I fired up the E-Bath again for this vintage Lodge Dutch Oven No. 12. I think this piece should be done by tomorrow evening. Then I can do the lid and start the seasoning process. Stay tuned for the results! You can see the fizz in action! Bye-bye carbon and rust!
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Few hours in and the magic is already happening!
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You got me started down the cast iron road. I now have a lye vat, an electrolysis vat, and a dedicated oven in my shop for seasoning my CI. What started as a fun hobby has morphed into a serious collection. I can’t thank you enough for the starting advice. I really need to rearrange my cabinets soon. When I do I’ll take some pictures of it all.Comment
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The dutch is stripped and on the BGE for the first round of seasoning. (450 F for 10-12 hours, with cool down) You can see how well the dutch is stripped and down to bare iron. And all the rust that has accumulated on the surface of the bath and the metal sheet metal.
I have it in the oven at 200 F for a preheat before I added the Flax oil coating. In this picture, you can really see how well it is stripped down to bare iron.
Here is the dutch oven on the BGE, coated in Flax oil and ready to be baked out!
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For reference, here is a little before and after of the inside of the Dutch Oven.
Before
After
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I've got a skillet hanging in my garage that belonged to one of my son-in-law's grandmothers. He had 2, and abused them as a batchelor badly - steel wool, soap, dishwasher, you name it. I was able to get one cleaned up with a wire wheel on my drill, lots of elbow grease and then seasoned and given back to my daughter's care. The other has huge amounts of build up that I just cannot get off. I feel like it is rust that got seasoning over it or something. I have to wonder if the electrolysis would knock that out?
Of course, I don't think its worth chasing after an old manual battery charger and all the other gear to rescue a single skillet, so I would have to get into CI collecting, restoration and resale or something for that to be worth my time!Comment
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Yep, it will take all of that off. Plus, using wheels and drills can damage and gouge the iron. You do not want that with old pieces! E-baths will take carbon, rust, grease and pretty much anything else, off the surface of the iron.Originally posted by jfmorris View Post
Many battery chargers have an option to run manually, FYI.
What kind of piece is the one you are having trouble with?Comment
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Further update!
We are about three hours in and we’ve got that gorgeous bronze color from the Flax oil being baked onto the iron. I love that!
More to come!
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Spinaker this method is new to me, most interesting and very efficient! I have never used Flax seed oil. I generally use something like grapeseed oil for the high flash point. I do know that the flax oil is highly recommended as well. I do love the bronze color too. Now tell us please, is it possible that the oven will retain that color with use or will it turn the black we normally see?
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Alabama Smoke asked above.....
"this method is new to me, most interesting and very efficient! I have never used Flax seed oil. I generally use something like grapeseed oil for the high flash point. I do know that the flax oil is highly recommended as well. I do love the bronze color too. Now tell us please, is it possible that the oven will retain that color with use or will it turn the black we normally see?"
Flax is preferred only because it is a drying oil and it is high in omega-3's which is what you need for the best polymer formation (seasoning). Flax Oil has a very low smoke point, however, at this point we don't care about the low smoke point since we are not cooking, simply restoring and seasoning. In this case, Flax is top dog. It creates a bullet proof seasoning layer. The long bake time and more importantly, slow cool down time offered by the BGE is key to a great finish. The slower that pan cools, then more complete and uniform the polymer lattice is in the finishing stage.
As for the color, it will turn black over time. Especially if used over open fire and with animal fats. However, the bronze color will remain for some time, and it will slowly fade to black, which is pretty cool to see. I like when it is about half way there, a dark bronzer color, with black increasing slightly on the rim of the pan.
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Update!
The lid for the No. 12 is outta the bath and ready for seasoning. I gotta let the body of the Dutch cool in the BGE, so I’ll have to throw the lid in this evening. So far so good folks!
Bonus: I have this Griswold pan in the bath as we speak. I have been meaning to get to this one for a while.
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I'm getting geared up to give electrolysis rust removal a try and am clear on the principles and most of the details. I am, unfortunately, confused about the steel wire used. What's a good source for it and is there any gotchas I should avoid? Obviously stainless steel wire is a no go (I think). How about galvanized steel wire?Comment
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You can use any you see at the hardware store. Baling wire, is what some call it. Or you can use copper wire found in House hold wiring, that is what I usually;y use. All the big box stores sell it by the foot. I had some old wire laying around that I used when I wired the basement, so I just cut it outta that. But you can get raw wire at the hardware store.
Don't use galvanized or stainless. Stainless releases chromium gas and galvanized, zinc.
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Originally posted by Spinaker
Thanks. That clarifies it for me and helps keep me out of the ditch as I give this a try.
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