removing heavy rust

[Mike Kees]

What is the best way to remove heavy rust from cast iron surfaces ?

[Erik Loza]

How heavy we talking about? "Wire wheel" heavy or "scotchbrite" heavy? And what surface? A planed surface or contoured surface?

Erik

[Mike Henderson]

Evaporust works great. If the piece is too big to put in a container, put a rag on the surface and soak the rag with Evaporust - then cover it with plastic to keep it from evaporating and let it sit overnight. It worked fine for me - I was amazed at the results.

Mike

[Mike Kees]

Erik its wire wheel heavy. I bought a older delta DJ-20 jointer mainly for parts so I knew it was rusty, but decided to try to clean it up... Where do you buy this evaporust ? Thanks for the replies guys.

[Rick Whitehead]

Before using the Evaporust, you can use a razor blade scraper to remove a lot of the existing rust. It works very well.
Rick W

[Michael Sloop]

Before spending money on evaporust to clean a tool you bought for parts, consider a razor blade followed by a scotchbrite with WD-40 and some elbow grease. You'll be amazed how well it'll clean.

[Mike Holbrook]

I have scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed on many a hand saw, plane body, axe head....no longer. I second Mike's suggestion, Evaporust. Nothing I have found works like Evaporust. The best thing is it is biodegradable and safe for my hands. I did an Adze head recently that had been outside for years. It was in bad shape, chunks of rust all over. The flat faced Adze, head without a handle, next to the plastic bag, is what came out of the Evaporust. It looks better than when it was brand new:

337734

I added water to the first gallon I bought several times over 1 1/2-2 years, when there was not quite enough to cover the tools in it. The adze was the last thing I did with the first gallon. I just bought another, not because the first gallon wasn't working but because there was a disgusting amount of gunk in the original that I did not care to strain out.

[Mike Henderson]

Erik its wire wheel heavy. I bought a older delta DJ-20 jointer mainly for parts so I knew it was rusty, but decided to try to clean it up... Where do you buy this evaporust ? Thanks for the replies guys.
Harbor Freight (http://www.harborfreight.com/1-gallon-evapo-rust-rust-remover-96431.html) carries it, but you can find it, or equivalent, at Home Depot and many other places. Look for rust remover.

Mike

[Like Rick said above, if you take as much off before the Evaporust, it will make the Evaporust last a bit longer.]

[Mike Holbrook]

Tractor Supply usually has Evaporust, which is where I got mine from.

[Mike Kees]

Thanks for the help. I will get some and try it out,(evaporust). I have spent a lot of time using emery cloth to git rid of minor surface rust but definitely need more power for this job.

[David T gray]

amazon has a gallon for $14

[Matt Day]

For large flat surfaces like a jointer, I'd start with a razor blade to scrape it off, then lightly with a wire wheel cup on an angle grinder, then put scotch brite on the cup and move through the grits.

I mainly use evaporust on non-flat parts. Though I've done the wet rag method with ok results.

[Ole Anderson]

I prefer to sandblast to white metal any heavily pitted rust. Pitted means it is below the surface and scraping or even wire brushing isn't going to do the job. Not sure of chemicals though.

[Randall J Cox]

I just restored, total rebuild, a Delta 15" planer that had tons of rust as water had leaked onto it from a leaking roof. (Had I known how much rust was really in it I would not have bought it, even though it was reasonably priced!) Anyway, I tried everything except evaporust on the tables. Sanded, scraped with a carbide scraper, razor blades, wire wheels, naval jelly, etc. finally a fellow woodworker loaned me his angle grinder with a wheel on it that he bought at a welding supply store. Boy did that work! Don't know what they call it but it looks like a very firm open black sponge with a sparkling abrasive coating. Welders use it to clean off rust on big iron that has sat outside for years, before welding. Took me a couple of months over the winter to rebuild as I had to keep waiting for weather days to repaint. Glad to hear evaporust works, you don't want to go through what I did. Good luck.

[Lou Ortiz]

I would think the best way is using a laser - probably not worth the additional investment you're looking for tho

[Erik Loza]

I'll have to try Evaporust. Honestly, never heard of it before. Thanks for the tip. Have always gone to mechanical means for removal.

Also, OP, don't be discouraged if you get the rust off but the underlying metal is still black or somewhat pitted. It may never get shiny or machined-looking again. Unless you grind through that, as Randall mentioned.

Erik

[Harry Holzke]

I have restored a few used machines recently and used electrolysis for the machined surfaces with great sucess. Sandflex sanding blocks work well as well as Evaporust.

Harry

[Phil Mueller]

Another thumbs up for Evaporust. You can find it at any auto parts store. It may leave the surface a little dark, but that rubs off easily. Also, make sure the piece is completely submerged or covered...otherwise it will leave an etch which is difficult to remove.

[Allan Speers]

If you want to use chelation, then consider "Espirit" rust cleaner. It works just like Evaporust, but costs somewhat less because you buy it as a concentrate. It works great.

Still expensive, though. I recommend, as others have, manually removing as much rust as you can first, so you use less of the precious chelation solution.

Also, for a CI table, I find nothing wrong with good old, cheap, naval jelly. It's probably a little more invasive than chelation (it's an acid, after all) and leaves a darker finish in the pores, but it works just fine. Did I mention CHEAP?

[Mike Cutler]

Mike

I don't think that there is any one best way. Sizes, shapes, and desired end result will have an effect on how you remove heavy rust, As others have stated it's a multi step process. Generally thought it will come down to elbow grease in the end.
Remove as much as you can mechanically, without damaging surfaces, then go to the chemicals. I've used many of them through the years with good results.
I have a jointer I'm slowly working on, and will most likely buy a bead blaster setup to do the bulk of the work.

[Mac McQuinn]

On flat surfaces, I use this method;
Sprinkle table salt on the surface, lay a "blue" garage towel on the surface, spritz lime juice to just soak through the towel. Let sit over night, take another blue towel and wipe off the surface including the soaked through towel. Hit it one more time with a towel to dry the surface well and either oil, wax or coat with something before it flash rusts.
Good luck,
Mac

[Robert Engel]

Do not use OsPho or PhosPho it will leave a horribly stubborn black material on the surface.

I've found a power sander with 80 grit paper and some PB Blaster or equivalent, I don't think you can beat it.
Bit of a mess, tho. You'll need gloves, plenty of paper towels and I use brake cleaner to rinse frequently.

You'll be amazed what it will look like in a matter of 20 minutes.

[Mike Kees]

So this thread is kind of taking off. I figured that i should update on my progress. I used an angle grinder with a 120 grit flap wheel that was almost worn out to start. Next I was in town today looking for evaporust,cant seem to find it. I hope it is not one of those products that is not available in Canada. Robert what is PB blaster ? Is it a WD-40 type stuff ? Any ways thanks to eveyone for all the suggestions and I will try some more out as I have time.

[Bob Wingard]

Electrolytic Rust Removal ... simple .. cheap .. foolproof .. no labor whatsoever .. and, it will never scratch or damage the host metal.