Electrolysis vs Vinegar bath Part 2 - Cleaning Cast iron

[@brandonnelson4164]

The vinegar is what pitted the pan. You left it Too long

[@turdferguson5300]

This is my experience with vinegar, vinegar will remove rust but it also attacks cast iron even at 50% mixed with water. It will make the pitting worse. Usually if you limit the exposure to 30 minutes and scrub the piece vinegar is ok. Pinkish colored cast iron is a sign of heat damage so I avoid fire cleaning. I'm an electrolysis fan myself, it's hard to mess that up. Your solid heat ring #3 is a Birmingham Stove & Range, Red Mountain Series which makes it a 1930 - 1940s model. BS&R handles will have the ridge or "V" shape on the bottom.

[@clairebaker5020]

I never knew that vinegar could be effective on cast iron. Really appreciate the 2 videos you posted!

[@CookingWithCastIron]

+Claire Baker Thanks for letting me know! =)

[@d.e.b.b5788]

If you're going to take a wire wheel or sandpaper to it, you don't have to bother with the vinegar or electrolysis. Just use the abrasives to remove whatever's on the surface of the iron, clean, and re-season it. Saves all that time. Oh, and you don't need any special oil; lard or bacon fat will work just fine to season your pans, and you get to eat whatever you cooked in it, too. When you're done cooking, just wipe out the pan with a paper towel, any bits that are stuck you just scrape out with a rigid paint scraper (a clean one, please!) and then wipe around again to make sure a bit of the leftover oil/fat coats the iron. People try to make this way too complicated. It gets seasoned by USING IT!

[@TheLayinLo]

Seasoned by using it! That’s what grandma always said. She also said to never use bacon grease or lard. We use flax seed oil. Heat it up right to the point of smoking. Best preseasoning you’ll ever do. Trust me and try it.

[@tarahspencer5532]

I got three brand new cast iron skillets, and it inspired me to restore my mom's skillet. I don't have an oven, so the self cleaning thing was out. I used a cut potato and salt and scrubbed it, took all the rust off, but not the burnt on oil gunk. Still looks much better than it did before!

[@CookingWithCastIron]

+tarah spencer Good deal. Have you tried soaking them in vinegar for a few days?

[@tarahspencer5532]

No, I hadn't even heard about it until I saw your video. I think I'll have to try it, then do another salt scrub. Thanks!

[@CookingWithCastIron]

+tarah spencer Cool, let me know how it turns out!

[@tarahspencer5532]

+Cooking With Cast Iron - I will, thank you!

[@forsuretina]

You don't need it even close to a thousand degrees to cook off the old buildup, that's an insane temperature. Literally that is red hot.

[@fredcdobbs823]

My wife left corn heating in a Faberware 6-qt pot leaving 3'' of carbon in it. I put a pint of ammonia in it, forgot that I left it out three weeks in winter, & found it with a mushy black sludge which rinsed right out. Still using it!

[@jsangel567]

Thanks for the great video! I just started using electrolysis for cleaning rusty hand tools but didn't even think about that process being able to remove carbon build up. Tried just a wire brush and drill but it was very slow going! Subscribed and look forward to more videos!

[@LEO-xo9cz]

Carbon is conductive.

[@scrumpymanjack]

I read that you should NEVER leave cast iron in a vinegar bath for more than half an hour at a time. Exceeding 30 minutes will harm the cast iron itself. Also, vinegar is used expressly to remove rust, not the crud on the pan. For that, you need to treat it using a lye bath. So this method you're using seems all wrong.

[@NotBySight]

You are ABSOLUTELY correct sir!

[@chuckmiller5763]

Vinegar wont usually touch the carbon, but will do great on rust, use lye for the carbon. Draino works for carbon too, its the same thing basically.

[@susana5052]

If it’s pitted it can’t be used? I’m not familiar about pitting and CI pans.🥴

[@singingcowboy674]

I left my pan in vinegar for 2 days. Cleans good but then put it in the oven for a cleaning cycle. On exit there was a fine coat of rust all over it. Cleaned and acraped and put back in vinegar. I wonder if baking soda added to the vinegar would help along the process.

[@SirThunderPants]

Pretty cool . Wonder what would happen if you tried electrolysis in vinegar.

[@CookingWithCastIron]

JustSomeGuy HHmmm I do have 5 more pans to restore..... =)

[@geffreyjewell6546]

Fire is a great tool, oven cleaner is good too, but I can't build a fire here in town and my oven is not a self cleaner. I use lye baths, then electrolysis. I have just purchased 3 gallons of vinegar to see what it can do for me. I'm having a whale of a lot of fun playing around with this stuff. My mother's frying pan that she got as a wedding gift 70 years ago is in the lye bath as we speak.

[@susana5052]

I had no idea that an Electrolysis tank would work on rust. I even worked in a Electrolysis company that we built from ground up. I thought it was only good for finishes. Can you explain some more about how you made your electroless tank? Maybe that would be a good place for you to start a new post? It’s a real bummer you’re not posting any more and haven’t for years.😢

[@jdlvtrn1]

had a large cast iron kettle with a narrow opening. Decades of flaky orange rust, limited access with a power tool. Soaked in Apple Cider vinegar for a week, used a brass soap free scrubber, re-seasoned with lard in slow oven 1 hour = like NEW!

[@JustKiddingPro]

Those are looking great! Well done!

[@CookingWithCastIron]

JustKiddingPro Thanks!

[@MikeJones-yf2xx]

Why not use a wire wheel on the .carbon?.

[@Sacgirl03]

I just bought some old cast iron cup pulls that were covered in paint which I stripped. There's a black layer on top that didn't come all the way off. I don't think it's paint but some kind of outer coating to make them black. Any suggestions on how to strip it off? Do you think vinegar do the trick?

[@haji727]

I’ve tried both and personally I like the electrolysis better.

[@MrStropparo]

Arch oil makes a rust remover that takes it down to bare metal in minutes. Won't harm iron or harm you. Check it out.

[@CookingWithCastIron]

Huh, I will that sounds interesting, thanks!

[@RaySDJ86]

I just received a cast iron pan it has very little rust on the bottom of it and it might have a small rust spot in the pan would I have to go through all that trouble it clean that off or can I scrub it off with vinegar??

[@CookingWithCastIron]

+RaySDJ86 I would start with the least invasive.Try to scrub it off with vinegar. surface rust should be easy to get off. Then season it properly and you will have a good pan!

[@RaySDJ86]

+Cooking With Cast Iron thanks bud!! It came right off I've went through the seasoning process 3 times there's no sign of it and the bacon is frying!

[@CookingWithCastIron]

+RaySDJ86 Awesome!

[@SyndicatedCrew]

I really enjoy your videos but I have a question. I've had my cast iron skillet since September. Never really properly seasoned it or anything. it isn't rusted or has carbon built up but things still stick to it. should I put my oven to broil (that's the highest it gets to) and let it set for a few hours? clean it off then put oil on it and let it sit for an hour in the oven the repeat? also I live on campus so my options are limited. thanks!

[@CookingWithCastIron]

+SyndicatedCrew Good question, I would just make sure that its clean and then season it upside down in an oven at 350F for an hour. After you do that a few times, make sure that when you are cooking to start out with a lower heat setting if things are sticking. This will help you get use to how the pan holds heat and how your oven works with the pan.

[@SyndicatedCrew]

+Cooking With Cast Iron oops nevermind, it's pretty rusted and has a bit of carbon. after I broiled it in the oven it showed how bad it actually was. unfortunately I can't electrolysis it because I live on campus. I'll probably vinegar bath it for a day or two, then scrub it down, then oven broil it for a few hours. Sounds good?

[@CookingWithCastIron]

+SyndicatedCrew Sounds like a good plan of attack! When you put it in the oven, make sure its upside down and bake it for 350F for an hour. Do this several times while applying a light coat of oil each time. LMK how it goes!

[@SyndicatedCrew]

+Cooking With Cast Iron Just took it out of the vinegar bath (10 hour bath) and wow it looks horrible. It's pretty rusted. Its brownish all over. Should I put it through another bath but for 24-48 hours?

[@CookingWithCastIron]

+SyndicatedCrew Scrub them down good in the sink and see how they look. If there is still rust I would soak them again in vinegar.

[@SuburbanSilverHunter]

I like to put my nasty pans in vinegar 1/2 water and forget about them for a couple weeks, then come back to them. It works really well!

[@CookingWithCastIron]

***** Nice. I am really impressed with how well the vinegar works. I have some old tool heads I will be throwing in vinegar to clean them up!

[@arnolddeano]

Nice. Very informative. Now I need to find an old skillet that needs cleaning...

[@CookingWithCastIron]

+arnolddeano Indeed!

[@ryanmartinage]

Put them through the self clean on the oven first so it flakes off all the old seasoning so you get the fullest contact to the metal. From there go for the e tank and it'll be much more effective for you. Problem with vinegar is that it erodes ALL the pan. Make sure to soak so the entire pan makes full contact with the pan by flipping pan upside down, hang it by the loop, etc.

[@CookingWithCastIron]

I would do this, however, my oven doesn't have a self clean mode and it only gets up to 550f. For a quick clean of surface rust, vinegar works best from what I have tried.

[@ryanmartinage]

50/50 vinegar water works well. I just bought a cheep oven off CL that has self cleaning just for my CI endeavors. It really is worth it.

[@crazybob1954mo]

OK, I Like your video but more information is available for what you are trying to do. First off, these two methods are useful for removing rust. However, there are other issues with these two pans. The build up of old, burnt on, carbonized oil/grease. There are other methods to remove this residue. T here are several different methods. One method is to highly heat the pans in the oven on the ' self clean mode'. This basically attempts to turn the residue to a dry coating which can be scrubbed off with a scouring pad or brass metal brush using a lot of soap and water. Another method is to use Easy Off oven cleaner. Spray the pan heavily and let it set in a larger plastic bag for 24 hours then scrub with a brush or scouring pad. BE SURE to follow the safety instructions listed on the can of oven cleaner. After cleaning the pan with Easy Off IT MUST be cleaned using either of your methods. The vinegar method works best to neutralize the the Caustic chemical from using the Easy Off. Then the pans can be seasoned using various methods or the method one normally uses. Here is a Funny::: My great grand mother used her ole cast skillet for over fifty years and it was CAKED with black build-up. One day she told my dad to go burn trash in the trash barrel and put the skillet in the fire. When it came out it looked like NEW. So she smeared it with bacon grease and started the 10 year seasoning process all over again !! Thanks For Your Video ! Bob Oh, I also use the electrolysis method on anything rusty, Even my brake rotors.

[@CookingWithCastIron]

+Bob Duvall Thanks for your comment and insight. I agree with your points. I think I have talked about the self cleaning oven in another video. My oven doesn't self clean, so that forced me to use other methods. You can heat the pan up with fire and turn the build up into carbon dust. I would like to try this method someday. I am not really a fan of using chemicals to clean my cooking utensils and pans with; however I know people have used this with success. It's always good to hear stories about how people use to do things and make it work. Good 'ol American ingenuity! Thanks for your point of view and watching =)

[@Beamer1969]

I like your set up but the electrolysis tank would work faster if you had more anodes, because electrolysis works best on line of sight.

[@CookingWithCastIron]

+Bob Wright I would agree with that. In my other video I had two post. I have stacks of re-bar so I should cut some more next time. Thanks!

[@Boyetto-san]

Ouch, vinegar in general is something you should be careful with around iron or steel. Acids react and corrode them if you leave em in too long. I've only used vinegar for purposes of scrubbing rust off and removing iron particles after wire wheeling, but never for dipping over long periods.

[@josephjohnson4162]

Just bought my first cast iron pan form goodwill; do I have to season it after every use.

[@CookingWithCastIron]

+Joseph Johnson Not after every use. I have some other videos on cleaning them. Once there is a good seasoning layer most of the times you can wipe them out. Check out a few of my other videos to get an idea on long term care.

[@CookingWithCastIron]

+JoeJohson Sure thing. Good luck and have fun!

[@johncassani4610]

I just put mine in my oven on self cleaning for 2 hours and saved all the time you spent and they look brand new.

[@evilcowboy]

electrolysis for the win. It removes both rust and carbon cutting time spent on it in half. Acid unless it is the right acid phosphoric acid for example then it takes forever to remove it.

[@Hobbybreakz]

does this take off the seasoning?

[@CookingWithCastIron]

yes

[@RustyNail5856]

Great video , Thanks for sharing.

[@pirate6955]

wouldnt sandblasting be the simple way to do this?

[@CookingWithCastIron]

Scott Leonello I havnt tried it, but it sounds like it would work....

[@bubbieallen795]

I had a big one sandblasted and it work well idk y ppl don't suggest that either . Is it bad to sandblast them ??

[@CookingWithCastIron]

+Bubbie Allen I haven't tired it, but it if works it works. The cool thing about CI, many paths to the same objective!

[@kluafoz]

have you tried molasses?

[@CookingWithCastIron]

No, what does that do?

[@xjinit]

To fix the pitting issue, take a grinder with a sanding flap wheel and smooth out the whole interior. There are videos on here and it comes out slicker than teflon after seasoned.

[@CookingWithCastIron]

Good idea

[@tuber7200]

The vinegar caused some of your pitting.

[@CookingWithCastIron]

+tuber7200 Oh you mean the rust?

[@TryMyMartini]

No, the vinegar. It will cause pitting if left on for 24 hours+. Also, the fire or self cleaning oven method can cause warping and permanent hot spots.

[@NotBySight]

Vinegar will completely dissolve a pan if left in to long! Fire and self clean over can severely damage pans and oven!

[@chewie2055]

Not By Sight no it won’t..lol

[@warrenbfeagins]

Is there ANYTHING vinegar CAN'T do???????

[@hughjanus3798]

Looking good! Use them well.

[@CookingWithCastIron]

Hugh Janus Thanks!

[@MrZayne8]

odd. I left a heavy carbonized pan in cleaning vinegar for three days and it completely removed the carbon.

[@CookingWithCastIron]

I am sure there are other variables that go into each pan. Over all I like the vinegar method.

[@bobjustbob5220]

lye bath first, then vinegar, if rusted!

[@MrMeddle2243]

vinegar does not clean off gunk it's for rust only.

[@CookingWithCastIron]

+Mike Eddleman (Crystal Bear Leatherworks) Correct

[@TheLexiconDevils]

Citric acid and water. Works overnight

[@RadicalEdwardStudios]

Electrolyzing 8b

[@AerynRichelle]

Adding baking soda does wonders.....Im filming a video as we speak so feel free to watch it and give me pointers 😎🍳

[@WanderingWeekends]

self cleaning oven will take out that carbon no problem...

[@jeffcuevas5918]

Put them in ur oven and turn ur oven on Self cleaning, bam!!! Completely clean, rust and all in an hour.

[@SJKile]

Don’t ever ever put your cast iron pans in a fire or a self cleaning oven to clean them. That is a sure fire way to destroy them.

[@NotBySight]

Totally Agree!!! No white wheels either! Please!

[@ultrastoat3298]

You don’t know what the hell you are talking about. They are solid iron, they can take an enormous amount of heat.

[@kathyeilenstine3731]

SJKile High heat from a fire or self cleaning oven can warp the pan and the wire wheel can ruin the swirls on the inside of the old pans.

[@johnlord8337]

Land's sake! What did you pull out there? Was that an elephant chip? Who cooked with such a nasty overcooked and sloppy gloppy surface?! Looked like you were brewing compost tea!

[@CookingWithCastIron]

John Lord lol it was pretty nasty. Its much better now =)

[@kluafoz]

flavor hater! That's what I was called when I worked at pizza hut and tried to deep clean the pizza pans...

[@CookingWithCastIron]

lol! oh no!

[@MrStropparo]

Throw it a campfire for an hour or more. It will come out clean of carbon.

[@CookingWithCastIron]

I have heard about this method before... still have to try it

[@SoFarmish]

This didn't work for us.