As to using Coke (other than a rum mixer), I find it works exceptionally well for soaking a beef brisket or a pork shoulder for a day or two before smoking. Darlington, South Carolina
Chemist here. Rust is ferric oxide. Fe203 is.the formula. It is an ionic bond, and can be disrupted by acids. These solutions are not "removing" the rust or dissolving it but rather reacting with it. Coke is slightly acidic due to its small amount of phosphoric acid so it will react with rust to produce ferric phosphate and water. but phosphorc acid is limited and will all react before any notable rust is removed. And it will perhaps corrode the metal because of the other additives. That gray coating you are noticing by the vinegar is not "pickling" of the metal..it actually is a galvanization of the metal and gives slight rust resistance. The reaction yields water and ferric acetate and carbon dioxide. What you are wiping off is ferric acetate that is adsorbed to the surface of the metal. It will eventually suspend in the liquid. In my experience if it is really rusty it takes 72 hours. If you are not noticing carbon dioxide bubbles or a significant amount you need to change out the vinegar. The two brand name rust removers are probably propriety acidic blends and I didn't bother to look them up. They will be more acidic than vinegar which is why they work faster. But I'm guessing they do not galvanize the metal like vinegar because they rerusted during your experiment. It is important to note these are all acid solutions. This means that you may run out of acid as it reacts with rust. The solutions will be "spent" and will no longer react. If water is a byproduct then leaving metal in a spent solution will be counter productive.
Correction. I looked up evaporust and it is a very weak acid at 6.1pH. It doesn't use a reduction reaction like the acid but rather chelation. It's basically metal ion exchange. The black film is carbon based. It does not corrode metal like the acids do. That being said, because of the galvanizing effect of gray rust crystals, the cost, and the fact that I can buy organic I prefer vinegar for my rust removal.
Evaporust works by chelation similar to molasses, but a whole lot faster. Evaporust lasts quite a while. It can be used over and over till it turns black and stop working. I think it does a better job. Something I noticed after the video was done, was the chain from the vinegar, it took very little effort to push the pins out. The other chains took normal effort. So it seems the vinegar removed more material. I am not a chemist, but I am guessing the vininger removed the whole iron-oxide molecule, where the evaporust/metal rescue removed or replaced the oxygen atom in the iron oxide molecule, or something like that. Leaving more material.
I restore hand planes from time to time, which come as rusty as you can possibly imagine. People leave them in barns for 50 years....anyway my comment is that your post-soak scrubbing is probably inadequate to test your results. I use a scotchbrite pad, you could also use wire wheel or steel/copper wheel. THAT WILL REMOVE THE CLOUDY LAYER YOU SEE, especially on the nails treated with vinegar. This will not come off with a plastic bristle brush, but will come off very easy with a scotch brite pad, wire wheel, etc. I use Evaporust on stuff that is collectible or special, and vinegar and salt mixture on all the rest. I get about the same results though, I just feel the evaporust is safer on non-ferrous metals and such. Be sure to give this a try before you discount vinegar.
The only real downside to vinegar is that it takes longer and requires a good bit of mechanical scrubbing for the full effect. Aside from that, it's much more cost effective than the alternatives when doing large parts like floor jacks and such where a bath requires multiple gallons of solution.
I love Evaporust! Been using it for the past 10 years on bicycles and parts. My tip is use it with a sealed container and set outside in the sun. The warmth helps ot along. Also you can cut it with water to stretch it.
Thanks for the video. I have never tried these other methods, just having tried Evaporust and Krud Kutter. Evaporust is expensive though. A sand blaster or media blaster would be much more effective, even cheaper than all the Evaporust I have bought, but I have no place to store one. I have been using a lot of Evaporust the last two years restoring my 1972 Chevy truck. Small parts, such as bolts, I will let soak in Evaporust for at least 24 hours, rinse with the water hose, let dry in the sun, turn on a wire wheel (if possible), and then spray with NAPA Rust Treatment. I have found Evaporust to work on larger parts but it takes a long time. To speed that up, I will run electrolysis for up to 48 hours (outside!) and follow with 24 hours in Evaporust. Using this "1-2 punch" I have gotten amazing results on metals such as my hood hinges, battery tray, etc. I rinse, let dry in the sun, and coat with NAPA Rust Treatment and then topcoat with exterior paint. Evaporust is expensive but cheaper than Krud Kutter, which is phosphoric acid. (Coke contains a weak amount of that acid). I now filter used Evaporust through a coffee filter or two which removes the converted rust and paint. Filtering really seems to extend its life. *Truck is almost done now, I am preparing to reassemble.
I use the Metal Rescue and have never heard of the Evapo-rust. I love the Metal Rescue but will try the Evapo-rust. Thank you for your video. Very informative.
One thing I've learned is immediately after removing the rust remover with soap and water and neutralizing any acid, put something on them to protect them like WD-40 or kerosene. That will protect them from getting the thin layer of rust that shows up almost immediately after removing them from the cleaner.
@@ivandelrosario they rust each time it rains even on a brand new car. Nothing you can do, but you could use phosphoric acid as it converts the rust into black layer
Great video. Cheap method I use: I leave 2-3 liters of vinegar in a 5 liters plastic bottle, throw all the rusty bits inside, leave them for more than 12 hours, and THEN start shaking the bottle for 1 minute every hour or as often as you can. You'll then see the magic of vinegar :) I've saved a few rusty bikes from death with this method.
affordability and environmentally friendliness, vinegar easily won this battle. there wasn't a whole lot of difference from an 8 hour soak. It can be really easy in many cases to leave a part to soak longer, even 24hours or more. When done with vinegar, you can dump it down your sink with some baking soda to clean the pipes. Or just dump outside. The first two seem like a bit more toxic--not sure the disposal recommendations.
I put some chains in a generic form of rust remover (phosphoric acid?) for a few days. The rust was completely removed (as you show), the metal turned gray to black in color (as you show), but, I could break (shatter) the chains in my hands. Experiment first (y'all), please, before using on important parts.
After two days it looked pretty good and I thought I'll just leave it in there until the following day when I was expecting some parts arriving in the post. the parts never arrived and the chain was in the vinegar for a total of 5 and a half days. I was lifting it out daily but when I finally poured the vinegar out and removed the chain it came out in four separate pieces so it's good to know that three days is probably the longest it should be in there. it was a good and interesting lesson to learn. The smell from the broken chain was beyond words also so wear gloves!! lol
It would have been interesting to take the parts you thought didn't get cleaned very well and throw them in the Evaporust to see if it did what the others couldn't.
Or to put the ones from the evaporust into the vinegar to see if it would "galvanize" and protect from re-rusting as Lief Bamburg implied above All in all, it looks like evaporust is the winner to me, especially because my use case is chrome, which looked fantastic!
Thank You for a really informative vid mate!! us Old school BMX guys really need this sorta info when it comes to restoring the terrible rusty buckets o'crap we buy lol... awesome work!! again... Many Thanks!! On a side note... please use some PPE.. decent rubber gloves bro... save your hands from absorbing those chemicals!!
Great video, and very informative. I've heard about the Coke, but never tried it myself. I have used the Evapo-rust with great success. I too have used the white vinegar and it worked pretty well, but like you say, the Evapo-Rust gets the best result, and of course use of the Scotchbrite pad, helps get the desired result. Thanks for taking the time and putting forth all that effort. Ken, Marina CA
A really good comparison test. I too work on old bike parts as well as restoring vintage tools, and have also been impressed when using Evaporust. I wonder if you could do a test of Evaporust vs. electrolysis, as I have also seen electrolysis produce some really good results?
I would not expect modern Coca-Cola to work at all. The recipe changed a while back to remove a bromide compound due to concerns that bromide is toxic, but the compound was stable, and non-toxic.
My guess is they intended the product name evaporust to sound like the word evaporate, with a soft A sound. A lot of commonly used rust removers use phosphoric acid as the active ingredient which converts iron oxide into iron phosphate which looks black, and coke contains phosphoric acid in a low concentration which may take several days and a few solution changes to affect a change. This chemical is effective and pretty safe, but other acids will work too, even citric acid, acetic acid (vinegar), hydrochloric acid, each with different degrees of safety but generally the more concentrated the better. lye by the way won't work as far as I know and it dissolves aluminum so no oven cleaner on AL.
I believe evapo-rust uses a chelating agent rather than an acid. Phosphoric acid (concentrated - coke is far too weak) will do as you say, but you'd have to clean the Iron Phosphate off afterwards. Other acids will also react with the metal, damaging it further, so not recommended except for short periods.
white vinegar is he goto for me, super cheap, works great on small parts, throw in a glass jar and forget. want to try citric acid yet, but have to order some, wont really work out much cheaper than vinegar because of post prices.
Like white vinegar then try apple cider for rust. It will make a motorcycle gas tank spotless. I just did another one this week. Takes about 3 days on a super rusty on.
I like vinegar because it is dirt cheap and has other uses. I rinse the parts off with Brakleen or Carb cleaner, then brush and wipe off. It also removes oxidation. I got a fuel level sender (car gas tank) to work by soaking it in vinegar for a day or two.
I just bought some Evapo rust from my local auto store then came across your video , am excited as you have verified what this product can do for my z1 fuel tank , thx for you test
Hey mate just wondering if you had good results using evapo-rust with your fuel tank ( I've just bought a 5 litre jug to use on an 18 litre tank I would buy enough to fill the whole tank but here in Australia Evapo-rust is $95 AUD for a 5 litre jug whereas the 1 litre is $45 🤯🤬🤬)
It's my understanding that; 1. Coka Cola - Contains phosphoric acid in small concentration which is what attacks the rust. Due to low concentration level, requires more soak time. 2. Metal Rescue - Water based. Seems to get good reviews, but requires long soak time to be completely effective (more time than Evapo-Rust) 3. Vinegar - Acid, works well. Once part is clean and removed, my experience has them Flash-Rusting pretty quick. Some people suggest neutralizing the Acid by washing parts in mix of sodium carbonate and water (bi-carb soda or that other one) 4. Evapo-Rust - Water based, effective and gets good reviews.
The black is another form of oxidation, there are at least sixteen known iron oxides. I intentionally 'rust' things like knife blades to make them more resistant to the destructive forms of rust. Some forms of gun bluing are forms of 'rust'. For carbon steel knife blades I use hot vinegar to give them a protective rust layer. They still get oil it prevents the sudden rusting that happens with steel under certain conditions.
Good demo! Evaporust is some good stuff. Worst thing is if the metal is a high quality metal like tools it seems stain them black. But it is sure neat to dump a bunch of rusty stuff in a bucket of evaporust and later they wipe off nice and clean!
He means the soap has a pH that is as close to water as possible (pH 7). Most dish soaps labeled as "mild" soap are pH neutral to prevent damaging things it's used on (such as granite counters), as well as to keep from hurting people's hands.
For chromed parts, you can simply scrub the rusty spots with a piece of hand wrapped aluminum foil dipped in water. The rust will go away like magic with such a simple solution. If it's light rust on the surface, it will be completely removed. If it's deep rust, it will leave a black spot because there's no chrome layer anymore, but it's still better than orange rusty spots. The piece of aluminum will need to regularly be replaced as its effect loosens after scrubbing.
Evapo-rust I hadto single shot shotgun barrels and receivers that my nephew found in the bottom of a scrap pile totally rusted non-functioning left them and evapor rust for 10 days could not do anything with the pitting but by God that metal was shiny spray it down with BBQ paint and I have two functioning single-shot shotguns to this day they are ugly but they work fine evapo-rust
I've used coke many times , and had excellent results, but the thing is it seems like it's rust dissolving power doesn't last long , so I would repeat with fresh coke again ,rather than the used up first round , I think same,goes with vinegar as well , it works but you have to have patience, time , and keep applying fresh coke with some sort of semi abrasive brush or scouring pad, I'm pretty impressed with white vinegar I'll try that on a old bike I just got that's really got a bit of rust on fork and handlebars, I'll try white vinegar on paper towel and just wrap around areas , see how that works , thank you for video , very educational
This experiment was interesting and useful, and it may have been even more useful had you used equal quantities of cleaner by dollar value in each container.
That still wouldn't take into account the longevity of each. Evaporust can be used over and over till it turns black and stops working. I don't know how many times vinegar can be used, or Metal Rescue.
Hi RJ, Metal Rescue is also reusable! 1 gallon of Metal Rescue will remove up to 1/2 pound of rust. It starts off clear like water, and the more you use it, the darker it gets until it's exhausted.
the biggest difference in rust removers is if they harm plastics, rubber, paint etc. evaporust doesn't. I'm sure the stronger products work better but you might damage parts with it. just like how manufactures no longer want you to dip carbs unless it's only for an hour or so. it eats off the coatings on the barb bodies. they only want you to use contact cleaner and compressed air on carbs now. as you can see from your steel parts rusting really fast again after they were cleaned. these cleaners stripped off all the coatings. yes, black oxide coating is a rust prevention and works a little. a stronger cleaner like carb dip can strip off zinc coatings. be careful with newer carbs and carb dip folks. btw, those nails are hot rolled steel. they come with scale. it's called mill scale. it's not rust.
I’m tellin’ya folks you gotta use the apple cider vinegar, i’ve used them both (the store didnt have enough ACV so i went with the white) and the white vinegar doesnt work nearly as well.
I have used apple cider vin yo clean the inside of old motorcycle tanks works well. Have to clean up some chrome bicycle rims. Nervous about putting it on chrome tho.
I used white vinegar on an old motorcycle gas tank that was very rusted, it worked amazingly well, the rust poured out like chocolate cream, the tank was very clean.
Actually when you use White Vinegar you need to also add salt to the solution. The salt in the vinegar causes an acid affect to the rust and within 8 hours the rust will wipe off fairly easily. Ive been using this method for yrs to clean rust off my shop tools including some of my dad's old tools. And it works fairly good. Plus you dont want to leave your rusted parts in the vinegar longer than 12 or 24 hrs because anything like 48 hrs in your video the vinegar will begin to oxidize the metal that's why it looks gray or with a whitish tint. www.finewoodworking.com/2014/06/05/salt-and-vinegar-natures-rust-remover
Also salt by definition is a reaction constituant of an acid and a base..it cannot effect pH..it's a buffer. There is water in vinegar. Adding salt will only serve to allow quicker oxidation after the acetic acid reacts to form ferric acid and water.
Lief Bamberg Yo what about baking soda and vinegar mixture? I need to clean my tools and chains but also need to save money and recently I heard that vinegar with baking soda is actually pretty effective. You seen to know that stuff, can you help?
Vinegar is very good. But it got to sit there for some days to really work, if something is very rusty atleast. Some let it sit for a month even. Got to use milk or some base to soak it in after though.
I like Evaporust way better. It did a better job. Something I noticed after this video was the pins from chain that was in the vinegar came out with hardly any effort. The pins from the other three came out with normal effort. I think the vinegar removes the iron oxide molecules, while the Evaporust just removes the oxygen atoms from the iron-oxide molecules, and replaces them with something else. The vinegar also seems to pickle the metal after a bit, while Evaporust you can just leave it in there for quite a while with no ill effects.
That was a lovely, thorough, examination of rust removal. We don't like to admit it but it is exactly why we watch RU-vid, to find this stuff out. You did a wonderful job of paying attention to all the details. This was a great rust removal video.
I used Muriatic acid in a VERY rusted Harley Sportster gas tank I thought was behind saving. I actually had to fill the tank to the top with muriatic acid and let it sit for 4 days! But the results where fantastic! NOTE TO ALL... only use muriatic acid OUTDOORS ONLY, and wear a good quality respirator and eye protection ALWAYS! The fumes from muriatic acid encompass about a 25 foot radius outdoors so keep it away from people or pets or anything for that matter. ONE LAST NOTE: NEVER leave the cap off the muriatic acid container while stored in your garage.. or it will rust out EVERYTHING metal in your garage including your motorcycles and cars, tools EVERYTHING!
hi man, great vids! evaporust works pretty fine, but if someone is having trouble finding that, i use the lime juice, the one that you put on the beer, its a good alternative also :D
Did you use a 20% coupon that they always have? I have found it cheaper at Tractor Supply. Keep in mind you can use it over and over. You pour back into the bottle. It will eventually turn black and stop working after so much rust.
Check on Ebay. I bought my first gallon for $23. I liked it and went back to Ebay. I found 5 gallons for $85,about $17 per gallon. Harbor Freight is not always a bargain, even at 20% off. Use a paint brush on the parts as you take them out of the Evapo-rust,works well. Starts to work in a couple of hours. It will turn any iron content black the longer you leave it. This stuff is GREAT and safe to use.
Pieces of the same chain, just brilliant ceteris paribus. First good scientific test on saving money. great job! could you do acomparable test with the emphasis on degreasing grimy chains?
I like to use vinegar cause it's cheap, easily available, and least toxic. Protip: If you add salt to vinegar, it creates a small amount of HCl which is a strong acid (acetic is a weak acid). Afterwards, put the object in water and add some baking soda to remove all the vinegar and shake up any excess rust (but don't soak for any extended period of time). Then dry!
Coke has phosphoric acid in it, it is the same active chemical that is in Naval Jelly, you can buy OSPHO in the paint section of any hardware store, etc. and put it in a spray bottle and use it easily, been using it this way for years. It is added to Coke and DrPepper to give it a little "bite" so to speak. It is now expensive and works well for stopping rust, but doesn't make it shine.
Interesting comparison. Evaporust is my go-to for rust removal. You have a few great informative videos. You may try to work on saying the words "here" and "there" less. Thanks!
Well nice chemistry experiment. Cola does work, but not in this way. For year's this cola trick is used to remove and restore bright metal's. Great video...
You need to apply friction, when cleaning the part's. The used of any commercial available aluminum foil or similar, will help in this process. You tube have one or two videos in this matter. Hoping this will help. Thanks.
coke needs to be replenished a few times due to the sodium bicarbonate dissipating through the process. though coke won't hang with the others, but it works in a pinch to loosen bolts and cleaning battery cables. it would be interesting to see how baking soda would work.
vinegar softens paint. i use it to sharpen files and any time a moron coats paint on a file, vinegar made it soft enough to remove. i wonder how well the others fair if you added different kinds of painted things in there. spray paint, baked on, latex, oil etc.
The only reason coke initially works is simply the carbon dioxide content which acidifies the water. Once the carbon dioxide dissipates, the pH starts heading upwards which nullifies its rust removing property. So acidification or low pH is the key to rust removal. So coca cola or any type of carbon dioxide infused liquid will work for a limited time, so just use vinegar if you want to go with home remedies for rust removal.
