A study of more than 12,000 objects recovered from maritime and terrestrial archaeological sites has shown that there are several parameters that determine the rate of release of chloride ions during conservation treatment. Factors such as metallographic structure, salinity, and dissolved oxygen levels during burial, give rise to a series of characteristic chloride release rates that enable treatment times to be calculated. The data relates principally to desalination in deionized water, and sodium sesquicarbonate solutions, and secondly, to sodium dithionite solutions. The results show that stabilization of badly corroded objects can be achieved through extended washing programs. The physical basis for such treatments is described in terms of a model that also permits calculations on the apparent depth of corrosion. -- AATA