In article ,
T.Alan Kraus wrote:

[ ... ]

My son put a bunch of old flea market tools into a bucket with some
waste oil and was going to clean 'em off after a few weeks. I don't

[ ... ]

possible. The tools came out all covered in milky brown goo and when
cleaned I was amazed to see very little rust, some where actually in
pretty good shape. I can't explain the chemistry, I was expecting a lot
more rust due to the rain water.

I think that the thick film of oil on the top restricted the
amount of oxygen dissolved in the water, asn it could not be replaced fy
contact with the air. This will put a serious limitation on the amount
of rust which can form.

Now, if you had been bubbling air from a hose through it all
that time, I think that you would have been a lot worse off.

The goo, however, probably acted as a secondary layer of
protection.

Enjoy,
DoN.

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