I just picked up a really nice set of 23 year old aluminum wheels that still have a lot of Cosmoline on the inside. It has yellowed and cracked and I don't suspect that it's offering much protection anymore.
Anybody know a way to safely remove this stuff? I'm afraid of damaging the outside surface of the wheels, which are anodized with painted spokes.
I also have a ton of it under the hood of my Miata that I'd like to get off.
We always used 409 and a soft rag on the fresh stuff. Old stuff . . . who knows?
mineral spirits?
Two methods I have used on boom sticks:
*Automotive parts washer with real commercial fluid: Worked great.
*#2 Diesel fuel oil: Worked great, as well as the parts washer, but I didn't have the tub and pump thing.
Pics of the wheels?
+1 mineral spirits when i worked for a machine tool importer that what we used.
What Dr. Hess said.
Dr. Hess wrote:Two methods I have used on boom sticks:
*Automotive parts washer with real commercial fluid: Worked great.
*#2 Diesel fuel oil: Worked great, as well as the parts washer, but I didn't have the tub and pump thing.
But will that harm the paint or anodizing?
pigeon wrote:Pics of the wheels?
Not corrosion, just cosmoline:
Nice Fuchs! I see why you don't want to Fuch them up 
. Any harm in just leaving it?
Mineral spirits didn't hurt the paint on my 951 when I was cleaning off the black sealant around the tail lights when I replaced them.
the guys that remove cosmoline from projectile delivery devices use a hairdrier to get it out of the cracks...
We used to use kerosene back when V-dubs came covered with it.
I always used kerosene on gun parts but Skinned knuckles just had a great article on removing it from car parts!
Apparently cosmoline melts at 130 degrees F, so hit it with a hand held steamer (about 180 degrees or so) and it should drip off.
Neat-o 
All the above methods work, but I'd be super-careful with the bare aluminum and anodization. I know the purple cleaners will instantly hurt bare aluminum from experience. 
I'd go with the heat gun trick, followed by Dawn (original, de-greaser) in a bucket with water and a sponge. (Nice Fuch's by the way!)
Thanks for the suggestions. Sounds like heat gun and Dawn are the way to go.
pigeon wrote: Any harm in just leaving it?
OCD.
2nd on the Dawn and a stiff brush. Lots of hot, hot water.
From my research when I bought an old Russian rifle, the best way to get cosmoline off is to melt it off. The easiest, safest way being a hand-held steamer, or simply buckets of hot water.
As soon as you figure out an easy way, let us gun guys know, eh?
As has said before, as of now we use heat. Its premo storing grease simply because its so hard to remove.
Wow, an actual Indian canoe.
