Rusty, UNSEASONED Cast Iron Pan - Some Help, Please!


 
R L Bagwell

R L Bagwell

TVWBB Pro
Hello All:

A number of years ago I purchased a Lodge unseasoned 10-inch cast iron frying pan - one with deep sides. This was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and, after a few days, it found its way to the rear of my cupboard where it sat unseasoned and unused.

Today I decided to see if it could be salvaged, and after peeling off what I could of the glued-on sticker that covered the bottom of the pan - and WD-40ing the remnants that remained - I could see there was considerable rust on the bottom, in the bed of the pan, and on the handle.

After Googling a number of phrases concerning getting rust off unseasoned cast iron cookware, I could not locate anything that seemed to deal with my particular problem - I don't know that too many manufacturers sell unseasoned cast iron anymore, just the seasoned variety.

My question is, does anyone have any experience with rust removal from new, unseasoned cast iron cookware that they may be willing to share? Is it just a simple matter of using steel wool?

If so, your input would be appreciated!
 
Roost, if you have access to a sandblaster, i'd do that, then reseason it right away.
Sandblasting brings the pan back to it's natural state.
Works Excellent!
 
i used steel wool on mine then seasoned right away in the oven. 6 months later has a beautiful pantina on it.
 
i'm not sure you want a pantina coating on it if you plan on using that CIS...
Roost, once you season it AND use it, the more you use it, the better it gets.
My CIP's & CIS's are well seasoned and used soo often, NOTHING sticks to them.
That, sir, is what you want!
 
Originally posted by Corey Elks:
i used steel wool on mine then seasoned right away in the oven.
Click to expand...

Corey, just to be clear, you are speaking of an UNseasoned pan, correct? And if so, what grade of wool did you use, and was it used in connection with anything else, such as cooking oil, or just straight steel wool?

I also seem to recall hearing about some sort of concoction involving making a paste out of salt and some other substance - was it vinegar or lemon juice? - but then, I also recall that you really want to stay away from acids on CI (unless that is only on previously and properly-seasoned CI.)

Sorry for the twenty question game, but, as you may have already suspected, being overly cautious is one of my many foibles!
icon_rolleyes.gif


It may be that I'll try the steel wool procedure first, since that seems somewhat less involved than the sandblasting technique.....
 
first i ran it through self clean oven. then steel wool with 00 and soap and water. rub with very light coat of lard, put in oven upside down at 375-400 for hour and a half. then start using the heck out of it when cleaning pan after a sticky nasty cook, you can use water and coarse salt make a slurry and rub with paper towel. rinse and then dry in oven or over stove on low
 
Those pics do not look to bad.

Option for scrubbing it down include

a raw potato
steel wool
A bristle brush drill bit attached to a power drill

I have used all of these on cast iron. They all work.

Then just burn some Pam or Crisco on that thing.

Cast iron gets better and better the more you mistreat it (i.e. burn stuff on it) Use it man, don't let it sit in the cupboard. I sometimes oil mine up and throw it on the grill just to add a heat sink when I am not overloading the grill with food.
 
Your pan isn't in bad shape. I once found a frying pan that had been left in the shallows of Rudee Inlet in Virginia Beach, totally submerged in salt water and extremely rusty. I used a drill and a wire brush, followed up by sandpaper and steel wool. Thirty-plus years later my mother is still cooking with that pan.
 
Here's an update to my last:

Following the instructions included in the link provided by Bob, I used 0000 steel wool to lightly remove all signs of visible rust, wiped the pan down, and let it dry in a 250º oven for 20 minutes. Here are the "after" pix:





I then rubbed the entire pan with EVOO, and placed it in a 500º oven for 45 minutes, allowed it to cool, accomplishing the following:



I thought the result would be the black finish one sees with the majority of properly-seasoned CI, but as noted in the photo, there appears to be one of a bronze tint - hopefully, as time goes on, the color will darken accordingly....

Along with yesterday's first cook of 1-inch porterhouses and some grilled fresh 'sparagus on my new Summit S-420, I tried out the side burner and my newly-seasoned CI pan with some diced taters and onions in EVOO (sorry, no photos); There was noticeable sticking, but nothing I couldn't live with, considering it was my first try - I'm going to attempt another round of seasoning today, as I'm thinking the pores need more "fill"....

Again, thanks to all for their input!
 
yeah Roost, looks good. Remember, the more you use it, the more seasoned it gets, the better it gets.
 
Yeah, the lack of pure blackness is prolly because of your choice of oil.

I recall Alton Brown recommending shortening on an ep of Good Eats... something to do with saturated fats vs non saturated, chemical bonds, etc. I have used Crisco. Pam works too (veg oil) for the simple reason that spraying is a very quick and easy method to apply.


just use the thing and abuse the thing, and keep reseasoning it. It will last almost forever.
 
Man am I glad you didn't sand blast. There's hardly ever a need to do that and it removes material and can be hard to remove the sand totally. It also affects the end finish once seasoned and (if you care) affects the value of the piece, most important with vintage cast iron.

You might consider using an oil that has a higher temp. The seasoning will build over time.

Another great resource for lots of detail on reconditioning, seasoning, etc can be found here:

You don't have to be a member to read the Cast Iron (General Info) section.

WAGS

Don't be afraid to register either. This site supports proper restoration, cleaning, use and identification of vintage as well as new cast iron.
 
R:

Thanks for the additional resource - here's the results of my second seasoning session (using EVOO again):



I just may give Crisco shortening a try on my next attempt....
 
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