reserecting old and abused cast iron

[bobhenry]

I am in hopes this will become a repository of information on ways to put old cast iron back into service !

I had little respect for cast iron until I met you folks. Almost everything I tried to cook in the couple old skillets cluttering the kitchen stuck. God help ya you couldn't fry an egg without breaking the yoke. So they went to the bottom of the pile or ostracized to the garage.

Of course I had no clue how to care for them. Scrub the hell out of them with hot soapy water to remove the first couple layers of stuck on food then grab a steel wool pad to grind off the next 2 layers. Rinse wipe (Kinda) and toss in the pan drawer. Looking back.... what an idiot.

Enter the new dawn we now cook dinner and immediatly fill the cookware as soon as it is empty with water almost to the top and let it boil. As soon as it boils I dump it and scrub lightly with a scotchbrite pad and warm water place it back on med heat to dry and spray with vegatable oil. Each time it gets better and better.

I went to the garage 2 months or so ago and found two 3 - 4 qt bail handle chicken friers that I had tossed out there many years ago. They were severly rusted and had been badly ignored. I brought them in to ressarect them.

I had read here about coca cola and vineagar and electrolisis and simply tossing them in a bon fire. The electrolisis sounded to Tom Swift and the risk of cracking them from over fireing them was not any more palatable so I chose to combine the other 2.

In the worst frier I poured in two regular coca colas and adder 4 ounces of white vinegar covered it and brought it to a boil. I dumped out the mixture and saved it. I scrubbed the frier expecting a total renovation.
I ground off a little surface rust and some of the lime deposits but little else. Disgusted I thought of another tact I added all the cooking grease collected for the next week or so to the mixture and let the mixture "work" The grease rose to the top congealed and did little else.
Another attempt at scrubbing while stubbornly keeping my mixture. The white lime deposits were gone but the rust stubbornly hung on except around the edge where the grease had risen to the top. Disheartened but not beaten I replaced the mixture and brought it all to a boil and added dish washing liquid to act as a surfactant. The mixture boiled and was stirred to mix thoroughly. I let it cool and then bagged it in a garbage bag put on the lid and placed it out of the way.

Fast forward 2 months I was given a very old cast iron skillet and lid by a neighbor and wanted to remove the rust and lime and I remembered my forgotten science experiment. As I lifted the lid I was greeted with a golden almost orange gelationus mixture. It had a consistancy about like paste wax. I heated it and poured it off, again saving it. I was staring at a beautiful cast iron pot. A soapy scrubbing and rinse then a load of clear water was brought to a boil then a second soapy wash with the scotchbrite pad and a quick rinse and left to dry on a front burner of the stove. A heavy spray of vegatable oil and it is ready to rock and roll.

I took the warm 2 month old mixture and used it with the scotchbrite pad to scrub the gift skillet and followed all the same steps . In less than a half hour it was ready to cook.

All I KNOW IS IT WORKED FOR ME !!!

[eamarquardt]

Once I finish my air compressor I plan on getting some walnut shells and blasting some stuff I have. Walnut shells worked really well on an old Honda engine so we'll see. Anyone tried this?

Cheers,

Gus