Speed isn't everything !
BECAUSE molasses is slow it gets into places that faster methods miss. For example it will penetrate where parts have rusted together or small holes that have filled with rust. Faster chemical methods including electrolysis concentrate on the most exposed bits and are much less good at deep holes etc.
I have seen a 2pdr gun that had turned into a crusty lump of rust. The breach block was present and with a couple of months in molasses all the parts could be dismantled. It was very pitted but the moving parts moved. I was very impressed as I had seen it as scrap.
David
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