uncle uncle

So, I bought the baby jug of Evapo-R at Harbor Freight, just to de-rust my MAFAC Racer brake saddle-thingy, because it has aluminum with pressed in steel posts, and I told from those more knowledge about this "toxic elixir for rusted parts" that this was the perfect for multi-metal parts. So now, I'd to hear of any tips or tricks you have for this stuff, like is it better to store in a glass jar, or can I go with a reused, family size, plastic peanut butter jar? Once used, do you keep the used stuff separated from the still virgin stuff? Stuff like that.

jdawginsc 

trail mix jugs from Walmart. I rotate it through. Dirtier stuff for worse stuff. Cleaner stuff for bolts, FDs, RDs, calipers. Oddly, it seems to soften hard brake pads a bit and they work better.

Then strained and disposed of.

I have not noticed deterioration from plastic versus glass.

Spaghetti Legs 

I had a big jug of it for a while and would strain it through a paper towel back into the jug. Seemed to work fine. When it gets dark in color I’d just toss it.

madpogue 

I keep the virgin stuff in the bottle virgin. Anything I use, that I think I can re-use, I put in plastic nut butter jars or plastic mustard squeeze bottles. Haven't paid close attention, but I would guess that I can get maybe 4 uses out of any amount that I dispense; when it gets as dark and nearly opaque as Stout, I dispense with it. But that's all seat-of-the-pants.

Classtime 

I put it right back In the jug it came in. It works fine. (I reuse solvents too.)

Nwvlvtnr 

I keep it in an old Tupperware container with or without a lid and seal it with a heavy duty reusable shopping bag and an industrial rubber band. I also keep it sealed when parts are soaking in it. You can make it last a long time but it will go bad a some point. I find that even after it stops working as a rust remover it still works pretty well as a cleaner/ degreaser.

merziac

I have the best results degreasing and rough brushing with stainless or brass before soaking. Actually soak bad ones in PB or WD then strip with brake clean, brush and soak, great results.

I use it dozens of times with no poor outcomes, plastic trail mix jugs, soak and agitate, pour the juice off to an empty one to get the parts out then a strainer to wash with water then dry thoroughly and spritz with PB or WD again and wipe down, again.

I have let it settle and poured the clearer stuff off the top a few times, maybe seemed to a little work better. New stuff didn't work much better that I could tell so....

jdawginsc 

I bought a cheap set of coffee filters (fine mesh) to strain. Mostly good for first run, but it’s amazing how small those rust particles are. They clog the paper filters quickly.

I am with @merziac with rotation, I get 7-10 uses.

i also find washing in Dawn first yields better results and keeps the ER fresher.

RustyJames 

I use the method suggested by jdawginsc. Wash in dish soap, rinse and then drop into the Evaporust.

I usually pour about 6-8 oz of ER into a glass jar that formerly contained Mrs Renfro’s Salsa (as I recall) and let it soak for a few hours. I remove stuff with a retracting parts magnet, rinse, dry and cap the solution with the lid that came with the jar. If the solution gets dark I let it sit a few days and if stuff settles out I decant into a new container. If the solution stays black it gets tossed.

I have also used zippered plastic bags for parts that don’t fit into the jar. I get the same excellent results.

dweenk

I use a cheap Harbor Freight funnel and a cone coffee filter when my EvapoRust looks dark and semi-opaque. Seems to work better after filtering, and I do think it is more efficient at warm temps.

jdawginsc 

An item that seems to fit everything other than cranksets (which the one time I derusted a steel crank was the last time I will do so) which I used a Goodwill bought cake pan.

Stores the stuff well.

uncle uncle

Now I have an incentive to inhale, err, I mean polish off what's left of the Mrs. Renfro's "Mango & Habenero Salsa" in my fridge.. all for Science and everything.

RustyJames 

😇

If that container isn’t adequate start crunching on the Vlasics. 32 oz pickle jar is fabulous too.

verktyg 

Back in the early 2000's I had some involvement with the folks that produced and marketed EVAPO-RUST™. I saw it in large scale industrial applications at John Deere and Caterpillar. They were receiving steel and cast iron parts from overseas that arrived heavily rusted from exposure to salt air during shipping.

Some quick answers:

How does Evapo-Rust™ work?
Unlike other rust removers that use some type of acid to remove rust, Evapo-Rust™ works without acid. It will not attack the base iron or steel and it is safe to use. Evapo-Rust™ works through selective chelation. This is a process in which a large synthetic molecule forms a bond with metal ions and holds them in solution. The active ingredient in Evapo-Rust™ bonds exclusively to iron so it's safe to use with other metals like aluminum.

It will remove iron from iron oxide but is too weak to remove iron from steel where the iron is held much more strongly. Once the chelating agent has removed the iron from the rust, a sulfur bearing organic molecule pulls the iron away from the chelator and forms a ferric sulfate complex which remains water soluble. This frees the chelating agent to remove more iron from the rust.

Evapo-Rust™ contains water, and active chelating agent and detergent to remove any grease or oil on the surface of the part. The exact compound is still proprietary. An organic chemical that easily loses sulfur to form ferric sulfate is added to remove iron from the Iron-chelator complex. This allows the chelator to remove more Iron from the Iron Oxide (rust). The sulfur-bearing compound is much less expensive than the chelator and makes Evapo-Rust™ economical to use.

Can I add water to Evapo-Rust?
Evapo-Rust™ works by chelation so if you add tap water it will lose its ability to pull the rust from the metal as it will be also pulling metals out of the water added unless you get demineralized distilled water to slightly dilute it.

How long does Evapo-Rust last?
Evapo-Rust™ has an indefinite shelf life. With use Evapo-Rust™ turns black. The product can be re-used until its effectiveness starts to wear off. In general, one gallon of Evapo-Rust® will remove 1/2 pound of pure dry rust. Filtering used Evapo-Rust™ probably helps.

The black residue on the surface after Evapo-Rust™ treatment is the residual carbon that was in the iron or steel before the surface turned to rust. Running water will remove most of it but sometimes brushing or wiping with a rag is needed.

In 2021 CRC Industries, Inc.took over Evapo-Rust™.

verktyg

jaysailor

It’s pretty amazing stuff. Use it over and over. Does not seem to affect plastic or rubber. Just melts away the rust.

verktyg 

One thing that I forgot to mention, heating Evapo-Rust™ to 140-145° F instead of using at room temperature substantially reduces the time to remove rust. Heat and Ultrasonic work even better!

8 minute video:


Also, I've used Q Tips soaked in Evapo-Rust™ to remove rust from top tube brazed on brake cable guides. Wrap the tube in plastic to keep the Evapo-Rust™ from drying out. Leave it on for several hours and reapply as needed.

I use a dental pick to remove the surface rust first and clean out any grease or oil with a Q Tip soaked in solvent or alcohol.

verktyg

panzerwagon 

Sometimes it’s hard to fully degrease surfaces, such as inside a frame, prior to ER treatment. I keep this separate from the other batches of ‘darker’ used ER.

An economical way to treat the inside of a frame: plug all holes and pour ER into the seat tube until frame is full. Then wrap the opening. O-rings with all screws that enter the frame. C-clamp with rubber tubing and plywood to seal the BB shell and head tube.



Evaporusting the Alpina

Evaporusting the Alpina

Pieces of old inner tube, or plastic kombucha bottle caps make good seals.