Rust Removal - Front Panel

[Ron Evans]

Hello,

I recently acquired a Knight 50 Watt Transmitter (circa 1958) and the
matching VFO.  Both have a slight to modest amount of rust on the front
panel.  The rust is in several smallish patches over most of the front
panel (on both units).  It is generally fairly light, but some patches
appear thicker.
Is there a way to remove the rust with minimum damage to the paint?  The
paint is in otherwise good condition, and I wouldn't want to worsen the
paint by being nit-picky about the rust patches.  Has anyone had good
success in this area?  It goes without saying that I would do a "test"
on a very small area first.  The front panel finish is a smooth gray,
whereas the cabinet is the wrinkled bluish-grey-green (?).  I don't
think a test on some more hidden portion of the cabinet would be
indicative of what would happen on the front panel.  Oh, on the VFO at
least, the relative close spacing of lettering and lots of other
stencilling would make it very difficult to "touch up" the paint if the
rust removal seriously damaged the paint.  If anyone has hints about
this kind of touchup, that, too, would be appreciated.

Help, anyone?  This would seem to be of interest to many like myself who
are just learning restoration techniques.  All help *greatly*
appreciated.

Ron - K5MVR