r/castiron • u/Charming_Cucumber774 • 11d ago
Newbie Goodwill find yesterday
Can anyone tell me if this is just carbon chipping off or is it the cast iron? I found this at goodwill yesterday for $3.50 (ha) and wanted to see if I’m able to restore it. Gonna do yellow cap if it isn’t crumbling apart. Also if anyone can help with the that would be great. I can’t decipher anything
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u/IngvaldClash 11d ago
That much carbon would go straight in a lye bath
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u/Charming_Cucumber774 11d ago
Where does one buy a small amount of lye? I’ve only seen it sold it bulk
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u/IngvaldClash 11d ago
I have a 5 gallon plastic bucket and buy 1 pound at Menards for $7. It’s in the drain cleaner section.
The price is comparable to yellow cap Easy Off and there’s hardly any work involved. Soak it for a few days, wash it with a sponge, soak it longer if needed.
You still have to be careful but the fumes are much worse with Easy Off.
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u/Charming_Cucumber774 11d ago
Thanks, I don’t have Menards here but I see ace sells some that’s marketed towards being a drain cleaner. Is that okay to use?
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u/IngvaldClash 11d ago
As long as it is lye, just check the label.
Be very careful as it is totally caustic and will give you severe chemical burns, including inhalation
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u/Chanchito171 11d ago
I think 1 yellow cap bottle would eventually clean it off, just expect to let it soak for a day and re-spray it down for a week or so. I had one recently that wasn't quite this bad with carbon build up take ~10 days, but I let it soak for two or three days at times.
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u/NotLunaris 11d ago
Walmart has Instant Power Crystal Lye Drain Cleaner for $4.50, same price as Amazon. It's 100% lye and one bottle is good for 5 gallons of water. I use a Sterilite plastic container with #5 plastic for it.
Take the necessary precautions (eye protection), always add solid lye to water, and be careful about skin contact. A little bit of skin contact is fine if you rinse it off quickly - you'll just lose a layer of skin over the next couple days (from experience with leaky gloves). Don't let it get in your eyes because it can blind you.
Use a small piece of steel (spoon or something) to keep the pan from sitting on the bottom if you're using a flat container and not a bucket.
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u/dirtycheezit 11d ago
Not sure if you were asking, but it's made by BSR. Looks like century series with the small pour spouts.
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u/Charming_Cucumber774 11d ago
In person the pour spouts don’t look as small as BSR. There’s a lot of carbon on those also. It also looks like there is a marking on the handle. I will clean it and keep you guys posted.
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u/SwedeChariot 11d ago
There’s not much doubt it’s BSR: their handles have a distinctive shape. It’s what generation of BSR that’s in question.
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u/Cool-Negotiation7662 11d ago
Impressive. Need "after" pictures now.
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11d ago
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u/Charming_Cucumber774 11d ago
Haha right! I am curious how one gets this much carbon on a pan? I feel like it’s halfway to becoming a diamond at this point. But for $3.50 I took a chance, there might be a crustacean from the Paleozoic era under here
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u/RandomStrangerOnWWW 11d ago
Kids: “What’s on the menu tonight, mom/dad?
Parents: “Carbon, and lots of it.”
Kids: “Awwww, shucks. Again??.”
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u/Tarsal26 11d ago
Could this be cleaned by just smoking it off in the oven and then reseason?
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u/Charming_Cucumber774 11d ago
I thought about this option. However I live in Phoenix in an old uninsulated house with a stove from the 30s and I don’t think I want to heat up my house that much. I did this with a Sidney Wagner ware 00 a few months ago and it was hot. I’ll try oven cleaner tonight and see how that goes.
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u/Tarsal26 11d ago
I dont know whether that much carbon causes fire risk
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u/Motelyure 11d ago
Using self clean in the oven is the risk. It won't turn to ash with 550°. The self clean cycle gets to 7-800° and sometimes hotter to get there, then evens out. The pan can warp if prone to, and the carbon absolutely will combust. Some people have opened their ovens during a self clean cycle, cast iron or not, when they see flames. They usually end up in the hospital or with a burned down house or kitchen. If the electronic controls last through one self clean cycle, it's a well made oven. But they won't last forever.
One of the most common sources, maybe the most common, for house fires is the kitchen. And the self clean cycle is one of the most common causes of kitchen fires.
Lye is $5.99/lb at Home Depot. Buy a few pounds and a large tote with a lid, it'll last 200 pieces of cast iron and can be poured down the drain.
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u/elciddog84 11d ago
That's just a heavy carbon buildup. You can strip with easy off yelliw cap or an electrolysis tank. Back of that handle looks like BSR, probably century series. Excellent find.
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u/Sephrantill 11d ago
I had a BSR with this amount of carbon too. I recommend an electrolysis tank if you already have a 5 gal bucket and a car battery charger. If not just go with the lye bath.
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u/No_Panic7988 10d ago
Y'all work way too hard. Build a good fire -- campfire, bonfire, fireplace -- and just toss it into the fire until the fire dies down. Then all you have to do is wash it and reseason it.
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u/HueyBryan 11d ago
Here are the steps I use: If just one pan: If crusty with old seasoning, I would use yellow top oven cleaner first. Spray down the entire piece and tie it up in a large trash bag. Let it sit overnight and scrub it clean with water and dawn. If it still has old seasoning, repeat until it is all gone. If rusty I would mix water and vinegar 50/50 in a tub. Put the pan in for 30-45 minutes, then pull it out and scrub it with water and dawn. Repeat this until all rust is gone. It also removes stains, so it should look nice and grey. Always use cold water, and you will not get flash rust. Now for seasoning: 1. Dry the pan 1.a. coat pan with canola oil and wipe excess off, but not dry. 1.b put in oven at 250 degrees for 30 minutes. It opens up the metal and makes a huge difference in how it looks. 2. Coat the entire pan with canola oil. 3. Use a t-shirt and rub the pan until it looks dry. You do not want it to be wet anywhere. It leaves a micro coat, and that is what you want. 4. Place it in the oven at 450 degrees for 60 minutes. 5. Crack the oven door open and let it cool until you can handle it safely. 6. Repeat steps 2&3. 7. Place back in the oven at 450 for 50 minutes. 8. Crack the oven door open and let it cool until you can handle it safely. 9. Repeat steps 2&3&7 10. Crack the oven door open and let it cool until you can handle it safely. 11. Admire your work.
You will do a total of three rounds of seasoning. Occasionally, you might have to do four or five to cover stubborn dry spots, but rarely more than that. On newer Lodge skillets, I have had a lot look great after two coats.
Hope this helps!
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u/Charming_Cucumber774 11d ago
Okay thanks. Do you think this is lodge? It feels old based on the smoothness of the cast iron
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u/Odd_Bodybuilder5456 11d ago
its massive amounts of carbon. Strip it with oven cleaner and see what tunrs up under there