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Post by Paws on Nov 1, 2004 6:08:42 GMT 12.75
I guess the first lesson must be obtaining the piece. Whether it is brand new, a hundred and fifty years old, bright and shiny, or corroded all to heck there are some simple things you need to do before counting out the purchase price. Visually inspect the piece for oddities. stretch marks, bumps, dimples, gouges, excess pitting, cracks, or the potential for any of these. A lot of imperfections can be hidden by soot, baked on grease, surface rust, etc. If you can not determine the condition of a piece because of excessive dirt ask the owner to clean it, warrant it for a return if you find defects when you clean it, or to reduce the price considerably since the condition can not be determined. If the seller is not willing to do this; walk on! Pick up the piece and suspend it from your finger, a coat hanger or anything that will reduce physical contact with the piece. Rap it with a fork, spoon, butter knife, pencil, or nail and "listen" did the rap produce a resounding ring or a dull thud. Often a dull thud means the piece is cracked and needs to be by-passed. The sweeter the ring the better the cast. Set the piece on a level surface and visually inspect it for level. Try to wobble it by tapping down on one side then another all the way around the piece. Fit the lid to the piece and see if there is a visible gap. Test for wobble. How snug is it? Lids should fit well with no wobble or jiggle or "play". Cast iron ovens are referred to as "original pressure cookers" because of the quality of the fit of the lid and the weight which effectively produces a pressurized cooking environment. Make sure the piece is the proper size for your needs. Questions?
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Post by Carter Northcutt on Nov 1, 2004 8:20:07 GMT 12.75
This is a good start. Keep it going man.
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Post by hotdoggy on Nov 15, 2004 5:28:10 GMT 12.75
Hello all. I have a medium sized Wagner 1891. We have used it very little. What I would like to know is, what is the best grease to use to get it to the non-stick stage? We have used Crisco vegetable oil and the shortening. Or does it make a difference? Thanks.
Jerry
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Post by Paws on Nov 15, 2004 7:19:58 GMT 12.75
Skillet right Jerry? If you are trying to put the hard carbon finish on the pan use "anything" fat. Fry fatty meats especially and eventually it'll happen. If all you are concerned about is the food not sticking; then just heat the pan up to good and hot before you add your cooking oil. That will prevent the food from sticking. The carbon finish actually is burned fats and proteins that become embedded in the pores of the iron and form the slick surface. To develop it you must constantly use the iron, refrain from using metal utensils, don't scour or scrub the finish with anything abrasive and just let nature take it's course. Use whatever cooking oils, shortenings, or lard as you might prefer. If you use butter, use only clarified butter to remove the milk solids and help put off souring or the finish from becoming rancid.
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Post by DaGriz on Nov 16, 2004 10:38:38 GMT 12.75
Sometimes it is necessary to clean a cast iron piece right down to the metal and re-season it before yu can get the shiny smooth surface from cooking with it. Once it is re-seasoned the more use it gets the better the finish will become. Frying bacon a couple of times a week in your skilet is one of the best ways to get that sought after finish. ;D
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Post by Paws on Nov 18, 2004 4:41:58 GMT 12.75
Yep. If the finish is rancid, flaking off and you want it restored, or maybe the iron has started a little rust, etc. Sometimes stripping her back to bare metal is the "only" way to give it a thorough inspection for cracks, welds, pits, etc. I guess that should be the next subject! ;D
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Post by Carter Northcutt on Nov 18, 2004 12:38:54 GMT 12.75
Now you're giving the info I was looking for Thanks.
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Post by Paws on Nov 18, 2004 17:36:54 GMT 12.75
Couple of approaches to stripping the iron down to baremetal. Mechanical and electrolytic approaches work best with the electrolytic beingthe easiest on the metal and the operator.I'll describe the mechanical approach and Griz if you will tell them about electrolysis. When mechanically stripping the iron you have three things that you are trying to remove; (1) burned on grease, (2) Mechanically bonded carbon, and (3) rust.
Remove burned on foods Start with a lye bath to remove the grease and loosen the carbon and rust. The most available product is Easy Off oven cleaner. Follow the instructions for cleaning the oven and apply them to your iron pieces. Make sure that you wear rubber gloves, eye protection and completely cover your work surfaces with newspaper before you begin. You can speed the processalong by using brass or copper bristle brushes. I use a hemp sissel brush chich can be obtained through Civil War Suppliers (Sutlers). It works like a champ and is very easy on the iron. Rinse thepiece completely when the process has been completed and re-season immediately or move on to rust removal.
Remove rust Prepare a solution of 1 gallon water and 1 cup vinegar. Immerse the iron completely in the solution for one to two hours depending on the quantity of rust to be removed. Check the piece every half hour and remove it from the solution as soon as the rust is clear. Here again the process may be sped up with a brush. Rinse with clear water to remove all traces of vinegar. Prepare a bath of baking soda, 1 box per gallon of water, and immerse and rinse the iron thoroughly. This will neutralize the action of the acidic vinegar. Clear water rinse again. Immediately season the iron.
Either of these steps may be repeated as required until the results are satisfactory.
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Post by DaGriz on Nov 25, 2004 2:01:15 GMT 12.75
[glow=red,4,300]"CAUTION!!"[/glow] One word of caution using vinegar and water to clean Cast Iron. It will eat it up if you are not careful. Vinegar is verY acidic and plays hell with cats iron. Another method is to spray the piece liberally with Oven Cleaner and seal it in a plastic garbage bag for a day or so. The absolute best method is the electrolysis method using PH+, water, a positive grid (like a stove or oven rack) and a battery charger. This method cleans Cast Iron to as cast condition with no chance of damage.
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Post by Paws on Nov 25, 2004 3:58:45 GMT 12.75
Yep! Ashes to ashes and "rust to rust!" That's why you must keep an eye on the progress of the piece and don't let it set in the vinegar bath more than a couple of hours. Now like Griz says the electrolysis is the most effective method. It strips her down to the bright and shiny bare metal. Odd thing is; nobody knows why. I have read at least three differing theories as to what it actually does and how it works; none are conclusive. In any case this method has a couple of drawbacks as well. First of course the bath must be at least as large as the piece you want to clean. The idea is to construct a non-conductive tank fill it with a solution and send an electric current through the conductive solution using the cast iron piece as the cathode and a metal (normally stainless steel) device as the annode. Yes essentially it is a "wet cell" very primitive electro-storage device except this is jazzed up by connecting a "low voltage" source (battery charger) in the mix. Once connected, the tank begins to bubble around the cast iron and everything clinging to the iron drops off. It may take some time to thoroughly clean the piece; but thoroughly clean it will. Here again this system must be used with caution. During electrolysis, explosive and poisonous gasses are produced so the tank must be well ventilated and kept away from open flame or sparking devices. Hydrogen gas is virtually always produced. Poisonous gasses vary depending on the type of metal being used for the annode. Whichever method you use to clean your iron, be careful, wear glove, and use a little common sense. Also remember that the iron must be seasoned immediately after it is cleaned. [glow=red,4,300]'CAUTION"[/glow]
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Post by Carter Northcutt on Dec 23, 2004 15:44:31 GMT 12.75
Is the "Lodge" brand of cast iron any 'count?
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Post by Paws on Dec 23, 2004 16:36:17 GMT 12.75
Lodge and Camp Chef are the best you will find "new". Use yoiur eyeball and the selection techniques talked about earlier though even if you are buying brand new stuff. The prices are pretty good as well. You know there are Chinese products out there as well. some of lthem look pretty good. I see a number of Chinese made skillets on the CW camp sites. I think this is because there are no obvious markings that would detract from their value as props. But they appear to be of good quality. There are a lot of very nice commemorative pieces being cast today that will be of tremendous value to your great grand kids asuming you lead them along!
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Post by Rich on Dec 29, 2004 4:05:00 GMT 12.75
A friend gave me a cast iron griddle that fits perfectly on my two burner Coleman stove. However, it has a fair amound of rust on it and a portion of the cooking surface is rough. But, the remainder of the cooking surface is very smooth. It's as if one part is seasoned really good and the other part is not.
Can I use the same formula's to clean this as prescribed for the ovens and pans?
Rich
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Post by Paws on Dec 29, 2004 4:59:58 GMT 12.75
Yes sir. Are you sure it is cast iron? Check it with a magnet. Sounds like there is either a patch of rust, a deposit of carbon, or physical damage in the rough area. If rusty remove it and cross your fingers it isn't pitted. If carbon build up you will probably need to remove it manually very carefully. If she comes out nice and smooth she will be worth a fortune to you. If not, well just season it and build up a good carbon coat over the rough area ujtil she is nice and smooth.
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Post by Rich on Dec 29, 2004 5:06:26 GMT 12.75
Thanks Phil,
It is a pretty nice griddle. Has a handy grease catcher on it and is angled so the grease runs into the gutter. And, like I said, fits perfectly on a two burner.
I think he had it made several years ago by a local in his home town.
I'll try to clean it up.
Rich
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Post by Rich on Jan 5, 2005 7:40:17 GMT 12.75
Well, I went and got some oven cleaner and baking soda and was going to try and clean that griddle but when I picked it up it felt a little light for cast iron. I hadn't even considered it might be something else until you asked if I was sure about it. So, now I'm wondering if it might not be cast aluminum or something else?
If it isn't cast iron can I still clean it the same way or is there something else I should do?
Rich
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Post by Paws on Jan 5, 2005 11:26:04 GMT 12.75
Stick a magnet on it! If it won't stick and you suspect it might be aluminum it probably is. If so DO NOT USE THE OVEN CLEANER ON IT! Best thing to clean aluminum is a soft bristle brush and dish detergent. You can boil it in hot water and dish detergent; but nothing stronger. If it is aluminum then the "rough spots" are probably just burned on grease and the best way to get at them after cleaning all you can is to just let it soak is hot water. After you get it cleaned up you should polish it with auto buffing compound to a high polish. Then after use clean it and warm it up and wipe it down with a little oil. Keep it cleaned or it will develop a white chalky residue which is the equivalent of red rust in iron. Odd thing is, if you can get it to oxidize uniformly, it will serve as an indestructable surface and totally prevent further oxidation! I've never been quite that lucky though, so keep it clean and oiled!
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Post by Rich on Jan 5, 2005 17:39:47 GMT 12.75
The magnet stuck so I guess it's cast iron. I've got it soaking in oven cleaner right now. Going to leave it overnight and check it in the morning to see what happens. Thanks for all the help.
Rich
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Post by Paws on Jan 6, 2005 4:03:54 GMT 12.75
She might just be cut or stamped plate steel since she feels light. Any way if she will clean up you can attempt to season it and see what happens. Good luck with it.
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Post by Paws on Jan 10, 2005 9:51:25 GMT 12.75
How did it turn out Rich?
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