# Hey 2Cool Chefs I need some advice...



## Bocephus (May 30, 2008)

I recently bought an old cast iron skillet for a whopping $2 at an Antique Store that's designed for cooking steaks. It looks like this...










Problem is it's got quite a bit of rust on it. What's the best way to get the rust off so I can get it seasoned properly (I know how to do that) and cook me & the Wife up some tasty rib eyes on it ?

I've got several cast iron skillets but I've always scrubbed them with water only NO SOAP !...dried them and oiled them, and put them away. My Cajun Momma taught me that very early in life !

I've never had one rusted up before, and this is an old skillet, and I just had to have it......Any advice as to the best way to get the rust off for good.

Thanks, Bo


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## Svajda (Aug 31, 2004)

I hear ya about the soap, but I think I would take exception to that rule before you ever season it. Use a Scotchbright pad and hot soapy water. Dry it in a hot oven.
Once it's good and dry, season it heavily.


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## swtexan (Jul 24, 2006)

OK here it is, Learned this from an old fellow that went around and collected scrap and some was old cast iron (that I bought from him). I have done this many times so do not think I am crazy. Build a wood fire and throw the skillet in let it get red hot, the old grease will burn off and it will turn white. When the fire burns down take out get a piece of metal screen wire and scrub, all the crud will come right off, rinse with water, dry, and oil heavily with veg oil, let set a few hours and oil heavily again then put in a 450 degree oven to season.


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## speckle-catcher (May 20, 2004)

do you have a access to a sand blaster?

blast all the rust off, then wash, oil and bake it to begin re-seasoning.


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## Bocephus (May 30, 2008)

Yeah...have a bead blaster at work. I already thought of that but just wondering if there was a way to do it easily at home. swtexan's method sounds easy enough. I can build a fire in my fire pit and chunk it in...

Thanks for the reply's !


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## Tortuga (May 21, 2004)

A little rust never hurt no Cajun I ever knew.....I've seen 'em eat some pretty horrible thangs.

Good source of iron...:rotfl:


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## speckle-catcher (May 20, 2004)

Bocephus said:


> Yeah...have a bead blaster at work. I already thought of that but just wondering if there was a way to do it easily at home. swtexan's method sounds easy enough. I can build a fire in my fire pit and chunk it in...
> 
> Thanks for the reply's !


bead blaster is perfect. Last dutch oven I had to blast (went through Ike, I found it buried in the sand) took about 10 minutes, at most to get it all blasted and ready for re-seasoning.


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## BATWING (May 9, 2008)

Just a thought but you can try to deglaze it a few times to see what you cant get off of it. Get it smoking hot on the stove and deglaze then clean with deluted soapy water. Season when finished.


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## dbarham (Aug 13, 2005)

Water and heat


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## Svajda (Aug 31, 2004)

I've tried the blasting thing once, it takes it down to white metal. I ended up feeding the dogs in it. Seems there's a coating that the foundry (manufacturer or whoever) applies, that the blasting removes. I never could make it right and I own a LOT of cast iron. As I suggested or as swtexan suggested, knock the surface rust off as best you can and season the h3ll out of it..........more than twice it that's what it takes.


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## Bocephus (May 30, 2008)

Svajda said:


> I've tried the blasting thing once, it takes it down to white metal. I ended up feeding the dogs in it. Seems there's a coating that the foundry (manufacturer or whoever) applies, that the blasting removes. I never could make it right and I own a LOT of cast iron. As I suggested or as swtexan suggested, knock the surface rust off as best you can and season the h3ll out of it..........more than twice it that's what it takes.


Sounds like a good plan, thanks Svajda.


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## TIMBOv2 (Mar 18, 2010)

I would wipe out the rust and cook some chicken on it, then season it and go to town bro. But I am a cuntry boy lol.


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## steverino (Mar 8, 2006)

*Cast Iron Cookware*

I found a couple of very old pieces that were left outside of a house on Highlands Bayou in Hitchcock. Seems like they had been left outside for a long time, possibly pre-Ike. I cleaned up the two smaller pieces with a drill and wire brush and seasoned them and they look fine. The last piece, and nicest, is an old dutch oven. It has a wire handle, lid and pot. It was very heavily rusted with a lot of loose metal. I've wire brushed it, scraped it with a heavy metal scraper and tapped on it with a body hammer (pointed head). A lot of loose material has been removed but it is not smooth and even in the bottom, and may never be! To say the least, it has been a challenge (as if I didn't have enough to do before I started the "pot restoration project")! I may just take it to the ranch and throw it into a big pile of cedar that I plan to burn as soon as the burn ban is lifted. Oh well, if I'm not real successful I guess that may be alright as I probably would just use it to look at/decoration and never try to cook with it! Too many hobbies-not enough time!!!


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## BirdDoggin84 (May 20, 2013)

scrub with a mild soap and cold water and let dry. Then place in the oven or on the stove and let it heat up. When it heats up and the pores open up season it with oil. May take a few applications but usually works fine


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## 47741 (Jan 5, 2010)

Why not evoporust or hydrochloric acid. Both will clean it right up.


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## Whiskey Girl (Jan 13, 2010)

When in doubt go to Pinterest . . . just pick one that best suits . . . wg

http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=cast iron cleaning&rs=ac&len=9


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## Bocephus (May 30, 2008)

Whiskey Girl said:


> When in doubt go to Pinterest . . . just pick one that best suits . . . wg
> 
> http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=cast iron cleaning&rs=ac&len=9


Should have known you'd be smarter than all these guys put together.....thanks Sister !

:cheers:


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## jdot7749 (Dec 1, 2008)

Steel wool, no soap, water soaked and scrubbed well. Season inside and out with lard, 250 degree oven for 30 min. Repeat til most rust is gone. Cook many greasy items at 350 til skillet is black again. This ain't rocket science.


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## stdreb27 (Aug 15, 2011)

Whiskey Girl said:


> When in doubt go to Pinterest . . . just pick one that best suits . . . wg
> 
> http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=cast iron cleaning&rs=ac&len=9


What's Pinterest?

I've not restored one, but there are tons of restoring articles out there. I did just acquire a smoker with lots or rust on it. And I used a drill and a wire wheel then sprayed it down with phosphoric acid. Then used the wire brush to remove the *********** then oiled it and hit it with a pear burner. Worked well.


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## TIMBOv2 (Mar 18, 2010)

Bocephus said:


> Should have known you'd be smarter than all these guys put together.....thanks Sister !
> 
> :cheers:


HEY, you dam ingrateful coonarse. She ain't,,,, never mind.... Lmao


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## a couple more (Mar 19, 2009)

Scrub it with soap and hot water, using a brillo pad or similar. Get some of the cheapest, fattiest bacon you can find and fry it up in there. Wash again with soap and water. then fry yourself some good bacon in it, leave the grease in it, cover the entire pan in it. Put in the oven for 45 minutes at 350, then shut it off and let it set in the oven til it's cool. After that avoid soap unless it is absolutely necessary. Just rinse and wipe. I always dry mine on the stove top.


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## Svajda (Aug 31, 2004)

Bocephus said:


> I recently bought an old cast iron skillet for a whopping $2 at an Antique Store that's designed for cooking steaks. It looks like this...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


_______________________________________________________________

Bo, I'm curious how it came out.


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

flip it upside down on a fish fry burner, get it good and hot , then brush it out w a wire bbq brush and then fry some bacon in it and let it cool, then wipe it out w paper towels


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## Newbomb Turk (Sep 16, 2005)

Wire wheel in a drill or air motor. Wear safety glasses..


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## llred (Jun 30, 2008)

swtexan said:


> OK here it is, Learned this from an old fellow that went around and collected scrap and some was old cast iron (that I bought from him). I have done this many times so do not think I am crazy. Build a wood fire and throw the skillet in let it get red hot, the old grease will burn off and it will turn white. When the fire burns down take out get a piece of metal screen wire and scrub, all the crud will come right off, rinse with water, dry, and oil heavily with veg oil, let set a few hours and oil heavily again then put in a 450 degree oven to season.


+1 I found an old dutch oven a few years back this is what my grandfather told me to do. It worked great. I had to bake it twice though to get the seasoning I wanted.


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## donkeyman (Jan 8, 2007)

put skillet in oven on clean cycle pull let cool it out wash it re move all mostuere with heat and oil


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## vt_fish02 (Oct 16, 2009)

*rusty cast iron*

I bought a fajita skillet at the dump resale shop a couple of years ago that was completely covered in rust. I used a piece of steel wool and HOT, soapy water and scrubbed it as hard as I could. NEVER season it with bacon...it has to much salt. I covered the skillet with crisco and placed it on my propane grill outside on High for 45-60 minutes, upside down. I then let the skillet cool and rewashed it several days later with warm water and a dish rag (no soap this time). Any time my wife and I cooked something in the oven/grill, I would recover it with crisco and place it upside down on the rack. Allow to cool and rewash. It took me about a month to get it properly seasoned to where I couldn't see any rust residue left. Now, it is our go to skillet for grilled cheese, fried bacon, fajitas, veggies, etc. I used the following "how to" from allied kenco to get started.

http://www.alliedkenco.com/HowTo.aspx

I hope this helps. Best of luck.


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## kyle2601 (Oct 23, 2008)

This is a very good site on cleaning cast iron with lots of scale/rust.

http://www.wag-society.org/Electrolysis/electros.php


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