Vinegar will stain wood (might not matter in this case) and possibly ‘raise the grain’ of the woodI would try the wire wheel/wire brush and some oil in your case to see how it turns out, you can always try the vinegar if you don’t like result
This is a great thread tony, with great ideas that I can see working. However not too sure what swmbo would think of a rusty hand tool in the freezer.