New DO Seasoning Problem

[Ken/Peg]

I decided to start over, so I scoured it again with SOS, rinsed it good with hot water, dried it, put it in the oven at about 170 for 20 minutes to be sure it was dry. Cranked up the heat to 450, took it out and oiled it, wiped it as dry as I could with paper towel, and back in at 450 for 2 hours.

It came out the same as before - with a mottled look to it. Oh well, I am going to just cook with it and expect that it will look better and better with repeated use.

Thanks for the suggestions!
Ken

[ironhead]

Kevin,
I don't have any before pics, but it was a uniform finish. As far as prep work, I first scoured it with an SOS pad to remove some rust on the bottom and a few lumps on the inside. Then a rinse with plenty of hot water. It was dried, then put in the oven at about 350 or so for about 15 minutes. Taken out, canola oil applied inside and out, wiped down with a paper towel, and then put into a 400 degree oven, upside down, for almost 2 hours. When it came out, it looked like you see, so I re-oiled and put back in the oven for another hour, with no change in the look.
Ken

I believe the oil you used is the culprit. This method from Wags is the best I've used on the net.

Once a piece is fully cleaned and dried put it in the oven "naked"; no oil of any kind and heat it to 450°F. Leave it in long enough to just reach that temperature. Be careful and remove the piece from the oven and let it cool to where you can just handle it. This step works great for slightly darkening the peice and giving it a uniform appearance. No one likes a spotted or zebra stripped piece. Use Crisco shortening only and use a cotton rag (t-shirt) to apply a thin/very light coat on the entire piece. If there are tight nooks and crannies to fill in, use a Q-tip.

Once completely and lightly coated (note: we stress a LIGHT coat), put it back in the oven at 400°F for 30 (use a timer) minutes and at that point turn off the oven and leave it in the oven till it cools on it's own.

When you remove the piece it will have a nice dark brown uniform pantina that shines brightly.

You can repeat with one or more coats of Crisco, if you like, but you'll be happy none the less.

[Kevin A]

Kevin,
I don't have any before pics, but it was a uniform finish. As far as prep work, I first scoured it with an SOS pad to remove some rust on the bottom and a few lumps on the inside. Then a rinse with plenty of hot water. It was dried, then put in the oven at about 350 or so for about 15 minutes. Taken out, canola oil applied inside and out, wiped down with a paper towel, and then put into a 400 degree oven, upside down, for almost 2 hours. When it came out, it looked like you see, so I re-oiled and put back in the oven for another hour, with no change in the look.
Ken

I believe the oil you used is the culprit. This method from Wags is the best I've used on the net.

Once a piece is fully cleaned and dried put it in the oven "naked"; no oil of any kind and heat it to 450°F. Leave it in long enough to just reach that temperature. Be careful and remove the piece from the oven and let it cool to where you can just handle it. This step works great for slightly darkening the peice and giving it a uniform appearance. No one likes a spotted or zebra stripped piece. Use Crisco shortening only and use a cotton rag (t-shirt) to apply a thin/very light coat on the entire piece. If there are tight nooks and crannies to fill in, use a Q-tip.

Once completely and lightly coated (note: we stress a LIGHT coat), put it back in the oven at 400°F for 30 (use a timer) minutes and at that point turn off the oven and leave it in the oven till it cools on it's own.

When you remove the piece it will have a nice dark brown uniform pantina that shines brightly.

You can repeat with one or more coats of Crisco, if you like, but you'll be happy none the less.

I agree, the Canola oil may be the problem, I've never used anything but Crisco to season iron.. I'm also wondering if the soap in the SOS pads may be causing a problem.

[Ken/Peg]

I may try it once more and follow these steps, but my dear wife may leave town until the smoke clears. Hmmm.... Any suggestions for how to be sure the soap is completely removed? Vinegar?

Thanks,
Ken

[Laredo]

SOS pads kill cast iron.

(Don't ask me how I know. It's like that song about "sell your truck while it's still running.")

If you have used an SOS pad on your cast iron ... you must clean that detergent residue from the SOS pad off with something that gets down in all the little pits and crannies of the cast iron. The cheap option is white vinegar and a plastic scrubbee pad. The easy option is white vinegar and a green Scotty pad, and if you want to get done the same stinking day you start, affix the Scotty pad to a stripped-out sander/buffer disc base and power it with a drill (or put the pad on a hand sander from the woodshop, you choose).

You may also want to try something effervescing -- soda pop or a mix of vinegar and baking soda ...

[Ken/Peg]

Laredo, a quick question for you - at this point, do I need to remove the seasoning I've done before using the Coca Cola to get at the SOS soap residue? If so, what do you suggest I use to remove it?
Thanks,
Ken

[Dean in Eureka, CA]

SOS aint good and I wouldn't advise on using steel wool either.
I'd switch to the Scotch-Brite type scubbing pads...
A good soaking and scrubbing with vinegar should do the trick.
Something else... When I coat my cast iron with Crisco, I spend a bit of time massaging to work it down into the pours of the metal real good.
You have to be carefull not to use too high of a temperature when seasoning you stuff too...
I did that once with some skillets and the seasoning came out all flakey looking.

[Ken/Peg]

Well, I gave it one more try.
Soaked it in vinegar and baking soda, scrubbed with a scotch brite pad. Then got a scotch brite drill attachment and took as much of the badly accumulated crud off as I could. Cleaned with soap and water, dried on the stove, and then into the gas grill to 400 degrees. Taken out, oiled, with Crisco, and back into the grill, upside down, for 30 minutes.
The result is better, and I will add another couple of layers of Crisco over the next few days.
Then it'll be time to start using it.
Thanks for all the input.
Ken

[Laredo]

glad Dean in Eureka saw this in time to be helpful.

a good seasoning is a work of art ... sometimes literally.

(Note to self: don't store the cast iron where the kid can spill two-stroke
oil on it.)