Used to work in a buddy's carb restoration shop, and I can say that Scott does the absolute best work I've seen from anyone else. (my friend doesn't do holleys anymore or aftermarket or carbs for modified engines or I would drop his name)

My recommendation for an AFB at home where appearance isn't critical. 1) if its really gunky quick work with purple power and a nylon brush to get the crude off, no soaking because it reacts to aluminum, or skip to 2) Berryman Chem-Dip 3) Spray carb cleaner through all the passages followed by dry compressed air and let it dry COMPLETELY 4) bead blast with fine media 5) clean out all the passages with more compressed air and any picks, needles, bent wires needed to poke up into passages. If there is any water in the passages, the glass beads and dust are hard to remove completely 6) clear coat the castings outside surfaces only.

As to some of the other pics here, zinc in a can, eastwood carb renew, and what the holley shop does looks like crap in my opinion. I opened up a lot of original carbs at my friends shop and never saw that color. Original coated zinc castings have a unique finish I can only describe as iridescent-ish, goldish light green that is hard to reproduce. Scott at Harms and my friend are the only ones that look right to me, hell even I can't get it right anymore trying to duplicate my friend's method.

In one of these pics you can see the difference between the tacky carb renew on the outside of the bowl and the original finish in the fuel inlet. The other is my street avenger I tried to make look more like a vintage carb by beadblasting and using an alodine solution and satin clear coat.

Interesting note. My friend's shop was contacted first to become the Holley's Custom Shop back when he did Holleys, being a one man and occasional helper business he turned them down because he didn't want to expand his business. So Holley went to someone else who does that horrible brown-gold refinish. It was after that started showing up at shows as "restoration" that "horrible brown gold in a can" came about.