If dipping stuff I use concrete cleaner which has hydrochloric acid in it.
Wallpaper paste and citric acid.
Cheap mans deox gel.
(deox c is citric acid with a big price tag)
The chap I share my unit with has tried it and got the same results as the gel, I had by this point bought enough deox gel to get me through my project.
What I can tell you is that a citric acid bath works exactly the same as a deox c bath.
Deox Gel is simply citric acid suspended in a Gel, for the price of a few kilo of citric acid and a sachet of wallpaper paste why not give it a go if you liked the results of deox gel? Or if you can think of another suitably viscous non corrosive or oily medium?
Bilt Hamber waxes are exceptionally good, but the Deox products are a bit of a rip off IMO.
Hydrate80 is quite good for post corrosion removal belt and braces spot protection
I believe you are planning to apply epoxy primer. If so that is far better than hydrate 80 in many respects.
As Richie says epoxy is all you will need. I have actually used hydrate 80 a lot when it first came out and I never seemed to have any luck with it, in my experience it caused some paint adhesion problems, rust bubbles up again underneath it most of the time, as it only converts the top layer of rust. The only thing I would really say its good for would be on very light surface rust but I would avoid it if you can.
Epoxy mastic is primer.
I was considering Rustbusters Expoxy Mastic 121. I believe it does not require a primer for my bare metal surface?
as others have reccomended jotun jotamastic , id also suggest it
its very very similar (could possibly be the same cough) as the rust buster products but just far far cheaper , you will use a big can no probs as its great for suspension bits and all sorts