Not sure if this has ever been discussed here. figured i'd share this process. well I rescued 2 skillets that have been sitting in the bed of a friends truck all winter. they were in very bad shape.

heavy rust both inside and out. some pitting had begun and created some tough areas in bended areas.


i had to use a wire brush and a 4'' wire brush grinder to free the cast iron of the heavy rust. i thoroughly spent sometime inside and out.













i then used the "Bar Keeper's Friend" and a stainless steel chore pad to finish the grind down. the skillets are finally beginning to show they still have life.





I then thoroughly rinsed out skillets with water. next put each skillet on a burner at medium heat to evaporate the water out. i set the oven to 200dgr. and put them in upside down to start seasoning process.



after 30 mins i was certain the pores of the cast iron were open and ready for the veggie oil. took them out and poured a puddle of oil the size of a tennis ball into the skillet and used several paper towels to completely spread the oil inside and out. i could easily notice the iron absorbing the oil in. i was careful not to over saturate which can be a bad thing later. put them back into the oven upside down for another 2 hours and repeated the process for 6 hours. it's important to do the seasoning with the skillets upside down.





the skillets are now completely seasoned and very smooth and slick inside.

Looks good. You can also fill the pan with straight vinegar it dissolves the rust in short order. I soak the pans on lye water for a few days and it loosens all of the previous cooked on coatings . When you take them out and rinse and dry they immediately get a coat of rust. I then hit them with vinegar, dry and season. I have a complete set of Griswold skillets and Dutch ovens pre 1920 that I picked up at garage sales over the years.

nicely done! I have a few I will do that to.

Nice job.
For everyday cleaning use salt, cooking oil and elbow grease.
No water or detergent or you will break down your old-tyme non-stick surface and have to start over.

Nice tutorial and pics. I've got over 100 yrs of seasoning on my grandpa's dutch oven which we use regularly. Better than any modern non-stick coating! Cook up everything from salmon to sourdough!

Muriatic acid is a great cleaner! wear gloves

In '71, my sweet Bellevue gf spent the night & after I fixed breakfast with my cast iron skillet my Mom gave me, I ran out the to store & when I came back she was scrubbing out my 3rd generation seasoned skillet with a brillo pad .
It was almost enough to boot her out the door. Dumb Bellevue women. She had no idea what it was. She learned so I married her & she keeps our cast iron cook wear as it should be.

Brewer, that was a great resurrection.

Just looking at those skillets brings this ditty to mind.

"well get out from that kitchen and rattle those pots and pans
get out from that kitchen and rattle those pots and pans
well roll my breakfast 'cause I'm a hungry man

when you wear those dresses the sun comes shinin' through
when you wear those dresses the sun comes shinin' through
I cant believe my eyes, all of this belongs to you"

Buddy Holly - Shake, Rattle & Roll Lyrics | MetroLyrics

why thank you, I have same effect on reels too.

Niiiiceeee. Like a boss.

PS: You shouldn't eat your finger nails.

I get that way when fishing sucksass!!!!

Good work, Brewer.

I have a couple that I abuse. One is for camping and the other is for the smoker chips. The smoker one is really skanky but good to go for what it needs to do.

Take care,

Uh huh....

Cool thread, Brewer.

Good work Brewer!

Reminds me, we got a cast iron Crousant frying pan a couple Christmases ago. It's enameled on the outside and cast iron inside, but supposedly non stick. Well, it sticks. I tried seasoning it like old fashioned cast iron, but it didn't work. Not sure if there is a solution, other than not using it.

Croosants are bad for ya anyway.
If you want French, go with the fries.

never underestimate the power of "how to" on youtube. this guy has a interesting theory on how to make cast iron truly nonstick. if you have ever watched such shows as Dives, Diners and Drive ins' the restaurants never use non stick skillets, only C.I. so there a way to really make the skillets super slick. is If the skillet has a slick sheen it should be perfect.

Slamo, i'd suggest you reseason it.

I'd lean toward a more heat tolerant oil such as peanut or grape seed.

+1 for grape seed oil. I use on the hot bbq grill before adding whatever I'm cooking.