I have the info on protecting these wonderful tools (Meguiars and BoeingT-9) thank you for those tips!
This morning I went to the ‘studio’ to take a better inventory of the state of the tools.
I took photos and realize in this discussion group there doesn’t seem to be a way to show. Proceeding the best I can: about 50 or more stakes with considerable coating of rust. So my question is what process to remove the rust and protect them?
I did use some boeT9 on two of them to see what effect it might have. It appears to remove the rust, but I need to know I’m doing the right thing by these tools.
Thank you for your guidance!
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Also, Boeshield is not designed to remove rust. The piece should be rust free before you apply it. Evapo-Rust is an excellent rust remover. Use it just like it says on the bottle. After using the Evapo-Rust polish the faces, then apply the Boeshield.
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I use evaporust, mainly for my files…Rob
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Tx, I figured that out, as I applied it. I’ll re-do after removing the boeshield. Step one clean, remove rust, grease etc. step two apply protection.
In your experience, does the evaporust work better than citric acid solution? Or faster?
I used citric acid solution after cleaning test files that were rusty and dull. Then, bicarb soda solution to stop the etch. They appear to be definitely rust free AND sharper.
Thank you again.
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I haven’t used evaporust before… the specs for evaporust are trade secrets, but they do state there’s a chelating agent for ferrous oxide, Fe+2, and a sulfiding agent that reduces rust (Fe+3, hematite) to ferrous iron, that then is chelated… Citric acid is a reducing and a chelating agent both at the same time…reducing rust, ferric iron to ferrous iron requires an acid environment… once ferric iron is reduced to ferrous, it become soluble and can be washed away… I’ve used phosphoric acid on mild, thin autobody rust also, and it works well… the process is less reduction of rust, but conversion of the underlying iron into phosphate, which is corrosion resistant…other alloying agents in steel such as manganese are also converted into phosphate and are even more corrosion resistant than iron phosphate… it’s also process used in finishing firearms called “parkerization” creating a fine grey matt finish that will not rust. Given the properties of evaporust, I would think that it should work better and faster than citric acid alone…how well does evaporust work Rob?
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I also believe in Evaporust. It sounds like you could use a 5-gallon bucket of it. Let the stakes soak in it for a day, and you’ll be amazed. They also make a gel product, but I was nowhere near as impressed with it. You’ll probably still need to do some re-sanding and polishing on the faces of your stakes, since it can’t fill in any pitting due to rust, but it should help you see what needs to be done.
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Thank you. Yes I think it will take a considerable amount. And it will be approached cautiously and methodically. A select group and the results will be reviewed. Then proceed. It will take time, and will be worth it.
What left you unimpressed with the gel? Did you compare it to the liquid and and the effect of each? I might run an experiment to compare, but your experience is valued. Thank you.
One particularly good thing about Evapo-Rust is that you can use the same solution for quite a long time until it becomes ineffective. Pour it into a container and when the pieces have been sufficiently derusted pour the used liquid back into its bottle through a funnel with a filter, a piece of paper toweling is sufficient, to keep out of the bottle any bits of rust that may have slaked off the steel.
Also, it is not especially irritating to the skin and has no pungent odor. Most people don’t need to wear gloves when handling pieces that have come out of the solution. But do wash your hands after using it.
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When I ordered 5 gallons of the solution, it came with a sample-sized container of the gel. I tried it on something that was too large to fit in the bucket, but while it had some effect, it came out nowhere near as clean as the stuff that got to soak in the bucket. Feel free to try it yourself and let us know how your experiment turns out.