I assume your bleeding ribs problem is causing spotting or uneven rusting. I've found that often times, I can get the solution to "take" on problem spots by adding a few drops of 99% isopropyl alcohol to a bit of my rusting solution and lightly rubbing it in to the offending area with a small pad of very fine steel wool. The alcohol seems to help it cut through the contamination and the steel wool helps blend it into the darker surrounding areas. Rub very lightly and wipe the area with brown paper towels if it doesn't take right away. I do worry about having some of these corrosive rusting and etching solutions remaining trapped between barrels/ribs and wonder how best to deal with the problem short of relaying ribs. Even with that, are we sure we are getting over 100 combined inches of absolutely perfect solder joint?
Don't use any penetrating or rust busting oils at the end such as WD-40. They will remove some of the black rust you worked so hard to get.
