M1912 Norwegian Krag Carbine: Stock Full of Cosmoline

[6kidsdad]

Hello all. Recently bought a mostly matching, original Norwegian Krag carbine. Decided to break it down carefully, and the inletting is just really full of sticky cosmoline or grease. Would this have been original to the making of it? I assume not, but just wondering.Was there any kind of grease, wax or anything put in the inletting to waterproof them, similar to K98s which sometimes are found with grease in the inletting? For the longevity of the wood, I assume it is best to remove this stuff. The outside of the stock has a nice patina, so leaving that alone. Just the inletting. I have stock whiting, which seems to be the best option. Any advice appreciated!

[IditarodJoe]

Me, I'd take a little of the goop and see if it dissolves in hot water. If it dissolves it's probably cosmoline. Remove as much as possible by hand; then rinse the rest out of the stock with hot water and dry thoroughly. If it's grease, I'd remove as much as possible by hand and then carefully wipe out the rest with odorless mineral spirits. But that's just me . . . .

BTW, sounds like you found a really cool old rifle!

[6kidsdad]

Yes, it is a nice rifle. Bolt doesn't match, but they aren't easy to find in unaltered condition. Yes, it did dissolve instantly in hot water.

[StockDoc]

Steam works well (I use a wood bending steamer), too and lots of paper towels. Mineral spirits is goo, spray can brake cleaner. I like them to have a fast evaporation rate.

Pictures please

[6kidsdad]

Well, no pics yet. Did end up removing all of the cosmoline, and the stock inletting is very nice. There are what looks to be a couple of old arsenal repairs, one at the upper tang area where there looks to be a hairline crack. A brass rod has been screwed in there I assume to take care of that issue, and has been there a long time.

[jon_norstog]

Pictures! We want pictures!

jn