ISO advice on reseasoning a cast iron pan

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tenspeed

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I have a cast iron skillet that I would like to reseason. It's a Wagner 1891, made in USA, purchased 30 - 35 years ago but not used in at least 15 years. The interior is still seasoned, although it's uneven around the periphery of the pan. The exterior has a brownish tinge, but no powdery rust. I'm thinking I can take some fine steel wool to the exterior. I would like to remove as much of the interior seasoning as possible and reseason. I've read other threads and it seems that scrubbing with a scotchbrite pad would work. Would it help if some other cleaner is used in conjunction with the scotchbrite pad? I know that I can strip it with oven cleaner, then soak in a vinegar solution, but handling and disposal is not desirable (we're on a septic system and are careful of what goes down the drain). I don't think that it requires a full restoration like a rusty garage sale special. Any advice would be appreciated.
 
Do you have, or know someone who has, a self-cleaning oven? Putting the cast iron in during the cleaning cycle will strip it down to bare metal.
 
Do you have, or know someone who has, a self-cleaning oven? Putting the cast iron in during the cleaning cycle will strip it down to bare metal.

This is the best way to remove ALL seasoning. You could also do it in a super hot charcoal or gas grill.
 
Do you have, or know someone who has, a self-cleaning oven? Putting the cast iron in during the cleaning cycle will strip it down to bare metal.
Our self cleaning oven specifically states that racks should be removed before running the self cleaning cycle to avoid damaging them. The display flashes this when the cleaning cycle is selected.
 
Mine does, too. The manual warns to remove the racks - it says they can be warped by the high temperature. When you start to set the cleaning cycle, the display flashes with a reminder to remove the racks first.
 
Our self cleaning oven specifically states that racks should be removed before running the self cleaning cycle to avoid damaging them. The display flashes this when the cleaning cycle is selected.

What does taking the racks out have to do with stripping cast iron? You just set the piece of cast iron on the bottom of the oven or lean it up against one wall. This also works for cleaning pizza stones.
 
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The bottom and wall of the oven is metal. I'm not sure it's designed to have an extremely hot cast iron pan on it during the cleaning cycle.

It's not a pizza oven made of brick.
 
After a bit of searching, I found this: How to Restore Vintage Cast Iron Pans | Serious Eats

Basically, spray Easy Off oven cleaner on it and seal it in a garbage bag for 24 hours. Then you can start over. If you dilute the lye leftovers with lots of water, you can put it down the sink.
I've seen that one before, as well as this one:

https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/10429-how-to-strip-a-cast-iron-skillet

As I mentioned, I don't want to deal with handling and disposal of hazardous materials. I think I'll give the scotchbrite scrub a try and see what happens. I don't have an emotional attachment to this pan, and can replace it with a $30 Lodge. A replacement rack for my Thermador wall oven is $70, so it's not worth the risk.
 
tenspeed - I did the oven cleaner on a old pan and it worked great. I sprayed it very heavy, into a garbage bag for 2 days. took it out and used a scotch brite and bar keep helper and went to work on inside and out. It looks great. One thing I like about the old pans is that they are MUCH smoother than the current Lodge lineup. Smooth bottom pans now are upwards of $100. BTW the oven cleaner can be washed off in the sink.
 
This has been educational. According to Cornell University, 1.3 ounces of crystal drain cleaner (primarily sodium hydroxide, or lye) can kill most of the bacteria in a 1,000 gallon septic tank, and it will take more than 48 hours for the system to recover. However, Easy-Off contains less than 5% lye, so a small quantity shouldn't be too detrimental to the septic system. I think I'll give the Easy-Off method a try if steel wool or scotchbrite doesn't remove most of the seasoning. Then I'll have to dispose of the unused portion at hazardous waste day.

References are:

http://waterquality.cce.cornell.edu/publications/CCEWQ-16-HouseholdChemicalsSeptic.pdf

https://householdproducts.nlm.nih.g...id=18001880&query=easy-off&searchas=TblBrands
 
It all depends on how much scrubbing you want to do. I'd opt for the Easy-Off first then the scrubbing. Much easier that way.
 
The bottom and wall of the oven is metal. I'm not sure it's designed to have an extremely hot cast iron pan on it during the cleaning cycle.
Thyat makes no sense. Do you really believe the cast iron pan is going to get hotter than the interior of the oven?
 
Our self cleaning oven specifically states that racks should be removed before running the self cleaning cycle to avoid damaging them. The display flashes this when the cleaning cycle is selected.

My sc oven doesn’t say that. The racks discolor but remain in working order.

Mine says to remove the racks if you want them to stay shiny. Makes no difference to me, so I leave them in. I'm not going to use the self cleaner on the oven then spend a few pounds of elbow grease trying to clean stains off the racks. :rolleyes:

If I ever have to reseason a cast iron pan, it will be stripped in the oven first.
 
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