Reconditioning cast iron cookware ?

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
A while back we had a thread on reconditioning cast iron cookware, darn I can not find it.
I got a cast iron griddle & a steel griddle , both very rusted up, from a friend.
Also a dutch over from my father in laws estate, very rusted & gunked up. No idea what was cooked /melted in it.
So here is what I did, until I had time to get to try & recondition them.

1. To stop the rust, when I changed my car oil, I covered /filled them with the used oil.
Then:
2. This week I put the lid & D. oven upside down in my fireplace in a fire for a day. Took it out after the fire died. banged it on concrete a few times, big flakes & a lot of rust dust fell off. But it still had a lot of rust & some ridges of stuff on it.
3. I did not do that to griddles as thought they might warp.So got some oven cleaner & sprayed all of them & let sit 24hrs., then scrubbed them with hot soap & water for a hr.. Got lots of stuff off,rust & black crud. Did it a 2nd time & cast iron griddle & dutch oven lid are 95+% clean of all rust.
4. Steel griddle & base of dutch over still very rusty .

Can anyone direct me to original cast iron cookware thread, or suggest a fix?:Fire::Fire:

[oneokie]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=119018

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
I covered the cast iron griddle & lid of the oven in Wesson oil & put them in the oven at 200* for 2 hrs. Is that enough to season them?
Thanks very much for the link.:Fire::Fire:

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
Talked with the wife, she says she has never seasoned with anything . Just salts the griddle each time & brushes it off after use. Done it for over 30 yrs.
So how does that sit with everyone????????????????????
Seems counterproductive to me, salt + iron usually = rust.:Fire::Fire:

[MT Gianni]

I like the use of salt, if it is the salt in bacon.I would cook 1/2 lb of bacon in it 3-4 times and clean the grease off each time with a scraper. Most of the rust should float up.
That should be enough time and wesson oil to season but only if it got under the rust.

[MBTcustom]

Seems counterproductive to me, salt + iron usually = rust.
Not if you use your iron constantly. If I removed all the meals from my diet over that last year that were cooked on cast iron, I would not be writing this as I would be too feeble to type.
Cast iron cookware is made to be used all the time. The rusty ones are the ones that you dont need, the black ones are obviously where you get your daily vittles. What I do (bear in mind that I have never had very much rust in any of my CI) when I find rust in a skillet is boil water in it, then go to the sink and use a scouring pad to bust off as much as possible, then back to the stove, wipe on some crisco, fill with water, and bring to a boil again. Then back to the sink. After I dump out the hot water, I smear on some more crisco while the pan is still hot from boiling the water, and scrub the heck out of it with the scouring pad. I use the crisco as a kind of soap, as it will lift out the rust. I keep doing this, while verbally laying into the wife the entire time for not wiping out the pan and letting it sit for a week. That's what I refer to as poisoning your iron, because stuff will taste strange for a while after it gets rusty, moldy, nasty, for a while. The process we use is to wipe it out every time and re-treat it with crisco. If there is something stubborn in there, salt will bust it out, but we still re grease it afterwards every time.
Hope that helps.

[joec]

I season my cast iron and carbon steel woks using lard as oil will go rancid quicker. Lard is just the rendered Bacon fat to be honest and is very inexpensive to by as well as easy to find in you grocery stores. Other than that I put them in the oven for a couple of hours at 250 to 350 degrees, let them cool normal and rinse with water avoiding soap as it will take off the seasoning. Really nothing to it.

Now as for cleaning rust there are several methods. For surface rust simply heat the pan, add some salt and rub with a rag, heavy rust I move to a wire brush on a power drill. Other methods are the oven cleaner method by placing the pan in an oven with oven cleaner and doing the oven. Last method is put the pan in a bucket with liquid oven cleaner and set it outside out of the weather for a couple of days. All methods work depending on the amount of grease or rust buildup.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Of course rust can be removed with a wire wheel/brush, naval jelly, and a number of other ways..some involves elbow grease, sandpaper, and maybe momma-mia snake oil if you're into old world rituals, etc. But one method that really busts rust is the use of ordinary white vinegar. It has Acetic acid in it and that goes after rust big-time. First get heavy scale off the piece as best you can. Then immerse the piece for anywhere from one to four hours. After about an hour gas bubbles will form and start to rise and they stink something awful. It is a by-product of the acid attacking, dissolving the rust. If by the end of hour #4 you can pull the piece out of the bath and rub the piece down with some coarse steel wool(#0 or #00) and its clean then rinse with hot water and dry everything off. Then coat with veggie oil or some other suitable oil, turn the piece over so that any excess oil drains, put in oven at 350 degrees for an hour, let it cool on its own and your done...its seasoned....and you're ready to fry,bake or cook. If there is still rust sticking stubbornly after hour #4 then you can leave the piece in the vinegar bath for longer, but you have to be careful and check it constantly for the acid in the vinegar continues to do its job and if left unattended for a long period of time, will continue to attack even the non-rusted cast iron surfaces and eventually will eat a hole in the iron....and/or turn it plug ugly looking. So-heads up! Seasoned cast iron is not to be cleaned by scrubbing/scouring with steel wool pads (brillo etc) as it will take off the seasoning (skin) and you will have to re-season it again. A plastic brush or pad with hot soapy water is sufficient. Some folks do not clean their iron at all, but microbes from cooking residue should be washed off with soap and water. Continual use with frying,ham or bacon/lard will keep the cooking, baking, surface in fine shape. It is impossible to list all of the things that folks cook with that are good for keeping cast iron doing a good job. Just take reasonable care of it and it will supply you with a good source of iron while providing you with a lifetime of good chow. LLS

[rexherring]

I've had to do a lot of cast iron when I was a Scout Master for our Boy Scout Troop. I just put them in out oven at home and ran a self-clean cycle. When they came out they looked grey from the ash. A hot soapy water wash then oiled them up with Pam, put them back in the oven at 350 degrees for an hour and they'll be seasoned and ready to go. If I have to store them, I use mineral oil on them as it won't get rancid like animal or vegetable oils. I have an old (over 100 years) dutch oven that was crusted with a black baked on layer that looks like new doing this method.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
Thanks again oneoieke, had a chance to read the old thread completely, some good info there.
It sure got sidetracked into Cajan cooking.
Got convinced that my 200* cure was marginal, plus what I just read here about the rust problem taste in food , so am trying a 2nd fire treatment in my cast iron stove on the dutch oven . This little D.O. has to be 40 yrs old as it was my father in laws.
I have kids about 40 now.
I am still afraid to stick the griddle in the C.I. stove, but think I will try the vinegar on the few remaining rust spots.
SHOULD I DEGREASE IT 1ST???????????
It has a thick coat of still wet looking Wesson oil all over it top & bottom.:Fire::Fire:

[WILCO]

Can anyone direct me to original cast iron cookware thread, or suggest a fix?:Fire::Fire:

Check out this google:

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=refinish+cast+iron+cookware&oq=refinish+cast+iron+cookware&aq=f&aqi=g-v1&aql=&gs_nf=1&gs_l=hp.12..0i15.3469.12188.0.14547.27.19.0.5.5.2. 1484.13544.3-1j2j4j8j3.23.0.llPUXR7J2jg&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=3b2e19c71d66c793&biw=1024&bih=550

[GabbyM]

If you have an outdoor gas grill they work great to burn off or season cast iron. Smoke stays outside for one. Second is those grills get very hot. To season just light a single burner. When I tested ours with both burners lit set on low temp was over 530*F.

[oneokie]

I am still afraid to stick the griddle in the C.I. stove, but think I will try the vinegar on the few remaining rust spots.
SHOULD I DEGREASE IT 1ST???????????
It has a thick coat of still wet looking Wesson oil all over it top & bottom.:Fire::Fire:

If your kitchen range has a self cleaning oven cycle, just put the griddle in it. Make sure that it is fully supported.

I would not degrease to remove the Wesson oil.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
Well I did several things.
It was chilly last night, so I lit a fire in our basement cast iron fireplace insert.
Put the old dutch oven & lid in the fire upside down.
This A.M. I brought the C.I. griddle inside & degreased the small spots that I thought might not have gotten clean enough.
Then got the dutch oven out of the fire place, was glad I had on thick gloves as it was still hot.
Put a paper towel soaked with vinegar on the section of the griddle I had degreased.
When the oven was cool I scrubbed it with soap & water, then filled the inverted lid & the base with vinegar.
I let them set for 4 hrs.,
then pored the vinegar out into a plastic bucket (in case I needed it again).
Then I spent an hr. at least scrubbing them with steel wool.
Got lots of black gunk off.
There is still some rust & black crud on the dutch oven.
About the only thing I can think of now is to sand blast it. I have spent at least 4-6 hrs. scrubbing & scraping it.
The wife says the griddle is good, so will do a proper cure on it now.
She also said to just line the over with aluminum foil & use it.
I think the Al foil is not the way one normally uses a dutch oven is it????
If you are baking bread or a drier dish it might be the way, but I think stews soups, & higher moisture dishes are not done with Al foil are they???:Fire::Fire:

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

If a piece of cast iron cook ware gets real bad and needs to start over there are 2 good ways i know of


i have used both

first you can build a build a good hot fire in the wood stove when you have a nice bed of red embers set the piece in it will turn a dull glowing red this cooks everything off , everything so far as i can tell , you don't get it out till the morning when it is all cooled
then wash , and oil with cooking oil or lard and put on the stove or in the oven just till it smokes then let it cool and repeat

the second method is much gentler on the cookware and if you have a nice piece like grandmas dutch oven or skillet i would use this

find a plastic contained large enough to submerge the cast iron piece in , use a coat hanger or steel wire hang the piece so that it is off the bottom of your container then add water and lye let it sit it takes days to weeks depending on how strong your solution is and how much crud is caked on your piece.

lift it out and check it after a few days to a week, longer is fine as long as it stays submerged it doesn't hurt a thing , lye will only eat the junk no the iron
it will however eat other metals like aluminum

when the crud is dissolved remove , rinse , wash ans scrub , then oil , ans season

if it has rust , after you wash it soak it in white vinegar 10 minutes at a time and scour then immediately wash and oil , careful the vinegar does eat at the iron.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

If i am making a cobbler for a late night snack camping I use alluminum foil to line the dutch oven other wise i don't , the foil lets me reduce the mess and not have to wash that night

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

if my wife really burns something to one of my stainless steel pans i fill it past the burnt on crud with water and take it out to the porch with the lye add some lye and let it sit a few days then i dump and scour and it is clean

there could be a reason when she had to cook dinner Saturday night she couldn't remember the last time she had , because i do most of the dinner cooking , she does baking mostly fresh bread a few times a week

the lye is sold at ace hardware as drain cleaner 100%lye , she stocks it to make soap i dig into her stash when i need to clean a pan

[rexherring]

Yup, foil is great for sticky stuff like bunts, buckles and cobblers. With the scouts, I've made just about everything you can bake in an oven or simmer on a stove including pizzas, breads, stews, corned beef, etc., and lasagna. I always spray a little Pam in it when done cleaning and wipe it out with a paper towel. Mineral oil for long storage.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Putting a cast iron piece in the ashes of a wood fire will definitely clean all the caked grease and buildup off. Getting the piece red is about as far as you need to go. if the fire is in a stove and it is "drafting" to the point that the piece starts to turn white, then cut the draft down as you do not want to warp or melt the piece. Let it cool on its own as cast needs to cool slowly to avoid cracking. On the use of lye to clean the iron, it is a favorite of cast iron collectors; to prepare the lye bath use caustic soda, a drain cleaner such as Red Devil or any other brand that clearly identifies it as containing lye. It is important to follow instructions for mixing as lye can really be dangerous stuff that will burn you or damage other things nearby. A length of coat hanger, as previously mentioned is all that is needed to suspend the piece in the solution and you can leave the item in the bath for weeks...or longer if needed. The lye will not attack the cast iron, but will eat away anything sticking to it. Rinse well with soapy hot water after the bath, dry and coat with veggie or other suitable oil to prevent flash rusting, season and you're good to go. Using a self cleaning oven feature works for some folks who have it available, but it uses up a lot of electricity unless you don't mind that. Just be sure to let the piece cool slowly on its own as cast needs to come down easy to avoid cracking. Scrub, wash and oil/ seasoned as previously stated. LLS

[Charlie Two Tracks]

If the cast has been used for lead........... then what. If my stuff went up for auction, who would know it was used for smelting? I can't quite figure out how to mark it.

[Catshooter]

Charlie,

I took a 1/16th inch stamping set (A to Z) and stamped around the rim that lead had been melted in this cast iron pan so don't use for food.

Or, when you're done with it just shoot a hole in it. That'll be fairly convincing.


Cat

[wlc]

If a piece of cast iron cook ware gets real bad and needs to start over there are 2 good ways i know of


i have used both

first you can build a build a good hot fire in the wood stove when you have a nice bed of red embers set the piece in it will turn a dull glowing red this cooks everything off , everything so far as i can tell , you don't get it out till the morning when it is all cooled
then wash , and oil with cooking oil or lard and put on the stove or in the oven just till it smokes then let it cool and repeat

the second method is much gentler on the cookware and if you have a nice piece like grandmas dutch oven or skillet i would use this

find a plastic contained large enough to submerge the cast iron piece in , use a coat hanger or steel wire hang the piece so that it is off the bottom of your container then add water and lye let it sit it takes days to weeks depending on how strong your solution is and how much crud is caked on your piece.

lift it out and check it after a few days to a week, longer is fine as long as it stays submerged it doesn't hurt a thing , lye will only eat the junk no the iron
it will however eat other metals like aluminum

when the crud is dissolved remove , rinse , wash ans scrub , then oil , ans season

if it has rust , after you wash it soak it in white vinegar 10 minutes at a time and scour then immediately wash and oil , careful the vinegar does eat at the iron.

This method works really well. I used to buy a lot of old (Griswold and Wagner Ware) Cast iron at flea markets, yard sales etc. Most of them were usually caked really thick and I didn't want to cook on them as I had no idea of what or who had cooked in them before. Soaking it in lye will get all the caked up stuff off and when you wash it up they will look like new. Season by the method of your choice and you've got cookware that your great grandchildrens granchildren can cook on. I always seasoned with vegetable oil or crisco as one or the other is usually in the cupboard. Lightly oil the piece, put it in a 400 degree oven for about an hour, or till it sets off the smoke detector:lol:. Turn the oven off and let the piece cool, take it out wipe off any excess and repeat the process till you have a nice even coat on it. Good luck!

[waksupi]

I would be interested in hearing from someone, who has the lead test wipes. The test would be to wash a cast iron pot real well with hot soap and water, maybe even lye, after using it for lead. I would like to know if there was still lead residue in it. Anyone ever checked this out?

[Dale in Louisiana]

I took a couple of pots to work and used the bead blaster. Takes 'em right down to new metal in no time, then you just season in the fashion you favor.

dale in Louisiana

[geargnasher]

I took a couple of pots to work and used the bead blaster. Takes 'em right down to new metal in no time, then you just season in the fashion you favor.

dale in Louisiana

Yup! I've done that to several rusty/scaly pots, especially some freebees I used for lead. On some of the better-quality skillets and griddles with a really fine, smooth, machined finish, I would NOT advise bead blasting because it closes the pores in the metal (think shot-peening) and leaves a rough surface. Not nearly as rough as sand, but rough nonetheless. I had to blast one nice skillet that someone had allowed to rust, but it had a few pits from the rust anyway. I wet-sanded it smooth all the way down to 400-grit on the inside and it's good as new. It did take a while to season, though, and I had to be careful with too much oil on the cooking surface because it tended to build up on the surface too much as opposed to soaking in.

Gear

[C.F.Plinker]

I use lye (sodium hydroxide) when I mix up one of my developers (rodinal). Every time I dilute it up I resolve to use more personal protective equipment. It is a very exothermic (gives off heat) reaction so you MUST add the lye powder to the water. If you try to add water to the powder it will boil and throw off boiling pieces of lye. It is a very strong caustic and if it gets on your skin or worse, in your eyes, it can do a lot of damage very quickly. This would be on par or maybe a little worse than a visit from the Tinsel Fairy. Even adding the powder to water it will fume some especially as the solution gets stronger. These fumes are sodium hydroxide also. Don't let them get to your eyes. I would do your dilution outdoors clothed like you would for smelting and with safety goggles and a full face mask on.

You may find that it is getting harder to find in the grocery store. Seems like this on one of the ingredients for making crack cocaine and the feds have restricted where you can get it.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

A lead wipe test would be a good way to determine if there is any lead residue left in/on cast iron....but not after a wash with only soap and water (which might be better than nothing at all, but not strong enough to tackle lead). A prolonged bath in lye solution....maybe to probably would remove any lead residue....best to ask a chemist or someone with some knowledge of chemistry first. But the vinegar soak...yes! the Acetic acid would attack the lead (residue) and convert it into something else that is not noxious. Again check with someone with a chem knowledge to be sure. Acetic acid has a more complex formula than better known acids. Hydrochloric, Sulphuric, and Nitric (which you wouldn't want anywhere near cast iron anyway) are nasty to be around for several reasons and if I am not mistaken will still produce lead compounds as by products that are just as bad, if not worse, than ordinary lead residue. Cast iron that has seen use with lead can be effectively and totally cleaned for cooking or baking use, however if you still have doubts then mark it accordingly and don't use the iron. LLS

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
I actually do not know what my father in law used this D.O. for. I did a 4 hr vinegar soak on it already, as well as oven cleaner. Also did 2 fire burn outs. Scrubbed with soap & hot water, 2nd time with steel wool.

From the comments I gather that LODGE, WARNER, & GRISWOLD are the good C.I. brands. Any others?:Fire::Fire:

[nanuk]

So here is what I did, until I had time to get to try & recondition them.

1. To stop the rust, when I changed my car oil, I covered /filled them with the used oil.
....


does anyone else have a concern with THIS????

used motor oil contains stuff in it, I would NOT want in my cookware.

Cast Iron is Porous and that stuff is going to get in there, far deeper than you'd think....

Folks worry about lead.. but what about the other stuff BOOM BOOM has introduced in there?

[WILCO]

does anyone else have a concern with THIS????

used motor oil contains stuff in it, I would NOT want in my cookware.

Cast Iron is Porous and that stuff is going to get in there, far deeper than you'd think....

Folks worry about lead.. but what about the other stuff BOOM BOOM has introduced in there?

Yep. I saw it and realized it's been ruined. A basic wire wheel and sand paper has saved alot of rusty cast iron around here.

[oneokie]

used motor oil contains stuff in it, I would NOT want in my cookware.

What kind of stuff?

[WILCO]

What kind of stuff?

Read the part about ingestion:

http://web.grcc.edu/Pr/msds/automechanics/MotorOil.pdf

[oneokie]

Read the part about ingestion:

http://web.grcc.edu/Pr/msds/automechanics/MotorOil.pdf

This part?
Ingestion: Do not ingest. This product is relatively non-toxic by ingestion. This product has laxative
properties and may result in abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Exposure to a large single dose, or
repeated smaller doses, may lead to lung aspiration, which can lead to lipid pneumonia or chronic
lung inflammation. These are low-grade, chronic localized tissue reactions.

No different than any other petroleum product.


=BOOM BOOM;1691748]
So here is what I did, until I had time to get to try & recondition them.

1. To stop the rust, when I changed my car oil, I covered /filled them with the used oil.
Then:
2. This week I put the lid & D. oven upside down in my fireplace in a fire for a day. Took it out after the fire died. banged it on concrete a few times, big flakes & a lot of rust dust fell off. But it still had a lot of rust & some ridges of stuff on it.

Am I still overlooking something?

Only real concern I would have would be lead contamination if leaded gasoline was still in use.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

HI,
I actually do not know what my father in law used this D.O. for. I did a 4 hr vinegar soak on it already, as well as oven cleaner. Also did 2 fire burn outs. Scrubbed with soap & hot water, 2nd time with steel wool.

From the comments I gather that LODGE, WARNER, & GRISWOLD are the good C.I. brands. Any others?:Fire::Fire:

WAGNER , Le Crueset, or some marked Erie

I have a very old LeCrueset muffin pan , at least that is what my grand mother identified it as , i took her word for it as she has the exact match to it


but honestly anything that cooks good , the value of cast iron isn't all that high for most pieces , so it's functional value is much greater , think about it, i bought a Lodge Sk10 when i was 17-18 and in college , it was my first cookware , many years later i still cook with it at least every week, there is almost nothing it won't cook and it could easily still be cooking in a hundred years , all it needs is hot water a firm brush and some oil and it is ready to go again

after a dozen years of marriage 1 piece of the Teflon coated stainless steel cook ware set received as a wedding present remains , and only because it sits in the Cabinet all the time rarely used , everything else has been replaced with cast iron or un-coated stainless pots

cast iron the greenest cook ware around , stop the insanity of poison pans that need replacing every few years

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
After 3 treatments with oven cleaner, 2 burn outs in a hot wood fire, 1 treatment completely filled with vinegar for 4 hrs. 6 scrubbings in hot soap & water (steel wool on the last one). I dough there is much concern from the motor oil.

The only markings on this one are on the underside of the lid RB 2778.
CAN ANYONE IDENTIFY IT?:Fire::Fire:

[Slam'n Salmon]

I like the use of salt, if it is the salt in bacon.I would cook 1/2 lb of bacon in it 3-4 times and clean the grease off each time with a scraper. Most of the rust should float up.
That should be enough time and wesson oil to season but only if it got under the rust.

Yes! Put oil in pan get hot. Pour in salt. Rub it into pan with a wad of paper towels.

This will give you a hard surface to start from . Don't wash with soap just wipe out and keep oiled.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

In addition to Griswold, Wagner and Lodge there is also Wapak which used an Indian head logo; it is pretty rare now and worth a lot. The name "Erie" was the first name used by Griswold (also worth a lot now) in the period 1890-1905 before they went over to "Griswold's Erie". Originally neither Griswold nor Wagner used pattern numbers but started with them in the mid 1890's. Griswold (mainly) also produced unmarked cast iron for sale in hardware and department stores...no brand name so as not to compete with their regular line, but there was always a pattern number on every piece. Books in antique shops have this info + a list of pattern numbers that can be checked. Both Wagner and Griswold also made cast iron cooking gear for Sears and Montgomery Ward, under other names like "Best" and "Wardway" so as again not to compete with their regular wares, but the pattern numbers were always there and pieces nowadays can be identified by checking the lists of them in reference books. All the stuff was well made and called polished cookware...cooking/baking surfaces were glass smooth. Not trying to convert anybody into a collector, but just tossing up info in case someone turns up a piece that turns out to be worth either something significant or something worth more than your whole loading shop. The last Griswold #1 skillet that I saw 8 years ago went for $8,000. Prices on this stuff is forever climbing and you might come across an item the is worth keeping and turning into a family heirloom. LLS

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
Chemically speaking, the acid vinegar bath would neutralize any basic chemicals that might be in there.
If I do the lye treatment, that should get any other chemicals (acidic) that might be harmful.
The only thing left would be inert chemically speaking, & therefore most likely not toxic to life.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
Well today I scrubbed the D.O. again after another 24 hr. CHEMICAL oven cleaner treatment.
Got off a bunch more black crud. CAN STILL SEE RIDGES OF STUFF .
Lid looks to be down to bare metal except for 1 hand sized patch of rusted area.

Went to a grocery, a pharmacy, & Lowes ( Hardware store) but could not find any LYE, did find Draino but am a bit concerned about the other ingredients.

ANY SUGGESTIONS ON WHERE I CAN FIND A SMALL BAG OF LYE???

[gbrown]

I have reconditioned many pieces of cast iron. I use a variety of steel brushes and a screw gun or battery powered drill. It takes time and patience. Get all the surface rust off, down to the metal. Clean it good with soap and water and some type of scouring pad--SOS, fine steel wool or plastic. Heat it and dry it. Then coat liberally with oil--vegetable, olive or lard--your choice. Put in oven, on gas grill or charcoal grill. I have used all of them. Get it hot--around 450 degrees and let it go for about an hour or so. It's going to smoke (downside to doing it in the house). It should come out with a brown "patina" on it. As Goodsteel and Le Loup Solitaire pointed out, the ones that don't rust are the ones that are used on a regular basis. I have a 10 inch Wagner griddle and a 10 inch skillet that are used all the time. A good cast iron pot or skillet is better than Teflon. Cleaning it is easy. Hot water and paper towels or a plastic scrub pad. Dry it and heat it and then spray it with Pam or similar product or a half teaspoon of oil. Wipe partially dry and then heat it again. If you use it, it won't rust. I have one sitting at the camp that hasn't been used in 4 months. It's seasoned and will be ready when I get to it.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Lye used to be the main component in a number of drain cleaners. I remember that one of them was called Red Devil, but lost track of the brands. A good source of lye is in what is called caustic soda....which is either really lye or works the same way with a cast iron bath. It is/was used extensively by Janitorial services for cleaning, but the problem is that they sell it only in bulk which means that to get any you have to buy something like a 20 #pail or more. Its not crazy expensive, but not everybody wants or needs a large quantity of that kind of stuff sitting around for a long time especially with kids/grandkids/pets and you never know who else possibly getting into it. Check the yellow pages under janitorial supply services or chemical supplies and see what you can turn up for numbers, websites-and see if it leads anywhere. LLS

[nanuk]

lye is getting hard to find up here

seems it is used in the manufacture of Crystal Meth.... Gov't has asked business not to carry it I think

[nanuk]

WAGNER , Le Crueset, or some marked Erie

I have a very old LeCrueset muffin pan , at least that is what my grand mother identified it as , i took her word for it as she has the exact match to it


Le Crueset is my favorite, the variety with the black interior

the shiney enamel interior seems to stick a bit, but the black stuff, cold oil added to hot pan, is the best...

and it doesn't rust

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
Well I tried for over a week to find some Lye,/caustic soda/ NaOH. lumber yards, IFA (farm supply), hardware stores , pharmacies, and janitorial supply stores, all did not carry it.
So had to go to S.L.C. & use my science teacher connection to buy a small amount of laboratory grade NaOH. OUCH expensive.
Put a pint of crystals into the D.O. filled with water. Have let it set for 25 hrs so far.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

this is what we use, both for the cast iron and making soap

the local ace hardware stocks it for about 6 dollars a can

http://www.amazon.com/Rooto-Corp-1030-Drain-Cleaner/dp/tech-data/B000PSFPRK

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

lye is getting hard to find up here

seems it is used in the manufacture of Crystal Meth.... Gov't has asked business not to carry it I think

some places here make you sign for it and show your ID , but as soon as they see you smile when you tell them about making soap and you have all your teeth they stopped asking me to sign anything

it may help that the local community college teaches a continuing adult education class in making milk soap

we have several goats milk soap makers in the area

[BeeMan]

Used motor oil does not belong in skin contact or anything that might be in contact with food. The anti-wear and anti-corrosion additives introduce some nasties, there are the metallic elements worn from the inside of the engine, and then you get to the mixture of complex organic compounds. A quick search turned up this description

http://www.nature.nps.gov/hazardssafety/toxic/oilused.pdf

No thanks, I can find something else to keep rust away from cast iron that might end up as cookware.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

In reading the analysis of used motor oil there is no question that it is bad for use on cast iron or anything that has to do with food in any way. The toxicological effect on living things and beings is quite clear. Using lye to cleanse cast iron of buildup/crud is ok, but it will not remove rust. A controlled bath with white vinegar will remove rust effectively. To prevent further rusting of clean cast iron, use veggie, peanut or canola oil and then season the cooking surface of the piece. Then coat the other surfaces with the same type of oil used for the seasoning. As long as the cast iron has a thin coating of the oil it should not/will not rust (again). Green County Pete has located a good source of lye at ACe Hardware; refer to his post....for the brand name and price. White vinegar is available at any grocery outlet. As previously pointed out it contains acetic acid and that will attack and dissolve rust, but keep an eye on the piece in the bath and do not leave the item immersed for too long...1-4 hours is usually enough and then pull it, scour with hot soapy water, dry and oil to prevent flash rusting and then season it. LLS

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
Now that I am more aware of the potential hazards, I would not use used motor oil again ether.
However the 1st two pages of the document amount to a disclaimer.
The metals which would be mostly Fe & Al, would be attacked by the acid in vinegar. All the metals should have been attacked chemically, as well as all BASES neutralized (REDUCED TO SALTS & WATER). When it was filled to over flowing & sat soaking in vinegar for 4 hrs.
It has sat filled to over flowing in a saturated Lye solution for 3 days now. This would attack & neutralize all acidic chemicals.
The hydrocarbons both aromatic (ring) & chain ones would have been burned out by the 2 several day fire treatments in the cast iron stove.
Am I missing anything???????

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
Well last weekend I tried an electric drill with a wire brush & got lots of black dust out. But had lots of black stuff left, ridged areas & rusted colored spots after an hour. so gave up on that , besides my hands were hurting a lot.

[SciFiJim]

I am surprised that no one has mentioned using electrolysis to clean with.
This youtube video explains it very well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XlsNucmbiE

[blackthorn]

CITRIC ACID!!! Last year I got a small (likely 15 pound) cast iron pot (read lead dip-casting pot) at the flea market. It had obviously been left sitting out in the rain and it had at least 1/8" of rust caked on it. At home, I put the little pot in a plastic bucket, covered it with hot water and added about two spoonfulls of citric acid crystals. The next day there was rust hanging off the pot like spanish moss off trees. I stirred the water/mix and left it for about five days. Pot looks like new. The good part is that there is no reason you can't put your bare hands in the mix if you want to.

[BOOM BOOM]

Hi.
Wow wish i had seen the electrolysis method sooner!

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Electrolysis would certainly work as a process to get rid of rust. Citric acid, usually found in citrus fruit, also does the job. It is, like the acetic acid in white vinegar, kind of a medium acid acid so it poses no danger, especially when diluted. Just don't leave whatever you are derusting in either of the acids too long as the acid not only will go after the rust but the clean metal as well and you don't want that to happen for very long. Carbonic acid found in pop is a weak acid; it was often claimed to free up stuck automatic chokes in autos and other things. It'll work but slower than the others, and breaks down in a short time. (if it didn't there would be serious probs with our stomach linings) Stay away from the "big three"....Hydochloric, Sulphuric and Nitric as they are very powerful and dangerous. Their vapors are toxic and will burn your throat and lungs as well as your skin and ruin just about anything that they get on. Needless to say they will demolish cast iron in a wink. Think safety above all! LLS

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
WELL THE DUTCH KETTLE/ COWBOY BEAN POT IS FINALLY DONE! I THINK!

It is a R.B. 2778 , a 3 leg cast iron kettle w/ a lid. The R.B. 2778 is stamped into the underside of the lid. It is at least 80yrs. old if it was my wife's dad's. Possibly, if it was her grandfather's, about 150yrs old.
WISH I COULD FIND OUT MORE OF IT'S HISTORY & THE MAKER.

This weekend I went over to my friend's house (Rasmussen industries) & we worked on it 3+ hrs.
1st we tried a cold chisel on the raised spots that looked like crud. They appeared to be jagged UN rusted out parts of the kettle.
2nd we tried a pneumatic impact rod gun on it. Not much effect.
3rd we used a pneumatic wire wheel, for about an hr. we got a lot of brown & black gooey & dusty stuff out. big improvement could see lots of bare metal.
4th we used a pneumatic angel head grinder took out high spots & had it down to 90% + bare metal. This took almost an hr. as well.
5TH we sand blasted it.
At this point we pronounced it good & safe to use.

So I took it home washed it in hot soap & water 3 times.
Coated it with Crisco Canola oil , put it in the oven at 400* for an hr. to cure it.
Let it cool in oven for 5 hr.

I hope it is done & ready to use.:Fire::Fire:

[gbrown]

HI,
WELL THE DUTCH KETTLE/ COWBOY BEAN POT IS FINALLY DONE! I THINK!:Fire::Fire:

All I can say, if you love this stuff, you gotta put some time and effort into it. It's elbow grease and effort, but when you are through, you got a piece of fine, usable cookware. If taken care of, it will last many, many decades. Think of the grandchildren or great grandchildren. Just neat stuff.

[Moonie]

I used phosphoric acid to clean the rust out of a cast iron pan my oldest son brought me to season for him. Didn't leave it in long as there was just some surface rust. Steel wool after and into the oven at 350 for an hour covered with Crisco shortening. Worked perfectly. Now I need to clean the oven...

[leftiye]

I am not Rasmussen industries, just that fat lazy guy who lives in a hole in the ground here at sagebrush flats.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP.
I COULD NOT HAVE SAVED IT & MADE IT FOR SURE SAFE TO USE WITH OUT YOUR HELP.
Hope my father in law in heaven approves of our efforts to save & preserve a family heirloom.:Fire::Fire:

[Reload3006]

If the cast has been used for lead........... then what. If my stuff went up for auction, who would know it was used for smelting? I can't quite figure out how to mark it.

leave some lead in it

[Char-Gar]

Folks know I am a cast iron cooking nut and so they give me the old stuff in barns and garages that have been there for years, bucause it is too heavy for the lady of the house. All of it is rusty to one degree or another.

I take a wire brush that fits in the chuck of a hand electric drill, and remove the rust and gunk. I then give the inner surface a coat of cooking oil of some kind and put it in the over at about 350 for 45 minutes to an hour. I then remove it and cook with it and that is all there is to it.

With most cast iron I just wipe or scrape out the grease. I sometimes use on of the razor blade paint scrapers on the flat bottom inner surface. If it needs more to that, I use a plastic scrub brush and hot water. I never use soap. I will then dry the piece on the stove top and while still warm apply a little cooking oil with a paper towel.

A properly seasoned piece of cast iron is as stick free as teflon.

If you use cast iron for melting lead..NEVER SELL it where it might be used for cooking. Trash it in some way, that it will never be found and used.