At present treatment consists of four main stages: 1) restoring the appearance of the artifact as far as possible by selective rust removal, using such methods as electrolytic and electrochemical reduction, mechanical stripping, or by means of chemical reagents; 2) washing out aggressive salts and any residues from the stripping agents; 3) drying out the artifact either by heat, or by fluid displacement of water; 4) providing some sort of physical barrier against re-contamination, such as lacquers or non-acidic waxes.