Evapo-Rust On Cast Iron Cookware 

Cider vinegar is all you need. My friend and everybody has it.

Yea it's just not cost effective. Especially if you're a modest collector. If you already have an electrolysis tank and/or a vinegar bath save your money 💰. I finally got my first & 2nd BS&R skillets in January a #10,and #8. Both Century Series with the no. and size in inches on back nothing else. Both cleaned up and seasoned beautifully. All of the inside milling lines are very visible. I cooked breakfast in the #10 👍.

I have gotten along this long without it and at that price I will keep getting along without it . Thanks for biting bullet for us .

Have used evaporust for years on my cast iron. Wouldn’t complain about the cost if you’re restoring antique Griswald or Wagner #13 or #14 that could be worth over a $1,000 when restored properly.

Been waiting for this one. That crack was disappointing on that big pan. Worked great, but steep costs. I’ll stick to vinegar and water

Evaporust is priced crazy high most places. I have bought it for as little as $17.00 a gallon when buying 5 gallon buckets or got a real sale.

I use marbles from the dollar store to take up most of the extra space in my soaking tank.

You didn't have to use the entire container of Evapo-Rust. You could have reduced the volume of the container by putting in a few jars filled with water, effectively raising the level of the Evapo-Rust. As you pointed out, the nice thing about Evapo-Rust is it only attacks and breaks down the rust. It won't harm or eat up any of the iron like vinegar or other acids will. I use it when restoring antique rusty tools. You can also re-use it several times.

If your bath ends up being too shallow, fill up some small empty water or soda bottles (like 12 oz) with water and drop them in. I have a bath that was set up with enough Evaporust to do a couple no. 8 skillets simultaneously, but was too shallow for a chicken fryer. Tossed in several bottles and raised the solution above the top of this taller skillet.

too expensive

QUESTION PLEASE: I’m new to electrolysis rust removal. My question is, can I still remove the rust when the entire item can not be fully submerged. Part of the metal will be out of the liquid. (Tank isn’t large enough at this time) I understand that nothing can touch each other. And the metal item will have to be rotated. But can I partially submerge I the solution. Thank you for your answers.

Thank you Steven for your contribution to cast iron cookware. Before you posted your evaporust video, I had purchased 5 gallons to use since I have around 75 pieces of cast iron to restore. Evaporust was the better choice over electrolysis since I could work with 7 to 10 pieces at one time. I removed all crud with a lye tank before moving to evaporust, I even removed as much of the rust as I could beforehand however many of my pieces did not need any rust removal at all. Evaporust has worked great, much better than I expected but I have had 3 pieces that did not come out like most of the other pieces, they came out with rusty red orangey splotches. For the most part, these splotches can be removed with a SOS pad but some I have not been able to get rid of completely. It happened with the evaporust was fresh and likewise after a lot of use. It happened with two BSR and one Wagner so not brand specific. I thought I'd share my experience so far to see if you or anyone else may have a explanation as to what might cause the reaction I described? Overall, I am very satisfied with evaporust and would not hesitate to use it again. I have used vinegar but the results do not compare to evaporust, vinegar is cheap until you etch a pan with it.

Hello, I have been watching your channel for a few months now. You really do some amazing cast iron restoration work! I have a question that I would really appreciate your input on. My grandfather left me a huge collection of vintage cast iron cookware about 23 years ago. Between the stuff I kept for myself and everything my family took, there is still way too many pieces to have to store away and keep. I’ve been slowly selling off some more desirable cast iron pans and skillets on eBay. I was going through some more of the collection recently when I found some unused NOS,1950’s unmarked Wagner Ware #8 and #10 skillets that still have the original 6 inch circular Wagner Ware labels stuck to the center of both pans cooking surface. Both pans originally sold for $2.00 back in the 50’s. That’s pretty crazy! The underside of both skillets are in perfect condition and weren’t affected by the 70 years of storage. Sadly the skillets cooking surfaces were affected. The #8 isn’t bad at all but the #10 skillets has a good amount of surface rust all around the inside of the skillet. No pitting or anything like that just ugly orange surface rust. I was planning on listing the both pans as unrestored, NOS skillets with original 1950’s factory Wagner labels which you really never see. The surface rust on the #10 really bothers me. Do you think it better to remove the original 1950’s labels to remove the rust before listing them or should I just leave them be and sell them as is? I’ve already used your techniques to remove the serious rust and restore some pans I gave to my sisters and other family members and I really enjoy the process. My issue is new old stock 1950’s Wagner Skillets seem to be like hens teeth? I’m not trying to get rich off the sale of 2 skillets. I just would like to know if there’s even a market for unused, original cast iron cookware with minor rust on the cooking surface? I’m really sorry for such a long message but I know you’re are a die hard cast iron guy who’s probably seen it all so I would value your opinion greatly on this subject. If you could find the time I would really love to hear back from you about which route I should take before listing them and if keeping unused skillets in original condition is really that important to vintage cast iron collectors? Thank you, Sean C.

I mistakenly used flax oil to start seasoning my new cast iron skillet. I have since learned that flax oil seasoning becomes flaky and chips off easily. How do I remove the flax oil seasoning and start over with a good foundation before I season anymore layers?

Hi Steven(sic?)

Love this channel! Have learned so much. Thank you brother. Meet you in the air.

Coke beverage worked for me years ago and a whole lot cheaper.

Could you not use the stuff like you do vinegar and just spray it down with some paper towels in a sealed bag or something of the sort?

Just a suggestion, put a couple bricks in the tank to reduce the amount of chemical to be used.

Evaporator would be for someone restoring cast iron cookware on a regular basis. Not me vinegar &/or e-bath works best in my case.