dutch oven rust....?

Isn,t there a couple of methods to produce cast iron cookware ? I know sand cast is supposed to be more pourous and so takes more seasoning .
 
Codger_64,

Cabela's has something that sounds like the "coon cooker" that you described in one of your post's. They call it an "oval roaster" its 18" x 9.5" x 4", not quite as deep as the one that you described, but it's the closest that I've seen. It is Cabela's # RT-51-6770.

Hope this helps,

Bruceter
 
FWIW Lodge makes an "eraser" type rust remover that seems to work good. If it is a big oven, you might go through several of them though. I bought one to try on my way back home from Blade a few years back. If you get the chance, go see their factory store, tons of iron to tempt you. The wife had to wath over me the whole time for fear of coming home with a literal ton.
 
Can you sand the cooking surface of a cast iron griddle to make it smoother?
My several year old camp dutch oven has a nice smooth surface on the inside. I recently got a griddle that has a much more "pebbled" texture on it. Even with plenty of oil, eggs stick and are hard to flip. I was thinking of one of those sanding discs that you can put in an electric drill and sanding it with some 120 grit to knock the tops of the bumps down.
Anyone ever do this to their cast iron ??

TIA

Bruceter
 
99% of cast iron is sand cast. It's the way it's been done for hundreds of years. The problem now is that most of the cast iron cookwear out there is cheap junk. Skillets have to be machined inside for a smooth surface and most aren't. Unmachined iron when used as a cooking surface has to be cast in a very fine mold so it'll be smooth, and again most these days aren't.

You can do whatever you want to smooth it out. A nice sanding disc would probably work pretty well.
 
If you want to really clean cast iron find a big plastic tub and fill it with enough water to cover what you are cleaning. Dump in a box or dry drain cleaner and stir. Next set a 12 volt car battery next to the tub and hook one lead to the pot. Hook the other lead to a piece of copper and put it in the tub. Light rust is gone in an hour, heavy rust takes all night. Wear gloves and eye protection!
 
My Mom had many cast iron skillets but one 12" in particular was for corn bread only. We were raised on brown beans and corn bread. After she got the hot corn bread out of the skillet she would wipe it out with a clean cloth then a little seasoning and back into the oven to cool down slowly so as not to warp. The recipe was, corn meal, one egg and buttermilk. Thats it, and I still love it today. Gotta go, suppers ready.
 
Bruceter said:
Codger_64,

Cabela's has something that sounds like the "coon cooker" that you described in one of your post's. They call it an "oval roaster" its 18" x 9.5" x 4", not quite as deep as the one that you described, but it's the closest that I've seen. It is Cabela's # RT-51-6770.

Hope this helps,

Bruceter
Click to expand...
4" isn't deep enough, but the used ones are out there. These take two burners on a stovetop to fry fish or chicken, and not every oven will hold one.

One thing to be aware of when buying new or used cast, some of the older imported stuff was cast from God-knows-what metals. The old U.S. brands (Wagner, Lodge, Griswold etc.) are getting harder to find, but not impossible. And there is a sort of satisfaction from rejuvinating old cast cookware and using it the right way.

Yes, lye and electrolytic action is one way to derust it. Here is an instrucional page from a collector website:

Lye is the preferred chemical for cleaning cast iron. Lye such as Red Devil can be used to make a lye wash for larger projects or lye-based oven cleaner can be used on smaller jobs. It is becoming more difficult to locate lye in hardware or grocery stores in the toilet bowl cleaning section because of the increased use of this household product in illegal meth-making labs. So you may have to do a lot of searching to locate it now.

Be advised however that during use, this lye wash is quite caustic and must be used with respect.

Because of the violent chemical reaction that could occur, extreme caution must be exercised when mixing the lye wash. It is imperative the lye be added to the water not water poured onto the lye. Water poured onto lye can cause a violent chemical reaction and the wash could "boil-up" into your eyes or face.

As a precautionary measure, a clean water source should be immediately available. If the solution feels "soapy", the solution is in good working condition, however, if the solution comes in contact with the eyes or skin, it must be washed off immediately. Always protect your eyes as the solution could cause permanent damage if contact is made with the eyes and not immediately washed out. Vinegar can also be used as a neutralizing agent.

Always keep the solution away from children.

It is probably best to always keep the container covered. This will prevent evaporation, minimize the chances of spills, and protect against foreign objects from falling into the vat.

The lye wash can be used for more than one "batch" of cleaning.

The following instructions must be used with caution and at your own risk.


Lye Wash Method:
Step 1
Soak cast iron pieces in lye water. Mix 1 can of lye (i.e., Red Devil) with 4-5 gallons of water in a plastic or stainless steel container. Suspend pieces utilizing steel coat hangers or heavy wire.
Step 2
Remove pieces after soaking and rinse with hose and relatively high water pressure. If grease, paint, etc. does not wash away, try wiping with stainless steel scouring pad or brush. Repeat Step 1 as required.
Step 3
After piece(s) are dry, brush with fine steel brush on drill or wire wheel. Do not use a brass brush, as it will discolor the iron.
Step 4
Wipe piece(s) thoroughly.
Step 5
Apply mineral oil, generously, with small paintbrush--make sure to completely coat items. Let stand overnight.
Step 6
Wipe off excess oil with paper towel.
Step 7
Polish with soft cloth (flannel recommended). This step is very important to provide non-sticky cast iron.
Rust conditions - If steps 1-3 do not remove rust, do the following:
Step 8
Soak pieces in solution of 50% white vinegar and 50% water for minimum of 24 hours.
Step 9
Remove from vinegar solution, rinse and rub/brush to determine if rust has been removed. Repeat Step 8 as required. Do not leave pieces in vinegar solution for an extended period of time as damage to the piece(s) may result.
Step 10
Repeat steps 3 through 7.
Follow appropriate safety precautions as required (rubber gloves, welder type gloves, face shields).


Easy Method:
Step 1
Apply oven cleaner such as Easy Off or Mr. Muscle.
Step 2
Place the item in a plastic garbage bag overnight (the bag keeps the oven cleaner from drying out).
Step 3
Rinse off.
Step 4
Repeat the process if necessary.
Step 5
Scrub with a brass pot brush.

 
I have a cast iron griddle with ridges in it . Its no bigger than a dinner plate and will grill up 4 burgers over an electric element . Deeelicious buffalo burgers .
This thing gets used and abused . It comes back for more with a smooth finish no seasoning necessary . I don,t know how it was made but it was sure made well . I have its big brother assigned to a kitchen work detail for camping this year .
 
I've used oven cleaner effectively on really badly rusted stuff. I love cast iron, especially old Griswold skillets.
 
I have a 50+ year old griswold legless dutch and a 12" Aluminum (GSI). I use the GSI more and more because it can take the abuse better than the cast when it's time to clean up (Heck of a lot lighter too).

Check out Cee Dub's videos which can be found at Sportsman's Warehouse, he was a former Idaho Fish and Game officer and BIG into Dutches.
 
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