Have you tried citric acid soaking? The process is similar, but there are no anodes to deal with nor any electricity involved. You just put the parts in the tank and take 'em out when they're done.

Part of the issue I have with electrolysis is that the only power source I have handy is a car battery charger that has a timer, but no "always on" switch, so I have to check it every few hours. I'm also not wild about the fact that electrolysis generates hydrogen gas, though it seems to me that the explosion hazard is probably minimal in a reasonably ventilated space.

I do a fair amount of wire-brush cleaning too, for the same reasons.

There's one thing that I forgot to mention about refinishing old, rust pitted parts. For people who don't want to go through the trouble of filling the pits prior to painting, "hammertone" paints from Rustoleum and others do a great job of hiding surface flaws. I've used them as an expedient when I was more interested in making something functional quickly than in doing a real quality restoration job.