The fan blades were really rusty, and had to be cleaned up. I opted to use hydrochloric acid to do the job, which worked well. Rather than painting the fan, I used a zinc phosphate solution to prevent further rust.

Notice the number "50" on the motor flange. It pained me to remove this, since it was put there in the factory over 50 years ago. But my goal is restoration, so I took all the paint off with a wire brush. New paint was applied.