Progress on today's project:
Parts fresh out of the ultrasonic, after a half-hour w/hot lye solution, followed by a half hour with hot sodium citrate solution.
The sodium citrate is still leaving me amazed. I've been using phos acid for rust removal, but it has problems. It will etch and dull the porcelain enamel on the ventilators, so that's a non-starter. Sodium citrate removes every bit of rust and leaves the enamel gleaming. Phos acid dissolves the zinc from brass, leaving it "pinked". Sodium citrate leaves the brass bright. It does trash paint, the only downside so far.
Compare this to the pic above:
No elbow grease was employed.
Even the 75-year-old glass came out gleaming:
But I was suffering from a bout of the yips.
Now for some elbow grease to get all that beautiful nickel polished and waxed, and all the parts back together.