Flash rust on tools after a Tuesday wash down in Portland

Last week I rinsed off my brushes and scrapers after a job in Portland and left them in the van overnight, by morning they had orange specs all over. Never had that happen before, even in the rainy season, but I guess the cold air and moisture did a number on them. Anyone else deal with this and got a quick fix that doesn't involve oiling everything every single time?

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noahward3d ago

Three weeks ago I did the same thing after a job in Beaverton, left my good trowels in the work truck overnight and woke up to little orange freckles all over them. It was brutal since I'd just sharpened two of them the day before and they looked like junk after one night of cold drizzle. I started keeping a cheap spray bottle with a mix of water and a tiny bit of bar oil in the van, and now I just give everything a quick spritz and wipe before I close up. It's not perfect but it beats scrubbing rust off with a wire brush at 7am on a Wednesday. Also found that tossing a couple of those silica gel packs in my tool bag helps a ton, way less moisture buildup.