Customer Reviews

Evapo-Rust Rust Remover, 1 Qt

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This product is excellent. I only got it yesterday from AutoZone and used it with great results on four old rusty tools: two pairs of tin snips and two pairs of side cutters. I love the older hand tools because they were all made in the USA and they scream *high quality*! You can get them for dirt cheap at flea markets and such. But the good old steel catches rust over the years and needs to be cleaned.

I was reluctant to remove rust with acid-based chemicals because after the cleaning they would be hard to remove completely from inside the pliers' rivets and when trapped, even in tiny droplets, they could continue their acidic corrosive activity.

Evapo-rust is chemically "mild" and easy to get rid of by rinsing with water, wiping and drying off. Whatever would get trapped inside rivets does not seem to pose the danger of continued corrosion. After the cleaning spray the tool with a good water repellent lubricant.

This product is not cheap and so I devised a way of using it sparingly. I pour it in a new Ziploc bag and place the bag with the liquid in a tall cup. Then I wrap the rusty tool in Bounty (or other strong type) paper towel and immerse it into the liquid inside the Ziploc bag. Towel prevents sharp points of the tool from pinching or cutting the bag and it helps distribute the liquid evenly on rusty surface. Then I raise the level of the liquid in the bag by placing wrinkled paper ball outside of the Ziploc placed inside the cup - so the paper ball fill the space between the wall of the cup and the Ziploc bag thus pushing the liquid upwards.

I often buy used tools (mostly sockets) from flea markets and such. These often have surface rust. Additionally, I had some tools in a box which I forgot about outside for several years, and these developed serious rust.

I heard about Evaporust on an online forum and thought I'd try it, not expecting much improvement. I was very pleasantly surprised by the results. A decades-old Vlchek universal socket which I still use occasionally (3/4" and 19mm are almost identical in size) had developed surface rust on the middle link (not chromed). Two days in Evaporust cleaned it up very nicely -- not gleaming, but dull, clean bare steel.

The best example was an old nail set which was completely rusted. I put it in a bowl of Evaporust, with the struck (hammer) end just out of the liquid. Two days later, the part below the surface was mostly rust-free, and the part above the surface provided a dramatic before-and-after contrast.

For best results, wash the part to be soaked in good grease-cutting dish soap, or use a commercial degreasing fluid if you have that. Areas with oil are not de-rusted.

Also, if the final appearance is important, make sure the part is suspended above the bottom of the bowl (or whatever container is used to hold the Evaporust). As the chemical in Evaporust reacts with the rust on the part, it changes color from yellow to black. The resulting black solution is thickest on the bottom of the bowl, and this will permanently deposit itself on the part. On the nail set mentioned above, the pin (nail end)is darker than the center shaft. This may or may not be a problem, and if you want the part to have a blacker appearance, ensure it is on the bottom.

So...this stuff is not cheap, but it works. For tools over a certain minimal value, it's well worth the investment. My only regret was that I didn't buy a five-gallon jug to start! Five stars.

I had a Farmall M that had the motor stuck, so I pulled the head off and almost gave up. I then researched Evapo-rust and purchased a gallon and dumped in the cylinders. I let this sit for 4 days and sucked it out and was amazed! I then put some more in and let sit a couple more days and removed it. I put pressure on a piston and they all started to move, wiped it out and lubed, put the head back on and it runs like nothing happened. I use it quite a bit around the farm and was surprised that it still didn't burn oil. I am sold on Evapo-rust and purchased more.

I bought this product on a "trial and error" basis, and it performed way beyond my expectations.

I cannot testify as to large metal applications, but I do some minor gunsmithing work. I submerged some older military barrels, and they all (read exterior and inner bore) came out rust free!

Five stars for sure!

Bill Franz

I heard about this when restoring a vintage motorcycle. I've tried a lot of other rust remedies, most are acid based and corrosive, but Evapo-Rust is pretty amazing, and I rarely find a product that does what is says it will do this well.

In my project I have a bunch of vintage cad plated and unplated hardware, some in better condition than others, some well browned with surface rust. Pop it into a jar of evaporust and it comes out looking just about new. Leave it too long is no problem and it does not harm the plating or any other metals in any way I can detect. It is not caustic.

This stuff is creepy good.

Some water got into my toolbox, and before I discovered it I had some rusted tools. After looking at rust removal options, I decided to give Evapo-Rust a try. It's not, of course, a magic elixir that returns rusted tools to a pristine state, nothing could do that. But it did a great job of removing the rust. Where the rust was superficial the result was a near-new (well, near-before-getting-wet) condition. Where the rust was more severe, it was a return to functionality. A long soak freed up an adjustable wrench that had frozen up. Overall, it exceeded my expectations.

A note of advice: after using it to remove the rust from tools, oil them with a light oil to protect them. Otherwise they will be more susceptible to re-rusting because of the damage the initial rusting did to their surface.

This thing really works!!! I cleaned off some rust from an 50+yr old Eames black chair base without damaging the original black paint. That was my #1 concern. All I did was rub Evapo-Rust on the base with a sponge, let it sit for a bit, and rub again. It took a couple of hours and pretty much all the major rust came off. Minor paint stain came off instantly. I'm still amazed.

I am restoring an old Sears Table saw that the previous owner left outside covered up for years and what a rust bucket, I was not sure I was going to be able to salvage it but Evapo-Rust to the rescue.

Rusted nuts and bolts you can just toss out and replace with nice new ones but the mechanism parts need to be functional. I soaked some of these parts in Evapo-Rust and after a good scouring with a brass brush to preserve the steel I was happy with the results. Not a miracle cure the rust does permanent pitting damage but at least the Rust Crust is gone and in my project everything came out in a useable condition, much to my amazement.

I have tried several rust removers and frankly have not had consistent results with any of them, one will work good on one item and lousy on the next, I suppose the composition of the steel/iron of the item is important to the resulting outcome.

Evapo Rust worked so well that I found myself digging through the garage, looking for "rusty" stuff to treat with this solution. Here's a short list: Vice Grips, C-Clamps, Needle-Nose Pliers, Fishing Lures, Drain Grate, Screwdrivers, Nail-sets...you name it. It paid for itself!

I was told about this from local watchmaker. It removed all the rust from a block of steel/iron that's like an anvil. Amazing part is that it left the patina in place. I'm blown away.