Hi Gerry,
Congratulations on the find. It looks great to me as it is.
I guess I have tried most of the processes for rust removal (including Evaporust) and still normally have to resort to mechanical rust removal including abrasives and (insert gasps here) wire wheels. The best thing about chemicals and electrolysis is the ability to reach areas not normally accessible by mechanical means. It all depends on the circumstances. I can honestly say that none of the methods have resulted in the level of excitement you seem to have found. I hope you two continue to be happy together but I prefer human relationships for some of the activities you mention. Just be sure to wear appropriate safety equipment. No glove, no love.
As far as the scrub plane is concerned, rough planes for rough work. Issues such as nicked blades, pitting on blades, slight rocking due to sole issues, etc. should have little effect especially since the surfaces worked will almost always have additional planing performed on them. Even with planes intended for fine finishing work, pits on the tool body will have little effect on the work the plane does as long as the involved surfaces are sufficiently flat and/or in whatever relationship with other surfaces are appropriate to the function to the tool. Of course my “rehabilitations” are intended to place the tools into proper working condition and there is little effort to “restore” them to a “factory-fresh” state. In other words, prepare the tool for the intended work, or alternately, regulate the tool to the work it is suited for. Most of my tools are antiques and they retain their “patina”. “Pretty” is nice but secondary to function in my shop.
Have fun.