In praise of Evaporust

[mklotz]

This may be preaching to the choir but...

I'd often heard of the product called Evaporust. Folks like it because it's environmentally friendly, can be flushed down the drain, and attacks only the rust and doesn't affect the base metal. I ran across some in a local auto parts store I decided to give it a try.

A screwdriver tip for a Yankee screwdriver (remember those?) was the chosen test subject. Lots of surface rust but no deep pitting, it was small enough to fit into a handy disposable container cut from the ubiquitous, impossible to open clear plastic molded encapsulations that everything seems to be sold in these days.

I let it sit in the garage for an hour. It's fall here in southern California so the air temperature is a chilly 83, but the Evaporust didn't seem to mind. This is what it looked like straight out of the Evaporust with only a water rinse and drying with a paper towel...

I like this stuff.

[grandviewdoug]

I agree; have used it very successfully on restoring lathe chucks, turning gouges, plane blades and chisels. Best part is it can be partly re-used by just filtering out the sediment or letting it settle, and storing the remainder. (I keep it in an old plastic peanut butter jar with lid.) Seems to keep and be reusable indefinitely so far. Also available at Harbor Freight. As I recall, the directions indicate you should recoat the item with Evaporust after drying from the water rinse in order to prevent flash rusting. I wear nitrile gloves but only to keep my hands from getting rusty-looking and smelling...Evaporust is not caustic at all.

[aphilipmarcou]

Evapo-Rust (Bad Experience) - Page 4. Out of interest here is another side to the story, which came to light after I consulted this computer. I have never used Evaporust and am still on the eternal mission to find a magic potion that banishes light rust and protects against further attack.
Can one wipe this Evaporust onto, say, a cast iron table saw top and expect it to remove the beginnings of rust?

[mklotz]

Evapo-Rust (Bad Experience) - Page 4. Out of interest here is another side to the story, which came to light after I consulted this computer. I have never used Evaporust and am still on the eternal mission to find a magic potion that banishes light rust and protects against further attack.
Can one wipe this Evaporust onto, say, a cast iron table saw top and expect it to remove the beginnings of rust?

As with any chemical preparation, give it a try on scrap or a concealed area before committing.

I believe it's intended to be used via full immersion of the part rather than being applied to the surface via cloth/sponge/etc.. For your saw table I would use a flat steel block and some 1000 or so grit emery paper. Once the rust is gone, wax the table with a good grade of floor or automobile paste wax. That will protect from future rusting and allow workpieces to glide smoothly across the table.