Embedded Files
Original Xbox
May 2, 2022
The original Xbox in today's story was electrically in decent shape but when I opened it up I could see that the RF shielding was badly rusted, it's hard to say if there was a liquid spill or just a damp environment which caused the problem. Luckily the board itself didn't show any liquid damage.
I had heard very positive things about a product called Evapo-Rust which was not only supposed to do a great job, but was also non-toxic. I purchased a gallon of Evapo-Rust from Amazon for about $60, and when it arrived I picked out a suitable plastic tray to soak the shield. The thought of rust removal with very little labour seemed too good to be true, but I submerged the shield and waited.
Throughout the next 24 hours I moved the shield into different positions in order to catch all of the rusted areas. As you can see from the photos below, after a brief rinse the results were impressive. Although there was some etching on the shield from the rust having been present for such a long time, the Evapo-Rust did a great job of cleaning it up.
Now that the shield was free of rust I wanted to paint it to improve the appearance further. Although I didn't have any chrome spray paint, I did have a satin nickel that I thought would work. There are several places on the shield which contact the main board in order to provide grounding. I have heard of some people having issues with video if the board is failing to properly ground. I took a few minutes to mask off the contact points and then used several light coats to cover the shield.
I am very happy with the finished product. Not only is the shield rust free, but it looks great!
My experience with Evapo-Rust was nothing but positive. The product did a great job, and I was able to return the solution to the container to be reused on the next project!
Report abuse