Rusted Lodge Hibachi

[Dawgluver]

Stupid, stupid me. Left the little darling to cool, and then it rained. And now it's all rusted. I hacked at it with a wire brush, but may need to resort to more drastic measures.

I have Dremels with wire wheels, would this be a good idea? Some info I read says yes, other info says don't do it. Ideas?

 

[Aunt Bea]

If it is only surface rust you should be able to brush it, wash it, wipe it down with cooking oil and build a fire in it to sort of reseason it. Do it in an area where the smoke won't bother you.

 

[Dawgluver]

If it is only surface rust you should be able to brush it, wash it, wipe it down with cooking oil and build a fire in it to sort of reseason it. Do it in an area where the smoke won't bother you.

Thanks, Bea! Crud, I can't believe I did that....

 

[Timothy]

Stupid, stupid me. Left the little darling to cool, and then it rained. And now it's all rusted. I hacked at it with a wire brush, but may need to resort to more drastic measures.

I have Dremels with wire wheels, would this be a good idea? Some info I read says yes, other info says don't do it. Ideas?

I haven't tried it, but it may be worth a try on your hibachi.

Housekeeping Tips : How Do You Remove Rust From Cast-Iron Cookware? - YouTube

 

[Katie H]

Interesting. I don't have anything rusty to experiment with right now, but I'd be curious to try this and see how effective it is. I have plenty of onions, though.

My first thought for your predicament is if you have a self-cleaning oven, you could put the rusted part of the hibachi in the oven and run it through a cleaning cycle. Once you've done that, then reseason the hibachi. I'd think that would do the job.

Or, place it on your outdoor grill and fire up the grill to "nuclear" and cook the hibachi and, again, reseason.

 

[Dawgluver]

Interesting. I don't have anything rusty to experiment with right now, but I'd be curious to try this and see how effective it is. I have plenty of onions, though.

My first thought for your predicament is if you have a self-cleaning oven, you could put the rusted part of the hibachi in the oven and run it through a cleaning cycle. Once you've done that, then reseason the hibachi. I'd think that would do the job.

Or, place it on your outdoor grill and fire up the grill to "nuclear" and cook the hibachi and, again, reseason.

Okay, here goes. I scraped off as much rust as I could, put the whole thing in the oven, and have initiated the self-cleaning cycle.

Wish me luck!

Oven needed cleaning anyway.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

I'd take it to an automobile engine repair shop or a machine shop and ask them to sand or glass bead blast it for me.

 

[Dawgluver]

I'd take it to an automobile engine repair shop or a machine shop and ask them to sand or glass bead blast it for me.

Great idea! Would have never thought of that either, Sir Loin. It has another 3 hours in the oven. We will see what we get.

Dang, I'm mad at myself!

 

[Timothy]

Scrubbing it with oil and salt will also remove the rust. It's a good way to clean it all the time. Works well and makes it almost non-stick.

 

[pacanis]

I've brought rusted CI back to life. It just took a lot of wire brushing with a small grinder and re-seasoning. I've never done it to a hibatchi before. I can't say that I'd even bother, as long as the grates were OK. Well, maybe I would, maybe I would clean and paint the outside with high temp paint.

 

[Dawgluver]

My next step will be taking the Dremel wire brush after it. Love my power tools. Cover it in veg oil and cook the heck out of it.

Guess there's not a whole lot you can do to wreck 25 pounds of cast iron.

You're right, Pac, I'm concentrating on the grate.

 

[pacanis]

It will come out better than new. It will have history.

 

[Dawgluver]

It will come out better than new. It will have history.

And I can relate the tale to its children.

 

[pacanis]

And I can relate the tale to its children.

Yes. You can say it got rusty being carried to school each winter to cook your lunch.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Yes. You can say it got rusty being carried to school each winter to cook your lunch.

and that's why one arm is two inches longer than the other

 

[Dawgluver]

Yes. You can say it got rusty being carried to school each winter to cook your lunch.

Uphill. Both ways. And I don't have to bend over to pull my socks up with my right arm.

 

[pacanis]

and that's why one arm is two inches longer than the other

Exactly! Kids today couldn't relate. They would wear it in a backpack.

 

[pacanis]

And lets not forget how Kwai Chang had to carry his hibatchi around!
Come to think of it, that was winter, too!

 

[Dawgluver]

And lets not forget how Kwai Chang had to carry his hibatchi around!
Come to think of it, that was winter, too!

Did he have to bend over to pull his socks up? Prolly not!

 

[Dee Jsaan]

Re

I have loads of Cast Iron including Griswold, Wagner, and Lodge. I've picked it up
at various yard sales & flea markets.

If it's anything larger, you can line a box with a lawn and leaf bag to make like a bath tub. Then put one piece of your iron in and use regular cola soda to pour over it and soak it and then wire brush it to get the rust etched off. Those Dollar Tree stores sell
3 liter bottles for a buck and a few bottles of that may be enough to bring a piece of iron back to it's base metal.

Once cleaned and rinsed and dried, you can re season it in the oven with oil. I use Flax Seed oil on mine. It is an edible oil that does a good job on Iron.

Depending on how rusted you may have to allow the iron to sit in the cola soda for awhile.