Rusty Cast Iron

[insanelupus]

Fixin' to do some smelting. The pot I want to use is cast iron and pretty rusty as well as the ladles. They were used years ago by my dad and have turned pretty rusty.

How much, if any, do I need to clean this stuff up before I use it?

[NVcurmudgeon]

Depends on how bad the rust is. If it's big scabrous chunks of rust you might want to get rid of it before you start. If it's just a thin coating of rust it will float to the top and can be skimmed off with the rest of the dross. Main thing is be sure everything is dry.

[StrawHat]

Main thing is be sure everything is dry.

That's it, rust hides moisture

[sundog]

and do NOT breath any dust coming off of it while cleaning.