I’ve been reading up lately about refinishing vintage cast iron pans. It’s amazing how you can take old rusty cookware and restore it to near-new state. I’d like to give this a go as old-timey cast iron seems to cook better (from what I’m reading at least) and it has a smoother finish than modern cast iron. Besides saving an old finely-crafted pan I’d like to save some cash.
So…if you see any busted up old cast iron skillets out there please let me know. I’m hoping to find an old Griswold or Wagner cast iron frying pan but anything old and well made will do.
I’m checking thrift stores, etc.
If anyone else is interested here’s more info on fixing up old cast iron.
(interesting enough apparently people collect them, but I’d like to restore one to cook with).
I have a nice cast iron wok … sadly, the manufacturer decided that it would be better to cover it with teflon rather than season it with oil polymers. I tried sanding it ( perhaps I didn’t use a coarse enough grit ). The wisdom of the internet suggests to burn off the teflon in a high temperature camp fire, but I know the teflon will release nasty fumes.
We do have a sandblaster don’t we? I think it’s pretty small though - good for sandblasting a spanner or something but I’m not sure if a pan would fit in there.
I use a lot of cast iron cookware, both at home and when camping. I’m not sure if it will remove a teflon coating but here is my process for restoring/renewing old cast iron cookware:
Flaxseed oil is the secret. It works better, lasts longer and is more impervious to rust than any of the vegetable oils. It is well worth the extra price. Be sure to use flaxseed oil with no additives such as flavouring or other oils.
1 - If there is a lot of crud and/or rust on the pan I sand blast it in a small sand blasting cabinet.
2 - After sand blasting I remove any existing seasoning baking it in my oven on the oven’s self-clean cycle and then let it cool on its own.
3 - After it’s cooled to room temperature, reheat it in a 200F oven for about 15 minutes to open the pores
4 - Remove from oven and pour about a tablespoon or so of flaxseed oiI in the pan and use a paper towel or rag to rub it in to whole pan/pot on all surfaces. Add more oil if there isn’t enought to coat the whole pan. Wipe off any excess with a paper towel.
5 - Turn the pan upside down and put it in a COLD oven. Turn the oven up to 450 to 500F and bake for one hour. This will likely create a lot of smoke so open some windows and keep your exhaust fan running.
6 - After one hour, turn off the oven, keep the oven door closed, and let it cool down for at least two hours before opening the oven door.
7 - Repeat steps 3 through 6 at least four, and preferably 6 more times.
This is very labour intensive and can take a couple of days to complete but you will be rewarded with a beautifully seasoned, non-stick cast iron pan that shouldn’t need re-seasoning for years. The seasoning process improves as you use the pan normally so you’ll still need to use a bit of oil when cooking, particularly with really sticky stuff like eggs. As you use it and clean it the pan will become more and more impervious to food sticking.
Never use soap to clean your cast iron cookware! It will absorb into the cast iron and make your food taste soapy. Clean with sea salt and a bit of oil. If you are concerned about bacteria you can sterilize the pan by scrubbing with some white vinegar.
