Do you guys have a preference on solutions for stuff which can't be soaked? I was attacked by a rust wave a few years back and still have some things which need to be cleaned up, but there's a bunch of stuff like my radial arm saw column, bar clamps,etc. which obviously can't be removed and dipped in anything.
There's three or four options: one, is to use metal polish (the drippy kind); this has a mild abrasive which
won't cut steel, but takes out soft rust easily. That's labor-intensive, obviously. A damp rag afterward,
and a bit of paste wax, will usually be useful. Every dot of rust can have a hygroscopic core that will
attract moisture and dig a pit, you do want to wash as well as rub.
Another, is to make the rust into dust, and try to vacuum most of it away: wire wheel, steel
wool, <sand,glass bead>blasting, metal-finishing Scotchbrite pads (gray, brown, etc.),
and a perennial favorite, LASERS. <
>
It makes a mess, obviously (outdoors, with face shield, gloves, breathing mask, coveralls...)
Wax or oil applied afterward is a good idea; I keep a paraffin-soaked shop rag,
and warm bits of steel with a flame or hotplate, then rub with the rag, to give some
rust-resistance. I melted some paraffin and cheese wax together to charge the
rag, but beeswax is traditional.
You can also apply conversion coatings, which do a kind of bluing, to make black
oxide from the brown rust. Oiling with boiled linseed oil was an old variant on this,
and would usually be fine for woodwork equipment.