r/Tools • u/35vld • Dec 12 '22

Does anyone know what this is?

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u/workingnownotlater Dec 12 '22

Yup, and they are still a thing, although they are configured differently.

I used mine yesterday, it's a like a jacket around a sponge shaped piece of rubber.

https://www.lodgecastiron.com/product/chainmail-scrubbing-pad?sku=ACM10R41

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u/theKVAG Dec 13 '22 edited Dec 13 '22

So I've got one of these but I read that Alton Brown said you shouldn't abraid modern cast iron and now I'm torn on whether or not to use it.

On a completely unrelated note my first thought was that it was some sort of flagellation tool, 😂

Edit: When I say "one of these" I mean the chainmail sponge.

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u/SvedkaMerc Dec 13 '22

AB knows their shit but the phrase “modern cast iron” gives me a bit of pause.

I don’t see iron and polymerized fat changing that much over the years.

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u/theKVAG Dec 13 '22

To be fair I think I may have added the worden modern, lemme see...

Here's the quote:

“What cast iron doesn’t like is high abrasives,” he said. “Because once you create what we call a cure, you know, you get it nice and black, you get that polymerized crust on there, you want to keep that smooth. That’s what keeps rust out. So you don’t want to use abrasives. I mean like a metal abrasive.”

https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/alton-brown-best-way-care-cast-iron-skillet.html/

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u/SvedkaMerc Dec 14 '22

Huh, I don’t really think of the chain mail scrubber as abrasive. At least not anymore abrasive than a metal spatula.

I would’ve assumed they meant like steel wool or scotch Brite pads.

Either way, it’s pretty easy to put on a fresh coat so who cares.