Jeff Liebermann writes:

You can't. Once the base metal has been
corroded (oxidized), the metal is converted
into a salt (ionic compound created by mixing
an acid and a base), which is the white stuff
you're dealing with. The damage has already
been done when the base metal was lost.
Cleaning off the salts (the white stuff) does
not restore the metal to its former
condition. It only removes the salts (the
white stuff).

OK! Salty water, should be pretty easy to
remove! But it wasn't, it was more difficult to
remove than rust! Perhaps got intermingled with
the aluminum and/or coating?

I can't offer any specifics until you provide
some detail as to what was corroded. Was it
the aluminum rim, steel washer, brass spoke
nipple, chrome plating, or stainless
steel spoke?

This is something I've thought about a lot, how
do you determine what is what? I know only
about the non-magnetism test for stainless
steel. (I know the yellowish gold color of
brass, of course.)

And yes, the spokes have washers! Not common,
but yes, now that you say it, those I've seen
have all had this problem! So perhaps the
nipples are not the problem, but the washers
(in combination with the nipples and/or rim)!

On what materials should you, and should you
not, use the hair, nylon, brass, and steel
brushes, sand paper and emery, steel wool
and Svinto?

I never gave this much thought or actually
I did give it some thought and that thought was
I didn't know the answer

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