AC720man, Great job! Yes, it's great for "hard to reach places." Can't wait to see how your tractor paints. Thanks for sharing photos.

I've been using descaler to clean up older gravity wagon boxes for repairs/painting. On the thinner gauge sheet metals (14-16gauge), it will quickly expose trouble areas where rust has totally compromised metal(top/bottom). In areas where previous owner allowed grain/debris to collect in the floor valleys or base of door, it's needles will gently vibrate rust away, leaving pinholes/stress cracks that require patching.

Your work does look good Robbie. I've been doing that for along time now. Makes sand blasting parts way faster too. You should be wearing a respirator. Dusty work, and there might be lead in the paint.

  Tim

I'm not a pro so what do the pro's say?

I'm far from a pro, but I use Rustoleum Rust Reformer ( https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/stops-rust/rust-reformer" rel="nofollow - Stops Rust® Rust Reformer Product Page (rustoleum.com) ) on anything rusty. I use it before primer and have had very good results.

I've also used Eastwood's products, but I find they are pricier and the Rustoleum seems to be just as good.

I bought a needle scaler several years ago. I like the fact that you don't have the mess left behind from whatever sandblasting media you use. 

The needle scaler excels at removing loose, flaking material, multiple layers of paint, and rough surfaces FAST.

 

There are some who make a restoration a full-dismantle, totally strip, mask, fill, prime, paint, sand, paint, polish, etc., job, and the end result is, for all intents and purposes, far more than what the factories ever did.  I took a needle scaler to a neighbor's 656 with sheet metal off, and everything that came loose came off, and everything that held on tight stayed on.  It got a pressure-washing, then wipe-down with solvent, and he sprayed on a coat of primer/sealer, then a color coat.  He did a bit more on the tinwork, and although it had some little spots of imperfection, he exclaimed that the end result of our work was significantly BETTER than when it rolled off the dealer's lot (he drove it off the lot, to his farm).

If a machine has seen enough years to warrant a needle-scaling, there's darned few better ways of getting it done... even if you just scale off what comes loose, and then prime and paint, it'll be a whole lot better protected from the elements, and at a much lesser effort, time, and materials cost.

I like media blasting, and when it comes to details like small parts (alternator/generator castings, etc.), that's where the serious pretty comes from.   I wouldn't put a needle scaler to cast aluminum, zinc, or magnesium... unless I wanted it to look like a golf-ball!