Evapo -rust

[crazy longhorn]

Has anybody used this product for cleaning smaller items? Does it work as well as the ads claim? I have used vineger for cleaning rusty valve covers, & such, it works, but is a slow process....looking for something more agressive, but still enviromentally freindly crazyL

[truckster]

I'm also interested. What type of small items are you cleaning? I've never used that brand, but I used a couple of others when I was in the glass business, mostly on the rear window parts of GenII Blazers. The main thing I learned was that the liquid usually works better than the spray, and getting all the loose stuff off is really important.

[crazy longhorn]

I need to clean up window regulators,& lock/ latch pcs , & door panels.

[slimone757]

i have used evapo rust, but in my experience you need to submerge the part completely.

2 alternatives that work for me

Naval Jelly. Local autopart store should have it. is a gel form so works great in nooks and crannies. Rust disappears. For tough rust let it sit for a while.



Klean-Strip Phosphoric Prep. This stuff is magical. Mix half of this with half water in a spray bottle. Saturate your steel and let it sit. For tuff spots hit it with the green scratch pad. This is a acid so follow safety precautions. Home depot carries it.

[Shane]

I have read that Evaporust is basically nothing more than diluted molasses. I have no experience with it, just passing on what I had read. <shrug>

[Fitz]

Originally Posted by crazy longhorn

Has anybody used this product for cleaning smaller items? Does it work as well as the ads claim? I have used vineger for cleaning rusty valve covers, & such, it works, but is a slow process....looking for something more agressive, but still enviromentally freindly crazyL

Vinegar is just acetic acid, which is only midly corrosive. Phosphoric Acid (the active ingredient in Naval Jelly) is a bit more aggressive BUT it doesn't remove rust, it converts it to a black crystalline substance known as ferric phosphate. This is ok for some applications but many of the new paint systems are incompatible with itm, including most two part epoxy primers.

For my money, a better way to attack rust on small parts is muriatic acid. This is actually hydrochloric acid (the same acid that's in your stomach) and it is not poisonous but make no mistake, unless you dilute it this will burn you!
I use three parts water to one part acid and leave the parts in until the rust is gone. It will not attack clean steel or cast iron....only the iron oxide (Rust).
Just be sure you don't pour water into the acid...always pour acid into water, and so not breathe the fumes.

[StingRay]

I've used it and it works great. You pretty much have to dunk the part completely in the stuff and let it sit. The problem with the stuff in a manner wears out. You can only clean so much and its no good any more. The upside is that it removes no metal, does not etch and will not harm plating. It will remove anything that's an oxide though. It definitely has place in the arsenal of rust removal tools. Around here it's not cheap so that's a drawback. It uses a chelation process to remove the rust and I also understand that molasses will do basically the same thing. The evaporust has some detergents and such to get the crud out of the way so the solution can work better. Naval jellies and such will take off some plating and will etch the metal (good when painting). The naval jelly is phosphoric acid and you have to be careful around it where as the evaporust is non corrosive.

[crazy longhorn]

Thanks to all for the feedback I see the product is expensive,about 100 dollar bill for 5 gallons, but if it works, I happy with that I have used some of the more agressive products, but would rather use something thats a little "safer" .....crazyL

[landarts]

I have used it quite bit on my restore. It is really great for restoring rusty bolts. I have a plastic pickle jar that I put a little in, drop in the parts and let it sit overnite. Rinse of the bolts, etc, dry with air compressor and paint.

[Eddie H.]

As a test, I put a heavily rusty old chain that has been sitting out in the weather for years in a jar of evapo rust and let it set overnight. When I pulled it out, it looked like new.