I have a few bars that are bare steel and I live in a very humid area. I’ve tried all sorts of oil to lube the bearings and to use on the bar to keep it from rusting. 3 in 1 works as well as anything and it’s cheaper so that’s what I use. I believe the most important thing is to be diligent so that the corrosion never gets started. I brush the chalk off of the bar after every use, brush the bar down with a wire brush then wipe it down with 3 in 1 once a week.

A few years back i wasn’t as careful and I let my b&r bar get into bad shape. I wound up having to use an angle grinder with a wire wheel to get it cleaned up. By this time the pitting was so bad that the inner ring on the knurling was so badly blurred I couldn’t find it.

Don’t do this :-)

I got my SS bar in December and it’s still as shiny as a new dime so I think it helps to start early.