Since the flood last year, I've had to prioritize cleaning and repair work. After spending most of my time rehabbing the interior of the house, I'm finally getting around to cleaning up the smaller ticket items in the garage. That includes rust removal from hand tools,which is what this post is really about.

I've tried several ways to clean up the rust, wire wheel brushing works well, as does vinegar and salt. Having never tried the vinegar and salt method, I was surprised at how well it works. It works so well it removed the chrome finish from some of my Craftsman wrenches, leaving nothing but gray steel. That will rust in short order, so I'm trying to find the best solution for protecting the bare steel.

Any ideas? I have a few, but I want to see what others say before deciding.