Just can’t keep the rust off your tools? There are a few things you can do to prevent it from forming.

Farriers don’t exactly work in the cleanest environments. Dirt, dust, shavings, urine and manure all contribute to rust and erosion.

“Regular cleaning with a nylon brush and some soapy water, followed by complete drying and a drop of light-weight machine oil on a riveted tool will certainly help,” advises Bob Schantz, a Hall Of Fame farrier and owner of Spanish Lake Blacksmith Shop in Foristell, Mo.

Others in humid or wet climates might have to take more preventative measures.

“I know farriers in Florida who put every tool into a little oil-saturated sleeve at the end of the day to protect them,” says Farrier Product Distribution clinician Roy Bloom, a Hall Of Famer from Drummond, Wis. “They even coat their anvils because those will rust.”