Most of the rusty stuff gets soaked in Evaporust, then the small stuff like I recently did tumbled in a rock tumbler with sandblast grit for a day or two. I have also sandblasted larger stuff before plating.

You do need to get the rust off, or the zinc won't stick. Electrolysis will work, but I haven't tried that. My son-in-law has a setup for that using a plastic trash can and a battery charger.


Kevin
1951 Chevy 3100 work truck
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1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car)
Busting rust since the mid-60's
If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.