclean with alcohol, tape off , prime , and paint.

 

I clean these things on a weekly basis usually 7-10 at a time. They're paint fodder for me. Best results; remove cap , remove rubber or cork seal,fully submerge in degreaser for at least 24 hours , pull out and cap it then shake it , uncap and resubmerge probably 10 times in that 24 hr period. Rinse thoroughly then bring some water to a boil with a few drops of Dawn or Simple Green and submerge O.B.'s fully . Let boil for 10 minutes , longer for heavily caked on old oil. Pull them out let air dry and cool for a few minutes then shake the inside dry , air dry for 2 days or blow dry with compressed air or a hair dryer. Clean the outside with denatured alcohol or the like using lots of pressure on the seams & creases. ... for me here I would lightly sand the O.B. and reclean with alcohol, tape off , prime , and paint.

amazing work!


my problem is getting them unstuck from each other. ive got Russian oddballs and common bulk cosmoline factory rearsenaled storage wrapped ww1 thru current. all the oilers are 12 or 20 or 24 in a giant blob of cosmo. I put some in cookie trays in oven ran that loop 3 days. harvesting more cosmo than oilers almost seemed like. I canned the stuff and ruined my oven. once clean I still cant take em to shows or ship em cause they never stop leaking and dripping everywhere. big ol mess!

 

they're like manly easter eggs LOL

 

Aye, do whatcha like.

 

I have found that a steam cleaner works well.

 

Automotive Brake cleaner works well at degreasing just about any metal surface. Just make sure to wear proper PPE since brake cleaner is some nasty stuff if exposed to it long term.