i cannot stress enough how amazing chelation liquids are
anyone who hasn't use one for small parts doesn't realize how much better their life could be
it is seriously the only way to not disturb underlying metal, it's not an acid or a base
it makes the oxide water soluble so the rust or aluminum oxide dissolves like salt into the water without touching the underlying metal
you can clean rusty metal that is literally 0.0005 inches thick without removing any original non rusted metal
if it melts away in the chelation bath, then it was 100% rust and you lost nothing
works best with a heated ultrasonic bath, or just let the part sit for 48 hrs with occasional gentle stirring once every 12 hrs
after the chelation bath, you can use mechanical methods to finish the surface to get the look you want
-s
