Soak/spray them w/ any nondetergent oil for protection, esp. the innards.
PB Blaster and Kroil will remove the "flash rust", to a large degree, and
protect the metal--seems to soak in.
WD40, in light of my recent exp. w/ Blaster/Kroil, is a few cuts above
water.

You can find aerosol PB Blaster at some autoparts strores, but the gallon
cans of Blaster or Kroil must be bought direct. Costco atomizers work well
for spritzing metal around the shop.

I spray Blaster on lathe ways, after they're wiped by the carriage or
tailstock. Someone made a blend of oil using Marvel Mystery Oil for this,
as well. I'm thinking of mixing something w/ Blaster for a little more
viscosity.
Yeah, greasy, crappy shops are rust-free shops!
--
Mr. P.V.'d
formerly Droll Troll
"Steve" wrote in message
...
I recommend you not clean your machine stuff with parts cleaning solvent
(degreaser).

Last week I went to pick up a 8" Spacer that I had won on eBay. The seller
had a whole area of his large production shop set aside and staged with
extra and machine shop equipment and accessories. Every item was clean and
bright.

In addition to the Phase II Spacer, I purchased a 4" Dividing Head w/4
plates and a 10" four jaw D1-4 chuck.

After a long drive home, I unloaded them in my unheated work shop. I live
in the Pac. NW and cold metal gets damp and flash rusts if it isn't
lightly oiled.

You guessed it. These new treasures were so clean that they flash rust
over night. I was sick since the bright finish of yesterday was now a cool
copper color on all surfaces.

I tired wiping it with a lightly oiled rag but all I got was rust stains
on the rag the smeared onto any surface that hadn't flashed yet.

I've got it under control but I'm not sure what procedure I should follow
to get it back to bright and unstained again.

The best I can figure, is they ran these items through a solvent degreaser
since the internal parts don't seem to have any lubricant remaining.

Just my opinion and experience, FWIW.

Steve