badly rusted cast iron

[Mcockrell]

i recently came across a badly rusted cast iron dutch oven/stockpot that has alot of rust...can i re-season it or is it not worth the trouble?

[BrooklynQ]

it's worth the trouble. Put some naval jelly on it. Let it sit a few days, wash it off and sand. and wash. then reseason.

[nmayeux]

I agree with BrooklynQ that it is worth the trouble. I have had luck removing rust with steel wool, and reseasoning. If it is really bad, get someone to bead blast it, as glass beads will not cause any further erosion. Unless its cracked, don't throw away!
Noah

[parrothead]

Sand blast that bitch! It will be like brand new! Season immediately.

[jt]

Very definitely worth it. Good cast iron cookware is awesome!

[Trout_man22]

Keep it but I would not do what my brothers are saying.

Make a fire and put the pot into the fire let it cook there for an hour or two. Pull it out of the fire and wipe it down with cooking oil and let it cool. Repeat if it's still rusty.

Thanks to a very old Mother Earth News.

[tommykendall]

Put some naval jelly on it


Yeah - we all got a little navel jelly and little bit of naval lint too. I was wondering if you could use something like easy-off oven cleaner to clean chit like that up.

[brdbbq]

like easy-off oven cleaner to clean chit like that up.
________________

Nope

[Trout_man22]

MotherEarth may have been wrong.

This is from the PanMan

Cleaning & Seasoning Cast Iron Cookware

CAUTION: Wear rubber gloves and eye protection while doing this!!

Begin by spraying the pan with oven cleaner and putting it in a plastic bag for a couple of days. The bag keeps the oven cleaner from drying out so it will continue to work. After a couple of days, remove it from the bag and scrub it off. I use a brass brush purchased at a super market, or my favorite, a brass brush I purchased at Rite Aid Pharmacy in their automotive counter. This brush is marketed for cleaning white wall tires. It is just the right size for doing pans. If all the burned on grease doesn't come off, repeat the process, concentrating the cleaner to the areas not cleaned.

For bulk cleaning, you can prepare a soak of one and a half gallons of water to one 18 ounce can of lye in a plastic container. Lye like oven cleaner is very caustic and will burn you. Always wear rubber gloves. Mix enough in the plastic container to cover the items to be cleaned. Leave the pieces in the soak for about five days. Then scrub the piece. You can use the lye mixture several times. Do not use oven cleaner or lye on aluminum! It will eat the aluminum! Lye and oven cleaner will also eat the finish off wood handles and japanned pieces, and will dull porcelain finishes.

To remove rust, buff the pan with a fine wire wheel in an electric drill. Crusted rust can be dissolved by soaking the piece in a 50%solution of white vinegar and water for a few hours. Don't leave it more than overnight without checking it. This solution will eventually eat the iron! It is now important to neutralize and stop the action of the vinegar. To neutralize the acid action of the vinegar again apply the oven cleaner and let the piece soak over night. You can also soak the piece over night in an alkaline solution such as washing soda which is available in the cleaning dept of most supermarkets and also some hardware stores. The washing soda neutralizes the vinegar so it will not continue to attack the iron. Then scrub the piece in dish detergent and hot water before seasoning.

After removing the burned on grease you are ready to season the piece. Preheat the oven to 125 degrees. This removes any moisture in the oven which could condense on the cold skillet leaving a very fine gold or rust color. Then preheat the pieces in the 125 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until they are hot. After the piece is heated remove it and apply shortening. I prefer solid Crisco. Some prefer lard or bacon grease. Oil does not work as well as these three. Apply solid Crisco; it flows right on. Of course you have to use a hot pad or rag to hold them. Return them to the oven right side up and raise the temperature to 225 degrees. Leave them for 1/2 hour then remove them and wipe any pooling of the shortening, leaving the piece still shining wet. The timing is important here because if you leave them in the oven to long the shortening begins to thicken. Put them back in the oven for another half hour. When you remove them this time let them cool down a bit, but are still hot, then wipe them to a dull shine. The initial seasoning should be accomplished at the point, However, typical of cast iron cookware, the more you use it (and don’t abuse it) the better it will be. It is generally recommended that you cook fatty foods in the pan as this adds to the seasoning process.

I DO NOT recommend the following methods of cleaning:

* Throw it in a fire - The intense heat of a fire can severely warp or even crack the piece.

* Self Cleaning Oven - Although not as great a risk as throwing it in a fire, the intense heat of a self cleaning can warp a skillet. There is also a risk of warping the piece.

* Sandblasting - This is the carnal sin for collectors. Sand blasting destroys the patina making the piece a dull gray color. Most collectors will not buy a piece that has been sand blasted.

After cooking in the pan, DO NOT use a detergent to clean it. That will destroy the seasoning. Put hot water in the pan and bring it to a boil. CAUTION: Do not put cold water in a hot pan! Let the pan soak for several minutes, then wipe it out with a paper towel. If something sticks, scrape it with a spoon to dislodge it. Do not use a brillo pad to scour it! An abrasive pad cuts into the seasoned surface. Then, reheat the pan and apply a fine coating of shorting, oil, or Pam. Do not apply enough to run. Just enough to wet the surface with a fine layer.

http://www.panman.com/cleaning.html

[brdbbq]

That Lye **** will put a World of hurt on your arse. We use it at work for cleaning glass chemical containers. Nasty stuff Maynard. Got some on my forearm one day clean as a baby's arese, then it started to blister.

[Trout_man22]

I don't like it, but this gut does seem to know his cast iron. I still will use the clean by fire, but thats what I done for years, I don't do steel wool at all. Fire fixes all, if it was going to crack it was going to crack. I will try the 50%solution of white vinegar and water just to see what it does next time I have a rusted pan.

Trout

[Hoorenga]

And this wont remove the patina?

"To remove rust, buff the pan with a fine wire wheel in an electric drill. Crusted rust can be dissolved by soaking the piece in a 50%solution of white vinegar and water for a few hours. Don't leave it more than overnight without checking it. This solution will eventually eat the iron! It is now important to neutralize and stop the action of the vinegar. To neutralize the acid action of the vinegar again apply the oven cleaner and let the piece soak over night. You can also soak the piece over night in an alkaline solution such as washing soda which is available in the cleaning dept of most supermarkets and also some hardware stores. The washing soda neutralizes the vinegar so it will not continue to attack the iron. Then scrub the piece in dish detergent and hot water before seasoning. "

I have one exactly like yours. I plan on sand blasting mine. I may lose some value when I go to sell it to that collector dude but it sure will be clean for cookin' with in the mean time. What's a little patina.

[rbinms33]

To remove rust, buff the pan with a fine wire wheel in an electric drill.


This was going to be my suggestion, followed by reseasoning in the oven.

[nmayeux]

If you bead blast it, it will not erode the iron. Most any machine shop, or mechanic will have a small bead blasting unit.

[Kevin]

Just a note on seasoning. Stinks like heck. If you've got a gas grill, use that for seasoning outdoors.

Kevin

[queball]

Stay away from sand (too abrasive) Bead blast and re-season