Sandy writes:

Why?
A chloride ion is more stable (less likely to change its chemical
state) than an acetate ion. A fluoride ion is even MORE stable!
Elemental chlorine and fluorine are most UNSTABLE.
Stability is, afterall, the ability to resist (chemical) change.

The end result is that by putting some
chlorine ions in the solution you end up with a faster reaction.

Sorry, your premises are wrong so your conclusion is not sound.

No, your understanding of what constitutes an ion is so wrong that you can't
follow the argument.

Ummm, OK. Could you explain then what constitutes and ion?
There is no argument. What we need explaining is why the presence of
sodium chloride in the vinegar is advantageous.

Nah. What we need to know is whether or not it WORKS. I, like most woodwrkers,
am not a chemist. Like most woodworkers, I have some tools that I either buy
with rust on them, or that are particularly susceptible to rust under certain
conditions.

Somewhere about 5 posts ago, an OT should have been added to this thread.

Charlie Self
"Bore, n.: A person who talks when you wish him to listen." Ambrose Bierce, The
Devil's Dictionary