One of the ideas I’m spitballing for the metal shop is a tank of evap-o-rust to help with repair/restoration projects. It’s the kind of thing that comes in really handy, but only once in a while - I think it’s a good fit for our community.
I’m thinking something rectangular about the size of a low Roughneck tote, but I’d like something with a top that actually seals to reduce storage slosh and evaporation. I’m picturing it mounted on drawer slides under one of the workbenches.
A tank like this would be perfect, except the lid is only a “shoebox” slip-fit.
Search for “weathertight” plastic totes. Iris is one brand name. They all have gaskets in the lids. I’ve used them for holding wash solutions in a similar way and they work just fine.
Evap-o-rust is awesome, but if you want to make something almost as good for pennies on the dollar, a combination of EDTA, a little citric acid to neutralize, and dish soap will get the job done no problem. Just leave it for a day. Depending on how big of a tote you’re envisioning, replacing a whole tank of evap o rust can get expensive. Like that tote you linked would be 10-15 gallons.
A 5-gallon pail of evap-o-rust is around $75; I’d start with one of those in a 20ish-gallon tub so there’s plenty of room for the liquid level to rise and you add parts to the tub. We could perhaps go up to 10 gallons of fluid, but I wouldn’t want to go any higher.
I agree it’s not cheap, but I think it’s a reasonable cost for how long it would last in our application. If it turns out we’re blowing through it quickly we can evaluate lower-cost alternatives.
$15/gal is less than half of what I was thinking it was. Seems reasonable. Also, in my experience it’s a good idea to retrofit a drain valve onto whatever tub you use. Makes life easier when it needs to be replaced, especially if the tub isn’t the sturdiest thing.
I just use weldless ball valves like you’d get for brewing, but you could probably find something else. If we have a transfer pump around, I guess that would work fine too.