Can this cast iron pn be saved ? (1 Viewer)

[ojaij40]

Neighbor tossed this big heavy #14 cast iron pan , first pic is all the rust from standing water.


2nd and 3rd , after a little elbow grease , some CLR , and scrubbed with Zud .

 

[Butt Ugly Chuck]

Yes - Nice save!

Butt

 

[tag3]

Would a good smearing of bacon grease and a hot fire bring that back to life?

 

[Butt Ugly Chuck]

Check out the https://forum.ih8mud.com/campfire-cuisine/694027-its-not-cast-iron.html thread. For being about "not-cast-iron", there is a wealth of info in there about rescuing and seasoning cast iron.
Butt

 

[Cruiserdrew]

That pan looks better but will still likely taste metallic due to the exposed rusty spot.

There are a couple of good options in order of general goodness:

-Soak in a molassas solution for several weeks. Messy, works well, minimal effort.

--Soak in "Evaporust" Works faster, less messy, more $$

---My favorite: Electrolysis. Will eliminate/kill rust overnight. Will also remove any surface goo from past cooking leaving a perfect surface to re-season. Seriously it will look new.

You need: Sodium Carbonate (Arm and Hammer Washing soda), some scrap steel, and a battery charger. Make an electrolyte solution of 3 tablespoons per gallon, scrap steel gets the +, the pan gets the minus. Run for a day or two. With a skilet you can do this in a 5 gallon bucket.

 

[MTNRAT]

Thanks Andrew. Neighbour has a rusty one. Going to give this a shot.

 

[OldBigBear]

You can definitely save it. Get that rust off and get it seasoned!

 

[OldBigBear]

I had one that an uncle gave me in similar shape. I worked on it with steel wool off and one for a few days, alternately rinsing it and drying it. When I finally got all the rust and other detritus off of there I covered the whole thing lightly in vegetable oil and put it in the oven at 200 degrees for a few hours during the day. Been using it ever since.

 

[skidplate]

I took one worse than that on a camping trip and put it in the fire pit. After a couple of good camp fires it came out looking great. Took it home and seasoned it in my BBQ grill. It's my "go to" skillet now.

 

[Blackdog]

This guy has a good step by step method for rescuing cast iron.

 

[JohnVee]

Rusty Dutch Oven. I thought I was in CHAT for a minute.


...via IH8MUD app

 

[Cruiserdrew]

That Camp Chef goober in the video has advice that is fine for a Made in China cast iron piece like he shows. However a wire wheel is inherently destructive and the wrong tool for your grandmothers nice old Griswold skillet.

Next time I do electrolysis on some rusty metal, I'll put up some pics of of the lazy man's non-destructive and best method of derusting metal.

Now, John Vee-I'm curious what you mean. Are you talking about Rusty_TLC and the "other" dutch oven? If so, that's gross, even by chat standards.

 

[OldBigBear]

Got a new Lodge 10 qt dutch oven for my birthday last week. We'll be taking it as our primary cooking means on a big road trip in the land cruiser in June. What is your go-to camp dinner recipe?

 

[JohnVee]

Now, John Vee-I'm curious what you mean. Are you talking about Rusty_TLC and the "other" dutch oven? If so, that's gross, even by chat standards.

I don't know the man so I can't comment on his "undercover" adventures. Do you know something we don't? Wait…please don't answer that. Back to the show, folks. Nothing to see here.

 

[sggoat]

Electrolysis is prob a better way. Wire wheel just polishes the rust. ---I would not use veggie oil at all--has too low a smoke point and can go rancid after a while---Peanut oil is my choice

 

[JohnVee]

I took some gear to an injured buddies house to cook for his family last night - 2 cast iron pans included. After eating, I went to the kitchen to find the 11" (yes, 11") pan that we inherited from the wife's grandmother sitting in a sink full of soapy water. Someone had put it in while hot (because it was "dirty and needs to soak") so it was sitting there over an hour!

Regardless of the task, I'm thiiiiiiiiiiis close to just not helping anybody anymore. It's getting expensive and time consuming after the fact. Reseasoning, here I come.

 

[MattH]

I took some gear to an injured buddies house to cook for his family last night - 2 cast iron pans included. After eating, I went to the kitchen to find the 11" (yes, 11") pan that we inherited from the wife's grandmother sitting in a sink full of soapy water. Someone had put it in while hot (because it was "dirty and needs to soak") so it was sitting there over an hour!

Regardless of the task, I'm thiiiiiiiiiiis close to just not helping anybody anymore. It's getting expensive and time consuming after the fact. Reseasoning, here I come.

OUCH!!! Hate to hear that. No one touches my cast iron when its dirty. Not even my wife. Hope you get it back they way you want it quickly.