Congrats on finding an old White! I don't have one yet. It might be useful for you to go thru the sticky on cleaning old sewing machines. The finish on most old machines is black Japanning with a clear coat of shellac to protect it and the decals. Many times the shellac is worn off and it's not very water resistant anyway. It's very easy to destroy or silver your decals if you use the wrong products. Glenn has a very good tutorial on restoring the finish on these old machines too.
You're probably already aware of this. Old Whites turn opposite of Singers and modern machines.
You can try a little steel wool and oil or a good metal polish on your attachments to remove the rust.
Be careful. These old machines can be addicting.
Rodney