Over the last couple days I removed rust from some parts for the Reo project.
In the upper left corner is a piece of the inner door skin to show how rusty all the parts were.
Lower right is a door latch mechanism that was soaked in vinegar over night. When the part was removed it looked as rusty as before. However a few minutes on a wire wheel and the rust came off with ease. The part did flash rust very quickly and I suspect continued to rust even through the WD-40 I sprayed on it.
Lower left is the other door latch which was put in a bucket containing 4 gallons of water and 4 tablespoons of baking soda. A 6 amp battery charger was connected, the negative to the latch and the positive to a piece of clean sheet metal. I left it over night. It came out with a black powdery coating that was easily removed with the wire wheel.
The steering wheel was half submerged. The right side spoke shows the black coating after the process. The lower spoke was wire wheeled for a few seconds and sprayed with WD-40. It is rust free but not shiny bright.
I like the electrolysis better because it is cheaper, doesn't smell and doesn't seem to flash rust after treatment. Pretty easy to dispose of a pail of rusty water too.
Biggest problem is getting the residue out of the interior nooks and crannies. I uses a stainless steel brush that resembles a toothbrush.
I have friends that swear by molasses. I'[ll try that next.