First time plane restoration
I just picked up a lot of 3 planes: a no 3 I believe is a Defiance plane, a Millers Falls no 9 (I think a type 2, though that's a guess) and a Stanley no 5 type 5 (I'm pretty sure about the type here due to more than one helpful website). They all are in need of some degree of restoration. The Millers Falls is by far the worst condition, thought mainly as a result of rust. The Defiance is in pretty good shape, though with a fair degree of pitting on the sole (I also realize this is not a particularly good plane even in great condition. The Stanley has some rust and the tote is split (but very cleanly so that will repair easily). I've very little experience with planes in general and this will be my first attempt to restore one. Luckily, I can start with the Defiance and the Millers Falls to learn a little before I get to the Stanley, which is the one I am most interested in for likely obvious reasons.
I've watched a plethora of restoration videos online so far and learned a lot. Some use solvents to remove rust, some wire brushes or wire wheels on a bench grinder or a combination of those techniques. I think asking for opinions about what technique is best or easiest may be too broad considering the vast knowledge base on this forum so I thought I would narrow my focus to this: I'm less concerned with doing a mediocre job than I am with really screwing it up. Is there anything I should avoid to really making a hash of this as a novice?
I'm not looking for perfection in the restoration by any stretch. I want to make them into something I can use and learn with in my shop (with the understanding that the Defiance might have innate limitations).