Cast Iron Restoration - Chicago Hardware Foundry 8G Skillet

Cast iron restoration and seasoning process, using an electrolysis bath.
*not responsible for injury/death occurring from persons using techniques/equipment in this video*

[@crabtreeshep4969]

Great video Gregg! I throw ours into a brush pile when I burn. But if you don't burn brush or have an outdoor fire pit to burn in the self cleaning oven works really well. At any rate, thanks for posting and your seasoning procedure is spot on!

[@c.brionkidder9232]

exactly. I put mine in with the briquettes in the bbq and it comes out like just-cast

[@cprogrck]

Yeah exactly that lol. I'm glad some folks have sense. Fun to watch though

[@firmamentbubbleboyaskstobe7076]

In professional kitchens we just fill the pan up to the top with coarse kosher salt and put it on a flame to burn out the inside and outside. Suppose that if there is a lot of crap stuck to the handle you could just take a torch to burn it off. Reuse the salt. I would dump it out onto a sheet pan and let it cool, then keep it in a container to use again the next time. The salt just holds the heat in on the inside. Rinsed the pan with water and reseasoned it after wiping it dry. Burning it off is probably the quickest and easiest as others have mentioned.

[@19Bmiller]

When I was a kid we had a coal furnace. Once a year my mother would toss ours and my grandmothers cast iron pans in the furnace and in a day they would be like new and ready for seasoning.

[@andybilakshow260]

good one

[@SeattlePioneer]

I do the same, using my wood stove.

[@patrickcarey7692]

Wire brush wheel on a 4" grinder. Works great on metal, especially after the soda bath.

[@robjohnson8522]

In the same vien, I just put cast iron in the oven on self-cleaning cycle. They come out bare metal clean every time. No muss, no fuss.

[@dundonrl]

@@robjohnson8522 ditto

[@debbiecottrell3438]

Excellent video. Very thorough and clear. For your first, knocked it out of the park.

[@coolhand1964]

A tub of caustic soda, followed by a small tub of household vinegar will achieve even better results, with no requirement for electrolysis, the rust and crust washing off like toothpaste with just a garden hose. In the end it's just a case of patience and about 10 minutes elbow grease. The caustic bath and the vinegar can be used over and over. I have been doing this with cast iron, steel and brass items for years with excellent results. Just a toothbrush, cream cleanser and steel wool has items looking like they have been vapour blasted and chrome plated.

[@GodzHarleyGirlStudio]

Do you just go buy “caustic soda”?

[@HostileTakeover2]

@@GodzHarleyGirlStudio caustic soda = sodium hydroxide = lye

[@dperreno]

@@HostileTakeover2 Thank you. Caustic soda is not a commonly used term here in the U.S. We would call it either lye or sodium hydroxide.

[@melissataylor5977]

You could also use the wire wheel

[@sdo5517]

@@melissataylor5977 Not without destroying the value of the piece. Using that method you will go from a vintage piece worth $50 to $150 to being worth $0

[@waterlife.1905]

Sous Chef here, I would have used some course steel scrub pad then would re-season the pan and done. I believe the black carbon crusted to the pan is what gives its personality and performance. Good work though. Glad others have passion for old pans. They have souls. They have cooked many great meals and have been through many family gatherings.

[@shulamiteKINGSbride]

👍🩷

[@shannoncombs3036]

A soaking in a lye bath before you use the electrolysis removes the old seasoning and works great. The lye in old timers soap contained lye. Thats where people got to never use soap on cast iron. Modern dish soap do not have lye and are safe to use on cast iron. I've been restoring iron for 15 years. Your process is very well done on the reseasoning of the clean iron. The pan under your skillet is not necessary. If you have oil dripping off the skillet then it will have to be cleaned and redone. Dripping oil during that stage will leave a sticky blotchy seasoning and have to be removed. Drying the oil like you did is perfect so you will not have dripping oil and no catch pan is needed.

[@BillOweninOttawa]

You are so correct about soap. I use regular dish soap on mine all the time. And yes, my pans can pass the fried egg test, no problems!

[@tonyz6421]

NO Any soap will ruin you pan!!

[@johncassani4610]

I find putting it in your oven on self clean it bakes everything off the pan in just a few hours also save lots of time.

[@johnmc8785]

I've found that first soaking the the iron pans in lye solution for a week or two, followed by electrolysis, works best. The lye will remove the bulk of the accumulated seasoning, and increases the porosity of the layers it doesn't fully remove. The problem I've found with just electrolysis, is that electricity follows the path of least resistance, so any patches that not porous, aren't affected, because there is a lot more conducting surface area available.

[@robjohnson8522]

I just put cast iron in the oven on self-cleaning cycle. They come out bare metal clean every time. No muss, no fuss.

[@jordancpaul]

Cleaning cycle can be dangerous with a pan that has a lot caked on. The caked on material can actually catch fire and because the oven locks the door during the cleaning cycle, you can’t do anything about it if this happens. It’s fine your pan is not heavily caked, but if it is, you’re better off with the easy-off method.

[@robjohnson8522]

Well yeah, hit it with a putty knife first.

[@michaelbyrne8860]

Great video, my father was the better cook in our family and the iron skillets were his! You could cook out of them but don't clean them! That was his job! I remember him seasoning the skillets but I never stuck around for the whole process, I got it now thanks! Just purchased some skillets and a Dutch oven from Goodwill! Got some cleaning and seasoning to do! Thanks Byrne

[@kayBTR]

I took a crusty black iron skillet outside and put rag wet with ammonia on the skillet. Then put it in a plastic bag to keep the fumes inside. The bag keeps the ammonia from drying out. I left it on the patio a couple of days and the cooked on hard grime softened up and easily wiped off. The ammonia smells strong so you have to do it outside. But no getting a wire brush and fighting it. I re-wet some spots that didn’t come off the first time. Ammonia is so cheap and I was amazed how it softened the buildup.

[@Cherbear1565]

Outstanding I love the explanation of your process. I learned allot.

[@leabmore]

Crusty was perfect. I have one one crustier and smooth as teflon inside. Mine is about 100 years old from my grandmother. The patina is priceless….

[@katrinahuff9550]

I've acquired pans from barn sales, where they've been sitting and gotten rodent scat on them... And other used pans that you just don't know the history of where it's been.... You'd want to clean a mystery pan and preseason it. But I agree, if it came from family it looked fine.

[@jasonandersen5975]

@@katrinahuff9550 nope. That decades-old seasoning is priceless. A good washing will clean up and sterilize any undesirable stuff. Watching this video was a fascinating study in what not to do with cast iron.

[@1ACL]

Ikr? Why bother wrecking the seasoning

[@bobtexan592]

Nice job on the pan despite being labor intensive. I have been 'recycling' old iron for about 20 years. You seem to baby your iron while cleaning. My Gran taught me fire will do most of the cleanup for you. Initially I burn it in a bonfire & let it cool overnight in the ash. I get newer iron that has the sandy texture sometimes. I use a flap wheel to get a better smooth finish before the season process.

[@robjohnson8522]

I just put cast iron in the oven on self-cleaning cycle. They come out bare metal clean every time. No muss, no fuss.

[@candrakreuser3741]

@@robjohnson8522 So what do you do when they don't come out bare metal?

[@robjohnson8522]

@@candrakreuser3741 Never had it happen! 900 degrees eats anything. If it it ever did happen though I would use a longer cycle

[@Itsmeesandy1]

I enjoyed the video . Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@bryonlawrence6783]

Red hot bed And a fire pit for about six hours once a year is amazing makes them look brand new and ready to season and cook on

[@warren8534]

Wow, that came out really nice, good job there!!

[@marcrobyn4844]

I just started getting into restoring some cast and heard bout "electo" cleaning, pretty neat. That pan had a lot of heavy, caked on grime. I used easy off, sprayed it real good, wrapped in a trash bag and let them sit over night. That worked pretty good too. I then followed up with a drill and wire brush or scotch brit, steel wool or sand paper.

[@danbaldwin9511]

I tried the easy off in a plastic bag and it got off a lot of stuff, but even after a 3rd try it still would not penetrate most of the thick stuff. tried a wire brush on a drill. that worked a little and was labor intensive. I'll have to try the electrolysis method.

[@tonyz6421]

SANDPAPER 🤣 OH HELL NO

[@HLsab]

Thanks for a great straight forward vid , that’s a beautiful pan .

[@johnpeters9175]

Nice job on the video & the pan. I have a similar one from my grandmother; it doesn't have the "G" stamp. It's a great pan and the one I use 80% of the time.

[@PaganWizard]

I've used this method a few times. After each 48 hours, I would change the water for a clean and stronger solution.

[@lisahelm9016]

Nice job, I love my cast iron.

[@nedthemumbler9942]

Everyone has their own preferences but this way seem more scientific and that’s a bad ass pan . Glad you saved it.

[@gravewalkers]

To me, the two kinds of people are those who see it as a kitchen pan, and those who see it as a slab of cast iron from a machine foundry. Kitchen pan people are gentle. Metal foundry people treat it like what it is, cast iron, and take power tools to it. Wire brush it, sand bast it, grinders, power sanders, like body work on a car.. THEN SEASON IT. It is cast iron. The gentle treatment is not consistent with how it was made. First person to handle it, used an industrial grinder to remove the sprue and casting marks.

[@dougw3436]

Try this: put your crusty pans in the BBQ grill. Turn all burners on hi. All the crust will turn to ash. Then, proceed with scrubbing as usual. Works great!

[@artcastro8315]

Great Restoration 👍

[@b.c.9358]

I think using a sharp razor blade is pretty effective for scraping off caked on grime. You can test it out with a sacrificial piece of cast iron, it slides between the grime and the surfaces and doesn't leave scratches if you're careful. The pan was beautiful when you finished.

[@fishypictures]

I just keep cooking with mine… I clean it with hot water and a quick wipe out with sponge (soap not necessary ) I dry it on the stovetop and a spot of grape seed oil spread all over. Ready to go. I have five skillets and put into rotation.

[@quadq6598]

Excellent, thanks, watching from Liverpool UK

[@Fred-ff6bv]

bead blaster gets them perfectly clean all the way to bare metal, season with beef lard in 3 or more coats. 400 degrees until beef lard has carbonized, let it cool, apply next coat and 400 degrees again, cool and repeat.

[@howardsmaid3491]

Sandblast with walnut shell abrasive. Timesaver.

[@MinnieSpencer]

That might scratch it

[@AXNJXN1]

Absolutely not...

[@JohnWilliams-ee9el]

I’m pretty sure, on the hardness scale, cast iron is harder than a walnut shell. Probably why the commenter didn’t say steel shot.

[@MinnieSpencer]

@@JohnWilliams-ee9el ok thank you

[@AXNJXN1]

@@JohnWilliams-ee9el No, I get it, seriously but impregnated by blasting by walnut shell may or may not damage it but I’ve seen less processes damage softened CI so as a rule, it’s better to stay away from anything ‘blasting’. I’ve restored for many, many years, and built and used different media with a blast cabinets; I would encourage just to stay away from that practice.

[@marcuscicero9587]

thanks for the effort. result was top shelf. enjoyed the vid

[@TheFLOMAN76]

Nothing like the flavor you get from a good old cast iron skillet! Love my Dutch oven too!

[@livens100]

I always used a lye bath first to dissolve existing seasoning, then an electro tank like yours to get the rust. Lye will remove seasoning much faster and you won't have to manually scrape it off too much. Home Depot used to sell lye in the plumbing aisle as a clog remover, not sure if they still do.

[@sdo5517]

Ace Hardware carries 1# bottles of lye.

[@justincase5272]

Its cast iron. It doesn't need electrolysis. The crud coating it is carbon and needs to be heated to oxidation i.e., white ash temperature, preferrably over a good fire, if not in the coals. The iron shouldn't be allowed to get hotter than a dark red. Brush the ash off with a wire brush, and take it down to the bare metal. Wash with soap and hot water. Rinse in hot water and immediately dry. Coat with a room temperature grease and heat in oven to 350. Cool Coat with oil, and store. THAT'S IT. Total time: 4 hours.

[@louisevad6091]

Wow! That pan looks great. That took a while

[@MrTunalic]

Cleaning cycle in the oven for 3 hrs or 500 deg f. You can skip the whole 3 day + process. Everything turns to an ash and brushes off with a soft brush. Wash, dry and season!

[@paulkramer4176]

nice video. As others say, you can get that result with either just high heat or lye. We woodworkers use the electrolysis method on RUSTY things. It WILL strip paint pretty well, usually, but what it excels with is rust. It does NOT eat any iron, just common iron Rust. what does it do to it. Turns the red rust, (Fe203) into black rust (Fe3O4) Red rust is the common one we see with O2 present, it is fairly hard to remove. But Black rust will wash off fairly easily. Still, if you are doing this often, and have the washing soda and water set up, then it certainly works.

[@stephenbrinckerhoff3510]

Crazy to watch all this. My old man was in the service and when he wanted to deep clean the cast iron cookware, he would take it to the motor pool and throw it into the engine de-greaser pit for a while. After a good high-pressure wash it's ready for seasoning.

[@t1t0s89]

this is so low tech and simple. Thanks!

[@SuperLuckao]

Grandma's just cooked in vthe thy never just sat. So just apply grease and keep using it.

[@fustratedfisher]

Have to try this process with my grandfather's pans I have many from small single egg to 18" skillets , Thanks for the tips and info

[@samgibson684]

#2 Griswold is HIGHLY desirable

[@davidlewis4683]

The self cleaning mode on an oven will burn off the seasoning on a cast iron pan. Do that and follow up with your electrolysis should work a bit better.

[@marklemieux2015]

I've been using this method for a few years now. The better connections you have to your anode (NEG)and cathode (POS) the faster the process. I replaced the spring clips from the charger with 1/4" terminal to make the connections. With my 6 amp charger I've had much worse CI spray out clean with a garden hose in 24 hrs or less.

[@tootallsoloman248]

You CAN get the pan clean. My mother got a hold of her mother's cast iron skillet and cleaned and scrubbed it until it was nice and shiny. It took the better part of the day to get it that way. And then my grandmother had to tell her daughter that she did a bad thing and had to reseason the pan. After decades of working to get essentially a non-stick surface on that skillet my mother and grandmother had to start all over. A for effort mom. Sadly an F for the results

[@jonathanlong8682]

My ex wife tore me up for my hard work and efforts while she was away one day. I thought I had done so well.

[@willhopkins9808]

@@ralphbarrett2725 He didn't "destroy" the pan. He cleaned it, plain and simple. Although if he used shortening to season it, there would be no stickiness at all.

[@jasonandersen5975]

@@willhopkins9808 no, he just destroyed years’ of valuable seasoning.

[@aleset1]

Beautiful job!

[@SuperHooverdam]

Cleaned mine today after wife accidentally burnt food in it. Ran hot water and saw the ungodly pits. Set the oven to 500. Ran it upside down for an hour and repeated twice with oil both times. Came in later and the pan was shiny and black. Love my cast iron. Eggs slide off, bacon tastes great and steaks have nice crust.

[@gregcrabb3497]

Put it on a gas grill on high for a bit and all the crap will just brush off. I restored my grandmother's cast iron that way.

[@shuntawolf]

Good job! Came up in my recommended feed today. Quick search says BAKING SODA works good (hence your A & H soap) but Dollar General stores sell a couple pound box for a couple bucks. Search also says SALT helps with it the best. Might have to try my own suggestions after seeing this for sure. Love my old cast iron for sure.... I can only think of the memories that the decades of stuff had with it that you removed ... Sometimes if only old things like that skillet could talk huh?

[@F0XD1E]

Using electrolysis with table salt will produce chlorine gas, so do not do that inside at all, and stay upwind of it.

[@ShadowsDragoon]

I've always got friends that complain about not being able to find good skillets and I always tell them to get cast iron because it will outlive them and their kids. First complaint they throw out is "Ugh...It's so hard to take care of cast iron" and I always throw video's like this at them and say "No, it's not". But then again, this is coming from someone who inherited all of his mom's cast iron when she passed away and knows how to care for it.

[@dc8836]

You don't even need to baby cast iron. It's not seasoned well? Oh well - just add some oil to the pan like you would with stainless steel. Cast iron is literally just a large, heavy piece of shaped metal. Short of letting it rust for years and years, it doesn't need to be babied. The myths about not using soap are also just that... myths. Polymerized oil isn't going to come off with dish soap, not unless you're scouring it with steel wool or something.

[@ShadowsDragoon]

@@dc8836 Yup. Basically as long as you are gentle cleaning them and dry them well (I usually return it back to the burner and let it burn off the water when I wash mine), you'll never see a rust spot.

[@MrShwaggins]

Cast Iron is the easiest thing in the world to take care of. The hardest part is getting used to having a pan that holds onto heat much better than a nonstick or stainless pan. When I cook breakfast I take the cast iron out, heat it up, throw some coconut oil or even veggie oil in and give it a good wipe, cook my food, give it another good wipe and put it up after it cools down.

[@MrShwaggins]

@@dc8836 I never wash cast iron. I let flames purify it and season it properly. I'm lucky I don't have vegetarian friends. I wonder if some sandblasting would have been decent for that much grime or would it have even dented 100 years of use buildup?

[@chrislafever4350]

I've done brake drums this way. I hose them off every time I check it. Some of that stuff is leftover grease from cooking. Add a little more washing soda every time you rinse the pan.

[@josephd27]

The pan turned out really nice

[@buffalojoe78]

One very important thing to note is that I believe this process also splits the water into its molecular components so you need to make sure you do this in a well ventilated area so that you don’t build up Hydrogen gas for an explosion

[@davearonow65]

You say hydrogen gas explosion like that's a bad thing.

[@dlbeers1]

Hindyburger

[@rigograjeda3538]

cleaned 1000s of skillets, no explosion whatsoever

[@Adaephonable]

@@rigograjeda3538 I highly doubt that unless your work is skillet restoration.

[@tonyz6421]

🙄🤣omg

[@normweishaar8626]

I like this method I think I'll try it thank you again

[@reneejohnson5041]

awesome. Turned out Beautiful! Thank you. You should show us how you clean your oven too. 😂

[@jeanmeslier9491]

I have worked with cast metals for many years. Some metals, such as magnesium used for gear boxes and other applications that need to hold oil, are resin impregnated under vacuum. This fills the pores with resin. As someone pointed out, their Mother and Grandmother burnt the skillets. I used to use a hardwood fire to burn. the crud off. But now since my skillets are over 100 years old, I no longer want to burn them. I believe your problem here is that the skillet was painted. When people just displayed the skillets they would paint them black. All my skillets, as well as this one, has had the insides machined to a smooth surface. One feature of old iron. Lodge states that all their cast iron ware is made from ore smelted iron. I saw somewhere that someone was using old brake rotors to make cast cookware. A proper seasoning is absorbed into the iron and not a coating. Cast iron is porous.. Grease will eventually work through the skillet to form the crud on the outside. Old General Motors six cylinder engines were famous for leaking oil out of the cast iron block. Sigh, my skillets have all been washed in hot soapy water after every use for over 100 years. I expect to ruin them any day now. As I said before, a proper seasoning is absorbed into the iron and won't wash out. I have found that hog fat and olive oil are the best seasoning agents. Vegetable oil (soybean oil) forms a gummy residue which I personally don't like. Your results may vary. In any case, fry bacon in the skillet. Eat the bacon whilst frying more bacon. You will have a properly seasoned skillet and you will be full of bacon. The modern cast iron and by that I mean since the 19th Century, is properly cast steel. That gives it durability and strength.

[@stephenhines2795]

I wish there’s a place you can melon your old cast-iron and they would clean it up for you in the mail it back

[@eddie10191]

If this doesn’t teach a man to be patient. I have restored Griswold #8 and 3 BRS deep oval fish fryers with lids. In the end satisfying.😊

[@devinthomas4866]

Great restoration. Nice video. For the lazy folks out there, find a business nearby that does media blasting or powder coating. Ask them to strip your pans, dutch oven, skillet. I have a guy that charges $5 a pan. Looks like a shiny nickel when done. Season in oven, easy .

[@deborahcaldwell9775]

Well I think that’s beautiful. Such a nice deep pan, too

[@franciscobarajasochoa8615]

Amazing job

[@erichimes3062]

Suggestion: increase surface area of sacrificial metal with a perimeter of expanded steel, and also do a quick brush/spray of that metal mid-process to increase ion transfer.

[@tonyz6421]

He made it perfect anyway

[@jsweevil]

I usually burn off the grease/seasoning accumulations in the oven on clean serting and use electrolysis for removing rust. Although thick seasoning in the oven tends to smoke very badly, it does pretty quick work of the majority of it.

[@WhatEdThinks]

If you leave it in for like 5 or 10 days would it just be bare and no / minimal scrubbing?

[@shealdedmon7027]

Thanks excellent video. I'm a cast iron pan man myself.

[@johnnyrotten200]

I have a very similar Chicago foundry pan: also found at Goodwill years ago. Mine has an odd dimpled finish on it.

[@IronOakSawmill]

That's a hammered finish and very desirable. Treat it right, and save the collector value. Use it, and take good care of it.

[@samgibson684]

I have a hammered #8 dutch oven with lid, has no markings other than the 8 on the handle it's heavy but I don't get the impression it is real old... Cooks too nice to strip it down lol Home fried potatoes ... It's my go to!

[@IronOakSawmill]

@@samgibson684 If its cooking good, don't strip it down. It took years to build that seasoning

[@chrisssmallengines7163]

The paint scraper is good , even better if you sharpen the edge to a blade to be able to get under the layers of dirt .

[@GR8APE69]

Kitchen baking soda is a actually a hydrate complex which limits the pH to 8. If you throw it in to a pot and heat it it will "boil" off the water trapped inside and turn it in to actual baking soda with a pH of 13. That might help to speed up your electrolysis reaction.

[@robertm4050]

He said "Washing Soda" which is not the same as baking soda.

[@Oberon4278]

So that's... not exactly, technically accurate. I mean the hydrate part is but the pH part isn't. Solid materials don't have a pH. This may be confusing because you've probably heard things like "sodium hydroxide has a pH of _____" or "HCl is hydrochloric acid which has a pH of _____." (HCl is a gas, and gasses don't have a pH either. Hydrochloric acid is what you get when you dissolve HCl gas in water.) Anyway, pH the negative log of the concentration of H+ ions in an aqueous solution. So when someone says that your anhydrous baking soda "has a pH of 13" what they mean is that if you combine a specific amount of that powder with a specific amount of water, you will get a solution whose pH is 13. If you add more water, the pH will drop. If you add more baking soda... actually I don't know the equilibrium for sodium bicarbonate, is it 13? That's pretty high, so probably.

[@GR8APE69]

@Oberon4278 Thank you for the detailed response to my admittedly lazy comment. As they say, the devil is in the details, and when it comes to chemistry, seemingly pedantic distinctions can actually amount to what are significant qualitative differences. Additionally, I find this kind of stuff really interesting, but I speak from an admittedly "armchair" level position, so I am always happy to have someone more knowledgeable than myself go through my comments with a fine-tooth comb to straighten out the facts I didn't represent accurately. It curtails my spreading of misinformation and allows me the opportunity to learn more about something which I find so fascinating. So, thank you!

[@Oberon4278]

@@GR8APE69 FYI the thing that non-aqueous solutions have is a pKa. I forget what it measures but it's basically the potential pH if it were dissolved in water. (The p means it's a negative log, though.)

[@GR8APE69]

@Oberon4278 Maybe it measures potential hydrogen and hydroxy ions given a supposed concentration or Mol

[@newjourneys]

I have a tub that I use something like Crystal Lye drain opener in. It strips off all the gunk and seasoning, and doesn't harm the cast iron I put in there. It's cheap and does the job. After that, you deal with possible rust issues via either vinegar solution or electrolysis.

[@NoName-NNISOTBS]

Ty. Good job.

[@clarkcampbell5389]

Nice video watched the hole thing I use a torch and wire wheel .

[@IronOakSawmill]

Lye for gunk, then e tank for rust if needed. Soapy scrub with stainless steel scrubby. Cold water rinse. Heat to 250, original Pam, wipe dry. Bake 450. Pull and wipe after 10 minutes. Return to oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove and spray hot with original Pam Wipe dry. Heat and spray again, wipe dry, and you're good. That's my go to method. I steer clear of any blasting, wire wheels, and sanding.

[@djguy314]

Good job on the video. I've tried several methods and always end up with a sticky pan, I will try the flaxseed oil next time. I also have a very old small cast iron pan that the handle broke off of, I've been trying to find a way to weld it back on so it looks good as new

[@truckdrivinmilanr]

Flaxseed is the worst. Sure it looks good, but it flakes off too easy.

[@grantgarrod2232]

We use peanut oil on our cast iron. Lightly coat with paper towel, place in oven at 300F for 1 hour, repeat a 2nd time. Then wipe with dry paper towel, return to oven, shut off, & let cool overnight. Gives a very tough, dry, smooth finish every time. I do the same every fall with the cast iron grate at the bottom of our Weber grill, & while the coating burns off with use, it eliminates rusting quite well.

[@crabtreeshep4969]

@@truckdrivinmilanr How about the positive side, what kind of oil do you use?

[@truckdrivinmilanr]

@@crabtreeshep4969 grape seed oil or Crisco 400 degrees for 1 hour. Preheat the item for 10-15 minutes before the coating. 5-6 seasonings for a good finish.

[@crabtreeshep4969]

@@truckdrivinmilanr I always us Crisco and 4 times in the oven. Thanks for the response.

[@chrislafever4350]

If you don't have a manual battery charger, you can link in a car battery and constantly charge the battery. Works great.

[@mrchin7562]

You're so patient. I throw it into a campfire till the grease smokes off and then use an angle grinder with a brass wire wheel. For seasoning I heat it up real hot then spray some cooking oil on it. Ahahaha

[@tammywalton3819]

My Grandma just soaked them in a big wash barrel with red devil lye. I still have & use her skillets to this day.

[@shulamiteKINGSbride]

That's a beauty.

[@paulpowell9579]

First vid??? You did great.

[@deborahdanhauer8525]

All of you people complaining and criticizing, give it a rest! There is more than one way to do a thing. Kindness will not kill you. Please stop acting as if it would.

[@iamnoone.]

Got that pan clean. How about that oven. What a mess

[@kirstentullock9908]

Nicely done! I find a clean cycle in the oven works well. Not sure of the cost difference? Three to 4 hr + done w/o any fuss or muss! Cleaned + done with a powder residue to wipe off.

[@robjohnson8522]

YES! I am shocked that is not more common knowledge! A lot of folks here in the comments are working really hard!

[@emicat3294]

I use the oven cycle on my everyday cast irons. Unfortunately, when I get one that's in rough shape, it doesn't work.

[@robjohnson8522]

@@emicat3294 Set a longer clean cycle! :)

[@ethelryan257]

@@robjohnson8522 I think you have to remember that many modern ovens have poor cleaning cycles. I use a GE P7 from 1974 on the three hour self clean setting and it removes everything down to the bare metal. Of course, it sits outside on the patio, so no stink.

[@robjohnson8522]

@@ethelryan257 " think you have to remember that many modern ovens have poor cleaning cycles. " I did not know that! Interesting

[@ashleyjennings5224]

I use a steel Brillo pad to get the grease off, and then use my husband's bead blaster to get it down to the bare metal. The whole process takes about 30 minutes and it is ready to be seasoned.

[@zzsquatchzz5079]

I have done a hard reset with cast iron by putting it in a hot fire in my fireplace over night. By morning I have a bare metal surface to start reseasoning.

[@DawnDBoyerPhD]

I bought cast iron from thrift stores and sand blasted it then reseasoned it - good as new!

[@martybeckman5178]

Very impressive

[@herbiesnerd]

It’s seems that as soon as you put a wire brush or metal scraper to the pan, you defeated the reason to use electrolysis in the first place. Did you try heating and oven cleaner? I’ve done electrolysis on a 100 year old cast iron muffin pan. I took off 100% of rust and corrosion but I don’t think it works on baked on grease, etc. Ok, I commented above before the video was over. Flax Seed Oil: I have to share with you my experience. About 8-10 years ago, I learned about Flax Seed oil for seasoning pans after extensive research. Flax Seed oil is a hardening oil. It leaves a wonderful smooth hard finish, unlike vegetable oil which leave a rancid gummy coating. I seasoned about 8-10 cast iron pans, Dutch ovens, etc AND a steel Paella pan. They came out gorgeous. Fast forward………..I don’t know when the nightmare began, but not long after all these pans began to be used again, but the finish began to flake off the bottom. ALL, not some, ALL of those gorgeous black finishes began to flake off, into the food no less. I’m talking hundreds of little tiny black brittle flakes. It was a nightmare. Every use, more kept flaking off. I had to scour with steel wool to remove all the flax oil finish. My then girlfriend who is a trained chef thought a miracle happened to her pans, is now my wife and won’t let me touch her pans anymore. I only use vegetable oil anymore.

[@oh1226]

We put our pots in the oven while it is self cleaning and all the stuff falls off. A little more smoke up makes the iron pots like new.

[@andershuuskoCiS]

Great video man. Was the oven at 350f the whole process?

[@mattw5265]

Like the video, how well does it fry an egg?

[@mcesarey]

I would think a drill with one of those rubber/plastic gasket removal attachments would work well for this...I'll have to try it next time I do this

[@jalopywrench]

Build a good fire in a wood stove, fireplace, fire pit, etc. Throw the skillet in the fire and let the fire burn itself out. In the morning reseason the skillet and you're done.

[@davidbwa]

Interesting. Thanks

[@wedgelewis7903]

Good job. I did that one time. But in a bond fire. And connected several coat hangers to it. That thing got so hot it was scary. Thought it was gonna melt. Embers would fall in it and vaporize. Seasoned it like you. Gave it back to fellow. Later he said that he fried some bacon and it didn't stick. The skillet was like nonstick. That had to have been a fluke. Because bacon will stick.

[@MinnieSpencer]

Not if the cast iron is seasoned right

[@Shaker626]

A good seasoning will keep even bacon from sticking.

[@trunks7410]

so someone explain to me why you would want to take off almost a century of seasoning

[@nicewilbur1]

well done, G.

[@greggminkoff6733]

You definitely complicated a very simple job. Experience is the best teacher. Now that you've learned what NOT to do, let's get you pointed in the right direction. First you needed an 80 grit flat wheel on your 4½ inch angle grinder. The benefit of doing this is not only do you remove the old seasoning and rust but you get an ultra smooth finish. Thoroughly washed with soap and water. Immediately dry off the skillet and heated up to at least 200° to remove any moisture. The Art of getting a durable coating of seasoning it's not that hard to do. You must be patient and go through this process 4 to 6 times before cooking. You will find that the best results come from a minimal coating of oil. I've tried every oil except motor oil. I personally get the best results from Crisco. When you oil your cast iron before you put it in a 400° oven for 1 hour you should be using an old cotton T shirt to wipe any excess oil. Your skillet should look shiny but be almost dry to the touch. Too much oil makes for a sticky finish when cooled. Thin layers only.i

[@CrimeVid]

Why not just dump them in caustic soda ? I used to degrease iron stuff in a big bucket of hot caustic soda, it does not take days to do either !

[@greggminkoff6733]

@@CrimeVid Caustic soda is corrosive and toxic and seeps into the pores of the cast iron. Think of cast iron as a metal sponge filled with tiny pores and passages. You would never be able to get out all the caustic soda in the cast iron. Every time you heated the skillet the toxins would leech out and make you very sick. The very same reason you don't sandblast your cookware, you become susceptible to silicone poisoning. You want to stay away from chemical processes when it comes to your food. I still use cast iron skillets that were my grandmother's from 1915.

[@shannoncombs3036]

Been restoring iron for 15 years in all kinds of shape. Never ever have I had to take a grinder to one. A smooth iron surface just invites new seasoning to lift off later. The smooth surface comes with tiny and layers of cooking. My pans can slide melted cheese around like a Teflon pan and never had a grinder on them .

[@shannoncombs3036]

@@CrimeVid Correct. I use drain opener that contains lye. That eats the organic seasoning off the skillets. Then one day in electrolysis then seasoning cycles.

[@johncassani4610]

By doing this method you fill in the poor's of the cast iron and will not get a good season.

[@physics77guy]

Good work... Next video cleaning your oven glass

[@jamesmcmillen4828]

Build yourself a "forge" of sorts. Anything that can withstand high temps. Use lump charcoal and a leaf blower. Toss in the pan and give it a good firing. 10 mins later, give it a wire brush scrub and a wash. It'll be perfectly clean and ready for seasoning.

[@popholmes5825]

put cast iron in an electric self cleaning oven put on clean cycle.Put a pizza pan under the cast iron to catch the gunk that falls off from the outside of the iron pan. Comes out with all that gunk loose that rinses off no scrubbing at all. Surprised that other people don't do this. Works for me.

[@cynthiawesley2318]

Not worth da risk of warping, getting a spinner, or starting a house fire. It WORKS, but too risky especially on an OLD PIECE OF HISTORY.

[@popholmes5825]

@@cynthiawesley2318 Apparently you haven't tried this. It doesn't warp or cause house fires. Stands to reason if you can put it on top of a stove without damage you can put it in an oven. I have did it on Wagner pieces with no damage. I'm not one to work my ass off on cast iron if there is an easier way and this is it.

[@cynthiawesley2318]

No I knew better & advised a friend NOT to do so. She DID it & now have a rocky spinner. But to each it's own. 125 yrs RUINED. But,,, we must agree to disagree. Doesn't happn errrrtime. Happy yours was/is a success. Happy Casting.🙂

[@marksieber4626]

Did that once and smoked up the whole damned house.

[@cynthiawesley2318]

@@marksieber4626 Bet that was fun huh?🤣🤣🤣 For 2 or 3 days. In da blinds, curtains, furniture etc.

[@thomaslemay8817]

Your skillet is designed for use on a flat top wood burning stove, with the round removal plates. Common oven cleaner works quite well to break off up the carbon coating that is caused by cooking oil or animal fat via capillary action migrating up the sides of the skillet and down the outside where the heat and air causes it to oxidize into that smooth non-stick carbon coating that you have all over the pan. Do you use the oven cleaner I just warm the pan up not too hot Take It Outside where I don't have to smell the fumes and get upwind of it and spray it on there do it a few times and rinse it off with a garden hose I have a very flexible metal putty knife was rounded corners that I used to scrape off the difficult areas in the same manner that you did.

[@mrsseasea]

Great video, might want to consider a lye bath then electrolysis, less work same outcome.

[@Thaskateguy]

Must have really liked that skillet.

[@4thdimensiontravels855]

You can't buy a good skillet new these days. 100 year old iron is the way to go for any pan job.