Cast iron appreciation thread

[bamakettles]

Looks and sounds wonderful....


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[PKSullivan]

The steak wasn't bad, either.


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[HoosierKettle]

Looks great PK. I utilize that method also. 


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[Seth1025]

This was my latest restore. BSR Century #14 15inch skillet that was in near perfect shape after stripping and re-seasoning. 


The One The Only

[jhagestad]

@Seth1025 that is one nice looking restore!

[PKSullivan]

@Seth1025 how do you strip and season your cast iron? I've got a couple pieces that need it and only managed to muck up my Dutch oven worse than it had been. The seasoning won't adhere; it just flakes off in huge sheets. I want to strip & smooth out my 12" skillet, since it's so bumpy from the factory, but I hesitate to try given my poor results with the Dutch oven.


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[Seth1025]

@PKSullivan I use an electrolysis tank to strip cast iron.   It is easy to build and will take old seasoning and rust off the cast iron without damaging the pan.  All you really need is a manual battery charger (not a smart charger), a bucket or plastic bin, arm and hammer washing soda (laundry not baking) and an anode (I use a stainless steel bowl from the thrift store).   The washing soda makes the water conduct electricity I use a 1/2 a cup per 5 gallon bucket.   The red clip goes onto the anode the black clip goes on the pan and the electricity takes the rust and old seasoning towards the anode.  The pan then gets a good scrub with bar keepers friend and a stainless scrubber, then a scrub with dawn, but it should come out completely stripped of old seasoning and rust.  I currently have an 8" skillet in the tank that has been there for 3 days just bubbling away. 


I have used the polishing method with the paint stripper wheel, and also the wire wheel method but found that while it removes old seasoning and rust and will smooth out rough cast iron, the pans are very difficult to re-season afterwards.   If I get a pan that is not collectible and I feel is rough,  I will use very abrasive sand paper 40-80 grit to remove the roughness but not smooth it out to the point it will no longer take the seasoning.  I leave some texture and only remove the roughness.  I had to do this with my Craycourt griddles for the Go-Anywhere.

When I get them stripped and cleaned, then it is time to re-season with vegetable oil at 450 for 1 -2 hours in the oven or the Weber Q220 checked with the inferred thermometer.  I apply the vegtable oil then wipe off all I can.  You want thin coats that can cure.  Too thick and it takes longer than the 1-2 hours to cure, gets sticky and will flake off.  I usually go 5-6 thin coats of seasoning sometimes up to 10.   

[PKSullivan]

Ah, that must be where I went wrong. I really smoothed out the Dutch oven so the oil must not be finding its way into cracks to adhere. I might be able to borrow a battery charger from my dad next time I see him. The rest of the setup is easy enough. I certainly have enough 5 gallons buckets.


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[Seth1025]

@PKSullivan Very thin coats of seasoning help on very smooth cast iron.  You could always sand the dutch oven a little, to give it some texture.  I have also heard of guys using a vinegar bath to etch the surface but I would look further into that before trying. . 

[PKSullivan]

I've been very careful when seasoning to apply very thin coats. Followed the advice that the pan should look almost dry. Still got big sheets of the oil coming off.


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[HoosierKettle]

I've been very careful when seasoning to apply very thin coats. Followed the advice that the pan should look almost dry. Still got big sheets of the oil coming off.


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I've had the best results cleaning and maintaining seasoning using the serious eats methods. I also used their method for stripping and re-seasoning.
https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/09/how-to-clean-maintain-cast-iron-pan-skillet-cookware.html

If you have flaking, there must be some surface contaminant. Maybe rust or something else? 

Sounds like you might need to strip it. Do you have any pictures? 


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[HoosierKettle]

As far as smoothing a lodge skillet, I don't find it necessary but i have used smoothed one out using 100 grit sand paper and a vibrating sander. Like Seth said you don't need it glass smooth. I only smooth out the peaks. I don't try and sand it down to completely smooth. I scrub with soap and steel wool then season.  I also don't find it necessary to strip the entire pan unless I buy a used piece. Then I strip it bare and start over.


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[PotsieWeber]

@Seth1025 -I've read that some people don't like this method because it will come out with some sort of black stuff on the iron that you need to clean off before it dries.  However, I've also read that only happens if there are certain impurities in your water or what you use.  I take it you haven't had that problem & the picture is taken as the pan was removed?

@PKSullivan I use an electrolysis tank to strip cast iron.   It is easy to build and will take old seasoning and rust off the cast iron without damaging the pan.  All you really need is a manual battery charger (not a smart charger), a bucket or plastic bin, arm and hammer washing soda (laundry not baking) and an anode (I use a stainless steel bowl from the thrift store).   The washing soda makes the water conduct electricity I use a 1/2 a cup per 5 gallon bucket.   The red clip goes onto the anode the black clip goes on the pan and the electricity takes the rust and old seasoning towards the anode.  The pan then gets a good scrub with bar keepers friend and a stainless scrubber, then a scrub with dawn, but it should come out completely stripped of old seasoning and rust.  I currently have an 8" skillet in the tank that has been there for 3 days just bubbling away. 


I have used the polishing method with the paint stripper wheel, and also the wire wheel method but found that while it removes old seasoning and rust and will smooth out rough cast iron, the pans are very difficult to re-season afterwards.   If I get a pan that is not collectible and I feel is rough,  I will use very abrasive sand paper 40-80 grit to remove the roughness but not smooth it out to the point it will no longer take the seasoning.  I leave some texture and only remove the roughness.  I had to do this with my Craycourt griddles for the Go-Anywhere.

When I get them stripped and cleaned, then it is time to re-season with vegetable oil at 450 for 1 -2 hours in the oven or the Weber Q220 checked with the inferred thermometer.  I apply the vegtable oil then wipe off all I can.  You want thin coats that can cure.  Too thick and it takes longer than the 1-2 hours to cure, gets sticky and will flake off.  I usually go 5-6 thin coats of seasoning sometimes up to 10.

[Seth1025]

@PotsieWeber I have never found it difficult to remove the black sludge and build up after it comes out of the e-tank.  This maybe because of the Birmingham City water or because I'm only using a  4 amp charger.   The barkeepers friend and stainless steel scrubber requires some elbow grease but nothing too excessive.   Usually 5-10 minutes depending on the size of the pan.  I have also heard of people using magic erasers after the Bar Keepers Friend and the Dawn while others are not concerned that paper towels still get the back residue on them drying the pan.   Here is a site that better explains the black buildup.  https://www.metaldetectingworld.com/remove_black_coating_p27.shtml

The picture above was taken after it had been scrubbed.   Most pans are not this shiny.   

[PotsieWeber]

Thank you @Seth1025.  From what I read, a lower current is better to prevent as much buildup, so I might try something lower.  I also read that deionized water might help, so I might do some test pieces with regular Chicago water & then deionized. 

I was thinking about throwing in a plain old black SJ, to see how the porcelain holds up.  But, then it occurred to me that if you tried it with a colored kettle that had a bit of cracking, crazing, or whatnot, that if you get any of the black sludge, that may wind up IN the cracks, be difficult to clean & basically make the cracks MORE noticeable.  So, I'm thinking more proven methods would need to be used on porcelain, but if anyone has tried electrolysis on a bowl or lid, I'd be interested to hear what happened. 

@PotsieWeber I have never found it difficult to remove the black sludge and build up after it comes out of the e-tank.  This maybe because of the Birmingham City water or because I'm only using a  4 amp charger.   The barkeepers friend and stainless steel scrubber requires some elbow grease but nothing too excessive.   Usually 5-10 minutes depending on the size of the pan.  I have also heard of people using magic erasers after the Bar Keepers Friend and the Dawn while others are not concerned that paper towels still get the back residue on them drying the pan.   Here is a site that better explains the black buildup.  https://www.metaldetectingworld.com/remove_black_coating_p27.shtml

The picture above was taken after it had been scrubbed.   Most of are not this shiny.