Trying a new CI seasoning method

[bmillin]

Read it here: https://www.theculinaryfanatic.com/j...asoning-method

Stripping and reseasoning some pots and skillets. Cleaning with yellow lid ez-off first, I did not realize how well that removes rust as well. Rinse well, wash in cold water and towel dry. No flash rust.

First step - preheat to 200 in oven, wipe on a liberal amount of crisco and let it cool a bit

second step - wipe with Microfiber cloth until the sheen is gone

third step - back in oven upside down, time bake 1 hr at 300. I have not any problem with oil pooling, stopped checking.

fourth step - crank oven to 400 for another hour, let cool in oven

This is working great so far, my carbon steel pan has never been this slick and the CI looks great.

[Steve B]

Sounds like a good method.
Must summon the CI Gods for approval. 😁
Oh Spinaker where art thou.

Sorry no crazy ritual dances

[Spinaker]

Yep this is an effective method for sure. The real key that people often over look is the cool down. The cool down is crucial. Allow the pan to cool down as slow as possible. The slower the cooling process, the tighter and more uniform the lattice structure of the polymer becomes. This is exactly why a Kamado is the best for reasoning pans. You can let it get hot, bake for hours and then simply let it run through it fuel and very slowly cool down.


Here is another great way to restore pans as well. I did this write up years ago, but I still use it.

Re posting the link!

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...ctrolysis-bath

[jfmorris]

Spinaker I actually realized my wife took a nasty looking skillet from my daughter's house that they've trashed, and brought it back and piled it on my workbench with the other one! . I'm off to Amazon and/or Harbor Freight to see what manual battery chargers I can find...

[jfmorris]

Why is the link not working now? Ok - figured out. Spinaker you double pasted the URL into that link in your post.

[texastweeter]

Long chain polymerization FTW!!!

[jfmorris]

Spinaker I just found some links that talk about how to use a PC power supply for an electrolysis tank. I've got an extra PC power supply as well as old PC's sitting on the shelf here. Gonna go for it.

https://theblackironblog.com/2021/01/17/adapting-a-pc-power-supply-for-electrolysis-part-1/

I am not worried about retaining its use for a PC, so will likely just cut, strip and splice wires and add some clamps on the end of the 12V and GND outputs.

[Spinaker]

Yep, the manual battery chargers are harder and harder to find these days. That is for sure. I will be curious to see how this works out.

[texastweeter]

Ebay that bad boy

[yakima]

Sounds like someone should experiment with 220 v for speedy results. Use dryer or oven outlet.

When I first did this, with a battery charger, there was some timidity involved. I have taken, accidentally, the charge from a spark plug wire thru my hand to the engine block. I understand that some old school mechanics did this routinely. Would not recommend it.

[texastweeter]

Lol been there done that got the wet drawers to prove it. Used to be a prank we pulled on every green tech. Been popped by a welder, horse fence, and couple other things. Maybe that's what's wrong with me.

[jfmorris]

I knew someone who lost a finger due to shorting their wedding band out while working with electricity. I remove all rings before working on the car or electrical stuff...

[Alan Brice]

I used to have to get 220 from a temporary pole in the front yard of a new property, or an unfinished box in a "wet" basement. One time I had on a very nice Tag Heurer watch n somehow completed a circuit while hooking to the dryer box in the mud room.
Still have that scar on my wrist. Locked the entire wrist band up solid. I have always believed I live a blessed existence. Not something I would futz with if I did not have to.

[realdocBBQ]

Spinaker the link you posted to your electrolysis method isn't working. I'd like to read about it.

[Spinaker]

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/accessorize-your-pit/cast-iron-cookware/209915-restoring-cast-iron-via-electrolysis-bath

[Spinaker]

Sorry about that. Check above and below!

[Oak Smoke]

Spinaker got me hooked on this. His advice is dead on. I’m in so deep now that I have a 30 gallon lye vat and a 30 gallon electrolysis vat in my shop along with two ovens I salvaged from our kitchen remodel for seasoning. When I finish a seasoning session I just turn the oven off and wait until the next day to look at them. Be very careful this is addictive.

[Alan Brice]

I knew I saved that kitchen oven for some reason! When we got a new double stack(that I installed) I put the old, but still good, one in the basement. Thanks for the ideas.

[jecucolo]

One day my wife had turned on the oven to cook and we accidentally hit the automatic clean button. It was a new feature and we discovered that once the button is pushed the oven is locked and it cranks the heat up to highest level for a couple hours. We could not turn it off! We also didn’t know we had our cast iron skillet in the oven. Well once it had done its thing we pulled out a cast iron skillet that looked brand new!
I’m sure it was not the right way but it worked for us. We looked up how to season it and it still looks good.
Anyway I didn’t even know cast iron cooking was a thing until I joined the pit. I just thought we were poor!

[Spinaker]

That is essentially why use my BGE. Gets it real hot. but the smoke stays outside!

[Alan Brice]

220 circuit breaker on the panel. Usually only a couple, AC, pool(if you have one)dryer, elec oven, etc. Flip that badboy n yer back in bidness.

[CRO]

I have several CI and CS pans.
Most of the time with both after cooking, I only need to scrape, rinse and dry. Then heat up very hot on the stove. Then a very fine / thin coat of canola...very thin. Then bring it to where it smokes. I think the science here is the oil is not the barrier but the chemical reaction once the oil reaches it smoke point.
I do the same if I need to do a deep scrub after a nasty cook.
My wife used to use the carbon steel for pasta sauce, which just decimated the non stick surface. She now uses our stainless steel All Clad.

[Jerod Broussard]

bmillin does the heating after applying Crisco require something in the oven to catch drippings??

[Spinaker]

You want a very thin layer of oil. Which is why you re-wipe after you have applied the oil. It there is oil dripping from the pan, it will likely become sticky and you will have to really bake that out or chip it off.

[bmillin]

At the 200 degree point it seems to absorb the crisco quit well. I just did a 15” lodge skillet that showed dry spots even after rubbing it in. Kept applying till it was all slick.

After wiping with a microfiber towel until the sheen is gone and it looks kinda dry, I don’t have any drips.

[Jerod Broussard]

Sank y'all!!

[Finster]

I like that the guy acknowledges that there is more than one way to skin a cat as it were, and that this method is simply the one that he finds works best for him.

[Alan Brice]

I rescued an old chgr from a dirt nap but the ends(clamps) as well as the red or black colors have been cut off. Any suggestions as to how to figure which one is pos (red one)?

[Oak Smoke]

Hook a volt ohm meter to the leads. Turn on the charger. If it reads correctly you have the positive and negative leads on the positive and negative leads from the charger. If it pegs at zero or just acts weird they are reversed.

[Alan Brice]

Thanks Oak Smoke or headed back to the dirt.

[bmillin]

Worst case is if you get it backwards you will see a flow from the sacrificial anode to your work piece.

[rmeugene]

I have been reading about restoring CI. When my mom passed away I stumbled upon the below CI pan. Apparently it is quite old. I did do the "Yellow cap" easy off in a bag to strip it down. Haven't done anything else with it for a few years.

[Spinaker]

The slant logo pans are VERY collectible and valuable. Hang on to that one! That is a wonderful piece. I’d be happy to restore it for you, if you’d like. (No charge, obviously)

[barelfly]

Sweet skillet!!!!!!! Take up Spinaker on this!!! He’s the CI whisperer!

[acorgihouse]

Thank you, I'm going to try this method. I have some old CI and carbon steel pans I've picked up here and there. @OakSmoke kindly offered some time ago to do them, and I never sent as I wanted to do myself. Found a manual charger, but I'm terrified of electricity. Some years ago, I sent 360 joules through my own elbow while defibrillating a patient. I wasn't touching her, but the ambulance guys behind me saw it arc from her belly to my elbow. Thankfully they also caught me when I flew about four feet backward. My arm ached for a week. So, I'm needing a little foray to the shops tomorrow, will pick up the oven cleaner while I'm out. Will report back with photos. I guess I'll also need Crisco....

[RonB]

Ya might want to see if you can get some extra long rubber exam gloves from a vet. Just sayin'...

[yakima]

Spinaker has this. For me, the two key points are: very very thin oil layer, and slooow cool down. Coat it, wipe it off, then with clean whatever, wipe it again, hard.
I messed up my ceramic PitBoss griddle using too much oil. Lot of work straightening that out. Much better now, but not quite perfect. Have done electrolysis on a bunch of cast iron with excellent results. Pretty amazing to watch rust actually move to the rebar.