Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I have a lodge 9 inch fry pan that has a rough surface inside which isn't a problem about 90 percent of the time, when I cook something that I think may be a problem I cook it in my other pan that is smooth as glass and nothing sticks to. But since the other pans is so nice I feel this one could be just as good if I could smooth out the bottom. Has anyone here tried grinding, sanding or polishing a cast iron pan to remove the roughness?

Is it pitted metal or just buildup from cooking?
Build up just scrub hard or have sandblasted. Don't use any chemical cleaners that aren't food safe. Especially if used hot. Pores in cast iron will open when hot and trap chemical inside till cooking and will release into food.
If pitted....easier, cheaper to buy a new one.

The metal is rough from the mold. My other fry pan, also a Lodge, has grinding marks from the factory where it appears the sand texture from the mold has been removed. It is not roughness from a build up of the seasoning.

The main problem with the smaller pan is eggs, mostly when someone other than me cooks eggs in it. And that someone else likes the smaller pan because it isn't nearly as heavy.

I've also seen cast iron pans "ground" so that they're smooth. If they can grind one down, you should be able to grind or sand yours down. Go for it.

-Gus-

I did it. I tried it on a spoon drip pan first since I don't actually use that. I was pleased so I did it again to my lodge griddle pan. It took some time and energy to get it back seasoned right but when I did, it was absolutely worth it and I will be doing it to my Dutch oven and skillet too when I figure out how to do the sides right. My first couple of eggs stuck to the griddle but I didn't heat it up enough first so that was my fault. Its a perfect egg pan now.

Now the what did I do...... I used a RO sander with 80 grit to start. After burning up about 4 pieces of 80 grit, (cast iron kills sand paper fast) I switched to 150 grit. I finished with thoroughly blowing the dust out with the air compressor then washed it and straight into the oven to dry. Then started the whole reseasoning process. The griddle has no sides to speak of so no worries. I'm thinking that when it comes to the Dutch oven, I will use the RO sander for the bottom and a flap paper disk for the drill to refrain from screwing up the pans uniformity.

I should mention that this was all done on new lodge stuff with the same rough surfaces. I didn't hurt, maim, or kill any vintage CI in the process.

I have in recent years, resorted to a little Dremel tool touchup work with some casting defects that became obnoxious. Diamond impregnated bits and patience seems to work the best. Even the best CI made in the last few years isn't what it used to be.

Grandpa used to restore/repair cast iron by grinding and even welding (he was a professional welder and had the equipment/know how to do it.) He was able to perform miracles and put back into use even the most severely damaged cookware. I wish that I had payed more attention to how he accomplished what he did. Personally, I've never had the skill to go beyond minor spot corrections.

I used a 3" high speed sander with grinding discs on a cast iron sauce pan that I purchased. It too was very rough cast. I started out with 50 grit and ended up with 120 I think. I'm happy with how it turned out.

Not all sand paper/discs are created equal! You need those meant for working metal ((auto body shop as one source). One of my jobs involved preparing steel samples for microscopic analysis. This meat going from fairly course to very fine and finally polishing on a one micron diamond pad. Ultimately you can get a near mirror finish on Fe and you may be able to see the grain structure of the metal.

I've done it with a 9 inch fry pan that I found in the second hand store. Works great now, after some serious work getting the seasoning back.