) Carol (sixkids) uses flaxseed oil to season cast iron pans. 
Already on my shopping list Paul! I am willing to give it a try. I remember someone saying that it really stinks when seasoning with it.Sunny Boy wrote: I know what I'll be trying next - flaxseed oil.
Paul
Actually Dave, vinegar is one of the last things you want to use on cast iron, it can actually ruin the iron. There are several methods that are used, one is to put it in a self cleaning oven if you have one. The dangers of that are possibly warping the pan because the temps get up to 800-900°f. Another way is to use oven cleaner which has lye in it, then put it in a plastic bag for a couple of days. Then wash the pan out well. Another way is to make a solution of water and lye in a plastic bin big enough to fit the cast iron in. Let it soak for a couple of days and then wash it well. One thing you have to remember, lye is a dangerous substance to work with, you should wear rubber gloves and safety glasses, it is caustic but not toxic. Also remember, never add water to lye, add the lye to water because it heats up rapidly. If you add water to lye, it can actually come to a boil and cause damage. It is nothing to fool with. Food processers actually use it to peal vegetables and fruits before preserving them. I would then follow the steps that were stated in the link you posted.windyhill4.2 wrote:I sure wouldn't use a chemical,maybe vinegar & baking soda.
With all due respect Paul, his question was how to strip cast iron. A wire brush will remove what is on the surface but not what was absorbed into the pores. If all he really want to do is resurface the cast iron, then your method would work just fine. However, if you want to completely strip a cast iron pan, I do believe you need heat or the chemical process.Sunny Boy wrote:Chemicals can leave trace amounts behind.
You can actually help smooth the surface as you strip and clean it, by using a wire wheel chucked up in a drill. The wires will burnish the surface smoother as they strip off the old seasoned surface.
The slower method is hand sanding.
Wash with hot water to remove any dust and grit. Then dry it quickly with a towel and more thoroughly by warming it in an oven before coating with whatever oil you prefer.
Paul
Again Paul, you are taking the surface off and not the pores, you can call it what you want but you are not getting the polymerized oils out of the pores. I agree, if you want to re-surface the pan and not worry about what is in the pores, the wire wheel is the best way. You cannot convince me that this process with "STRIP" the pan of any polymerized oils left in the pan. You would have to sand off all of the pores with the polymerized oils in them to strip the pan.Sunny Boy wrote:Randy,
If the pan is not badly rust pitted, the wire wheel method works. A new wire wheel can be very aggressive in removing burned on carbon and smoothing (burnishing) cast iron. They are used a lot in cleaning cast iron and steel parts of engines with burned on carbon. They will take off the cooked on crud and cast iron upper surface down to the level of the bottoms of the pores.
Like shearing off mountain tops right down to the valley, thus leaving the cast iron smoother than chemicals can.
Another method is to use the Scotch Brite "Roloc" sanding discs sold in autobody supply house. They are flexible enough to get into the tight areas inside pots/pans. And they sell arbors to mount the discs on so that they can be chucked up in a drill motor.
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=3m+rolo ... 5k92fx50_b
Paul
You are right, it would strip the pan, that is what they use in toilet bowl cleaner...I think I would rather use food grade sodium hydroxide (lye).Smokeyja wrote:Muriatic acid will surely take any bit of oil out of the metal . And it would need to be re seasoned asap because the metal will rust fast otherwise .
