How to smooth the rough cooking surface of a modern Lodge cast iron skillet.

[@RickAndersonTX]

I've watched about a dozen videos showing this process and out of all of those, your skillets look the best by FAR. Very well done.

[@darrylroman1066]

Agreed

[@DavidKasan]

I was all ready to comment the exact same thing! Your method by far yields the best end results. So glad I decided to watch just one more video and that it was yours!

[@John_NJDM]

Whether you agree with stripping, smoothing, and putting your own seasoning on or not, this video is really helpful for people with my problem: a well meaning but unpracticed room mate that abuses your cast iron which then starts to rust. Thanks for posting this, it was really helpful!

[@deinfluencing]

JDBoats89 Roommates will find a way to get under your skin no matter what.

[@kwagmire]

Not only cast iron but also stainless steel cookware. So annoying.

[@janetchaffee6816]

I did this to two of my pans. And seasoned 3 times. I'm so excited to say this truly works. Next project is a 15 inch cast iron pan that will be done the same way. Thank you for an excellent video.

[@dudeabides23]

Best video on KZbin on this man. You nailed it. The self cleaning after the sanding is the key

[@13Voodoobilly69]

Awesome! Great info and unlike most garbage on the internet your technique is correct. I am a machinist and have spent the last 30 years studying metals and how to cut them etc. it is an unfair comparison for me to talk about how I would do it because I have an entire machine shop at my disposal. Again, good job for the home owner.

[@glock36me]

+13Voodoobilly69 Thank you very much for the encouragement! I would love to see a video of how you do it with all the cool tools :)

[@Juiceboxer0]

so what? throw it in a mill and face it? You should definitely make a video of machining a cast iron skillet.

[@fr8trainUS]

I agree! Make that vid, might be a profitable side business

[@13Voodoobilly69]

I love the fact that you showed the spotting problem. People do not get this crucial step!

[@glock36me]

+13Voodoobilly69 Exactly, a picture is worth a thousand words :)

[@ClumsyToast]

Yeah, I always, always use too much oil and wonder why it's sticky when I go to use it haha. Cheers!

[@CrazyCajun66]

I have Lodge and Ozark trail. It took only four seasonings to get eggs to slide right out. No sanding, no grinding and they work just like my antique pans.

[@marzsit9833]

i have sanded and polished a modern lodge skillet to see if it's better than a foundry finish skillet, and to be totally honest, i can see no performance difference at all. the polished skillet does look really cool, shiny as a mirror, but it is no more nonstick than any rough finished lodge pan. and i have a lot of cast iron... some antique and some new. so if you really want a shiny smooth pan, knock yourself out with a grinder and sander for a couple of hours until you get it looking the way you want it to look, but it's going to cook exactly the same way as a rough finish pan will cook. who knows, maybe there is a chef out there who can explain why a mirror-smooth cast iron pan is needed for whatever exotic creation, but i've never seen it. crepes turn out perfect in a rough lodge pan, so do pancakes and steaks and hash browns. i am convinced that is a purely aesthetic thing to polish your pan to make yourself feel better somehow....

[@Comm0ut]

You're right of course but that sort of thing makes OCD folks happy because it's done as a comfort ritual. I tried it with no improvement on a yard sale skillet since it's trivially easy with metalworking tools, and found it functionally pointless. I'd rather be cooking so I can get on to eating!

[@pamelakelly5869]

Absolutely excellent video!!! One of the top ones that I have watched. Great tip on spotting of oil while in the oven...I have watched 75 videos and yours was the first to mention that great tip!!! Those two pans turned out beautiful.... I was going to have my son sand a new Lodge pan for me but after watching you run the sanders, I really think I can handle it myself. I truly appreciate you for making and posting this video. I can't wait to get started!!!! Happy seasoning....

[@glock36me]

Thank you, and make shure that you wear a mask.

[@JahleeyahKalonji]

wow, I know this is years old, but it's the most thorough video I've seen...it can be followed step by step...this is awesome

[@glock36me]

Thank you.

[@vinceruland9236]

Seems like a waste of time to me. A new one off the shelf works perfect, so why alter it?

[@rrmerlin3402]

I had the privilege of cooking on cast iron pans in our firehouse that were 50 plus years old. I don't know if it was the use EVERYDAY for 50 years or just great old pans. But I will tell you these pans were SMOOTH, SMOOTH, SMOOTH and completely non-stick.In general the firefighters were not delicate with these pans and most days saw soap to clean up. I could wipe a few drops of oil into the pan, fill with beaten eggs to 1/4 inch thick, cover cook, tilt pan start one edge and watch the egg ROLL OUT. I'm retired now and really miss these pans.

[@charleswilson4598]

I have several old Lodge Cast iron skillets that I have had for many years. I know this is probably heresy but I have always washed my cast iron with soap and water dried them very well with a dry towel, then heat them on a stove top to be sure they are really dry and then add a thin layer of oil until next time. I don't really care if they develop a non -stick finish although some areas of the skillets do have that shiny looking surface in spite of me washing them. I really like my cast iron. My wife and I have been married 53 years and we have bought and thrown away lots of other cooking pots, pans, and skillets, but we have cast iron and an old set of stainless steel that we have had for most of our married years.

[@katep4485]

My pans that have a good layer of seasoning do fine with soap.

[@muckey7800]

Sounds like you did a fine job 👍. Our cast iron pans are lodge products and we've always just used them and used bacon grease or plenty of oil(a common sense amount)when we cook and watch the heat. Hot sink wash and stove dry, then light oil. They're already smooth as silk however we cook every day on ours. We only wanted to buy one set and this was the our best bet.

[@liberalmedia5554]

80 grit sand paper works good as well and gets it to a good level of smooth were seasoning will stick and it will still be smooth

[@jeffhall2958]

Great video! With my Lodge pans and dutch oven I simply scrubbed them out with detergent and water, dried them out, and seasoned them 7 times before the first time I cooked on them. I did this to get that cheap pre-seasoning off them. They were no where near as shiny as yours, but did cook well. I will be making a trip to my family soon and will spend a week doing this procedure to two or three sets of pans and dutch ovens as a gift to my family. I'm certain these are absolutely non-stick pans, as cast iron is the original non-stick cooking utensils. Love this vid and how your pans turned out. I may even strip down my own pans and make them baby butt smooth after doing this for my family.

[@number8pencil]

Great video. I have 3 new Lodges-a #12 and 2 #10's. The 10's wouldn't season well and stayed patchy, rough, and no good for eggs. The 12 took seasoning very well (no stripping needed) and smoothed out and is now perfect. I used your method for both of my 10's and it worked like a dream. FYI-all 3 pans got the same initial seasoning-flax seed X 6 rounds, but no joy with the 10's until I stripped them, now they are fantastic.. Thanks for a great video.

[@axehoel3601]

Awesome Video. I have been doing my pans wrong for 40 years. I'll try this out. I have used a belt sander to prep pans. But the oiling and baking at 350 I have done and have been putting the oil on cold and thick, always getting the spotting you had on the small pan. Also I would get spots that were gelatinous from the over oiling. I never knew to turn up to 500 for an hour. It looks like an all day process to get the result you have. Thank you for taking your time and teaching us this technique.

[@ZommBleed]

Now, just if I had the hours on end to spare. Great video. Maybe some time this year I can work it into my busy schedule to take a while day and do this. Thanks for taking the time to make this video 6 YEARS AGO! Ha ha. 👍😎

[@kimberly1567]

Bought new Lodge carbon steel skillet 5 days ago. Cooked on rough surface 3 times quickly realizing I would need to quickly sand the surface. I am a Griswold collector for many yrs of approx 25 pieces I cook with often. I am the type person that often ask many "why" questions when watching You Tube how To video's. After watching many on how to season cast iron, I followed your instructions today after sanding my new skillet. I followed your temperature and duration examples. I just used for dinner and already rate at minimum 9.0 possibly even 9.5. I will stop my 5 day cussing of Lodge for even selling such a rough surface and my stupidity of reading reviews about rough surface, but yet, I still purchased. Thanks for leading me to The Promised Land And, for the record from a man that has cooked on CI for approx 36 yrs, do yourself a favor and buy a carbon steel skillet (not Lodge). Carbon is approx 95% cast iron anyway possessing all the same cooking properties. Seasoned and maintained the same way. Lighter, heats quicker, easier on the wrist, builds up a slicker surface than CI. As of spring 2019, Lodge is approx $38.00 for 10" Read reviews and research and then purchase either the brand name that starts with letter M or the French brand. Either will costs approx $42.00-$50.00. You will still love and appreciate and cook with your CI, but I bet you grab your carbon to do 90% of your cooking. There is a solid reason why so many professional chefs cook using carbon steel. Your grandkids will be fighting over this skillet after you're long gone

[@KevinBReynolds]

Excellent video glock36me! I've been watching videos like this almost all day and this is by far the best. Very well done all around!

[@CitizenKate]

I see others are discovering the joys of those newer stripping discs. If you struggle with the pan moving around too much while grinding out the inside, you can make a very simple jig out of a 2' x 2' piece of 1/2" plywood. Just drill 2 holes, put long bolts with washers through (that line up and fit through the holes in the handles on your pan), then you can bolt the pan down to that heavy piece of plywood. You can then clamp the board down to your bench much more securely, and turn it any direction you need and still be able to clamp it down.

[@waynegeordiesdad648]

Great video so thanks. From what I've learned about cast pans over my MANY years is that in the older days....my grandmother's time, MANY companies used to finish the insides of the pans in much the same way you are doing. It is only in fairly recent times that 'cheaper' methods have become popular to cut high labour costs. Let's face it, if the factory really wanted to sell a top-quality finished product, they could, but they don't as long as we, the buying public, is willing to accept these second-rate rough pans. Cheers from Canada North and keep upo the great work.

[@randyarchambault8865]

I have several old pans that are in constant use. I have been cooking eggs in the small one with no problem. I also have a very large one that we use for making deep dish pizzas. Put in the dough, cook in the oven at 450 until the dough is puffy. Take out, put on toppings finish in a 400 oven - marvelous!

[@theglyns]

Like my Lodge pro logic, don't like the roughness. Followed your method, finding the tool at Home Depot, and I'm happy with the results. I didn't want to polish it smooth, just get out the majority of the roughness. Worked great, thanks for the video.

[@dkhealing5665]

Great job! Would you recommend first putting the pans in the oven cleaning cycle to get rid of the seasoning on the inside of the pan as well as the outside, instead of grinding out the inside of the pan? Or would that destroy the inside of the pan?

[@glock36me]

if you're not wanting to alter the surface finish such a smoothing it then yes many people do run the pans through the cleaning cycle to completely get rid of the old seasoning and no it won't hurt the pan.

[@MrStropparo]

I used an angle grinder and a flap disc. Worked great.

[@rickyfields8870]

MrStropparo me too!!! Worked great

[@jdovak1589]

MrStropparo ....I was just going to post the very same method..👍😃.lotta steel to get rid of on that very rough pan...Save the rust removing open pore disc for the curved bowl sides!!

[@geebeerusty5261]

Great explanation of an excellent procedure, for the anally-oriented. However -- all this could have been transmitted quite effectively in about 5 minutes, saving about 12 minutes of boring, drawn out attention to the detail of each step; detailing the three final steps of seasoning at length, rather than simply saying "do this two more times." Mostly this is a waste of many people's valuable time. At least that's why I use my 'no stick' Lodge (made in the good ol' U.S. of A.) every day!

[@jdovak1589]

GeeBee Rusty ... ...Speaking of Anal! ...Why are you commenting to this mans (mr. stropparro) better method which saves time while doing a better job, instead of posting a reply to the author of this video that you dont like??👎👎👎😋...u just prefer the lazy way out👎😒

[@geebeerusty5261]

A bit touchy this evening are we? Have a drink and chill. As one may see below -- this was intended as a reply to the original boring video and excellent, but very extended explanation of the technique, not to impugn anyone's choice of tools. I used a 1/2" drill mounting a grinding disc decades ago -- whatever floats your boat, YMMV.

[@iceman81179]

Paper towels. lint free cloth would be alot better right?

[@billnott5811]

cast iron loves loves LOVES starch... if u wanna really speed up your seasoning process , buy a couple 50lb bags of potatoes and spend a week frying batch after batch. You can put a years worth of nice non stick seasoning in a fraction of the time ,, if your so inclined

[@Bentleemedia]

Older skillets we're milled to a smooth surface, Lodge cut the milling process out when pre-seasoning process came in.

[@2AV8isGR8]

Great video! Used this technique on a very inexpensive "Emeril" pan from Sam's Club. Excellent results and now one of my favorite pieces to cook with. Absolutely non-stick with just about everything. Thank you!

[@Comm0ut]

Abrasives are handy for rust removal. Corded angle grinders are cheap and extremely useful. I use a knotted (NOT stranded, they throw strands) cup style wire brush for loose rust then an 80-grit flap disc to smooth. I don't bother polishing since seasoning makes it pointless. If more people seasoned their iron properly they'd be happier with the results.

[@1redmagahat.552]

Had my best results with my 18V Milw Grinder. Tried wire brush, flap disc, and a quick=strip disc, all seemed to work well

[@W4ABN]

Thanks for the tip on the drill attachment grinder. I have a nice 12" skillet and recently bought a 10" and two 8". The 8" were pretty rough but the 10 isn't too bad so going to leave that alone for now. (doing one skillet for now) The grinder really got the inside smooth. I'm happy with it. It is also helping bring my wife around to cast iron too. (she doesn't like how heavy they are). After the grinding, I washed it out then put in the oven for drying at 170, but I think I took it out too soon. moisture got on the surface and it flash rusted. I cleaned it up a bit, but put oil on it to try protecting it over night and will try a little bit of the grinding again and hope the flash rust doesn't return. Overall, I'm happy with how it turned out and going to keep at it. Even did a test with a throw away egg and it slide right across the surface. Thanks!

[@glock36me]

Enjoy!

[@gruanger]

Power tools are so amazing. I did this by hand today to much less effective results. Oh well, I am still happy just think it is amazing seeing how fast power tools are.

[@briancooney9952]

i recently read on a website that if you boil water in the pan after sanding it, it will turn black, creating a black oxide coating that the seasoning will adhere pretty well to. I have a 14" CI griddle that i've been in the process of smoothing out. I think i might try this to see what happens. The 14" griddle i got on sale for like $15, so it's my trial piece before i do my 12" chef's collection skillet.

[@Real_LiamOBryan]

How'd it turn out, mate?

[@briancooney9952]

@@Real_LiamOBryan boiling never made the black coating i'd hoped for. i guess you need to bake it after that or something. I never got it as smooth as i'd wanted to, it was taking forever. But i seasoned it a few times with grapeseed oil and it's fairly smooth.

[@Real_LiamOBryan]

@@briancooney9952 Awww... I am looking to try to get that nice, dark, black finish.

[@johnkoize1114]

Glock36me I used your process on three of my Lodge skillets and got fantastic results. Thanks so much for sharing! One hint / comment I might make is that in hindsight I would have removed the factory seasoning & smoothed them right off the store shelf and prior to cooking in them. The deep-wall I have was much easier to condition than the others, because I had only used it a few times. Maybe someday Lodge will launch a "pro" line or something to that effect, w/ at least the cooking surface and sides machine-polished. I'd trade that feature for factory seasoning any day. Who knows, maybe they will at some point. There is an "upstart" manufacturer, Stargazer Cast Iron, that is selling a 10.5" skillet that is CNC machine-polished.

[@utubeviewing1]

Do you know what exactly is in the Stargazer proprietary coating put on the pan prior to seasoning? I am trying to make sure it is only natural and not synthetic or chemical based such as teflon. Thanks

[@TrulyUnfortunate]

If you really want to make a durable coating of polymerized oil you need to follow up the polishing with sandblasting. It creates the perfect surface for the oil to adhere to and it wont flake off,it also creates a very even layer of polymerized oil.

[@RoxyLuffer]

The Rough Surface is actually by design, they "pre-Season" it so you can cook with it right away, at least that's the way it is with Lodge. The reason they make it rough is so that the oil they use can really fuse with the metal in the factory. it's usable, but not the best.

[@steveharris4958]

Agreed. I just use Crisco on them after a good wash (after purchase); smather on the Crisco and let it start to smoke. Wipe out the excess, let the pan cool. Then repeat. Do that three times and you (at least I) can cook eggs on them.

[@BelindaTN]

People get just plain silly about these rough finished pans. I understand if one just wants them smoother. But to do it because they believe they do not cook as well, is a waste of time and energy. I have cooked for years on these rough pans and they cook just as well as my old vintage cast iron. They also get smoother with use, if you don't baby them. I scrub them with ss pads when needed and use metal utensils on them. Then every so often, I may strip them down and start over with the seasoning. Those vintage pans are so smooth because of countless times of something being cooked in them. Back in the day of those old pans, they were used twice a day, every day. At least that was the case with the generations before me, here in the southeast. Those pans were heated, scraped and scrubbed on going.(I actually witnessed my grandmother wear through her cast iron pan while frying chicken) But if smooth is what you want, grinding it, is the way to go. But not necessary for good, non stick cooking. I chase eggs around in my rough lodge pans most every day and cornbread slides out the second I start to tilt it over. The seasoning is just lard or Crisco shortening that I bake on more layers as the old seasoning layers begin to wear off. It's an ongoing process with cast iron.

[@andrewjackson7476]

So is the black surface actually a seasoned oil? Looks too thick to be. Looks more like enamel paint.

[@BelindaTN]

should be oil or fat baked on to a hard finish. But if you are buying an old vintage pan, who knows what it is or made up of. Some actually are painted, because they have been used for decoration purposes. When buyiung vintage pans of unknown history, always strip them down and start over. Some old vintage cast iron has been used for melting led in for making bullets, sinkers for fishing and other similar things. I just do not use vintage cast iron unless I know it was always used for cooking.

[@andrewjackson7476]

LindyTN I have never used a cast iron anything... but I like this stargaze unit that's got machined surface. Anyways, I really don't see the benefit of cast iron for cooking. I know the heat capacity of cast iron, but if you want something to cook slowly, you just lower the heat and increase the cooking time. Now for Soups that you want to stay hot for a long long time, many Estern cooks use stone pot that keeps the soup boiling well after it's off the flames, but what Western cooking involves that? So what is it really good for, other than maybe on a camp fire, where you heat the cast iron and even after 20min, you can cook stuff with it, even though the fire's been out before sun down?

[@jameskwon7617]

I've used a Lodge for years, and I don't think it's necessary to smooth out the surface like this. If you follow the basic steps of seasoning and caring for a cast iron pan, a Lodge without smoothing will be as non-stick as any Teflon or other non-stick pan or a smooth surface cast iron or high carbon steel pan. A Lodge is about $30 bucks, and I'm not sure it's worth the effort to do all this at this price point. On the other hand I am not knocking this method either. It's pretty cool. Just be careful how aggressive your sanding gets. If the surface is not flat, oil and seasoning may buildup on certain areas while sliding of higher areas of the pan. Also I have heard of pans being ground smooth like this and then cracking under hard use like going from hot to the sink to clean. Uneven thickness causes weak points or stress points and over time it starts showing up on the pan as stress cracks. Probably another reason traditional cast iron methods were too expensive to maintain in mass produced pans. I like my regular Lodge, but I also don't want to spend $100 or more for a more "gourmet" pan. Kinda defeats the purpose. Also, I don't want to get the additional equipment necessary to do this kind of eye check smoothing. Maybe if I get a free or old second hand pan for really cheap, I might give it a try.

[@cayogator]

Ex-fuckin-xatly !

[@nhojcam]

great vid on the smoothing of the pan. regarding the seasoning, 350˚ is too low of a temp. for complete polymerization of the oil (yes, what we are doing is chemistry), you must use a drying oil (flaxseed oil) and take it above its high temp limit (smoking). any temp less than this will result in a soft seasoning which may scrape off over time. use 480 to 500 for pork lard, flaxseed, avocado, and peanut oil. vegetable oil will work, but the seasoning will be brownish and soft.

[@dinkaboutit4228]

Ok. Whether or not you do this, you should understand that Lodge doesn't make skillets like this because they're stupid or cheap or lazy. Lodge skillets used to come from the factory with a very smooth cooking surface, just like their competitors. They changed in the 1980's because those pans were not selling to modern cooks who did not know the nuances of cast iron cookware or cook in it often enough to learn. To make it short and simple, the dimpled surface doesn't season any faster, but it DOES maintain its seasoning better and more easily. If you do this to your skillet, you WILL see an immediate improvement in the nonstick characteristics, but once its WELL seasoned it won't be better or worse than a WELL seasoned pan with the original surface. AND don't be surprised if, after cooking something too wet, like a stew or braised roast, your skillet "sheds" half of it's seasoning into your sauce in the form of little black flecks that taste like a fireplace. Because that's what the texture was on there for, to "hold" the seasoning.

[@JnohD]

So, I also watched the egg demo... after letting my new lodge season a little, and not smoothing it, I've not had any issues whatsoever with eggs or anything else. For me, at least, this appears to be wholly unnecessary. ymmv

[@roslin8060]

For me, smoothing is not so much about the non-stickness rather than ease of cleaning.

[@anthonycarbonaro7890]

Jnoh I totally agree… I’ve had my lodge 8 inch skillet for a few years now. The rough surface really helps develop seasoning. I have no problems. I have a nonstick surface works perfectly fine with eggs, with anything I decide to cook. I have no questions about seasoning techniques. Just cook man.

[@johnlillyblad5188]

I'm actually surprised myself. I haven't done anything special with my pans other than seasoning them and maintaining them and they are working fine.

[@bustabass9025]

I'm with you. Some people just have to do their own thing, irrespective of the negligible degree of overall benefit. I guess it's just so they can say, "...look KZbin, 🎶...I did it, myyyy wayyyy!..🎶"🙄

[@Shadseaweed]

i just got my first cast iron pan. some things ive learned in other videos is 1. no paper towel 2. turn your pans upside down in the oven..to take care of spotting

[@Shadseaweed]

and i forgot the rest

[@glock36me]

Ask a 100 people and you get 100 different answers on how to season cast iron :) Just find what works for you.

[@Shadseaweed]

glock36me yes that is what I've learned the most lol

[@E150GT]

I have a 12" modern Lodge and while I like it, its soooo heavy. I really like using my vintage single notch lodge #8 for its already smooth inside and its nice and light.

[@rstumbaugh43]

Wow, great video! Seems like a lot of work initially, but…once done, you have a lifetime of a much better surface for cooking/cleaning, and when you start with a great pan to begin with nice n heavy, the end result is just awesome! Worse case…use it for baking breads biscuits pizzas n go get a new pan if you somehow mess up…..it’s been 5 yrs since you made this video…how’s it doing? How long did it take to get a REALLY good seasoning on the smoother surface?

[@glock36me]

To get a really good seasoning you just got to keep using it and using it and I would say 3 to 6 months maybe. It takes a while and you may have some setbacks of it coming off but if you constantly use it it will happen. Nothing acidic like tomatoes until you get a good seasoning.

[@NightWind420]

I got a problem after doing this... So I just finished with the last step at 500 degrees for my 10.25" & 12" skillet. I let it cool to slightly warm, then tried to rub a little more Crisco before storing in the oven. The 10.25" is very smooth and paper towel is clean. The paper towel used on the 12" however, keeps getting brown like it's dirty or maybe rust?? Here's what I did wrong initially. I washed and scrubbed the 12" before the self-cleaning cycle step, but then I stupidly tried to dry the skillet by putting it on a stove (like for stainless steel). This resulted in flash rusting, so I took it off and scrubbed as much as I could. Few parts still had the copper color, but I couldn't scrub it off. I then proceed to the seasoning part for both pan. Did I mess up on the 12" skillet and need to redo/reseason it? or is that fine and will go away with use

[@glock36me]

it will go away with use.

[@NightWind420]

Glad to hear. Thanks for all the tips and help, Greg :)

[@1Raphael]

Really nicely done thanks for sharing your awesome work

[@Jlind9335]

Thanks you so much. I bought 2 beautiful cast iron pans and have been so disappointed when using them. Just they reason you are listing. The ridges in the bottom I will be doing this to them as soon as I can. Oh and now I know it wasn't me or my cooking skills. I learned on cast iron and thought I had forgotten something important. Sigh. Thank you!! My pans will be looking just like that soon.

[@coburnlowman]

This is a great video on the subject. The first bought pan bought years ago I just globbed the oil in it and put in oven. When pulling it out I thought it was a perfect job. Anyway all I had was a mess. Luckly it was in the winter and I tossed it in the woodstove all night and burned it out.

[@HarrisonHarmon]

Just to be clear, the drill attachment strips the cast iron of the seasoning as well? I was watching some videos where they used lye oven cleaner to strip it, and then sand, but this looks way easier. Especially with my new drill.

[@glock36me]

Yes, it's a metal stripping disk that strips the seasoning off and sands the iron smooth at the same time.

[@HarrisonHarmon]

Awesome. Thank you so much. Looks like I've got another project coming up than. Thanks!

[@jackkennard4539]

Great process, getting ready to by my 2nd Lodge and will try to copy your process except for use coconut oil.

[@dudeseriously57]

Perfect presentation and instruction. I have an emeril lagasse cast iron pan that was preseasoned and just will not stay seasoned. I plan to try this. Thanks.

[@briancooney9952]

Try Grapeseed oil. Supposedly it is the most durable.

[@carls4552]

While this seemed like a good idea at first, I wouldn't recommend anyone use it themselves. I sanded a couple of my cast iron skillets down to be smooth and seasoned them. They looked like mirrors, so beautiful. But in about 3 - 4 weeks, they seasoning started scratching off. I had to retire my metal spatulas and couldn't use any kind of abrasive cleaning techniques any longer because they all caused the seasoning to scratch off. I had these skillets for a few years and had a rather smooth seasoning built up on them. Never needed to worry about babying them until this. Now I've replaced them. The Lodge pre-seasoning may seem like a pain, but it holds the real seasoning on the pans.

[@ronmetcalf1972]

Did you lightly reseason them every time you use them?

[@kssaint6290]

That's my problem too.....the only difference is that my seasoning peeled off right after the first use. And I tried all kind of methods, and oils....the results were the same...seasoning peeled off after the first use....I finally gave up on the re seasoning of the pan, and I use it without seasoning....guess what? its getting darker and darker after every use. This will take over a year to be the dark pan I was hoping to have......but I'm on my way...

[@terenceyoung1080]

I have seen other sanding videos tell you not to sand it down directly to a smooth mirror finish for that reason... Need to leave a very small bit of roughness for the seasoning to adhere to (but would still be a lot smoother than the rough Lodge finish). Also have come across people saying that, if you do it too smooth, you can put vinegar in the bottom of the skillet for 4-8 hours and the vinegar will make it a bit rougher and more porous again.

[@carls4552]

@@terenceyoung1080 Thanks for the tips.

[@1DrBar]

would there be any further benefit, if one is willing to take the time, to using an even finer grit than 40 - or is there a point where too smooth could work against the ideal non-stick quality?

[@glock36me]

Correct. The pan does need a scratch pattern for the seasoning to adhere to.

[@aquafina6544]

What if you dont have a fancy cleaning feature on your oven? How do you do this step?

[@glock36me]

aqua fina Just skip the oven high heat cleaning cycle. It's not a must do, it just helps.

[@aquafina6544]

glock36me, so what do i do then?

[@glock36me]

aqua fina Just start seasoning the skillet.

[@dkhealing5665]

Will the residue seasoning from the pans destroy the oven?

[@glock36me]

No. You may just need to use oven cleaner and clean the oven sooner than normal.

[@johnwest5135]

Well done Sir. very thorough and informative. Ome thing I have noticed over the years using cast-iron. Paper towels can leave lint that will build up over time. I prefer a lint free rag. (cloth diaper) Over all this video is one of the best I have seen on the subject. One ATTABOY

[@chrislong3938]

I sanded my 12" Lodge with my orbital sander. It worked great and the pan is dead smooth. Once it was re-seasoned, my eggs just slide around when cooking them.

[@craz4jaymz]

Chris Long would sandpaper work?

[@chrislong3938]

I suppose it would but without some kind of power tool, it'll require a lot of elbow grease. When I did mine, the surface looked a lot like the one in this video. I used heavy metal grade sandpaper and buffed the surface down until it was silver... bare metal. Then I lubed it up with peanut oil and baked it several times at the highest temp the oven would go. I used the oven cleaning mode. While it's really hot, I quenched it with cold oil. I saw another video where a guy was talking about warped pans due to uneven heat from an electric stove top. I've never had that issue. Lube and wipe, lube and wipe. I'm not sure if any ever got impregnated into the steel itself or not but all I can say is that it's back to being black and when I'm frying eggs in butter they slide around like it was new Teflon. Easy to flip etc.

[@brianr10]

I used a ROS on my carbon steel pan. I still have tiny pits of old finish. Does your process also leave any small pits. I fried an egg with some oil right after, no seasoning, and no stick.

[@glock36me]

Brian Rogers Yes there were very small micro pits that fill up with seasoning. You could continue to sand but that is overkill IMHO.

[@debrasalt3598]

They look GREAT after the self cleaning cycle!

[@Юлиус-п6ц]

These are so nice skillets Sir! Thanks for sharing!

[@lukejohnson4782]

I don't have an orbital sander available. Would I be able to uses a drill attachment with a 40 grit sanding sheet instead?

[@glock36me]

+Luke Johnson You can try but It will most likely leave swirl scratches that the orbital sander is removing.

[@lukejohnson4782]

+glock36me Thanks for the input. Do you know which model of sander you have?

[@glock36me]

+Luke Johnson it is a Dewalt sheet sander but any decent one will do the job. Look at Home Depot or the like and you should see many in the $30.00 range.

[@lukejohnson4782]

+glock36me Thenks, just picked up the Ryobi one from HD. :)

[@loves2shoot]

It seems the major reason for doing this is to make a non-stick surface for cooking ... is there a reason to do the sides? I just re seasoned my cast iron cookware (a round skillet, couple of frying pans and a dutch oven). I did 6 layers of flax seed oil. Most of mine is older picked up along the way, but I have a newer lodge frying pan. I noticed the rough finish for the first time (have been oblivious to date) but I don't really want to start a fresh round of re seasoning at this point. It's getting warm and I'm tired of it :) Next time thru I'm planning to resurface the lodge. Since I don't plan on cooking a pone of cornbread in mine, I don't know that I'll bother with the sides. Am I missing something?

[@glock36me]

If the pebble textured finish hasn't bothered you and cooks well for you then you can just leave it alone and enjoy. If you do smooth it out you can skip the sides if you wish since the bottom is the main surface. I like the look of the entire cooking surface being the same. Be careful with the flax seed oil, I have heard numerous reports of it flaking and peeling off after about a year.

[@waldan1701]

I like the the rough surface of my Lodge. I feel the roughness let's oil get between the food and the skillet enhancing the Browning process and further flavoring the food.

[@SealofPerfection]

It doesn't, though. You want the surface perfectly smooth. Better cast iron pans like Field come much smoother.

[@phillipstai]

@@SealofPerfection To each their own, I guess. I have both and prefer the smooth as well but some friends of mine still swear by their rough surface ones. Proof is in the cook's skill with what they have.

[@sandspike2929]

Instead of destroying the seasoning on the outside of the pan by using the cleaning cycle after grinding to get a inside finish that will hold the seasoning, try this. Thoroughly wash and then Put a cup or more of white vinegar in the pan and put it on the stove and heat it to almost boiling. Kill the heat and Let it fizz as it etches the steel for about 15 min. Use a brush to spread the vinegar on the sides. Rinse an repeat a time or two with new vinegar. Now your pan has a fine etched texture that you can’t see or feel but your seasoning with adhere to extremely well. Works for me.

[@ronmetcalf1972]

On the checking on them, 10 minutes into the 350 cooking cycle other people I've watched say turn the skillet upside down so any excess will drip off. And when you do that just put a cookie sheet or aluminum foil underneath in case any oil does drip off.

[@glock36me]

There are many different ways and or opinions on how to season a skillet and that is one of them but I have never had a problem putting them up right because you should not I have so much oil in it that it drips off so to me that's incorrect I will make a rough seasoning. Also since these pans are smooth I needed to see if I got too much oil causing spotting which is mentioned in the video.

[@holland1904]

What temp is your cleaning cycle?

[@codycarse4931]

Your video is very well done.

[@gerardhaubert8210]

Is it necessary to do the sides? Can this process be stretched over a few days, one coat per day?

[@glock36me]

gerard haubert No you don't have to do the sides and yes the seasoning process can be so e over several days.

[@lucky5th2]

Stupid question, the sandpaper. Is it like the same as the wood working sandpaper?

[@glock36me]

lucky5th2 yes.

[@jorgefroilangonzalez1262]

Would you please tell us the specs or brand/model of the very first sanding disk that you used? Thanks.

[@glock36me]

The disk info is at time 50 seconds in the video.

[@jorgefroilangonzalez1262]

Thanks a lot !!! My apologies for not realizing in time

[@cr500mike]

Used your method after being frustrated with my Lodge stuff - worked great - thanks . Liked

[@lizzoob736]

How long did it actually take you to smooth it out thoroughly?

[@philoeolivarria448]

My rough lodge pan is totally none stick....people just have to be patient in seasoning it....takes a very long time to do this process.......

[@robodoggo312]

It's not that, it's the fact they don't machine down their pans like they used to

[@vinceruland9236]

@@robodoggo312 they don't need to. It does not affect anything. Maybe people do it for looks?

[@JPE_DRAEB]

So at the end you said 500 degrees and time depending if you have a convection oven. So I do have an convection oven. How long? Thanks

[@glock36me]

Je P from my understanding convection ovens circulate the heat therefore it heats faster and more evenly so I would say it wouldn't take as long compared to my normal oven but this is my guess since I've never use the convection. I would say set it for 45 minutes and check it at about 30 minutes to see if it's darkening and has stopped smoking then make the judgement if it needs to go longer or not. When it stops smoking all the oil is burnt onto the pan.

[@NightWind420]

Wow. Great vid! *thumbs up* I don't understand why "too slick" is a bad thing though. If it's too slick/smooth for seasoning...doesn't that just means it has become a complete nonstick iron pan? I'm trying to avoid the (long) oven self-cleaning step and reasoning why it would be necessary. Next best KZbinr on this process is "Boedy Pennington" and it didn't seem he or any other vids mention this step. Can or should I skip that step? Thinking of just skipping to re-seasoning the pan after sanding. Would appreciate an answer. Thanks!

[@glock36me]

+NightWind420 On a smooth polished skillet the seasoning cant really get a good grip on the metal surface and continually comes off. I dont know the science behind the oven treatment of the iron but it really helps the seasoning get a good bond to the iron to form a beautiful slick seasoned surface. It will need to be constantly used and will need to be re-seasoned several times but it will eventually be beautiful. I have a #10 Lodge Pro-Logic (rounded sides) that I sanded but it just wouldn't take a seasoning but after putting it through the oven treatment and using it constantly for 6 months (no acidic foods) it is black, slick, and beautiful. I actually got the oven cleaning cycle treatment tip from Boedy Pennington in the comments on his video ETM: Sanding and Polishing Cast Iron cookware. It's several pages down but here are his comment below. "Boedy Pennington7 months ago+TheRunereaper And 5 months later........ #1- Iron is porous, oil seeps in. However, it will not season like the rough surface does. Do a couple coats of whatever seasoning you are into, then oil it, cook in it, clean it up, dry it off, and oil it again. Repeat, repeat, repeat. This works. The seasoning will flake off of the cooking surface, don't worry, just keep on using it and following the above steps. #2- Sure, you can use steel utensils. Just use common sense. Don't go cutting a steak while it's still in the skillet. #3- DO NOT BLAST IT!!! I've tried this, all it did was turn the entire skillet into a texture similar to about 120 grit sandpaper. Bonus*** After sanding it smooth, you will need to heat treat it. It needs to reach at least 800ºF. You will now when it is hot enough because it will no longer be shiny, but a dull gray." xtremecyclesports1 year agoI really like what you are doing but I have a question. Once you are down to bare metal and smooth how can you get that nice dark grey/black cast iron look BEFORE you season it? Is it extreme high heat that would do that? It seems the seasoning remains quite translucent for a long time so you see bare shiny metal under there. Boedy Pennington1 year agoYep, that’s right- very high heat. I put mine in the oven on self clean for at least 2 1/2 hours. That’s somewhere around 700 degrees Fahrenheit. If I had a way to get it up higher, like say 800 or 900, I would. But oven on self clean works well enough. Good luck! Marc Z4 months ago+Boedy Pennington is it necessary to heat the skillet to 700+ degrees after polishing? Or is this just to change the silver color to black? Dose the polishing process make the CI brittle? Thanks for the great videos! Boedy Pennington4 months agoThe first one I ever did, I let it stay shiny, but the seasoning was weird looking and wouldn't really stick at all. Aside from that, I'm not sure.

[@roberthodge2771]

Video I saw said that the Lodge rough surface is to aid in sticking the Pre-Seasoning to stick to the iron; I sanded one smooth before attempting to use; Ever try to get an egg out whole on that rough surface?

[@roberthodge2771]

I used loose sandblasting grit on one with a drill and pad. Messy but workd quickly.

[@roberthodge2771]

Of course I am new to cast iron use; been at it since I was 5 and am only 72 now !

[@adammcdonald3006]

I don't have a self cleaning oven. Are these results still attainable? Thanks in advance.

[@glock36me]

Almost. The sanded surface will not be a dark matt finish but a see through bronze color but it will darken with time. You will have the old seasoning on the rest of the skillet, just sand the cooking area.

[@adammcdonald3006]

Gotcha. Thanks man.

[@BrianGay57]

Lodge explains on their website why their more recent cast iron has the pebbly texture. It is done to allow for their automated pre-seasoning treatment.

[@SuperLuckao]

So u dont need to sand it?

[@jimbo571]

Where did you purchase the quick strip disk? I'm not seeing it online...

[@glock36me]

James Ayers If I remember correctly it was at walmart but I would think any hardware store would have it.

[@jimbo571]

glock36me great, thanks. And thanks for the great video. I think I'll try your process sometime soon.

[@CitizenKate]

I've found them at Ace Hardware, Menards, and Home Depot. Pretty much any hardware or home improvement store.

[@fredfranklin7716]

Sorry to ask a stupid question, I'm just starting the cast iron cooking and I'm hooked. You mention Wagner and Griswold.do they come with a smooth surface unlike the lodge I purchased? Most of the cast iron cooking I'm doing is in an old Dutch oven I found in an antique shop. It's unreal. The lodge is not giving the same results.

[@SpiritBear12]

Lodge makes that rough surface so that their factory preseason spray will stick to the pan while they heat it up in a large oven when the pans are hanging from their handle. If the pan was already smooth while they spray the oil on them it would sheet off and become uneven. However, it doesn't make for a very nice cooking surface. You shouldn't use Crisco as a seasoning oil as it can go rancid fairly easily. Olive oil is better for this. But you're right, if there is any splotching going on, you have to wipe that off that extra oil.

[@enkrypt3d]

what to do if the oil spots and you dont catch it? did this on my 3rd seasoning of my 13" lodge pan and now it has spots all over it...

[@glock36me]

enkrypt3d Use oven cleaner to remove the seasoning and start over with the seasoning.

[@enkrypt3d]

hmm now that i cooked spaghetti the sauce tastes like metal.. I did the exact steps you did here... any tips? I didn't have 0000 steel wool so I used just a kitchen steel wool..

[@glock36me]

enkrypt3d it is not recommended to cook any acidic food in cast iron pans because of this. These foods can damage and or remove the seasoning. Just reseason the pan and only cook items that require the use of an oil.

[@ashevillenctrailcamera5523]

Great job on this video and explaining it so clearly, there are alot of vids trying to explain this our there but your is by far the best. Thank you very much!

[@lorisue7844]

Thank you glock36me! I recently purchased a 12" Lodge and didn't like the rough texture. I found your video and followed it verbatim! I'm very happy with my results! I wonder if you or anyone reading can help me--after seasoning the pan and knowing it is still early on, I added extra grease to the pan to fry an egg... Not only did the egg REALLY stick, but after I cleaned it if, the pan looked the color of bare cast iron. It seemed like the seasoning was still in tact but it was an iron color! I used a brillo, reseasoned, and it happened again while frying onions! It has a great non-stick surface after the second seasoning but the darkness of the pan comes off where the food had stuck while cooking. Has this happened to anyone? Thank you in advance!!

[@glock36me]

Yes that will happen with a sanded skillet. You just have to use it constantly (nothing acidity like tomatoes), re season a few times, and within 6 months to a year it should be beautiful.

[@glock36me]

Also heat the pan first then put plenty of oil/butter/fat in the pan then put your eggs in it. If they stick at all it should be just a little and will easily release with a spatula. You will need more oil in the pan at first. It sounds like you didn't use enough oil. Pam oil spray is great with cast iron.

[@lorisue7844]

+glock36me ... I appreciate the input! I can tell by how it is already that it will turn out beautifully with some time and TLC. I'm just nervous to do the wrong thing to it after all the labor and time invested! What do you coat your pan with after cooking and wiping it out? Still crisco? I want to thank you for your great video and for taking time out of your life to produce something nice like this for others, like me!! It is, by far, the best video out there for resurfacing and seasoning cast iron!! I appreciate it!!

[@glock36me]

+Lori Sue don't worry about hurting the iron, it can take the heat and repaired by re seasoning it. Thats why there are peices in use from the 1800's. you can use any oil that you like. I'm a Pam guy because it spreads out even over the surface and it's a quick spray, wipe and your done.

[@forrestaddy9644]

I chuck mine in the lathe, dial in the cast surface on the bottom of the pan, and take a clean-up cut to face the bottom and up into the fillet. Gotta be careful to leave some witness, some cast iron pan bottoms are a little crooked. You don't want to go too thin. That is if you have an engine lathe that will swing the pan handle. Most folks will find a 4" angle grinder and a flap wheel a better solution. Don't take me too seriously. I only proposed the lathe because I have one and wanted to be a PITA.

[@jeremylange01]

Is it necessary to strip the outside of the pan also? Would it make a difference if I a only resurfaced the inside cooking area?

[@glock36me]

JeremyLange you can do that. I only sand the inside of the skillet not the outside of it. The heat treat using the oven cleaning cycle that is recommended will remove the exterior seasoning.

[@Mantinae]

Nice video sir, very informative. Thank you for posting this!

[@jaclynrichmond1049]

I just got two cast iron pans for my birthday, one is Emeraleds and one was lodge and the lodge is smooth compared to the other one.

[@scrippslarry]

Best video on this I have ever seen! Brilliant job! Thanks!!

[@unklgreg50]

Here's a question...could the same process be used to smooth a grill grate of the same material..???/

[@jdovak1589]

unklgreg50 ...Yes..for sure food will release better...but if you grease before cooking every time with cooking oil...not really needed..

[@RovingPunster]

*IMNSHO the smooth interior is probably more detrimental than beneficial to it's performance*, for a variety of reasons. First, the reduced surface area will likely impair/slow both the formation of, and the pan's ability to retain, a good patina ... and even after it forms that patina will also be thinner and more prone to scratching. That's a lot to sacrifice, just to gain a minor improvement in the ability to scramble eggs with the wrong pan. Also, a smoother internal surface means LESS CRUST formation, and LESS FOND, which impairs both texture and flavor for things like skillet cornbread (more surface area equals deeper and crispier crust), and making fricasse pan gravy (fond equals flavor, and less surface area means less fond). Rather than damaging a perfectly good pan, it would be a better investment of your time to learn more about using the right tools (pans) for the jobs they are best suited for. The only people out there who are polishing their CI cookware are the ones whose grasp of classic CI cookery (and egg cookery) was already weak to begin with. If you want a smooth uncoated pan for eggs, then buy a carbon steel saute pan for chrissakes ... don't castrate a perfectly good CI skillet ! That's like cutting the peen off a ball-peen hammer.

[@justadbeer]

HaHa...The right tool for the job. Spoken like a true cooking boss!

[@vincelok894]

Well, even if he ruined it, he can replace it at Walmart for $25. So ... what's the risk (to a modern Lodge pan)?

[@RovingPunster]

Vince Lok: excellent point about being able to own duplicate pans, with and without the unpolished interior. I sorta do the same by keeping multiple versions of some of my pans ... like a classic seasoned CI dutch oven, an enameled version of the same, and tri-ply stainless steel dutch oven. Each one cooks differently, and is better at differing tasks.

[@RovingPunster]

More on duplicate pans and the right pan for the right job: I also do the same with skillets and saute pans ... I have a 10 CI skillet, a 10 in tri-ply stainless, and a 10 in non-stick coated aluminum. The CI pan excels at robust browning & fond development, and cornbread; the smooth stainless tri-ply is more thermally responsive and excels at lighter browning and shorter braises with acidic sauces (ex: modena style pork chops), and the non-stick pan works best when no fond is required and the ability to release easily is paramount, which makes it ideal for things like fritattas and matzohbrei. Getting back to the original topic of to polish or not polish the interior of a CI skillet - you can have the best of both worlds by using 2 pans ... an unpolished CI pan to do the initial browning, and then transfer & deglaze everything into a non-reactive enameled CI dutch oven for the braise. I sometimes do that for things like beef burgundy, coq au vin, and chili that features tomatoes. As for my expensive tri-ply stainless dutch oven ... it's poor at developing a good fond, so even though it's my most expensive pan, I've mostly relegated it to making popcorn, which is the ONLY task it does a much better job on than my enameled CI dutch oven.

[@JohnSmith-qq9jp]

Wrong! If you look at all of the older CI that you can find, all of them were machined smooth in the manufacturing process. If you look at the high-end CI being made by Finex and Stargazer, they are machined smooth, the way they used to be. If a rough surface were better for cooking, every single pan manufacturer would make them that way, but they don't - every manufacturer makes their pans with a smooth surface for one reason, and that is more surface area contacting the food. Period. Sanding CI pans smooth does nothing to interfere with the pan's patina, which is formed over time. It does nothing to affect scratching, either; the metallurgical properties of the pan remain the same. Lodge makes the pans with a rough surface because it is cheaper than machining them after they are cast. After you have used a Lodge pan enough, the surface will "fill" with layers of oil from seasoning/cooking and the surface will be smooth.

[@BlueCollarHauler]

So reading all these comments and it doesn't appear that anyone knows or has done any of there own research on Lodge itself. The reason that lodge pans are rough is because they needed to figure out a way to rapidly preseason all their pans which is actually what saved them from going under like all the other vintage companies. They were the first company to do it. They just do a spray coating and then bake it they don't season it one layer at a time. I didn't do any of this I just stripped the Pre season off and re seasoned it myself because I prefer to do that. I did the same with my wagnerware. And if you know how to really use cast iron you won't need to smooth your lodge out as mine has become pretty smooth with time. Just takes patience and proper use. Also you're supposed to bake the pans upside down when seasoning, but to each their own.

[@adellsinclair8797]

I have ordered a new LODGE cast iron comal or flat griddle. It can be ordered in cast or polished!!. They will do this step for you. It doesn't have to be polished like this. Just clean and season use every day!

[@glock36me]

Tina Sinclair Can you give me a link to the polished Lodge pieces because I'm unable to find them and as far as I know Lodge has not done this since at least the 1980s. If you're thinking about the carbon steel because it is smooth that is not polished it is different than cast iron. They are cousins but not the same.

[@raylowery9466]

how can i complete this seasoning process if my oven does not have a self-cleaning feature? can i just jack the temperature up to maybe 400 or 500 for a couple of hours? HELP!!!!!!! thanks good video, ray lowery

[@glock36me]

ray lower Running it through the self-clean oven cycle helps but not an end all if you don't do it. Just skip that step, season the pan, and fry fry fry to get a good seasoning on the pan. Just remember to be patient and sanded skillet takes a while to get a good seasoning to adhere but once it does its a beautiful thing.

[@loverainthunder]

How much do you charge to do this to my pans?

[@loverainthunder]

* would you* typo

[@glock36me]

Sorry but I do not provide this service, just the instructions.

[@madthumbs1564]

Finex, and Stargazer (both made in the USA) sell their pans already smooth (if you don't want to buy vintage).

[@loverainthunder]

mad thumbs Thanks!

[@madthumbs1564]

yw =)

[@garzaglass]

what is the black original surface? Paint?

[@glock36me]

It's the Lodge factory pre-seasoning that they apply. Not Teflon.

[@vincelok894]

There's a Lodge video on youtube showing the process of making it. They spray vegetable oil on the finished (bare) pans, then bake it at some super high temp. That's what makes it black. Mostly I think it's so the pans don't rust on the shelf...usually when people buy pots and pans, they wash them before using them, so that would typically un-season Lodge's preseasoning anyway.

[@RovingPunster]

Yes, lodge used to sell their pans both seasoned and unseasoned, but now everything is seasoned. They darken further with time and use, as more layers of oil build up and polymerize/carbonize to form the protective patina.

[@EasyPrepper]

Its canola oil.paint would kill you

[@mksoni1976]

After watching this video , I am interested in sanding my 3 piece CI pan set and my CI pizza pan. How many Avanti Pro discs will do? Also, any suggestions for sanding afterwards? Only 40 will be sufficient? Or, 40 then 120? Any thoughts?

[@glock36me]

Mehul Soni These disks are HARD so you may only need one and you only need to sand with the one grit to even out the surface from using the disk.

[@mksoni1976]

glock36me thank you

[@johnnorman7708]

If the Lodge factory did this level of finish, the retail price would almost have to be 50% higher. Surface grinding would be a nice touch though. It's my recent experience that Lodge iron can be bought at deep discounts on clearance sales and the 2nd hand market frequently. Cast iron cookware is simply not for everyone. For those who do appreciate it however, it performs well.

[@jtapia92]

This is honestly the best way to do it... its tedious but worth it.. thank you

[@FlowBaka]

I've got a lodge with the grill lines in it. How would you go about doing that kind?

[@glock36me]

that would be really difficult an I wouldn't worry about that type of pan being very smooth. For that application I don't think smoothness would make a difference.