Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - a little rust on my phils . . -don't sweat it?

Hello, I not too long ago built up phil/openpro front wheel for my winter riding. It has been exposed to months of all-weather riding conditions, -rain, snow, salt etc . . and I have noticed that the steel separator between the (red) dust cap and the chrome (machined aluminium) hub body has rust . . I am thinking (hoping) that the rust will actually protect and help prevent any further corrosion.. Is this going to be a problem? Should I sweat it?

i saw a pair of phil hubs from the seventies come into the shop the other day. they were COVERED in rust, but they still spun perfectly. i wouldn't sweat it.

rust is not a protective layer, rust is autocatalytic (i.e rust breeds more rust). Clean 'er up and redo your hub while you're at it.

Black rust = good protective.
Red rust = bad destroyer of steel.

If you have time, polishing the surface to a nice mirror finish will really help prevent rust.

A little grease on your steel parts (ie QR skewers if they are steel) will prevent rust.