I'm not much of a home chemist so an "off the shelf" product is what I was looking for... a magic potion if you will.

I just tried a liquid called "Must for Rust" a product from "Krud Kutter ( Really... I'm not kidding!)

This stuff says it contains phosphoric acid and something that converts the metal so rust doesn't re-occur.

Anyway I tried it with a scotch brite pad and a wire wheel on the end grinder for the really bad areas and it worked quite well.

It's nice to see things shiney again!