Reconditioning Cast Iron

[pax]

I found a treasure trove of cast iron pots in my husband's basement when we sold his bachelor pad. Most came from his grandmother. He's 60, so they are probably 100 years old or more. His ex wouldn't cook with them so they got stowed, badly, years ago. They are thick with grease and scum and all kinds of nasty crud that I cannot get off. I'd love to get them sand blasted back to the surface and see if any of them are salvagable, there are a couple of interestingly shaped ones. One in particular is a long loaf shaped roaster. Probably it was meant for fish but I'd like to try the no-knead bread idea that's all the buzz right now.

Any suggestions on where I might take a small pile of pots and pans to get sanded?

[DanCole42]

I found a treasure trove of cast iron pots in my husband's basement when we sold his bachelor pad. Most came from his grandmother. He's 60, so they are probably 100 years old or more. His ex wouldn't cook with them so they got stowed, badly, years ago. They are thick with grease and scum and all kinds of nasty crud that I cannot get off. I'd love to get them sand blasted back to the surface and see if any of them are salvagable, there are a couple of interestingly shaped ones. One in particular is a long loaf shaped roaster. Probably it was meant for fish but I'd like to try the no-knead bread idea that's all the buzz right now.

Any suggestions on where I might take a small pile of pots and pans to get sanded?

Sandpaper works just as well, if not better.

[ol_ironstomach]

Any suggestions on where I might take a small pile of pots and pans to get sanded?

Grease is iron's friend...it'll keep rust at bay for centuries. Ain't nothing like a big can of WD40 for blasting off old Cosmoline preservative, but you might not want to use that on a food prep surface. I'm not sure about sanding though; isn't the traditional method for rehabilitating old cast iron to simply put it in the fire until it's glowing hot, to burn all off the old seasoning?

There's a healthy market for collectable antique cast iron. You might want to start by checking out some of the collector websites for tips on care and value, for those pieces you're not planning to keep. Here's one for example.

[Scott Johnston]

If you want to get everything off and start fresh....

run them through the oven self clean cycle for a few hours. This will completely kill everything and make the grease into a powder and then wash them with steel wool. I have pre coated them with oven off as well for really bad pans. Then each pan needs to be reconditioned immediately all over (check the Lodge wesite or google for ideas). I have done this to many pans always with good results.

[Ilaine]

I would decrud with the self cleaning oven cycle and wire brush. Self cleaning oven turns old dried on food into soft gray ash.

[DameEdna]

Randon notes: I wouldn't use anything scratchy on the inside of the pan... the original surface

is what helps the "non-stick" quality of cast iron. You could use a lye solution to remove old,

cooked on crud... the traditional method is to make hooks with wire hangers, immerse pans in lye

solution for a week or two. It works great, but the lye burns seriously if it gets on your hands.

Cast iron collectors are insane, so if you have unusual pieces, a check on Ebay might show that

one antique piece could be traded for an entire set of new Lodge cookware.

[Ilaine]

Cast iron collectors.

Well of course there are.

[beezy]

Lodge (it ain't fancy, but my gramma uses it) explains it all:

http://www.lodgemfg.com/useandcare.asp

They say you can season it in a charcoal or gas grill. I've had a similar problem cleaning old stuff, and I'd try burning it off before you get out any kind of abrasive. If that doesn't work, get a small sander with a fine grain paper and go to town. An entry-level dremmel is also a fine choice...

In any case, beware abrupt temperature changes - iron can shear, shatter or warp if you take it from cold to hot or hot to cold too quickly.

[beezy]

Lodge (it ain't fancy, but my gramma uses it) explains it all:

http://www.lodgemfg.com/useandcare.asp

They say you can season it in a charcoal or gas grill. I've had a similar problem cleaning old stuff, and I'd try burning it off before you get out any kind of abrasive. If that doesn't work, get a small sander with a fine grain paper and go to town. An entry-level dremmel is also a fine choice...

In any case, beware abrupt temperature changes - iron can shear, shatter or warp if you take it from cold to hot or hot to cold too quickly.

[pax]

Well, Mr Johnston, and Ilaine, and old Ironstomach...and everybody!... thank you. I have had a tonne of fun stuffing everything I own that's not flammable into my oven. I've probably cleaned that thing twelve times now. I put in all my old cast iron. Then I put in the drip trays from my range. That worked so well I put in my actual "holding up the pot" thingies from the range.

And since I didn't have anything to lose, I put a couple of really disgusting old enameled pots. That worked too.

Pretty much, if it wouldn't burn, I've cooked it.

Much fun was had by all.

Once I got the worst of the junk down to dust, I wiped them till the cloths came away clean and started reseasoning. Triumph was a breakfast cooked on Sunday in 100% reclaimed pots. Eggs, hash browns, sausages. Nice and greasy.

[Scott Johnston]

Congrats.. we will all be over for breakfast on Saturday.....

Well, Mr Johnston, and Ilaine, and old Ironstomach...and everybody!... thank you. I have had a tonne of fun stuffing everything I own that's not flammable into my oven. I've probably cleaned that thing twelve times now. I put in all my old cast iron. Then I put in the drip trays from my range. That worked so well I put in my actual "holding up the pot" thingies from the range.

And since I didn't have anything to lose, I put a couple of really disgusting old enameled pots. That worked too.

Pretty much, if it wouldn't burn, I've cooked it.

Much fun was had by all.

Once I got the worst of the junk down to dust, I wiped them till the cloths came away clean and started reseasoning. Triumph was a breakfast cooked on Sunday in 100% reclaimed pots. Eggs, hash browns, sausages. Nice and greasy.