The Ford Barn

GB SISSON · 11-13-2015, 05:29 PM

I received my nos 01T pistons yesterday. .060 over and just like those old ads in the back of the comic books, they were 'Wrapped in cosmoline'. That's some sticky stuff. I'll post some after pics later. Best solvent???

Fordors · 11-13-2015, 06:32 PM

I've successfully used kerosene. Soak to soften, looks like you will need to scrape with a soft (plastic?) scraper for the larger chunks followed by a good brushing.

corvette8n · 11-13-2015, 06:36 PM

Boiling water also works.

scooder · 11-13-2015, 06:41 PM

My favourite way is to get the paper off, set the piston skirt down on a house brick, then play a soft flame from a blow lamp (heat gun may do the job, just never used one for it) the goop will fall off quite quickly, then simple easy clean the residue off with WD40 or similar. Really speeds up the job, and you get to play with flames at the same time!
Martin.
ps, don't those pistons smell cool.

alan · 11-13-2015, 08:45 PM

when I restored my first 40 tudor, I bought almost all mechanical parts from a dealer who had WW2 surplus, bearings dipped in grease, wrapped in cloth, dipped in cosmoline and the coated in wax-- what a job to get thru to the actual bearing itself--but what a beauty!!! are those steel pistons?

GB SISSON · 11-13-2015, 09:59 PM

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Quote:

Originally Posted by alan

when I restored my first 40 tudor, I bought almost all mechanical parts from a dealer who had WW2 surplus, bearings dipped in grease, wrapped in cloth, dipped in cosmoline and the coated in wax-- what a job to get thru to the actual bearing itself--but what a beauty!!! are those steel pistons?

You got me running for a magnet! The other six are aluminum, and it turns out so are these. And yeah, they smell really good! My folks moved us to the East Coast when I was a teenager in the 60's. My buddy Hermon bought a 1946 Triumph 500 flathead twin with a rigid frame from a place called 'Building 19' in Hingham Mass. Canadian army surplus. Olive drab and lots of cosmoline. I think we washed it all off with gas, but I'm not into that these days. Hermon still has the bike in New Hampshire and about 10 years ago I saw an identical bike for sale in Victoria BC. It was still in it's wooden crate but the seller had removed a slat or two for a peek. I thought about looking at it, but would have been awful tempted to keep it in the crate. I almost never drive my BSA anymore as it is. For 20 bucks I might get another piston to keep under wraps, just as a souvenir.

RalphM · 11-13-2015, 11:34 PM

I've unwrapped many a 1903 Springfield and M1 Garand part that was coated in cosmoline. Spray Carburetor cleaner works good for removing it.

willowbilly3 · 11-14-2015, 12:09 AM

When I was a kid I heard of the $100 jeeps totally full of cosmoline, not sure if it was true.
I had a neighbor in Willow Alaska who had a job putting runway lights in on the strip there. It was a great gravel strip built by the Army in WW2 and B17s could land there. When they were trenching in the lights they dug through layers of some kind of solvent or chemical that was so noxious you couldn't stay in the ditch. I always figured it was what they dissolved cosmoline with.

11-13-2015, 06:32 PM	#2
Fordors Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Orland Park,IL Posts: 1,402	Re: Kinda like those 150.00 jeeps and harleys I've successfully used kerosene. Soak to soften, looks like you will need to scrape with a soft (plastic?) scraper for the larger chunks followed by a good brushing. __________________ My school colors are black and blue, I attended the School of Hard Knocks where I received a Masters Degree in Chronic Mopery.

11-13-2015, 06:36 PM	#3
corvette8n Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: 36 miles north of Albany NY Posts: 2,950	Re: Kinda like those 150.00 jeeps and harleys Boiling water also works.

11-13-2015, 06:41 PM	#4
scooder Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 2,593	Re: Kinda like those 150.00 jeeps and harleys My favourite way is to get the paper off, set the piston skirt down on a house brick, then play a soft flame from a blow lamp (heat gun may do the job, just never used one for it) the goop will fall off quite quickly, then simple easy clean the residue off with WD40 or similar. Really speeds up the job, and you get to play with flames at the same time! Martin. ps, don't those pistons smell cool.

11-13-2015, 08:45 PM	#5
alan Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: UPSTATESC Posts: 669	Re: Kinda like those 150.00 jeeps and harleys when I restored my first 40 tudor, I bought almost all mechanical parts from a dealer who had WW2 surplus, bearings dipped in grease, wrapped in cloth, dipped in cosmoline and the coated in wax-- what a job to get thru to the actual bearing itself--but what a beauty!!! are those steel pistons?

11-13-2015, 11:34 PM	#7
RalphM Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: North Pole, Alaska Posts: 2,651	Re: Kinda like those 150.00 jeeps and harleys I've unwrapped many a 1903 Springfield and M1 Garand part that was coated in cosmoline. Spray Carburetor cleaner works good for removing it.

11-14-2015, 12:09 AM	#8
willowbilly3 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Black Hills, SD Posts: 577	Re: Kinda like those 150.00 jeeps and harleys When I was a kid I heard of the $100 jeeps totally full of cosmoline, not sure if it was true. I had a neighbor in Willow Alaska who had a job putting runway lights in on the strip there. It was a great gravel strip built by the Army in WW2 and B17s could land there. When they were trenching in the lights they dug through layers of some kind of solvent or chemical that was so noxious you couldn't stay in the ditch. I always figured it was what they dissolved cosmoline with.