Prep the surface with a wire brush. Wipe down thoroughly. Spray paint with one of the many great Rustoleum colors. I’d do two coats as the surface will be rubbed regularly. There are metallic shades and colors that create textured effects. This is a great DIY project.

Use a self etching primer in between sanding and painting.

Yeah - good old Rustoleum is just the thing. Theres almost too many choices in metallic silvers / grays/ blacks. There's Gunmetal, Stainless Steel, and I just did an old iron bed in Soft Iron with gold accents. Turned out very nice! Frank what is a self etching primer, something different from the Rustoleum rusty metal primer? Let me know - I always am interested in improving my odds for a durable finish.

Thanks to the three of you… but what’s the best way to clean and prep? I guess spraying paint over the rust isn’t good and will be ruined in near future… sorry for my ignorance in this department

Use a steel wire brush to remove the rust. ALL rust must be removed for a durable finish. Once all rust is removed, clean the surface with a clean cloth. Once clean and dry, spray a first coat of red oxide primer. Red oxide primer will form a protective coating that helps prevent rust from forming again. Once dry, give it two coats of the colour of your choice. You can sand slightly between the two finish coats.

There are rust remover products - evaporust is one. Have not tried it so cant really say how they work. Would still want to use the steel brush I think. If there is dirt/grease youd prob want to start with removing that.

I'd find a local sandblaster. That's going to be very tedious with a wire brush, and you still won't get all of the rust off.

Take it to a local shop that can do a powder coat finish. It will last a long time and look beautiful. If you go the do it yourself route after prepping I like to brush on the rustoleum for a heavier finish rather than spraying. It takes many spray coats to get the same thickness.