Evapo-Rust works!

A

Alan H.

Forum Guest
Register Today
I am sure that many here have used Evapo-Rust. I recently acquired some reamers that look as if they'd never seen a hole but they'd been stored in humid conditions and had some surface rust.

I decided to give them a dip in Evapo-Rust for a couple of hours and to see how it would work. I cleaned them up with brake parts cleaner and then dropped them in the bath.

Two hours soak time was more than enough to get them cleaned up. I then I rinsed them off with water per the instructions, dried them, and then hosed them down with Boeshield. They're in the tool chest now in their sleeves and should be protected.

IMG_20170620_115841.jpg

IMG_20170620_120107.jpg IMG_20170620_115053.jpg

IMG_20170620_120157.jpg

IMG_20170620_145322.jpg
 
I have used Evapo-Rust extensively and it's probably the best thing I've found (after trying 10+ other products) to recondition rusted surfaces, if you can completely immerse the material in the Evapo-Rust liquid. I bought a faceplate on eBay about a month ago, wasn't in too bad condition when it arrived, but had some rust. I soaked it overnight in Evapo-Rust and here's the before and after - no elbow grease required:

IMG_7386.jpg

IMG_7440.jpg

And a Phase II rotary table I found had been sitting in a barn for 20 years and was fully encrusted with rust. I don't have the before photo (you would have guessed it was completely unusable) but here's how the top of the table came out after an overnight bath in the stuff:

IMG_6959.jpg
 
Yup, I am a believer also. Used it to soak the ram and turret of my Bridgeport mill. Had to make a special container though.
 
I am another fan of Evapo-Rust. I have used on some very badly rusted bench planes. Not cheap, but the product can be recycled. The cheapest source is my local Harbor Freight. In the Automotive isle.

Any the rust removal methods which involve liquids require the part(s) to be completely submerged, otherwise a line will be created like a tide mark which is very difficult to remove.

I had a wide open container and the gallon container covered the parts but not deep. I came close to evapouration lowering the liquid level. I now try to use a smaller container or add something to fill the voids to raise the level. For small parts I use a lidded container.

I tried using a garbage bag. I was happy I had this in a tray. "Murphy" visited over night and a small hole developed in the bag.
 
I am sure that many here have used Evapo-Rust. I recently acquired some reamers that look as if they'd never seen a hole but they'd been stored in humid conditions and had some surface rust.

I decided to give them a dip in Evapo-Rust for a couple of hours and to see how it would work. I cleaned them up with brake parts cleaner and then dropped them in the bath.

Two hours soak time was more than enough to get them cleaned up. I then I rinsed them off with water per the instructions, dried them, and then hosed them down with Boeshield. They're in the tool chest now in their sleeves and should be protected.

View attachment 236024

View attachment 236025 View attachment 236026

View attachment 236027

View attachment 236028

Recently I purchased a set of expandable reamers from a local equipment dealer. He insisted that I also take a rusted one in the deal. I immersed it in some nearly spent Evaporust & forgot about it for about 2 weeks. Upon retrieving it from the murky brown liquid i found it to be liberally coated in a black oxide-like film that smelled similar to a septic system. The rust is gone but no amount of soaking in water takes away the anarobic smell. Under those conditions it still worked but it is certainly time for a fresh batch & a fresh memory for me as well. All other items that I soaked in Evaporust came out nearly perfect so I can't say enough about its quality.
 
I use it a lot. After buying most of my tooling at auctions and garage sales it all get dumped in a big container with EvapoRust. All of it comes out looking like new.
I buy it bulk from Walmart in 5 Gal buckets. Cheapest I've found so far.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Evapo-Rust-Super-Safe-Rust-Remover-5-Gallon/48810393

Wow! That really is a good deal!
I love the stuff as well, though I have to echo Dave's comments about submerging the ENTIRE piece, or you will get lines.

One more note: aluminum containers aren't the best choice for soaking or storeage. I use a lot of those disposable aluminum baking trays for part cleanup, project organization, whatever. Anyhow, I used one of the small loaf pans to soak a couple of pieces, covered the container when finished, and left it sitting on the floor a corner of my basement. Two weeks later I picked up the tray only to find it had eaten several holes in the tray bottom and had etched the concrete just a bit.

It also removes non-stick coating from baking pans and cookie sheets. (I have a bunch of old ugly pans and such that my wife wanted to replace. They make great working and storage trays, and can be racked up in an inexpensive plywood box with runners.)
 
Back
Top