Rust Removal Recommendation
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20 December 2014 at 10:03 pm #122433
I tried out Evapo-Rust and I’m blown away by how well it works. I think its only available in the US, though. You can search retailers on their website. In the US O’Reilly Auto and Harbor Freight carry it for sure.
I wish I took pictures of the parts I de-rusted, before and after. The one piece was really bad and I didn’t expect to save it. Took the rust right off after three hours of soaking.
The best part is the stuff is non-toxic. I stuck my fingers in it and it did not irritate my skin at all. Oderless, too. The manufacturer says you can dump it right down the drain when it is spent.
20 December 2014 at 10:15 pm #122435Thanks for the tip. I hate rust but it seems to come as a finish on a lot of used tools.
22 December 2014 at 4:19 am #122462I’m another fan of Evapo-Rust. I kept a large Tupperware container full of it in my work shop last year and it kept removing rust all year. Honestly I only poured it out because it looked god awful but it was still working just fine.
As an experiment I poured the entire gallon out on a patch of grass to see what would happen. The grass didn’t seem to notice. I’m convinced the stuff is fairly safe.
John
22 December 2014 at 7:44 pm #122470Had an old brassbacked saw from ebay that I scrubbed with v coarse emery paper then put in a bath of pickling ( all I had ) vinegar overnight. I went at it with a pretty soft brass brush a couple of times and next day it was as clean as as a whistle. This particular saw had some fairly deep pitting on it which obviously doesn’t disappear but rust ? what rust?
What most surprised me was the pistol grip handle.A grey, cracked lacquer serviceable piece of wood was transformed with 4 coats of Danish oil into a lovely 2 tone brown black.I’d never used ( or heard of )it before this site. Rock on with the vinegar and it’s lovely with onions!25 December 2014 at 1:49 pm #122697You can get Evapo-Rust in the UK. There is a distributor in Ireland but they are working to get one in the UK itself. It is excellent for intricate parts but for saw blades I prefer a ceramic hob cleaner with a kitchen scouring pad. It removes the rust but doesn’t seem to obliterate any manufacturers etching on the blade. Once done I rinse, dry and spray with WD40 to keep it rust free until I get around to sharpening ready for use.
26 December 2014 at 2:39 pm #122714Citric acid works well too, if you don’t have these magic potions available.
30 December 2014 at 2:42 pm #122824I have used Vinegar and have had great results with it and it is inexpensive. Evapo – Rust works great but it is expensive. I usually soak over night, rinse and scrub then use a blow dryer to dry and then have a rag charged with 3 – in – 1 oil and then put a coat or 2 of Johnson’s paste wax. Never had a rust issue living here in Florida.
Steve
[quote quote=122714]Citric acid works well too, if you don’t have these magic potions available.[/quote]
I have to agree with the citric acid method … most of the commercial ‘safe’ products out there will contain either it or oxalic acid. Hot citric acid will remove rust in a matter of minutes, even better with a quick scrub. Do wear gloves if you have any open cuts or dry skin as it is a mild acid and you will quickly know about it!
31 December 2014 at 3:17 am #122845Removing rust from vintage tools, Thats the million dollar question. I collect Vintage tools especially handsaws, backsaws. ect.
Acids work great for removing rust but the downside is etching. Hydrochloric acid, Phosphoric acid is in most of all your rust strippers. leave it on too long and the plate of a saw will never be the same. Saw Companies polished these plates so you could see the reflection of the wood in the plate , Use can use that reflection to make square or angled cuts.
I bring this up not trying to get into your business but only to help everyone keep the natural beauty of these tools. Planes are not as important as far as the polishing is concerned so it doesn’t hurt them that much however I still dont use harsh acids on them either. any type of abrasives will only scratch the plate and the last thing you want to do is to change the dimensions of the metal . I have found that steel wool , hard work, and soaking the plates in a bath of diesel fuel mixed with oils. doesn’t matter used oil, leftover oil from any type just throw it in with the fuel or kerosene from Home depot, Lowes whatever will pretty much do the job. Rust-Oleum makes a product called Rust Stripper you can find it at a Wallmart in the Automobile section. It is harsh acids as I mentioned but if you use steel wool scrub really fast then wash in water with a nylon scrub brush and clean it off within five or ten minutes that will take the rust off for sure and not etch the plate but you have to be quick. Only use steel wool and brass brushes or brass scrub pads. then after you have wiped everything down and dry use Flitz Polish from Amazon.com and a buffing pad on a Grinder, drill, drill press or a buffer and you will be very satisfied. I live in the Great state of Florida so Rust prevention is at the top of my list for tool protection. so CRC 3-36 is the answer. On all my cast iron tables, saws , Planes, chisels anything metal gets the treatment twice a year and I have absolutely zero rust on my tools. Thats My two cents on the Rust subject. There are many methods out there and they all probably work well for someone. Myself I want to maintain the integrity of my tools.which means keeping them as original as possible. and remember that these vintage saws, like Disston are rapidly disappearing . At least the nice ones are. I have around 125 saws and believe or not I use everyone of them in my woodworking adventure. I hope this information is helpful. If Im all wrong which I usually am, lol then I’m open for new ideas and methods of getting rid of this metal killer , Rust. Its the Oxidation that leaves that ugly black patina or what ever you want to call it thats so hard to get rid of for me. Wish I had an answer for that one. -
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