I soaked the rusted portions of the front valences in “Evapo-Rust” rust remover solution for a couple of days. It seemed to remove quite a bit of the rust. I also cut away some of the rusted metal.
Then I spent some time on a side project: a foot switch power control for my TIG welder, so I can adjust the power while welding. I had designed and bought the parts for this about a year ago, but never had a pressing need to actually do it, until now. I drilled a couple of holes in the welder’s front panel, added a toggle switch and a connector, and wired them up to the welder’s power control circuit. The fool pedal is actually meant for electronic musical instruments. I had to attach a longer shielded cable to it, and add the correct plug to fit the socket I added to the welder.
Now, when I get around to welding patches to the valences, I’ll be able to do a better job.