Cast Iron Restoration

[Black Dog]

Blasting it with glass beads or sand would probably work, but I'm not equipped for that process. I've seen electrolysis done too and seen an acid soak, both of which I would need to get some supplies to accomplish. On this one for now I think I'm going to just scrub it with a wire brush on my drill.

 

[Honu]

I keep hearing about hay and vinegar that was used in the old days also ?

 

[AndrewP]

Electrolysis is the way to go with one this bad. You don't loose any good metal like you do with other methods, and it cleans it up perfectly. You need sodium carbonate (washing soda) to make up the electrolyte.

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

My dad found an old cast deep wall fry pan years ago...looked a lot like yours. He took it to his machine shop, asked one of the guys to bead blast it just enough to get the surface back to fresh. Took like 5 minutes, looked new. Seasoned and 25 ish years later he gave it to me. It is in the garage ready for camping!!

Nice work cleaning that thing up.

 

[Black Dog]

This just got exciting! I've been scrubbing on it with a wire brush on my drill and I've found some identifying marks! On top of the handle is the number 10, then underneath are two lines of text: "11 3/4 INCH SKILLET" and "MADE IN USA." I did a little bit of searching and have identified it as a Wagner pan cast some time after 1960. w0ot w0ot w0ot! According to the site I was on a lot of manufacturers would make unidentified pans for sale in hardware stores and mail order catalogs and stuff, that way if there was a problem with the pan it wouldn't reflect poorly on the company. This is just awesome.

 

[madmax718]

Very nice!

Its pretty much all I cook with nowadays.

 

[kickingprop]

I used the method at this link to clean up my cast iron wagner and re-seasoned with Flax Oil... Its smooth as glass now and a breeze to clean up anything I cook in it!

http://www.ibelieveicanfry.com/2010/12/reconditioning-re-seasoning-cast-iron.html

 

[Black Dog]

I put about 3 hours or so into scrubbing the pan with a wire brush on my drill and got most of the stuff off but there was still some that wouldn't budge, so I have been soaking it in lye based oven cleaner for a couple days and am getting close to beginning seasoning. As for the seasoning, I was expecting flax oil to only be $8 or $9 a bottle so I was pretty shocked when it was double that. That was for the smaller of the two sizes the store had too. I'm on unemployment right now so I'm rearranging that priority and am just going to go with good ol' fashioned olive oil instead because I've got plenty of that in the pantry.

 

[NC_IslandRunner]

And made in China to boot! This one might be made in China too but at least I know it isn't seasoned with used motor oil or anything nasty.

Wal-Mart sells Lodge cast iron, made in Souh Pittsburg TN USA. Lodge's ceramic coated line is made in China, but I've never met anyone who owns any of the ceramic.

 

[Black Dog]

Note to self: Even though you are careful to stay up wind of the lye based oven cleaner, its still a good idea to wear a face mask when using it. I seriously thought I was going to cough up a lung.

 

[Black Dog]

Wal-Mart sells Lodge cast iron, made in Souh Pittsburg TN USA. Lodge's ceramic coated line is made in China, but I've never met anyone who owns any of the ceramic.

All the tv chefs use the ceramic dutch ovens from Lodge but I think they do that because of the flashy colors and they are dish washer safe. Personally, I've got a straight up cast iron dutch oven that I use on my stove top and inside my regular oven and made sure to stay as far away from the enamel products as possible. Yeah it looks cool, but using real cast iron is about seasoning and when one person uses one particular piece of cookware for a long time it starts to take on the characteristics of that persons cooking style. Like a while back I brazed some sausages in beer in a Cabelas brand cast iron pan (not sure where its made but its one of the best pans I own) and for quite a while afterwards whenever I would put that pan on the heat I could smell that one meal.

 

[wildmanrob]

Best way to get all the old gunk off is to put it in the oven on self clean. Just make sure you do this with the windows open and your wive at work. Burns all the old stuff to ash and takes the pan down to bare cast iron. I recently did this for a Boy Scout Troops worth of dutch ovens and skillets. Now, after seasoning, our stuff looks brand new.

 

[chromisdesigns]

cook up a pound of bacon it it for a start, pour off the grease, eat the bacon. Then when it's cool, slather it with hardened bacon grease and put it in a 400 degree oven for a couple hours, with your exhaust fan on. Leave it in the oven overnight to cool. That will give you a good base.

NEVER wash it with soap or scour it with steel wool or anything more abrasive than a plastic scrubbee. Ordinarily, you only need to rinse it, wipe out with a paper towel, and warm it on the stove to dry.

If it's really, really gross to begin with, as someone else noted, start by running it through the self-clean cycle in your oven.

 

[crazy]

I buy oven cleaner from Wallyworld. Half the price. After letting the oven cleaner do its thing, I use a scotchbrite pad. Reapply oven cleaner if needed. I boil water in it after cleaning to get off the oven cleaner and oil it immediately after. I use bacon grease for seasoning but I should try the flax oil.

 

[madmax718]

All the tv chefs use the ceramic dutch ovens from Lodge but I think they do that because of the flashy colors and they are dish washer safe. Personally, I've got a straight up cast iron dutch oven that I use on my stove top and inside my regular oven and made sure to stay as far away from the enamel products as possible. Yeah it looks cool, but using real cast iron is about seasoning and when one person uses one particular piece of cookware for a long time it starts to take on the characteristics of that persons cooking style. Like a while back I brazed some sausages in beer in a Cabelas brand cast iron pan (not sure where its made but its one of the best pans I own) and for quite a while afterwards whenever I would put that pan on the heat I could smell that one meal.

the ceramic/porceline ovens do have their place, but it is not usually dishwasher safe- usually the lid to pan mating area is uncoated. Real cast iron has the ability to be heated hotter.