[bandersen]

I've only used it to remove rust before and was surprised at how well it lifted the paint off. Here's what I did.

* Fill a tub with water and sodium carbonate.

* Connect the negative lead of a battery charger to your rusty/painted item. Any power supply that puts out 10-15 volts at 1-2 amps should work OK.

* connect the positive to a piece of iron or steel. Don't use anything with Chromium in it. That might produce toxic compounds.

* Submerge them both in the tub, but DO NOT allow them to touch.

* Kick back and wait a few hours.

If you're removing rust, it should turn black. If you're removing paint, hopefully it's lifting off. I've heard it doesn't always work.
Use a wire brush or scouring pad to remove the black stuff / paint.

Clean the bare metal thoroughly and get some primer on it before it's starts rusting again.

If you search the web for "rust removal electrolysis" , you'll find a lot more info and tips.