From the first appearance of copper artifacts in 7000 B.C. to the more common use of metal artifacts in 1000 B.C., metals appear ever increasingly in the archaeological record. Except for a few nonferrous metals such as gold, silver, and copper, metals do no occur in a metallic state in nature; thus, most metals are produced by smelting various ores. Every metal object, depending on the activity of the metal and its burial environment, undergoes various corrosions of rust and reverts back to more stable oxides, carbonates, chlorides, sulfides, etc.

Prior to an excavation, the rusted artifacts may have been extensively converted to corrosion products, and once removed, the corrosive attack on any remaining metal is often accelerated. Thus, the skills of a conservator are required from the moment metal artifacts are discovered. Often the initial treatment and storage determines whether or not the original form and surface of the artifact can be successfully preserved. The ability of the conservator to preserve the attributes of the artifacts contributes significant data to archaeological research.

Hence, that's where modern day rust remover comes into play in an effort to preserve the past. It has been observed, that some archaeologists have brought Evapo-Rust on certain expeditions in an effort to instantly restore and preserve the past right before their eyes.

Depending upon the metal and the composition and burial environment, conservation usually involves one or more of the five procedures: mechanical cleaning, chemical cleaning, chemical reduction, electrolytic reduction and casting. With the exception of the last two, Evapo-Rust has proven to be the solution for the rust factors associated with the first three.