My ornamental iron porch posts desperately need to be painted. They are not rusted but some large flakes of paint need to be removed first. I've got a set of those wire brushes that can be put on an electric drill, but I'm not impressed with the results. I thought the stuff would fly off, but it's not nor does a regular wire brush seem to have any effect on these flakes. Would naval jelly be a good choice to put on the porch posts to desolve most of the paint and remove the flaking paint?
Once the old paint is removed I have several cans of Sherwin Williams Etching Primer to put on the bare metal and then will paint with Red Devil Enamel with Polyurethane. I used these products on the handrail which is out in the weather 24/7 about 5 years ago and still no blistering nor rust. Paint has faded a bit is about the only flaw.