Adventures with Evaporust

[FlinterNick]

Everyone now and then I get a lock in need to some serious chemotherapy from using evaporust.

here is a rifle shoppe 1766 Charleville Mainspring after it was cleaned over and over with evaporust.

As you can see the old vs. New Replacement.

People who love their guns tend to love them a little too much not want to ever see a spec of rust on them, its quit normal for steel to rust as it ages. all that one needs to do is clean the parts with some scotchbrite and soap or soap pads work great. For thicker rust you just have to use a more aggressive abrasive with gun or mineral oil.

I’ve seen original musket mainsprings with heavy rust that work better than some new ones. Cleaning rust off of parts can also develope a natural darkening patina on guns which helps resist rust.

The old spring is pitted through and through, and the foot snapped off. The carbon through the spring was literally dissolved.

Sure evaporust will remove rust, it will also pull out carbon from the iron and alloys in the steel, not a good idea don’t use it on guns.

 

[wiscoaster]

Now that's real evidence, not just opinion. Thanks for posting.

 

[FlinterNick]

Now that's real evidence, not just opinion. Thanks for posting.

This thing looks like it was found at Chernobyl.

 

[Phil Coffins]

Good info. A useful way to stop rust is to boil the part, this changes the red rust to black oxide which is stable when oiled with out removing material.

 

[TNGhost]

This is interesting:

 

[kyron4]

Interesting. Wonder if there is a way to day a analysis on carbon steel before and after and how many treatments it would take to lose carbon. I've used vinegar and evaporust on many grades of steel and never had any issues.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Dang. Just when you think you got a good thing it turns out not a good thing

 

[FlinterNick]

Interesting. Wonder if there is a way to day a analysis on carbon steel before and after and how many treatments it would take to lose carbon. I've used vinegar and evaporust on many grades of steel and never had any issues.

I think it’s ok in very small amounts as a wipe, but you have to make sure that you clean and rinse it off. Soaking is def a no no.

I wouldn’t use it as a bore cleaner, or a screw thread cleaner.

Keep it way from springs and frizzens.

Abrasives with some mineral oil are best for removing rust. If the parts are polished up enough, removing surface rust from some a spring that is polished up to 320 with some 400-600 gr Emory and mineral oil is best.

If the rust is very bad and pitted then more care is needed.

For this spring, the owner had wiped it on and greased over it, the thinking was that it would be preventative what ended up happening was it rotted the steel.

 

[Brokennock]

Dang. Just when you think you got a good thing it turns out not a good thing

I wouldl wait for something like is suggested here,

Interesting. Wonder if there is a way to day a analysis on carbon steel before and after and how many treatments it would take to lose carbon. I've used vinegar and evaporust on many grades of steel and never had any issues.

before I write it off completely. Although I'm pretty sure it won't happen. Also @FlinterNick has some good points about limiting application. I.e, don't use it on springs, but rusty screws and barrels is probably fine.

 

[PathfinderNC]

I wouldl wait for something like is suggested here,

before I write it off completely. Although I'm pretty sure it won't happen. Also @FlinterNick has some good points about limiting application. I.e, don't use it on springs, but rusty screws and barrels is probably fine.

I used it on a rifle barrel that was given to me a couple years ago. It was stored in a basement almost thirty years! The bore was shiney new but the outside looked like an ancient, rusted cast iron sewer pipe. No joke. I wrapped it with towels and saturated it with Evaperust for a day and used sandpaper and so on to clean it up. It’s now my absolute favorite rifle.

 

[FlinterNick]

I used it on a rifle barrel that was given to me a couple years ago. The bore was shiney new but the outside looked like a rusted cast iton sewer pipe. No joke. I wrapped it with towels and saturated it with Evaperust for a day and used sandpaper and so on to clean it up. It’s now my absolute favorite rifle.

Barrels is generally ok as long as its rinsed off. I wouldn’t pour it down the barrel and let is soak though.

Pedersoli barrels should not be cleaned with it, Pedersoli barrels have a chromed lining in the bores, this will chip it away like a bad sunburn.

its very hard on high carbon steels like 6150, 5160 or 1070-1095. It draws out carbon like alcohol draws out oils from your skin (best analogy i can think of). Tends to work better on mild steels like 1035, 12L14 or 8620.

Dropping parts into a can of it is a bad idea, the tumbler notches for this lock i have lost their edges. Basically everything is rounded over that requires an edge, tumbler, sear nose etc.

I can’t weld these parts because of the contamination too, can’t get them clean enough and the steel is now as porous as a Swiss cheese.

 

[Brokennock]

I wouldn’t pour it down the barrel and let is soak though.

????

I filled and let sit for a day (maybe day and a half) this old barrel,

It was (is?) really, really, bad....
The Evaporust did not "soak through."
Please explain....

 

[FlinterNick]

????

I filled and let sit for a day (maybe day and a half) this old barrel,
View attachment 337491View attachment 337492View attachment 337493
It was (is?) really, really, bad....
The Evaporust did not "soak through."
Please explain....

I was referring to the bore.


Evaporust rust inside the bore needs to be done with care, applied as a wipe and rinsed off very well. If left inside the bore it can dull rifling, pit and get into places you don’t want it like breech threads. While I’ve never seen a breech plug ruined by evaporust, i woudn’t want to test that theory.

On the outside I think you’re ok, its open to the air and on a wide surface, as long as its cleaned off your fine.

 

[Brokennock]

I was referring to the bore.


Evaporust rust inside the bore needs to be done with care, applied as a wipe and rinsed off very well. If left inside the bore it can dull rifling, pit and get into places you don’t want it like breech threads. While I’ve never seen a breech plug ruined by evaporust, i woudn’t want to test that theory.

On the outside I think you’re ok, its open to the air and on a wide surface, as long as its cleaned off your fine.

Got it.
This bore is so far gone the rifling was/is hopelessly anyway. I was thinking to derust and stop the process in hopes of having it bored smooth. The project got back-burnered, then an offer was made for the rest of the gun but suitable packaging has not been found (I feel terrible I totally dropped the ball on this) so the project can't even be called back burner now.

 

[rrebuck]

It definitely took off the last few inches of bluing on my Pedersoli 10 gauge double barrel. I had choke tubes that I couldn't remove, so I soaked it for a few days. I was having to turn very hard on the choke remover and didn't want to risk damaging the weld between the 2 barrels. I still couldn't remove until I finally used an extension on my socket to get the choke tube remover to turn. There was still a lot of rust on the threads of the choke and barrel, but now at least there's anti-lock paste. It didn't mention anywhere on the bottle not to use on blued gun metal. It's only mentioned in the fine print on their web site.

 

[sturmkatze]

Everyone now and then I get a lock in need to some serious chemotherapy from using evaporust.

here is a rifle shoppe 1766 Charleville Mainspring after it was cleaned over and over with evaporust.

As you can see the old vs. New Replacement.

People who love their guns tend to love them a little too much not want to ever see a spec of rust on them, its quit normal for steel to rust as it ages. all that one needs to do is clean the parts with some scotchbrite and soap or soap pads work great. For thicker rust you just have to use a more aggressive abrasive with gun or mineral oil.

I’ve seen original musket mainsprings with heavy rust that work better than some new ones. Cleaning rust off of parts can also develope a natural darkening patina on guns which helps resist rust.

The old spring is pitted through and through, and the foot snapped off. The carbon through the spring was literally dissolved.

Sure evaporust will remove rust, it will also pull out carbon from the iron and alloys in the steel, not a good idea don’t use it on guns.

I had my Bess lock in evaporust and the mainspring exploded. You posted that link about how evaporust does that. I preach that gospel.