A few days ago I was browsing the tool guide on this site and looked intto the shop materials category. There was a brief positive mention of a product called Evaporust — but no followup. I have lots of rusty old tools — some inherited, some my fault for various reasons — and some are garden/ag implements that just get rusty. so, to come to the point, I went to the manufacturer’s web site and googled the stuff and read all I could. It really looked good. Completely non-toxic, and can be legfally dumped in the yard or down the drain — and will not hurt your grass.
So, I bought 5 gallons. It came yesterday.
I took an old 19th century iron cookink kettle and poured in enough to fill it. That pot has been rusty since before I was born and various efforts to clean it have failed. I also stuck in a number of tools — very good metal shears, Klein dykes,long-nosed pliars and cable cutters — a triangular file, a blacksmith tongs and whatever else would fit.
This morning, all the rust was gone — even on the inside of the kettle. The resulting metal ranged from light iron grey to dark charcoal grey. I washed the tools off, according to instructions and much of the grey disappeared. The high carbon tools did stay quite a bit darker than new and there are some darker spots here and there where there was more rust.
I looked this up on the web site and found that the darkness is caused by carbon from the steel. The higher the carbon, the darker the result. Seems the way the product works is in a two part chemical reaction. The first step is for one component to combine with and remove the loosely bound iron in the iron oxide. Then there is a secondary reaction that binds the iron to sulphur and releases the first component to go bck and get more iron (there is a definate sulphur smell to the product at work). IT DOES NOT AFFECT IRON THAT IS NOT PART OF AN OXIDE, and so does not erode the tool, only the rust. Anyway, the carbon is left behind and that is what causes the charcoal colored film.
I found that the carbon readily comes off with steel wool and almost no effort, leaving bright steel. Of course, any pitting from the rust is still there.
Paint and other finishes as well as rubber, plastic neoprene etc. are not affected at all, so you can safely dump many tools right into the bath. They say it will not hurt wood, but the product is water based and I would fear for swelling of good tool handles.
They say that 1 gallon will derust about 300 lbs of moderately rusty iron and steel.
This is by far the easiest, safest, and least invasive to the tool metal way I have ever seen to get rid of rust.
Edited 3/28/2007 10:27 am ET by Joe Sullivan
Replies
Hi Joe,
A few questions:
Did you buy it locally, or do you have a phone #/web address for the company to order?
Can you buy less than 5 gallons?
How much does it cost?
Thanks,
Lee
Lee, you can get it in a variety of sizes. If there's an AutoZone near you, check there 'cause they were supposed to start carrying it in quarts. There are various web sites that carry (give it a Google) so finding one that's fairly close for shipping should be possible. I'd suggest a gallon, because I've used it and love it. Have a 5-gallon container, and keep a small plastic food container in the shop with a lid, to drop rusty items in when the mood strikes.
[edit] Did a quick Google, here are examples
The Rust Store for 1 gallon, 5 gallon and 55 gallon
Woodtech Tooling also carries the "patches" which can be laid on large flat surfaces; and wipes. Click here for ino (navigate to the Patch System info and how to apply)
I have no experience with anything but the soaking technique. Also, some browsing might find lower prices, though the Rust Store is pretty good.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Edited 3/28/2007 11:28 am by forestgirl
Joe and Forestgirl,
Thanks for the replies. I have bookmarked this discusssion so that when I need the evaporust, I will know where to start looking.
Lee
I have ordered a gallon of Evaporust. A concern I have is how it will act on japanning, especially areas of the japanning that are rusty. It would seem to me that there could be rust under the remaining japanning.
Also, as for reusing it, wouldn't straining it through cheesecloth, perhaps even a double layer filter out contaminents?
Any thoughts?
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob:
Don't know about straining. Hope Forest Girl chimesback in about that. Based purely on what I have read, it might be the case that filtering and straining are pointless, because the chemicals keep working until they are spent. However, I really don't know.
Good question about the japanning. However, IF the coating is resting on rust it will come off anyway I have run some painted tools through the stuff now (am dumping every rusty thing I can find into the bucket). What comes out is a surface that has grey meta where rust was, and paint where paint was.
It is great stuff, for sure.
Joe
Thanks Joe,
When I receive mine I will also enjoy the benefits.
Would it be possible for either you or forestgirl to post some B4 and afta pics?
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob:
I'll give it a shot if I can borrow daughter's digital camera. Too late for the best example, though. I have an old square that came out of my grandfather's workshop when he died 20 years ago. I picked it up as a relic of him more than anything. Is was solidly rusted so that you could only barely tell in a couple of spots that it was ruled or graduated. The rust had gotten bumpy. I never did anything with it until yesterday. After an overnight soaking, there is still some rust to go, but most of the square is now light metal with very clear etched graduations. There is some pitting, of course. After the rest of the rust goes away, I intend to polish a bit with auto-grade fine emery paper, wax it, and use it.
Still, Bob, in a rural operation like our place, there are plenty of well-rusted items around. I'll try to find a good example or two. Might use some saw blades that I was about to clean up by other means.
AutoZone does have it. Look in the paint section on the left hand side 2nd shelf from the bottom. Gray bottle.
AB, I had to spell the name for the A Zone staff in NY. and 15 min. later they crawled on the floor in the spray cans of paint aisle and found the last 32oz. on the bottom back in the space by reading all the shelf tags. The shelf tag said $7.99 and I later noticed that it rang up at $9.99. I will check the A Zone in TN. next week or do the mail order thing as I have a bunch of old Disston saws to rehab. Paddy
Paddy:
I, too have some saw blades to rehab. I am trying to figure out what to put them in so they are immersed. This morning I bought some inexpensive shallow and narrow plastic drawyer liners with the idea that I could make a long enough conainer by cutting and fitting two together with silcone caulk and duct tape. Is here a better way to immerse without using huge amount s of solution?
Joe
The good news is, even if you use a whole bunch of solution, it's not wasted 'cause you can re-use it. You're talking about hand saws, right? I'd wander the aisles at the auto parts store, Home Depot and maybe the nurser....EEEEEEK -- I got it!! A plastic flower planter, long and skinny like you use on a deck, plug up the holes.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Now that is a worthwhile and creative idea. I'll look for one this weekend.
Sure, the plastic window boxes, 24", 30", 36" long. Whatever your saw size. But instead of filling the holes in the bottom with sillycones, pop the catch tray off the bottom. It is only about an inch deep and you can let the saw handle hang over the end of the tray. I know it's crazy but it just might work...Andy
Interesting thought. Thanks.
J
Joe, I will just stack and only tack one or two 1x2 cheapo furring strips in a rectangle and lay some 5mil. poly down. a trick I saw when bending 1/4 rock with water to make a coffered ceiling. Paddy
ALso a good idea -- that will work with this stuff. I had tried it before with a product that turned out to have petroleum distillates in it, and of course, the plastic melted. live and learn. However. Evaporust has no petrol.
J
I have used this product based on a previous discussion here as well. I have some tools that were inadvertently left out over the winter and I also bought an old Bailey plane. I let them soak overnite and the rust came off. It did not remove the japanning.I found a local distributor and he sold me two gallons at a much beter cost than the Autozone small bottles. Here is the website for the company which I called to find the local guy: http://www.evapo-rust.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=156&Itemid=31 I highly recommend this product, as others have said here. I reuse it until it no longer takes the rust off of my items.
Well, well..................something in the air has changed! All the times I've mentioned EvapoRust in the past and extolled its virtues, met with skepticism at best, near-disdain on the other end. So glad that several people have now tried it and can verify how well it works, without the aggravation of acids or electrolysis. Who knows, if enough woodworkers and general knock-around-the-shop types get to using it, the gallons might become easily available at a decent price!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I have some pics somewhere of a weedeater shield I de-rusted last year. Will see if I can find them. I did a plane blade and frog a few weeks ago, but can't remember how well the pics came out. One thing you'll love it for is de-rusting screws. All those tiny threads, no sweat!
I don't strain when I reuse it. Looking through the plastic food container that is holding my used solution, ready-for-dunking, I can see suspended particles and some on the bottom also, but I just plop whatever it is in there and leave it for a few hours. There's a glass furniture-leg pad (you know, those old ones) in the bottom to prop up a plane blade or frog, so the solution goes all the way around.
I may have something japanned and rusty sitting around. If I do, I'll put it in today and let you know how it goes. (was that you, or someone else?) It doesn't seem to touch paint, or even plastic labels. Pretty cool, eh?forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Bob,If Joe and forestgirl don't have any before/after pictures to post, there were some in this thread from the "old" (Read-Only) Knots archives:http://forums.taunton.com/tp-knots/?msg=19526Dan
I haven't looked at that link, but if it's the bandsaw restoration project, that's my friend Len down in SoCal. He got me started on EvapoRust!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Yep, it's the bandsaw project. When I saw that post I figured I'd better keep track of it in case I came across something rusty that I wanted to keep. Dan
PS: regarding the japanning and EVR, the solution will only affect the metal it can actually reach (touch), so if there's a rust spot under paint that it can't get to, it won't interact with the rust.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Thanks forestgirl,
Sounds like it shouldn't adversely effect japanning. I am going to try the white vinegar suggested by Metod, tonight. Will post results sometime tomorrow.
Yes, that is good news about screws! I also have #48, #98 & #99 that I'd like to try as well, which are plated.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob:
I would be wary of using the vinegar on japanned objects. I have seen it remove japanning from brass.
Joe
Lee:
It was hard to find. The company web site says it is available at Auto Zone, but when I went in to my local one they didn't have it and didn't know what I was talking about. So I shopped on the web. There was a substantial price differential. The best price is the sale going on right now at Nebraska Hot Rod, of all things. They sell by the pint, quart, gallon, five gallon, or 55 gallon drum. I think it is about $16 per gallon, plus freight. I paid about $80 for 5 gals delivered to north Texas.
I might have bought less for this initial trial, but it is not a spray product. Your stuff has to be immersed. I have some hand saw blades and other things that will have to go into long shallow tubs that will take up a lot of liquid.
If this works, here is the link: http://www.nebraskanhotrod.com/
The local Home Hardware carries it here.
Ahhhhhh, you've discovered my favorite rust-removal technique. I've been using EvapoRust for a couple of years now, inspired by a Knots member who was restoring an old rusty Delta bandsaw. It'll be refreshing to have another ER user on board so I'm not the only one extolling its virtues!
A few tips: Brushing off loose rust before dipping decreases the amount of time you have to soak, and enables the solution to last longer. The solution can be re-used a fair number of times. Remove items after a couple hours and wipe off, re-immerse if necessary. Shorter soaking times might decrease the darkening effect.
"This is by far the easiest, safest, and least invasive to the tool metal way I have ever seen to get rid of rust." Amen!
For those who want to give it a try, it's supposed to be a stock item at AutoZone.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Jamie:
Figures you'd be there ahead of me. It is reall y neat stuff. I didn;tknow that the darkening increases with time. I guess you just keep looking in on the stuff until you get what you want?
Joe
Jamie:
Do you ever strain it or clean it out any way? the instructions were unclear.
Joe
Didn't know vinegar would work on rust. There are lots of acid recommendations out there, of course. Some use muriatic acid (HCl), some like citric acid. Vinegar is a dilute solution of acetic acid, so perhaps it has a similar action.
I have used salt and vinegar on brass parts before. The drawback is that it can remove japanning ( Ihave experienced this firsthand). It can also etch parts as can all acids. Still, if it works well at the price it is worth the experiment.
Evaporust does not harm japanning or paint of any kind and does not etch. Is that worth the price difference? You know, I don't know. It would make an interesting head-to-head test.
One questin, though -- if vinegar is effective, why do the galoots get hung up on finding citric acid and other stronger acids? Is it just force of habit? This is not a challenge to anything you said, BTW, just sort of puzzling out loud through the keyboard.
Joe
Metod,
Is an overnight soaking sufficient? I have several planes that are candidates for treating and was waiting for a gallon of Evaporust to arrive. Following your post I would like to try the vinegar.
Thanks,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Metod:
I am with you. Actually, I was looking for a good source of citric acid when I stumbled onto Evaporust. You are right about the varying concentrations.
Electrolysis certainly works, but is a lot more trouble. People set up for it, like the archaeological labs, get very good results without much trouble, but for the rest of us the setup is a pain. It is interesting, though. I have several times been in the preservation lab at Texas A&M and seen cannon, ship anchors, and other very large objects being de-rusted by electrolysis.
I have used acid-based products in the past. The only trouble is the etching or "frosting" of the surface that most do. However, I will give vinegar a try.
"Force of habit" can be a negative thing, for sure, but on the other hand, each of us only has so much time to do tings, and when something works, the tendency is to move other things up in order of priority.
Metod,
Having brain should not be an excuse for not using it.
You are right. Guess I was getting a bit lazy.
I soaked several pieces in a small container of white vinegar last night. When I got home from work today, I checked their progress. Amazing! Almost like it removed all the rust but left a slight patina like surface.....
The #45 cutters were in about the same rusted and decrepid shape as the plane blade and lever cap in the center of the B4_After1 pic below.
I've inserted my #98 & #99 into the vinegar along with several other parts and am looking forward to the results tomorrow.
Feeling like Luke Skywalker,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Must say, that's pretty cool, too. So, what if anything would be a reason not to use vinegar? I know that some of the other acid treatments frost or etch things a bit and so come people don't like them. I have a phosphoric acid-based rust remover that does that fairly adly, so I stopped using it. -- Bob -- any frosting or etching?
Also, Bob, to stray a bit...I have a set of 45 cutters in the same kind of case, right down to the square notch at the end. Any idea what the notch is good for?Joe
Hi Joe,
I don't see any etching but there is frosting on all the pieces. A little WD-40 with 0000 steel wool and they shine like new.
I'm not sure which blade you're referring to but if it's the one on the upper left it is a notching blade according to the label on the box. I think the center piece is adjustable as it has a set screw that attaches it to the rest of the blade.
I haven't used it yet as they were in pretty rough shape when I got them. They were generally in the same condition as the center pieces in the B4_After1 pic!
I was having nightmares thinking about how I was going to get them into user condition. Thanks to all in this discussion, especially Metod, I think I just slipped a little farther down the slope!
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob:
I'm with you one the blades. I meant the square notch out of the box.
You know, one thing to consider with vinegar is how much it will clean. The Evaporust just keeps on going. They say a gallon will do up to 300 lbs of moderately rusted metal. I can attest that the gallon and a half or so that I am using has turned adark but it still cleaning up garden tools in a snap.
I'm not tryihg to throw stones at vinegar -- if it works, I'll use it, too -- but if it takes several gallons of vinegar to clean the same amount, the cost might be closer that it appears. Also, I wonder is the vinegar is safe on various kinds of plating?
Lots of "IFs" here.
J
Joe,
As for the notch, I'll have to look at mine when I get to the woodshop. Mine has two extra nickers wired to one side of the box.
As to the use of vinegar on nickel plated tools, I have my #98 & #99 soaking as we post. Will post results later today.
As this is the first time I've used vinegar I can't speak as to its longevity but at roughly half the cost of Evaporust, only time will tell.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
I'm not sure if the notch is standard with the box for the cutters but in my case it seems that the original owner may have cut it to align the top of the Tonguing Tool (as it's called on the label) so it fits into the box/top.
Interesting is that there appears to be an obstruction at the other end of the cutter box that presents the slicing blade at the same height.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Aha. That could be the answer.
J
I got a mixed bag of results with the #98 & #99.
It did remove some of the rust, but not all. On one of them it revealed badly pitted areas on the sole around the edges, which did not get removed. Perhaps the vinegar is weakening? I have more parts soaking and will see how they fare tonight.
The mixed bag comes in as that some plating is missing. The issue is that I didn't notice if this condition existed before or if the vinegar removed sections of the plating. I also have a #48 that I want to clean up. Perhaps coke would be better?
Regards, Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob:
Any of the acids are potentially hard on plating. For heaven's sake don't put anything with zinc plating or galvenizing into an acid including coke. It goes away very quickly in a fizzy reaction.
Joe
Joe,
I'll remember that. Must be that mine are nickel plated?
Progress Update: I saw no ill effects to those planes. Also, I submerged a #4 completely and left it overnight and the vinegar caused no problems with the japanning, which surprised as well as pleased me.
I've also observed that overnight soaking doesn't appear to be necessary. Placed a Buck Brothers chisel in the vinegar for 2 hours and, with the help of the brass brush, it came clean!
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
One key factor will be to see how long the vinegar lasts. The EWvaporust I started with last week (same gallon and a half or so) has now cleaned three very rusty saws, a VERY rusty 19th century cooking kettle, several shears, trowels, other garden tools, and a lot of other stuff. If the vinegar lasts less long, the cost diffrence will be less than appeared.
J
Hi Joe,
Cost is also on my list of comparables as well. I can't say for certain if the vinegar is weakening, as it appears to keep working.
At roughly 1/7 of the cost of Evaporust, depending on how long the vinegar remains working, I indeed have a ways to go to reach equilibruim in cost! Also recent experience has indicated that it works rather quickly, several hours as opposed to overnight.
If used strictly for non-coated irons there are no issues to me. It apparently does not adversely affect japanning or nickel plating either. I've shelved the notion of using Coke for now. Perhaps a separate post for that at a later time.
The frost is, oh no here I go, icing on the cake! :-) :-)
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob:
Evaporust does not take overnight, except for very serious rust. Normal stuff can finish up in an afternoon.
Joe,
So far, except for the frost, I seem to be experiencing very similar results to your's with Evaporust. My process is to let the tool soak overnight, brush off the tool with a brass brush the next day, wipe down with a paper towel.
I wait till the next day only because I have a full time job that cuts into the enjoyment of this endeavor. On the weekends I have soaked tools in the vinegar and have noticed that it only takes several hours???
I have yet to try Metod's suggestion of a slurry but will try that this weekend as the weather looks like it will afford me the time. SNOW! I'm now curious as to the chemical reaction with the flour and vinegar. Got a #7 that's a prime candidate. It would seem to me that this method might result in more waste. Don't know yet but will post results.
As to a cost comparison, court is still out on that aspect. On a purely purchase comparison, vinegar is about 1/4 less, initially. Might I suggest that you try some vinegar to compare.
On a messiness scale I'm not sure what the differences are, Oh let's not get into that right now!
This is a very interesting experiment that has been rewarding to me. Learning a lot!
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 4/4/2007 8:53 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
Bob:
The manufacturer says that moderate rust will go in a couple of hours at room temperature. This was more or less confirmed with my saws, although I did not check them very often -- but they were clear in 4 hours and might have been clear sooner. Like you, I lack time to run a contriolled experiment.
As to longevity, I had to go to St Louis overnight. Got back about midnight last night after some interesting air travel due to storms. Before I left I threw in a Stanley 78, an 8 inch long x 1" auger bit that has been rusty for at least 50 years -literally, it was in my grandfather's shed since I was a child-- and a few other parts. They were all very clean this morning. I just threw in a full box of stanley cutters like yours and a few other items. Will check in the morning. This is all in the original bucket of Evaporust that I have been using since the beginning without replenishing it. It evaporates down, but you just add tap water.
The manurfacturer also does a comparison of Evaoprust with acids. The big selling point seems to concern plated items. Acids can attack the plating. They have pix of a chrome bicycle wheel that looks good after EvOR, and very bad after acid. Take it FWIW.
J
Edited 4/4/2007 9:11 pm ET by Joe Sullivan
Bob, mine also has that notch....Philip Marcou
Sir Phillip,
The notch on mine looks rather ragged. Perhaps a small critter seeking a home for the winter revised the original shape?
The label on my box of cutters says in effect the plane and the cutters cost $8.00! I'm trying to date the plane (Not literally, as it's a permanent resident of the herd in the plane pen.). Mine has the floral design, knob on the main body and the adjuster knob which confuses me. The knob being on the main body suggests pre 1900, but the adjustment knob suggests post 1900????? Could be a mongrel.......
Nevertheless, it works great. I honed all the cutters to razor sharp and have made some interesting profiles. Much fun!
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Metod,
What's with all this laziness? The next thing you'll be telling us is that she's responsible for that too! :-) :-) Just kidding.
As you stated earlier, you don't have any rusty tools lying about; if and when you do just send them to me and I will remedy them, especially the more expensive ones. I can't promise they will return though! :-)
My next experiment will be to use Coca Cola for those parts with japanning and/or nickel plating on them. I have a #98 & #99 soaking in vinegar right now, so am hoping there will be no adverse effects.
Best Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 3/31/2007 9:13 am ET by KiddervilleAcres
Edited 3/31/2007 9:14 am ET by KiddervilleAcres
Coke works because it contains citric and phosphoric acid.
Metod,
I will try it.
As I've been pondering how to process plane bodies, especially large ones, your suggestion sounds like a possible solution. I suspect that you have experience with this.
It might be a few days B4 I get results, as the wife has me on some priorities that are more pressing, at least to her. A new flat panel display for TV watching, which I do very little of; being more interested in the woodworking.
Best Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Progress report:I could not find a long plastic planter in time, but am still on the lookout. The best prospect for such things around here keeps that stuff outside, and the only time I could get there, one of the torrential rains you may have seen on the news (floods and such in NB. texas) discouraged me from looking.However, I did find some $2.95 drawer plastic drawher liners, each a little bigger than a large flat baking dish. I cut te ends off two (the nest, and used rubber electrical tape and all weather duct tape to join them into a long flat container. Worked nicely.Did three very crudded up saws. All came out beautifully. I had the blades out of the handles, of course, and left them in for about five hours or so. When they came out they had that black carbon on the surface. I washed them with detergent, and then went lightly over them with 400 sandpaper on a rubber block. They came out better than any of the restoration pix on the galoot sites. They don't look new, but they are shiney and work-ready. Joe
Well, would have to agree completely. I didn't know about vinegar until you mentioned it. I can now think of lots of ways to use it once my bucket of EvOR expires at some point. On the other hand, for anything in which etching would be objectionable, or any plated thing, I would stick to EvOR.
This is one of those cases where there are several "right" roads to take, so we just need to decide which is best for the purpose and for our own ways of working.
Darned interesting topic, eh?
Although I hacve limited experience so far, it appears that EvOR does not attack sound metal at all, so no dulling or frosting. It is worth reading the description of how it works, which acan be found on the company web site. Pretty interesting, and completely different chemistry than the acids including vinegar.
Am I right in assuming that if you had a nice sharp, but rusty on the side, handsaw, the vinegar would dull the saw teeth, but the Evaporust would not?
Mike
I bet not. I bet the action of the vinegar is more limited than that.Joe
My desired end result in the use of vinegar was a means to shorten the restoration time for badly rusted irons on my tools. The frosting, in my mind is a minor issue. Prior to the use of vinegar, I sprayed the rusty parts with WD-40 and let them sit, sometimes for several days. The oily mess was a problem to me.
After I tried vinegar it opened the door to a whole new possibility for me that was quicker and a lot less of a problem and it appears to be economical as well.
I'm building my plane herd primarily from purchases/donations of old planes that folks no longer have a use for or have neglected.
Hey, I'm a newbie in the plane world, but am totally enjoying the slippery slope.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 4/6/2007 9:30 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
Bob:
Update I did two more saws, about 20 cutters for a 45, and a couple of rusted concrete floats today in the flat pan I constructed for the purpose last week. The saws were 100 years old and patinad (which is to say coated with rust and dirt, but not deeply pitted). They were ready in about 4-5 hours. Of course, this is the same batch of solution I have been using from the beginning without refreshing it.
In the main bucket with the rest of the couple of gallons I started with I stuck several items including a camping hatchet that had been left out for a couple of winters on the ground. It was heavily rusted. Took about half a day, but is in quite nice shape now save for some pitting.
This stuff just keeps working. I am now hunting for rusted wood or garden tools to drop in.
Joe
Jeez Joe, how many tools do you have laying around rusting? You really ought to pick them up every once in awhile. ;-)
Rob
Rob:
Point taken.
In fact, I have chlidren, which should explain much. When something is found outdoors on the ground in the spring, it is what it is. Also, I bought the saws recently, and inherited a lot of old tools whose owners had been dead for decades while the tools hung in sheds and basements.
Then, too, I collect old equipment of various kinds, and like to restore it.
FInally, we have a country property and a lot of outdoor tools that get used but rarely maintained to a high level -- spades (we have 5 spades), rakes, hoes, trowels, bulb planters. All accumulate rust. We knock off the heavy stuff, but really don't have time to polish and maintain blades, because we do other things for a living. So, this rust removal stuff is a godsend.
It is embarassing, or was.
And so it goes.
Joe
Edited 4/7/2007 10:54 am ET by Joe Sullivan
"When something is found outdoors on the ground in the spring, it is what it is. " I know exactly what you mean, LOL! Here in the Great Northwest, they don't need to be out there very long before the rust.
Re: your garden tools, one thing that would work is to have a tub of some sort (washtub) filled with sand and with some motor oil mixed in. Jab the shovel, whatever down into that when you're not using it.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Edited 4/8/2007 11:48 am by forestgirl
Jamie:
You know, I had heard that idea years ago and forgotten it. Makes good sense for sure.
Joe
I think it'd be great for the smaller tools - trowels and such. I hate putting them away in a shed every darned time I use them, because in the summer I'm always just grabbing one for 5 minutes of weeding or whatever.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
BYW those old saws had banged up but sound handles, too. I am following Peter Gedrys advice on the handles -- cleaning with mineral spirits, very easy on sanding or steel wool -- in fact using 0000 wool -- and then a few coats of very thin shellac alowed to cure and rubbed out with wax applied with 0000 steel wool. results are excellent. The tools keep the integrity of their aged and patinad look, but glow. THis is better than any of the ideas I found on the galoots sites.
Joe,
You do know I was just jabbin' ya, right? I figured as much about the country property and especially the kids.
The saws sound pretty cool. Don't you just love shellac?
Rob
No offense taken at all.
However, it is true that I am very relieved to find an easy not too messy way to clean up our rusted stuff.
So far the only drawback to Evaporust is that it does leave a carbon film on tool steel. It is not too hard to clean up though, and much better than rust.
AND, yes, I do love shellac. It is really wonderful stuff, and amazingly versatile.
Joe
Edited 4/7/2007 2:24 pm ET by Joe Sullivan
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled