Evapo-Rust test

[tunder]

OK folks, I've wanted to try this stuff out for a long time and finally decided to give it a go when I found some blued items that I could use as a test.

Here's the product Evapo-Rust.
As the package label says it's non toxic, it's not an acid, doesn't fume or foam has no odor and has the yellowish color of weak lemonade.
the product (Medium).jpg
My test subjects are a pair of Simmons sling swivels.(Say that three times fast.)
test itens (Medium).jpg
And the triggerguard and trigger from an old broken Czech.pellet rifle.

The swivels are nicely blued while the pellet rifle parts are more of a glossy black.

So I dropped them all in a shallow plastic dish and poured in enough Evaporust to cover and walked away.
in the tank (Medium).jpg
After 15 minutes I pulled the pieces out, wiped and photographed them.
at20 min (Small).jpg
After the first 15 min. the sling swivels are definitely showing more gray than black while the other parts have lost their glossy finish.
I repeated this after a total time of 30 minutes and 1 Hour.

After 30 min. the swivels are now almost the color of raw steel while the trigger guard and trigger are showing less black and more of a grey color.

[tunder]

After 1 hr. the sling swivels are almost a uniform grey and I thing ready to refinish. While the trigger guard and trigger are definitely losing their original finish, we'll see what an overnight soak shows.
1hour (Medium).jpg
1hour swivels (Medium).jpg

So far, this looks like a product that does what it says on the website.
It cost $8.99 and currently has a $3.00 rebate making it $5.99 for a 32oz bottle.
If it does to a blued firearm what it did for the swivels, I think it would be a good alternative to bead blasting or any other abrasive method of srtipping the finish from a blued firearm. And if it doesn't work you've done no harm, Obliterated no marks, rounded no sharp edges, and changed no surface texture.

[Old_Painless]

Interesting report.

Will you now blue the parts with cold blue?

Have you put oil on them, and if so, what did that do to the color.

You may remember that when I parkerized a gun, oiling the parts darkened the park a lot.

[tunder]

Here are my parts after an overnight soak, hot water rinse, and hand dry.
14hrs (Medium).jpg

I found these rusty tools in the bottom of the glove box in my van.
rustytools (Small).jpg
Here they are after a 12 hour soak.
tools12hrs (Small).jpg

As per the label instructions all items were rinsed well,I used hot water because it will dry faster, wiped dry and will be lightly oiled to prevent new surface rust.

Old_Painless-Pellet gun parts were considered to be sacrificial as they were pulled from a box of miscellaneous parts of scrapped machinery. The sling swivels will be eventually cold blued or perhaps parkerized sometime in the future. Oiling had no effect on the color at all.

The tools now nicely derusted will return to their respective tool kits

[umloth]

Very interesting. Now, would it work at a wipe? I have a shotgun barrel that could use it.

[tunder]

If I can find an old 10/22 barrel I have around here somewhere, that's my next target.
I figure a well soaked rag wrapped around the barrel should work.
Or I'll make a long dip tank from a split piece of plastic pipe.
Just remember, it takes blueing off as well as rust.

[wamba]

Sounds like some good stuff, Tunder. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. I have a old pocket pistol that would benefit from some of this.

[tunder]

If you do try it out, please get before and after pictures.