REAL MAN TRUCKWORKS & SURVIVAL
FOOD CORNER => Cooking equipment => Topic started by: Nate on May 15, 2016, 01:43:24 PM
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so wen I was at the dump the other day getting rid of all the crap that has accumulated at this house from all of the previous tenants (land lord reimbursed cost of dump $116) I saw a guy fixin to throw some cast iron pans away. I gave him a holler and after a quick conversation he gave them to me.
as I was looking these things over to see if they were actually good or not, I realized that he just gave me 2 10" pans and one small little newer lodge 4" one. I told the man thank you and took them home.
here is a pic of one of the 10" ones that is getting done up for my step daughter.
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as I started looking at these, I decided to do up this here thread and show folks just how clean (and easy it is) you can get a piece of cast iron like this clean with a little electrolysis bath.
so I assembled the following items:
1. cast iron pan
2. plastic container large enough to submerge entire piece
3. a nice thin piece of steel
4. a box of washing powder (sodium carbonate) DO NOT USE SODIUM BICARBONATE (baking soda)!!!!! you can get this at walmart in the laundry section or order it on line. I believe you can actually make your own by "baking" baking soda.
5. a "dumb" battery charger. you can not use one of those new fandangled computer controlled ones, because in order for those to work the charger has to sense / read a return voltage before it will turn on. where as the "dumb ones" will just turn on when told to.
6. water to fill container with
7. a wood dowel to hang the piece from
8. a zip tie
9. some clamps (to hold the steel piece in place, because having to pieces of metal touch while electrified would not be a good thing.)
I had to return that charger because it was one of those smart ones and got me a dumb one from oriley's
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that container is 13 gallons and I think I filled it up to about 3/4 full and mixed in probably 3/4 - 1 Cup of washing powder
I forgot to take some pics at this point, but will be doing the other 2 pieces and I will get pics then to add to here.
I let this sit and cook for about 8 hours yesterday, and here is how it came out.
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I heated up the oven and gave it a good rubdown with some Crisco and gave it its first seasoning.
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as I was compiling this here thread, I ran it thru the oven again for its second seasoning. I will probably do this a total of 4-5 times to ensure that it gets a good seasoning and will be ready to go for another 100 years.
here is a quick search on this process: https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=cast+iron+electrolysis
and I actually watched this guys video to get a general idea of what to do. I will continue to read and learn about this process so that I can provide accurate information if and wen asked later on down the road.
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I think Duane did something like this on some mechanical thing he was restoring? Maybe for paint / rust removal a while back. Nice score btw....
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I do remember another on the topic i think you're right Shawn.
Awesome score, and awesome to see it works on cast as well.
Bringing them back from the 'dead'.
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Man that turned out well.
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How cool! Nice find and this is what recycling should be!
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If you like cooking with cast iron and you are on Facebook there are a groups to check out. Cast iron cooking and Hillbilly cast iron cooking.
I have a whole pile of cast iron pans. From the single egger to the 12 inch chicken fryer and doubles of most. I just need a bigger Dutch oven.
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Nice, Nate! It's shameful what some folks throw away. Glad you were able to rescue those wonderful cast iron cooking implements!
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thank you all.
jon, is that your way of sayin that youll box some of those up and send them my way for the cost of shipping......;D
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NEVER
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so I got 2 pieces in the mail today from WYORUNNER that are in some serious need of bringing them back to life.
the first one (on the left) is a Griswold No 8 cast iron waffle iron W/ base.
https://www.google.com/search?ei=KXX0WoKQI5K_jgTy34vgBA&q=griswold+best+made+No+8+cast+iron+waffle+iron&oq=griswold+best+made+No+8+cast+iron+waffle+iron&gs_l=psy-ab.3...73970.82909.0.87637.17.14.3.0.0.0.140.1410.1j11.12.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..3.0.0....0.jqAHadLTDsc
www.castironcollector.com/waffle.php
the second one is a wagner 8" square pan.
https://www.google.com/search?ei=t3b0Wv-eBOTMjwTtl7XYCA&q=wagner+%231218+square+cast+iron+pan&oq=wagner+%231218+square+cast+iron+pan&gs_l=psy-ab.3...46589.48059.0.49012.6.6.0.0.0.0.126.671.1j5.6.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..1.0.0....0.HIq8_H4QIV8
I will post more pics as the process goes along, this is going to take a while because each of the 4 pieces have to be done separately.
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Awe MAN I would love a waffle iron like that, Nate If we ever put together a rodeo at Don’s equipment assault site, PLEASE bring that puppy to put it through it’s paces!
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The waffle iron is not mine mike, i am just un-screwing it from how wyrunner received it.
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Here is how nasty the water is looking at about 2 hrs in....
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Seeing that has got me all gitty! We’ve wanted to use the thing since we got it back in 11 or 12. And this way I can get rid of the electric one we have!!!
Thanks for making it usable again!
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Do you guys have a coil top stove or a ceramic top stove?
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Do you guys have a coil top stove or a ceramic top stove?
Its gas... so neither
And the grates are cast iron it seems, but not entirely certain.
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Can’t wait to see the finished product. Seems fascinating to try.
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so here is what the waffle iron looked like before and after I gave it a good scrub with a stiff wire brush and put the first piece into the bath yesterday at about this time.
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and here is what one side of the first piece looks like after 24hrs in the bath. hopefully the other side wont take as long. the side that is in direct site of the sacrificial steel is normally what gets cleanest first, then you have to flip it around.
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Like the progress AND the new tag line! LOL-
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Will you have to hang the handle portion at the bottom next go around?
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Will you have to hang the handle portion at the bottom next go around?
While I am not doing the work, but I'm guessing he might forgo the handles because they don't affect the cooking surface. However I could be very wrong.
Nate, if you did want to do the handles do you think you could remove them and bathe both at once?
That first piece looks like new! Sure is an amazing process.
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Interesting!
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the handles look as though they are/were made of stainless steel or chrome plated. also the handles look as though they were welded on there.
let me see how the little bit of handle that is in the bath turns out?
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Interesting!
thoughts?
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Like the progress AND the new tag line! LOL-
thanks, I came across that somewhere and thought it was very fitting.
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So 48 hrs and this is what it looks like.
It is currently in the oven getting its first coat of seasoning.
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Of course you are going to make some waffles with it before you send it back right?
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Of course you are going to make some waffles with it before you send it back right?
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I sure hope so, because then he can tell me the do’s and don’ts of making waffles in it. And he deserves it, along with HH6 for allowing him to help others with there dishes!
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My guess would be that you have to heat up one side and then flip it over before putting batter in it. Then repeat that process halfway through cooking and be certain to grease griddle just before batter
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and here it is coated in flaxseed oil and about to go in the oven for its second seasoning
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I had heard that flaxseed oil is the best for seasoning. Any trouble locating it?
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Of course you are going to make some waffles with it before you send it back right?
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Of course you are going to make some waffles with it before you send it back right?
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I sure hope so, because then he can tell me the do’s and don’ts of making waffles in it. And he deserves it, along with HH6 for allowing him to help others with there dishes!
I wont make any, because I have a ceramic stove top and it wont work.
https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=ekP4Wu6HBoKGsAWVwbbIBQ&q=how+to+make+waffles+with+a+cast+iron+waffle+iron&oq=how+to+make+waffles+with+a+cast+iron+waffle+iron&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i22i30k1l2.931.13317.0.13899.48.33.0.15.15.0.145.3408.13j18.31.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..2.46.3706...0j0i131k1.0.K6he2MPBHIM
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I had heard that flaxseed oil is the best for seasoning. Any trouble locating it?
yes and no, some high end grocery stores carry it in their organic supplement aisle and some times you can go to a supplement store and find it.
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Of course you are going to make some waffles with it before you send it back right?
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Of course you are going to make some waffles with it before you send it back right?
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I sure hope so, because then he can tell me the do’s and don’ts of making waffles in it. And he deserves it, along with HH6 for allowing him to help others with there dishes!
I wont make any, because I have a ceramic stove top and it wont work.
https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=ekP4Wu6HBoKGsAWVwbbIBQ&q=how+to+make+waffles+with+a+cast+iron+waffle+iron&oq=how+to+make+waffles+with+a+cast+iron+waffle+iron&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i22i30k1l2.931.13317.0.13899.48.33.0.15.15.0.145.3408.13j18.31.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..2.46.3706...0j0i131k1.0.K6he2MPBHIM
Sad, but good reason not to make any! If you’re down here anytime in the future, stop over.
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The other half of that iron got put into a fresh bath this morning
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So is it bad that I use cast iron on my glass top stove? Yeah the glass gets dirty but I have found no other reason
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So is it bad that I use cast iron on my glass top stove? Yeah the glass gets dirty but I have found no other reason
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it is not bad at all, as long as they are smaller pieces like fry pans or 6qt dutch ovens. if you go over 6qt dutch ovens, you risk the chance of the weight (fully loaded) breaking/cracking the ceramic top. also the other issue some folks have with cast iron on their ceramic tops is, the way the burners work...they come on/go off/come on/go off/etc....where as a coil top they come on and stay on until turned off.
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Copy.
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I'll add to Nate's comments that you have to be careful not to move the pan/pot around on the cooktop as it will scratch the surface.
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So i changed up my sodium carbonate source....i went straight to the pool chemical supply area and got pure sodium carbonate instead of the arm and hammer stuff with soap in it.
I must say that the more pure stuff worked a lot quicker and got more off of the cast iron as shown on the sacrificial steel.
It has now been runbed with the first coat and is seasoning in the oven.
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That’s pretty awesome!!
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One comment Nate
Your Anode (Collection grid/steel conductor) you have pictured still has all the casting scale on it. To get better conductivity with the water, if you ground that thing until it actually showed steel the process may have gone even better than it did.
I recall when Duane was derusting a diff housing using this process...
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One comment Nate
Your Anode (Collection grid/steel conductor) you have pictured still has all the casting scale on it. To get better conductivity with the water, if you ground that thing until it actually showed steel the process may have gone even better than it did.
I recall when Duane was derusting a diff housing using this process...
oh I did.....that was from piece 2 alone.
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The other half of the iron itself is in the oven for its last seasoning, and the base will be put in its bath tomorrow.
The base should not take as long to strip or season as there are not many corners and such on it and it dosent hold the actual food like the irons do.
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Here are my 2 pans that i use on a daily basis.
The large pan was one i got right after my first divorce to replace the 10 year old one my ex took. And the small one is somewhere around 70 years old and was given to me by my best friends wife that she actually used a decoration.
These 2 pans were stripped and re-seasoned almost 12 years ago. These are also proof that if you use them in the correct way and put them away properly, then they will last.
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I might have to send you mine.
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Lol
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Lol
Serious, I bought it used and I scoured it since I didn't trust them to have taken care of it, and used it once, but it's since gotten wet and needs some TLC.
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once I finish WYORUNNERS, ill have you send it down and ill fix it for you.
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"Nate's Cast Iron Rehab Clinic" I envision a resurrection of the old, "This is your brain on drugs" commercial where the egg never sticks! :beercheers:
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once I finish WYORUNNERS, ill have you send it down and ill fix it for you.
No rush. I have to find it. lol
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and here is the waffle iron finished.
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That looks really awesome Nate. Good work.
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That looks really awesome Nate. Good work.
:likebutton:
Nate, if you had to guess, what year would those have been made? are they stamped?
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Mmmm' good enough to eat off of! Waffle - waffle.......old commercial (waffle wiffer)
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That looks really awesome Nate. Good work.
:likebutton:
Nate, if you had to guess, what year would those have been made? are they stamped?
its hard to pin point, because there are no date markings per se. but if I had to guess, I would guess some where around/within the first 20 years of the 20th century?
here is a good website that has about the most complete info on cast iron.....http://www.castironcollector.com/
I will also link that website to my plain cast iron thread.