Original Xbox
Rust Removal

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.

Original Xbox lower shield with significant rust.
Original Xbox side of the lower shield with significant rust.
Original Xbox bottom of the lower shield with significant rust.

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.

Original Xbox lower shield with significant rust, being lowered into a tub of liquid.

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.

Original Xbox lower shield with rust removed.
Original Xbox right side of lower shield with rust removed.
Original Xbox left side of lower shield with rust removed.

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!

Bottom shield of a Microsoft original Xbox repainted after rust removal.
Left side of the bottom shield of a Microsoft original Xbox repainted after rust removal.
Rear of the bottom shield of a Microsoft original Xbox repainted after rust removal.
Bottom shield of a Microsoft original Xbox repainted after rust removal and reinstalled into the bottom shell.

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!