I have a rogue stainless bar. I live in Miami (not far from the water) and keep my bar outside. I lightly brush with "hybrid athletics" brand brush after every use. The bar hangs in a canvas cover from a bracket on the side of my house. I haven't needed to oil it or apply any solvent to it. Zero rust, almost zero maintenance, and looks shiny.
The other bars I own or have owned have required significantly more upkeep and still rust anyway.
Now I understand your original reply. 'your' bars are the ones you have in your gym, not 'your' bars in genpop, right?
And you're right, I don't understand....AND I will completely trust you. It's your name on the bar, why would I not listen to what you're saying on how to care for it?
Do you at least wipe the sweat off with a dry towel at the end of the workout? Is that all that is needed for the shaft to prevent any rusting? (I know the sleeves need oil a couple of times a year.) the little bit I have read is that bare steel rusts in garages that don't have consistent AC flow.
Thanks for this dialog.
A sufficiently-used bar will have the chalk knocked off of it through regular use. If that didn't happen, no gym owner would ever have to buy for than one block of chalk.