Using citric acid to remove rust vs Evaporust

[pontiac428]

Maybe you can try good ol' mechanical removal. Take your maroon scotch brite and your can of elbow grease and polish that part shiny. No chemicals or corporations needed.

I think the reason your WD40 test didn't work is the column is tainted with dry rust. If it were the common oil sludge on machines, the WD would have taken it right off. Ergo, try mechanical removal.

 

[hman]

A less-expensive alternative to Evaporust is:

Best rust remover review for best rust removal concentrate

Rust911 FREE shipping on selected items. Powerful, safe, non-hazardous, safe on paints, rubbers, plastics, concentrate. Best rust remover review

www.rust911.com

I have a gallon of their concentrate but haven't actually used it yet.
Craig

I looked at their website. Sounds like it's well worth trying. Also looked at the MSDS ... pretty benign stuff!

https://www.rust911.com/content/GHS%20Rust911%20SDS%20Apr%202020.pdf

Thanks for the link!

 

[ARC-170]

Here's the results of a test I did with a part. I think I mixed about a table spoon in with about 3 cups of water. I stupidly forgot to write down what I did. Doh! I left it in the solution for about 40 hours or so. I took it out once after about 24 hours because some of the solution leaked out and wiped it off then put it back. It looked pretty good after 24 hours, but I thought I'd leave it in longer just to see what happened.

BEFORE


AFTER


I took the pictures under the same lighting conditions for a better comparison. The rod came out clean; I just wiped it a few times with a rag. The CA worked really well. It might be hard to see in the photos, but there is no rust and no pitting or roughening of the surface that I could see.
The solution turns a bit yellowish, but I'm in the process of reusing it on another part to see what happens.

As far as I can tell so far, this works just as well as Evaporust for significantly less money.

I'll still use Evaporust, though. It works really well and can be used over and over. I think this is a good solution (pun intended!) for larger objects requiring lots of fluid.

 

[stupoty]

This seems a bit caustic. I'm also trying to find something safer that I can hose off in the bushes or on the grass.

A lot of plants like phosphoric acid , good for the roots or something.

Stu

 

[ARC-170]

A lot of plants like phosphoric acid , good for the roots or something.

Stu

Well, it's caustic in high concentrations and it needs to be food-grade if it's used in plants. I'm not sure the stuff mentioned above is diluted enough or food grade, but your point is well-taken!