HevyHauler, I use Arm & Hammer - Washing Soda, you can find it at some grocery stores. Neg to the rusted meta and pos to the sacrificial rods. I use old bed frame for the rods, I've also heard of people using rebar. The folks at the Old Wood Working Machinery web site have quite a few posts on it owwm.org. There maybe something here as well.
David, I think the welder would be overkill, though you probably could. I just pull the rods out, wire brush them off, and the amps are back up. It usually takes about a week for them to get dirty. There seems to be a correlation between the size of what you are removing rust from and the number of rods as to how long it takes them to get dirty.
I've also found out there is more than one type of rust. Rust from road salt is nasty and takes longer.
Larry
