I think my main problem is unrealistic goals. This is an old chromed rim with a seam (70s Sears Puch 10 speed) and I was hoping for say 0.010 to 0.020" runout in any direction. Looks like Park tool calls 0.5mm (0.020") lateral and 1mm (0.040") radial good.
This rim has a welded seam and probably a few road dings. There's no way I'll get it as good as Park calls for. It's probably 2x or 3x that tolerance (1/8" i.e. 0.125 radial). I'm guessing I should just ride the bike and deal with a little wobble. I did see a guy (Oz cycle) on youtube remove a few spokes and use a tool to push out dents using the hub as a fulcrum. I'll bet a squeeze clamp could do this for me.
I will try again. Thanks for the feedback! If nothing works as good as I hope, I'll either just deal with it or bring it to a bike shop if it's affordable.