So I put some parts in an oa bath, took them out, washed them off.... came back a few hours later and the rust has bloomed on them like I couldn't believe. anyone else ever had this happen? anything I can do to stop it?

Be sure to thoroughly dry the parts after you rinse them, that should slow down the rust. I usually use a chrome polish next, then a coat of automotive wax. I rarely have a problem with rust on treated parts, and the humidity is pretty high here.

Some suggest coating the de-rusted parts with linseed oil to protect them from rusting again.

Chombi

I've found WD-40 works pretty well and is easy to apply.

Perhaps a rub with acetone to dry the surface, then a quick coating with linseed?

What exactly were the parts in question?

First, to thoroughly dry parts after OS treatment, I heat them in the oven at 200F for about 30 minutes. This ensures that all traces of moisture have evaporated. Then after cooling, if the parts in question are chrome (and highly visible on the bike), I wipe on a thin layer of linseed oil. For non-chromed parts or parts that don't get seen easily, I wipe on a light coating of motor oil.

Bare untreated steel is going to rust right away. What are you planning on doing with the steel? Shoot it with some WD40 and then some other water proofing. Otherwise paint.

Tom

I think alcohol works just as well as the acetone, and you don't get high in the process.

ah I guess I should have researched oa more thoroughly. The parts in question were from an english bb, it was really surprising watching them rust. I tried again (with some old french toe clips) and right after used a chrome polish and automotive wax and no rusting occured. I will have to try some of the above mentioned tricks and see what works best. Thank you all

Also need to neutralize.

Eh, it depends. If you're treating areas you can't access (like inside frame tubes), then neutralizing is a good idea in case OA residue gets left behind. However, for small parts, I just rinse really well after scrubbing with a toothbrush. If there's no OA left behind after scrubbing/rinsing, there's no need to neutralize it.

i used baking soda in my rinse, knew about the whole acid and base thing, just not the protect or else super rust happens.