Thanks all, my new hub is one of the castings so I will just leave it alone. Anodizing would be a good option for the parts suppliers in the future and hard coat would be nice for the bearing pockets, since it can add as little as a half thou or less, but better for batch quantities economically. I don't plan to ride much in the winter up here in New England anyway. Interestingly enough, the original hub assembly that came with the B had been painted black in its entirety as an assembly by a previous owner, including the hub, spoke flanges, bolts and nuts, and drums. It actually doesn't look too bad, and I suppose for rusty cad plate flanges is an inexpensive option. The rear is the same way, the paint is in good condition, and it will remain so for now. It would be a shame to paint the shiny new SS spoke flanges I just got for the front.
Ron