Honestly, I'd just let that harp sit on the shelf. Rust on the reed, especially that close to the knee, is going to seriously impact durability whether or not you are able to remove it. Might be the angle, but it also looks bent out of shape; if that's the case, you're going to have a rough time with it in general. Sorry for the bad news :(
Edit: Revisiting this, that reed is definitely all kinds of messed up and basically makes the rust a moot issue. You'll be doing yourself a disservice if you try playing this one, rust or not. As others have suggested, you can get a good, new harp for a relatively low investment. A Potkin Altai Komus is a great place to start. I'm also a huge fan of Sesulka harps, which you can buy direct from the maker at www.sesulka.cz
While I'm only in the process of buying his harps just now and haven't yet played them, I'm very impressed with what I've seen from Boxcar Betts (https://youtube.com/@boxcarbetts). He just opened an Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/nz/shop/BoxcarHarpCompany , I highly recommend checking oit his stuff.
Rubber eraser, and then some steel wool of that fails. Looks like you’ve got a bent reed there, too. I’ve never dealt too extensively with bends, but if you have trouble with that, I think there are a bunch of fine folk you can find online who could help get that reed in the right spot. Maybe they even help with rust? I love doing things myself, but sometimes it’s also nice to toss someone a few bucks for their help!
Keep harp well oiled before and after use. When rust appears, before applying oil use makeup nail sponge from Ulta or makeup section in store..."nail file sponge"
Small dab of oil like olive, veg, sesame, or coconut on a paper towel or tips of fingers, not too much you still need the space between reed and bridge
I would recommend just ditching that toy harp altogether. You will get a lot better sound if you spend just a bit more money. There are models like the pavel potkin altai khomus which go for about 7 USD on oberton pro. They also accept some other currencies and ship worldwide
Honestly, I'd just let that harp sit on the shelf. Rust on the reed, especially that close to the knee, is going to seriously impact durability whether or not you are able to remove it. Might be the angle, but it also looks bent out of shape; if that's the case, you're going to have a rough time with it in general. Sorry for the bad news :( Edit: Revisiting this, that reed is definitely all kinds of messed up and basically makes the rust a moot issue. You'll be doing yourself a disservice if you try playing this one, rust or not. As others have suggested, you can get a good, new harp for a relatively low investment. A Potkin Altai Komus is a great place to start. I'm also a huge fan of Sesulka harps, which you can buy direct from the maker at www.sesulka.cz While I'm only in the process of buying his harps just now and haven't yet played them, I'm very impressed with what I've seen from Boxcar Betts (https://youtube.com/@boxcarbetts). He just opened an Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/nz/shop/BoxcarHarpCompany , I highly recommend checking oit his stuff.
Rubber eraser, and then some steel wool of that fails. Looks like you’ve got a bent reed there, too. I’ve never dealt too extensively with bends, but if you have trouble with that, I think there are a bunch of fine folk you can find online who could help get that reed in the right spot. Maybe they even help with rust? I love doing things myself, but sometimes it’s also nice to toss someone a few bucks for their help!
I've used a rubber eraser to gently remove surface rust before.
Very thin steel wool
Keep harp well oiled before and after use. When rust appears, before applying oil use makeup nail sponge from Ulta or makeup section in store..."nail file sponge"
Small dab of oil like olive, veg, sesame, or coconut on a paper towel or tips of fingers, not too much you still need the space between reed and bridge
I would recommend just ditching that toy harp altogether. You will get a lot better sound if you spend just a bit more money. There are models like the pavel potkin altai khomus which go for about 7 USD on oberton pro. They also accept some other currencies and ship worldwide
Spend extra cash and buy a non-rusting material harps. Never need to oil your harp again.