Can I salvage these pans? I got these cast irons from an estate basically free and they have some rust or staining on them. Can I make them clean and good again or has the rust contaminated the fiber of the pan?
>>22058768>can i restore cast iron?most people can. easily. without instruction.The fact that you ask this question leaves me to believe that, no. no you cant
>>22058768>contaminated the fiber of the pan?What? I don't know what kind of new age woo woo you prescribe to but it's a pan made of solid metal, you can't contaminate some imaginary fibers inside it.Scrub the rust out with steel wool and re-season the pan with a high smoke point oil.
>>22058768Cast iron means it's just a piece of iron.You can remove as many layers as you want and it'll still have the same type of surface as if brand new.You can just google "how to restore cast iron pans".
>>22058797I'd imagine he meant it in the same way as one would say "the fiber of his being".
>>22058768Best way to know is to try with something like cast iron. Rust isn't some sort of penetrative thing, it degrades the surface layer but the pan shouldn't be compromised
honestly at first I though >>22058796 was being a dick but>has the rust contaminated the fiber of the panhonestly he's probably right
>>22058796thanks for the tip>>22058797the thing is i have scrubbed this pan very hard before and the rust doesnt seem to come off. should i season it over the rust and hope it burns off or something?>>22058814>Best way to know is to tryis there any danger to using harsh chemicals on the pan just to completely strip everything off and then just reseasoning it?
>>22058799>You can just googleyes, but i would like to have an authentic experience with my human friends who may have first hand experience with this kind of thing
>>22058801true. you and i share a potter's soul.
>>22058820Rust is just iron and oxygen, it's not going to hurt you any more than the iron in the pan was. Try sand paper if scrubbing isn't working. The bottom pan I'd just season over it as is.
>>22058820you can take an electric sander to it. you aint gonna hurt it
Vinegar helps dissolve rusthttps://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/remove-rust-from-cast-iron-skillet
>>22058818> ignorance is stupidityL A M E>>22058820What have you scrubbed it with? I’ve actually never had to do this but my roommate has, and he used pic rel. idk which specific head though
>>22058828>>22058829>>22058831thanks good tips I'll try vinegar first and then see how it looks>>22058838i used some steel wool that rubbed off a bunch of the seasoning but the rust seemed to remain. maybe it's just discoloration idk. i really dont wanna buy a whole drill to save a pan but thanks, I'll just scrub harder.
>>22058797Metals do have a crystalline structure and when you crack a cast iron pan in two accidentally, it cracks along the crystal edges.Also, when rolling metal thinner it has to be rolled in the same direction every time so the crystals do not misalign and become brittle.That being said, you are correct that rust doesn't just sneak its way in through some fibers or the crystals I mentioned
>>22058867>vinegar bath>metal brush>lots and lots of sanding, starting with something like 120 grit and working up to 400 or however smooth you want it to be>rub flaxseed oil on it with a cotton towel and season it a few timesBeware though, flaxseed oil is self-combusting and the papers or towels you use will catch fire by themselves if you leave them in daylight.
>>22058824i found an 8" cast iron pan left out at a campsite and it was rusty as hell, inside and out. carefully cleaned that rust off, seasoned it a bunch, and its been happily getting almost daily use for the last 12 years. you're going to be fine.
>>22060663I wouldn't be so sure about that. Seems like OP is already too retarded to remove the rust or even use Google.
>>22060714maybe grug say the trutru
>>22058768Do you have a drill at home?1. Attach a wire wheel to it. See >>220588382. Go over all surfaces until they shine that natural iron white. Remove all black seasoning and rust orange. Look for pitting. There will probably be some, but as long as it isnt too deep (places for bacteria to live and possible locations for cracking to begin) then you are fine.3. Look up a guide on reaseasoning it. Basically just a super thin coat of oil and baking it in the oven for an extended period of time.4. Give up because that shit takes hours to do and buy a new $15 pan.
>>22059551thanks I'll do this. i didnt consider that i could use sandpaper.>flaxseed oil is self-combusting and the papers or towels you use will catch fire by themselves if you leave them in daylight.sick
>>22060756main thing is to try avoid digging down into the flat surface of the pan, if it can be helped. hopefully the rust hasnt penetrated much so if you're careful and keep your sanding flat and level by using a block, you'll end up with a nice flat surface again.
>>22059551>however smooth you want it to bebruh, you do NOT make the metal super smooth, the seasoning wont stick well
>>22058768A long time ago i read that a campfire could clean rust, try it
>>22058768Very easy.Wash thoroughly with soapScrub vigorously the rust spots with an ss fiberDry the pans by heating them in the stovePut a thin layer of oil in the pans with a ragKeep heating the pan until it smokes If you don't have a fire alarm keep repeating until you feel like it's enough
>>22058768Should be pretty simple to doJust scrub the rust away, then season them.
>>22060882>Keep heating the pan until it smokesyou can do this on the stove top instead of in the oven.
>>22058768>Can I salvage these pans?Yes. Look up sand blasting/bead blasting companies in your local area and have them clean all the rust off.
>>22060945theres hardly any rust on the pans OP is posting about. a quick bit of wire wool, maybe a little scour with sand paper at the most, will probably do the job.
