Paint for Victorian cast iron range

[BookBunny]

Two questions about Hammerite:
Is the smell going to penetrate any soft furnishings eg bed, curtains?
Is there a good low odour alternative I could use? It doesn't need to be heat resistant as the range will never be used.
The background is:​

I'm attempting to restore a Victorian cast iron range uncovered during renovation work. It can't be moved outside and the room is already in use as a bedroom. I've therefore used a non toxic low odour paint stripper and almost ready to paint. The front is rust free but the top surface is deeply pitted with rust (doubt there's much more I can do with that). I guess I will need a paint to rust for that bit & would prefer something that will level it out to some degree at least. As far as I can see Hammerite is the paint of choice but I am concerned about the smell - I can keep the room well ventilated while I'm using it but I am worried it will penetrate the bed etc.

 

[Silentrunning]

If you are going with a matt black finish I would consider using POR15. It is applied with a brush and is very low odor. It levels out nicely and will never allow rust.