The method I prefer is to use molasses. 10% molasses in whatever size container you choose to use 90% water. You let it sit submerged for a week or two. Itll comes out black as coal, but a toothbrush in the sink & its completely clean. The best part is that you can pour the contents of the container down the drain. It will not harm the environment. Try it once on a rusty item & you will be sold...
Not sure. I only know that it works. I used a old plastic milk carton to clean a very rusty chisel. If you look online, you'll see a guy do a car door...no kidding.
Baking soda nor acid are harmful to the environment. You just have to understand how it properly dilute them. Molasses is also used as a natural herbicide just FYI.
@@Boerkie1990 you will never get all of it out of the pores. Acids make up is smaller than waters is (molecular structure). Water will never get it out. Even mixing baking soda and water to neutralize the acid won't work.
Its a light solution of acid, that was washed off, heated to 240 degrees Celsius, coated with 3 coats of seasoning. The acid is basically the last worry I'll have when cooking with cast iron that has been derusted with acid.
ive restored lots of cast iron.the rule l go by is never use anything on the cast iron that you wouldnt eat..therefore acids,lye,oven cleaners etc are out. a good soak in vinegar for a few days gets rids of rust and then clean and season and its ready to use.vinegar is safe and easy and cheap.
When I first understood that kitchen scissors were an adaptation of two knife blades working together, I began to use kitchen scissors in many situations where before I would have used just one knife and a cutting board. When I am cooking and I notice that some of the pieces in the pan or pot are too big, I just grab the scissors and cut them up while they are cooking. The two blades work as a team and no longer do I have to worry about the surface the knife blade might before had damaged.
Im so offended by it. Get furious when people cut pizza with scissors like they are somekind of people who doesnt understand how to use a knife. Lets put scissors on the tables at restaurants instead so people can cut their food with them having a scissors frenzy!
I'm a welder in a shop which has a sandblasting. For delicate work, we put baking soda instead of sand. It takes a while to remove paint, varnish, or rust but it's smooth much better finish. Try it. Just an idea to make life easier. Great videos and keep up the good work. Peace
I restored a 12" pan several years ago, I had none of those methods. Just used various wire wheels, and scrubbed the wired pan with steel wool, dish detergent, and water, then rinsed it in veryhot water, and dried instantly. Never had a chance to season it, but keeping it totally covered in lard (manteca) between uses, and storing it in a plastic bag to keep air and dust away, has resulted in a very nice pan. I mostly use it to cook bacon, so it had had a very greasy life lol. Love my cast iron, nothing else works quite like it.
I worked for a recycling place for a good 10 years. You know what was so plenty. Those cast iron rusted out cookware. All I did was wire bristle brush. Good 5 min scrape down. Rinse out then had my bbq. After cooking just tossed them in till next day after work. Relite the fire and used some used cooking oil. Rounded all over and through on rack over fire n went back to work. Came back later. Wiped off with clean rage. Wiped on fresh cooking oil, lard is better and seared in my outdoor oven for 5 hours. Clean. No rust and had no complaints.
I’m so glad that iron skillets have made a come back. By FAR a well seasoned skillet and years of flavors built in is soooo much better cooking wise compared to almost any other method.
I agree, it's great to have chemical free skillets back. Every year I spent about a hundred on some ceramic, some teflon, something that touts it is non stick and within a few months, they stick. If you know how to season, using fats and temp, you won't have to worry about sticking with cast. I love them, too. Because it forces you to cook better, even simple dishes taste great.
@@ettubrute197 A cast iron skillet that is seasoned, with a dark black coating of oils, that prevents rust.The oils are from meats, bacon, cooking oil, lard, butter, olive oil, crisco or fish ,or chicken fat. Once Skillet is seasoned, it is non- stick.
@@cefarther3945 This is why I got into cast iron. I hate buying something I know is going to be thrown away in a few years. I don't like throwing away pots/pans just because a cracked or peeling coating makes them unsafe for use, so I'm learning cast iron. I tried stainless steel but it honestly was quite annoying it use. Now if I could just find a heat diffuser to solve cast irons poor heat conductivity. My pan is too big xD
Glad you included the thing about putting the water in before the acid. (For anyone who's wondering why, acid reacting with water produces a *lot* of heat, which can cause it to boil, so it's always best to add acid to the water not the other way around)
FYI @ the right temperature one can skip the oil entirely. Heat the skillet on med/low for a couple of minutes and when cold water is sprinkled on the skillet and the water droplets "dance" the temperature is perfect for french toast and pancakes. Learned this from my mom when I was little & I'm 67 now.....works every time.....but...... practice makes perfect. Love watching your vids.....Thank you 🙃 👍
Until you did the seasoning layers you could clearly see the line where you acid cleaned it. I was a bit worried if it would show after seasoning but it looks amazing.
Amazing. The best of many videos I have seen on restoring cast iron cookware. Thank you for not getting hung up on "the best oil for seasoning." Best Wishes.
Great result! May want to be careful having the open acid tub in your workshop though. I see your wrenches in the reflection of the tub and have had muriatic acid stored in the same room with metal (even in a closed jug) cause very fast corrosion to occur on nearby metal and extreme rust over time.
Very satisfying watch. As long as you get the results you're looking for it doesn't matter how others do it. And you saved a skillet from being melted down.
So this is cool. Another way to clean this type of pot is to put it in the oven and run a self clean cycle. You'll be amazed at how clean it gets with zero elbow grease.
Really great and nice restoration as usual ! 👍 But quite amazing your toast. I'm french and we call this "pain perdu"🍞, I didn't know that this was known as " French toast " abroad...funny....!🤔🤣
I was always told that the first thing to cook when you clean up a skillet like this is onions in a little bit of neutral oil. Kinda sets up the taste so you don’t get a metallic taste in your first meal lol
Sensible comment.All the convoluted procedures?Light,even heavier rust:light wire brushing, then open gasburner flame does the trick.Regular seasoning with rubbing raw onion and butter,works for me. KISS.
If seasoned correctly you shouldn’t get a metallic taste. Unless you leave something very acidic in it. Before I got my ceramic coated ditch oven I would get a little when I made chili.
I've only ever done electrolysis or vinegar bath or lye, depending on condition of iron. I do prefer electrolysis but the anode needs to closely match the surface area of the cathode. The longest I had to run an e-tank was about 8 hrs on one large piece, but rust, carbon and all were 100% gone and the iron was unaffected unlike with acid baths. That pan is now acid etched. Won't hurt usability at all, but bad for collector pieces.
Pretty certain any acid etching is minor surface damage compared to using a grit blast chamber. Love to see surface profile of acid, electrolysis, and grit.
I doubt your granny ever let a pan get this bad either tho, so steel wool and bacon grease would be good enough her. I think if she saw this pan, she'd yeet the pan, then hunt down the person who let the pan get this bad and yeet them too.
@@AJRestoration like I'm not gonna lie im just incredibly lazy and don't want to wash scissors OR a knife so I just use the side of my fork like a monster xD
Nice restoration! It was interesting to see that the difference in the surfaces of acid or electrolysis were still visible after the sandblasting. Probably interesting to see the combination the other way, first sandblasting followed by a round of electrolysis... Now that's almost science 😂
First time I've seen sand blast for this. I know few have them. It's so much easier then the other methods. Seems perfect. I think I would clean it after with alcohol. Less water to rust it back up.
Later this year, I have a set of rusty cast iron pots and pans I'm planning on restoring, and watching things like this video are giving me so many ideas and different ways to go about the restoration process, so thank you!
I just put them in a self cleaning oven. They heat up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit and the rust falls off. I coat it with cooking oil and bake it for 1-2 hours at 350 degrees and it's ready to cook with. No brushes no acid, no sandblasting. Just heat.
That is how I cook off any funky buildup on the outside of my cast iron. Try to run my most used pieces through an oven cleaning at least once a year, whether they need it or not.
Thanks for that. This dude seemed to throw whatever he could at the pan, probably to lengthen the run time. It all seemed unnecessary and doddling if he was just going to sandblast it anyway. Got an old rusted skillet I want to put back to use.
I have a thing for cast iron. Pans to figurines to door stops. Bells too. This pan is ever so grateful you saved it! Me too. Sweetly awesome thank you!
Straight muriatic acid works awesome. Just don't breath the fumes. They will be heavy, but the rust is gone in minutes. Also 5% vinegar works well too. After several hours in vinegar the rust will be completely gone.
_"Some history on cast iron cookware in general."_ Not often you can find a creator putting this little bit of an extra effort in their video's description 👍
Like to see you do one old school 1-just throw it in a camp fire, let it stay in the coals until the fire burns out. 2- quick brushing to remover any rust scale. 3- use 1/2 an onion to rub it with salt, amazing how well this works. I think all my cast iron I bought at yard sales for $2 or $3 each, all were either crusty with rust, or caked with old burnt grease. This system fixed them all.
@@AJRestoration 👍 I think it will be really interesting for subscribers to see the old school methods after seeing this video. One note, don't throw big two part caldrons on the fire. They soldered the seam on those, cast iron is fine at camp fire temps, solder. . . . .not so much.
Я старые чугунные сковороды собрал у всех знакомых-4 шт разных размеров, пару часов в костре обжигал, вся грязь с них сгорела, потом полирнул балгаркой и запек в плите помазав льняным маслом.
It strikes me that I've never actually seen a completely unseasoned pan. They always have at least the preseasoning layer from the manufacturer. Very interesting to see you strip back to nothing.
An unseasoned pan just looks silver or a pewter color, until you heat and cook till turn black. I bought some from Harbor Freight, but it take too long to season. Unless you oil and put in oven for a long time as he shown.
@@tashainjena while that works, it would be important that you then use the pan regularly, bacon grease can turn rancid, if used as seasoning and then left unused for longer periods. If you cook with it all the time that is not an issue.
Great restoration, I love all the cookware restorations you've done. Makes me want to buy and restore an old welsh bake stone and make some welsh cakes👍
I also don't think media blasting won't hurt cast iron however, I used to powder.coat auto and cycle parts, to say I came across a phenomenon that when I heated up heads or exhaust manifold specifically quite a lot of oils and who knows what other contamination would leach out of the cast iron just to say made getting a nice powder coat finish on item, I learned to clean item then heat then clean and repeat until surface didn't leach out anymore in order to put a good powder coat finish on. I have also used muratic acid numerous times and it looked perfectly clean until heated, powder coat process required oven at 400 degrees F so similar to seasoning temp.
That's a beautiful finish! If you haven't already, you could set yourself up with a little cottage business, restoring cast iron pieces and other items.
I get great results and it's way quicker to blast them in those parts cabinets with baking soda or the glass beads. Walnut shell is good if you can get it.
Great and interesting restore. I'll need to try the baking soda next time. I've done a few reclaimed cast iron items. I don't have your fun tools so I use elbow grease mostly. Great fun to watch your work!!
Although I like the brown looking pan, my experience says, if the seasoning is brown color, then it's not that good, and probably won't hold well. If I recall correctly this indicates weak thick layers of seasoning. Best seasoning so far I found is from cast iron collector's advice where the seasoning layers must be as thin as possible to hold well: apply oil, use a rag to clean as much as posiible and into the oven, then repeat. The seasoning will come grey to black, but it will hold better.
Different tutorial,interesting,in old days we would have a pit fire and lay the pan in it ,leave it for while,cleaned off built up grease,rust,scrubbing it and then coating it in vegetable oil ,couple times let it sit for while,wipe,ready to use.good video.😎😎😎👍👍👍
I have always used a rotary wire brush followed by steel wool...cleaned up good enough to use for cooking...yes, you can use a file to smoothen the rough edges...in the end alittle bit of iron in your cooking process is healthy.
Use a lye bath for crud buildup, and electrolysis for rust, or a 50% vinegar bath. Never use Sandblasting or wire wheel on vintage pans, it will destroy the value of vintage pans. Electrolysis is great because it gets the crud and the rust.
@@blainemarquise it changes the factory milled surface. It's okay to use but collectors can tell if it was sandblasted. There are safer methods to restore old iron that won't mess up the finish. There is 100+ year old cast iron floating around, and it's best to preserve them without using any destructive methods.
You're absolutely right. Some of the comments here are making me hope that none of these people ever get their hands on any quality vintage iron. Sandpaper, wire brushes, self-cleaning ovens....ugh.
@@blainemarquise the same way that a classic car would be destroyed if you beat it with a sledgehammer. Sure it still runs and gets from point a to point b the same, but something has been lost.
Great. You have shown everyone what not to do. Iron oxide does not conduct electricity, so what is happening is just hydrogen excretion. It partially repels the rust from the metal. It is more effective to use hydrochloric acid (HCl 10%) with the addition of dry spirit (C6H12N4 Hexamine) (an anhydride which passivates the acid so that it doesn't etch the cast iron itself).Soak for about 3 hours. Disadvantage: the surface remains very active after treatment. Neutralisation with a baking soda water solution is necessary. The other method chosen (sandblasting) is the right solution. When you did the oil (or spirit) baking, the pan rusted (you can see the brown colour of pan) because you didn't neutralise the surface after the pickling with acid. This is not critical. But not according to the technology.
There is a ton wrong with this. the brown color is not from rust. Until enough layers are applied most oil appear brown after being use to season. Some brief research on google will show this to you, and electrolysis is the most cost effective way to remove rust (albeit not the fastest). Again some short research will show that.
@@Mad-Lad-Chad Ok. Now just look forward to proof, or at least theoretical justification.. I was very interested to know what you base of the electrical conductivity of rust on. Look forward to it. Could it be that what I have studied and learn in my life is just one big conspiracy theory? In a word, I am waiting.
@@baubash I'll be entirely honest, its kind of ironic you asking for proof and sources when you provide absolutely none. Though I'm sure I'm supposed to believe some rando on the internet is indeed some kind of specialist here (others below also have claimed to be metallurgists and agree with the video). I'm skeptical, to say the least. In the mean time I'll take the bait, on the off chance you're being sincere here. Give me a bit and I'll try to pull together a loose research paper for you.
@@Mad-Lad-Chad I give you simple question: rust have electrical conductivity or not. If yes electrolysis will work if no it will not work. you can google you can check wiki or use books to find this out. Im don't care you see video in youtube or you hear from your neighbor. Just tell me yes or no and the question was ended. Science does not recognize reservations. It does not lie or speculate if its true science. If you want to argue, read the question and look for information. There are several methods of removing rust, and the one I have suggested is not the best. But when a person says I have seen the video and it must work (it must work because I believe it works) it drives me out of patience.
@@baubash I didn't say any of those things. All I said was: 1. You are a hypocrite. You ask for proof or theoretical justification while providing none. 2. I'll humor you and give you the scientific justification (which I'm currently working on) even though I doubt you are interested in real back and forth. To answer your question (and I'll quote directly from what I'm typing up for you): "You said iron oxide (actually called ferric oxide, or Fe2O3, in this case; I'll refer to it as just "rust" from here on out) is not electrically conductive. That's not exactly true. It has a high resistance to electron movement through the atoms, or essentially slows them down. Making it difficult for electricity to travel through it unless the voltage is very high. With sufficient voltage, anything can conduct electricity. Lightning striking through the air is a really obvious example."
Gotta love a simple restoration of a cast iron skillet. So easy to get back into shape. Muriatic acid works well with dissolving rust, and can clean concrete pretty well too. Merry Christmas from Alabama, USA!
I remember my brother left a few good cast iron skillets outside, and I took it on myself to restore them to usable function, so using a method of kosher salt and half a potato I got to work removing the rust and got them to a usable state in a few days.
Why go to all this trouble? Simply build a hot fire and burn the pan out then scour it with a brickbat and sand. That’s the process that has worked for over a hundred years in my family. Acid leaves a residue behind.
Really enjoyed that restoration! But your French toast recipe is challenging - I can handle the batter and I can probably find a rusty pan but getting my hands on a sand blaster might be difficult! 🤣 Seriously though really like this video and appreciate the comparison of electrical, chemical and physical rust removal techniques. I do want to get my hands on a nice cast iron pan now - very helpful to have you guide here on seasoning. Oh and love that stove you used - really cool! (I'm guessing there's a restoration vid for that? I'll look for it!) 👍
That restoration was interesting to watch. Now, for the French Toast, which is funny, because I just had French Toast today, and I've got to say, I make the best French Toast I've ever had. 😄 and frying in oil is a no to me. Butter .
I’ll take my made in the USA cast iron pans over that one any day of the week, you did a fine job of cleaning that one up though! And now I gotta go make some French toast
The ones made by one of the big name companies in the USA are not smooth on the bottom which I think is a big disadvantage. They are said to be "preseasoned," but I think that's must a marketing strategy so they don't have to finish the bottom of the pan.
Alternatively, if you don’t own a sand blaster and are afraid of chemicals, you can also use a wood fire to burn the rust off. It doesn’t need to be a heaping blaze, but something the size of a good fire pit fire. Takes about 15 minutes or so. Fish the skillet out, let it cool some, apply cooking oil liberally. Let cool completely. Then back in coals until skillet smokes. Back out and oil. Repeat about four times.
@@thespiritof76. tell that to the 6 in my kitchen that are 20 years old, the one at my uncle’s that’s nearly 70, and the one my mom has that’s over 40. All had rust that had to burned off. This process is once used all around Appalachia and nary a pan has been ruined unless someone got careless.
@@WorldsOkayestSorcerer I don't make it a habit to talk to pans. Continued heating and cooling with those types of tempartures will eventually warp a good piece of cast iron.
Up in Maine we season & CLEAN castiron with salt and oil. Heat pan slightly, add a little veg. oil, or lard, sprinkle with/coarse salt, scrub, using the salt as an abrasive, rinse, wipe dry. Never, never use detergent or soap on castiron. The best pans have sort of layer on the non cooking side, that will build up, don't remove this coating.
Many years ago I used a small whetstone to smooth the bottom of a new store-bought pan. It worked, but it took a lot of work and used up almost all the whetstone.
I have several cast Iron cookwear, all made in America, all seasoned with lard, and all over 70 years ols and have been in the family for several generations
I didn't have access to what you used. Electrolysis wasn't an option. Steel wool, elbow grease and time to restore a deep iron pan. You may be familiar with the kind, great for deep dish pizza or baking a high crust meat pie. It took a while. I have seen people who have as kitchen decor painted ironware. A real shame. Merry Christmas from Ontario, Canada.
Skillet Cleaning RULE #1: NEVER clean your skillet with anything you wouldn't eat (ie - Muriatic acid) Grandma always used Molasses and water mixture to get rust free results you can safely eat off of. Also used Flax seed oil to season the pan because it has a high smoke temperature and really turns the iron black... Bon Appetite.
You can also just buy a gallon of white vinegar, let it sit for a few days and then just use a wire brush. Vinegar will eat ALL RUST. None of this is necessary.
Very nice. Lodge says you can wash these with some dish soap. afterward, i put mine back on the fire to dry it thoroughly, then give it a quick wipe down with some cooking oil and it's ready to go for the next time. Merry Christmas to you and your familly
Is that an elusive number 2 I can't find or 3? never mind I seen the 2 when you sand blasted maybe it's the 3 I can't find. I love my cast iron pan collection and I have seasoned them all. I haven't dug out my cast collection in about 10 years . Hope the X-wife didn't take them lol.
This is amazing. I used to think rust is end of the line for cast iron cookware. This is creating a whole new mindset for me. You used a box (Red) that came into view at 6:00. Is it specialised item and what is it called please and can I buy it or did you build it yourself. It does look pretty nifty. Thank you for the post. Seasons Blessings. 💖
Personally I don't see why not. Assuming you're cleaning it before going on and using it. Plus the fat coating between the metal and the food you're cooking is going to keep a separation unless you're scratching your seasoning off. I was taught how to cook using cast iron and if used it my whole life I don't think I've ever scratched through the seasoning on accident. Only when I acquire a new piece and it has horrific buildup that I have to get rid of.
@@AJRestoration Wiping it with IPA was totally useless; just rinse the pan with hot water and dry it immediately with a towel would have been enough (to remove any solid particles).
nothing to worry about you nailed the recipe, and theres places where i live in los angeles that deep fry french toast....so i think your good on the oil too. cool video my guy!
The method I prefer is to use molasses. 10% molasses in whatever size container you choose to use 90% water. You let it sit submerged for a week or two. Itll comes out black as coal, but a toothbrush in the sink & its completely clean. The best part is that you can pour the contents of the container down the drain. It will not harm the environment. Try it once on a rusty item & you will be sold...
Wow really? What the chemistry behind that I wonder?
@@amerzian sulfur compounds maybe?
Not sure. I only know that it works. I used a old plastic milk carton to clean a very rusty chisel. If you look online, you'll see a guy do a car door...no kidding.
Baking soda nor acid are harmful to the environment. You just have to understand how it properly dilute them. Molasses is also used as a natural herbicide just FYI.
molasses is acidic. so is cola which can also be used. any acid will dissolve rust.
The results from the pool acid was so far superior to even the sandblasting.....why not just drop the whole thing into the acid for the best result?
You want to stay away from acid on cookware. Especially on cast iron as to it will absorb the acid. Which then leach into the food cooking in it.
@@Boerkie1990 you will never get all of it out of the pores. Acids make up is smaller than waters is (molecular structure). Water will never get it out. Even mixing baking soda and water to neutralize the acid won't work.
Its a light solution of acid, that was washed off, heated to 240 degrees Celsius, coated with 3 coats of seasoning. The acid is basically the last worry I'll have when cooking with cast iron that has been derusted with acid.
@@spookytowie7838 You're making this up. Just stop.
ive restored lots of cast iron.the rule l go by is never use anything on the cast iron that you wouldnt eat..therefore acids,lye,oven cleaners etc are out. a good soak in vinegar for a few days gets rids of rust and then clean and season and its ready to use.vinegar is safe and easy and cheap.
Am I the only one blown away by the fact he used scissors to cut his bread? I’ve not once seen someone do that. Interesting
Same here, weird
Wait you’ve actually never seen people cut bread with scissors? Huh must not be as common in your country
When I first understood that kitchen scissors were an adaptation of two knife blades working together, I began to use kitchen scissors in many situations where before I would have used just one knife and a cutting board. When I am cooking and I notice that some of the pieces in the pan or pot are too big, I just grab the scissors and cut them up while they are cooking. The two blades work as a team and no longer do I have to worry about the surface the knife blade might before had damaged.
Im so offended by it. Get furious when people cut pizza with scissors like they are somekind of people who doesnt understand how to use a knife. Lets put scissors on the tables at restaurants instead so people can cut their food with them having a scissors frenzy!
No, we use them, but I am sadden by the fact he missed out on delicious French toast by not frying with butter:)
I'm a welder in a shop which has a sandblasting. For delicate work, we put baking soda instead of sand. It takes a while to remove paint, varnish, or rust but it's smooth much better finish. Try it. Just an idea to make life easier. Great videos and keep up the good work. Peace
I restored a 12" pan several years ago, I had none of those methods. Just used various wire wheels, and scrubbed the wired pan with steel wool, dish detergent, and water, then rinsed it in veryhot water, and dried instantly. Never had a chance to season it, but keeping it totally covered in lard (manteca) between uses, and storing it in a plastic bag to keep air and dust away, has resulted in a very nice pan. I mostly use it to cook bacon, so it had had a very greasy life lol.
Love my cast iron, nothing else works quite like it.
I worked for a recycling place for a good 10 years. You know what was so plenty. Those cast iron rusted out cookware. All I did was wire bristle brush. Good 5 min scrape down. Rinse out then had my bbq. After cooking just tossed them in till next day after work. Relite the fire and used some used cooking oil. Rounded all over and through on rack over fire n went back to work. Came back later. Wiped off with clean rage. Wiped on fresh cooking oil, lard is better and seared in my outdoor oven for 5 hours. Clean. No rust and had no complaints.
I’m so glad that iron skillets have made a come back. By FAR a well seasoned skillet and years of flavors built in is soooo much better cooking wise compared to almost any other method.
Your steaks will thank you for it.
I agree, it's great to have chemical free skillets back. Every year I spent about a hundred on some ceramic, some teflon, something that touts it is non stick and within a few months, they stick. If you know how to season, using fats and temp, you won't have to worry about sticking with cast. I love them, too. Because it forces you to cook better, even simple dishes taste great.
I’m new to the cooking industry but what’s a seasoned skillet?
@@ettubrute197 A cast iron skillet that is seasoned, with a dark black coating of oils, that prevents rust.The oils are from meats, bacon, cooking oil, lard, butter, olive oil, crisco or fish ,or chicken fat. Once Skillet is seasoned, it is non- stick.
@@cefarther3945 This is why I got into cast iron. I hate buying something I know is going to be thrown away in a few years. I don't like throwing away pots/pans just because a cracked or peeling coating makes them unsafe for use, so I'm learning cast iron. I tried stainless steel but it honestly was quite annoying it use. Now if I could just find a heat diffuser to solve cast irons poor heat conductivity. My pan is too big xD
Glad you included the thing about putting the water in before the acid.
(For anyone who's wondering why, acid reacting with water produces a *lot* of heat, which can cause it to boil, so it's always best to add acid to the water not the other way around)
And the acid can splash out if you add water to acid, vs acid to water.
“Do as you oughta: add acid to water” my grandmother used to say.
Do as you 'oughta add acid to water.
Wow. I’m all of a sudden so grateful that the heirloom cast-iron I have was so well taken care of.
Mine too, then I made a mess of it.😢
I got a Swedish Skeppshult iron skillet from my grandma that I use almost every day. It must be 70 years old now.
Amazing quality 👍🏻
FYI @ the right temperature one can skip the oil entirely. Heat the skillet on med/low for a couple of minutes and when cold water is sprinkled on the skillet and the water droplets "dance" the temperature is perfect for french toast and pancakes. Learned this from my mom when I was little & I'm 67 now.....works every time.....but...... practice makes perfect. Love watching your vids.....Thank you 🙃 👍
yea! it's how you have to cook eggs or other sticky foods on stainless
Yes! Never put your food into a cold or cool pan or it will stick every time.
Until you did the seasoning layers you could clearly see the line where you acid cleaned it. I was a bit worried if it would show after seasoning but it looks amazing.
Actually, under some angles the line is still barely visible.
I was hoping that the whole skillet would get the acid bath afterwords for uniformity.
Amazing. The best of many videos I have seen on restoring cast iron cookware. Thank you for not getting hung up on "the best oil for seasoning." Best Wishes.
Great result! May want to be careful having the open acid tub in your workshop though. I see your wrenches in the reflection of the tub and have had muriatic acid stored in the same room with metal (even in a closed jug) cause very fast corrosion to occur on nearby metal and extreme rust over time.
Muriatic acid will dissolve the entire pan if you leave it in overnight - that's why the result was so smooth.
Very satisfying watch. As long as you get the results you're looking for it doesn't matter how others do it. And you saved a skillet from being melted down.
So this is cool. Another way to clean this type of pot is to put it in the oven and run a self clean cycle. You'll be amazed at how clean it gets with zero elbow grease.
Really great and nice restoration as usual ! 👍 But quite amazing your toast. I'm french and we call this "pain perdu"🍞, I didn't know that this was known as " French toast " abroad...funny....!🤔🤣
I was always told that the first thing to cook when you clean up a skillet like this is onions in a little bit of neutral oil. Kinda sets up the taste so you don’t get a metallic taste in your first meal lol
Sensible comment.All the convoluted procedures?Light,even heavier rust:light wire brushing, then open gasburner flame does the trick.Regular seasoning with rubbing raw onion and butter,works for me. KISS.
If seasoned correctly you shouldn’t get a metallic taste. Unless you leave something very acidic in it. Before I got my ceramic coated ditch oven I would get a little when I made chili.
I've only ever done electrolysis or vinegar bath or lye, depending on condition of iron. I do prefer electrolysis but the anode needs to closely match the surface area of the cathode. The longest I had to run an e-tank was about 8 hrs on one large piece, but rust, carbon and all were 100% gone and the iron was unaffected unlike with acid baths. That pan is now acid etched. Won't hurt usability at all, but bad for collector pieces.
Pretty certain any acid etching is minor surface damage compared to using a grit blast chamber. Love to see surface profile of acid, electrolysis, and grit.
Steel wool and bacon grease does wonders. My granny never had access to anything like this. I am 58.
So we shouldn’t use anything your granny didn’t have? What TH-cam did she comment on back then? Breaking your own rule…
@Tracie Finley 🤣🤣🤣 sorry if logic offends you.
I doubt your granny ever let a pan get this bad either tho, so steel wool and bacon grease would be good enough her. I think if she saw this pan, she'd yeet the pan, then hunt down the person who let the pan get this bad and yeet them too.
I’ve never seen scissors being used on French toast before. What a time to be alive
Difficult times te be alive in hahaha
@@AJRestoration like I'm not gonna lie im just incredibly lazy and don't want to wash scissors OR a knife so I just use the side of my fork like a monster xD
Nice restoration! It was interesting to see that the difference in the surfaces of acid or electrolysis were still visible after the sandblasting. Probably interesting to see the combination the other way, first sandblasting followed by a round of electrolysis... Now that's almost science 😂
First time I've seen sand blast for this. I know few have them. It's so much easier then the other methods. Seems perfect.
I think I would clean it after with alcohol. Less water to rust it back up.
It's a shame how many nice cast iron skillets got thrown out just because people don't know how to take care of them. I use mine to bake cornbread.
I am just inlove with cast iron cookware, I am slowly replacing all my stuff with proper cast iron.
Recipe please?
I use mine to cook everything. 😋
Nice story bro, needs more dragons.
Just cornbread?
Later this year, I have a set of rusty cast iron pots and pans I'm planning on restoring, and watching things like this video are giving me so many ideas and different ways to go about the restoration process, so thank you!
Best of luck!
@@AJRestoration thanks!
I just put them in a self cleaning oven. They heat up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit and the rust falls off. I coat it with cooking oil and bake it for 1-2 hours at 350 degrees and it's ready to cook with. No brushes no acid, no sandblasting. Just heat.
That is how I cook off any funky buildup on the outside of my cast iron. Try to run my most used pieces through an oven cleaning at least once a year, whether they need it or not.
Thanks for that.
This dude seemed to throw whatever he could at the pan, probably to lengthen the run time. It all seemed unnecessary and doddling if he was just going to sandblast it anyway.
Got an old rusted skillet I want to put back to use.
really appreciate the comparison between electrolysis and acid!
It would be interesting to see a laser de-rustify such a rusty pan. The acid did a very good job though!
It is on TH-cam. It is amazing.
I have a thing for cast iron. Pans to figurines to door stops. Bells too. This pan is ever so grateful you saved it! Me too. Sweetly awesome thank you!
The fact that he only needed 14 minutes makes it even more impressive!
Straight muriatic acid works awesome. Just don't breath the fumes. They will be heavy, but the rust is gone in minutes. Also 5% vinegar works well too. After several hours in vinegar the rust will be completely gone.
I do not know if it is just me, but I found something very relaxing in sandblasting.
Beautiful. I love your cookware/kitchenware restorations the best. Great job!!
Thank you so much!
_"Some history on cast iron cookware in general."_
Not often you can find a creator putting this little bit of an extra effort in their video's description 👍
Thanks for that! I always try to dig up some history and share it.
not hard to copy and paste m8
@@hgghgguk - Jump in a lake. Some people over here were raised to express appreciation. Suck it up.
Like to see you do one old school
1-just throw it in a camp fire, let it stay in the coals until the fire burns out.
2- quick brushing to remover any rust scale.
3- use 1/2 an onion to rub it with salt, amazing how well this works.
I think all my cast iron I bought at yard sales for $2 or $3 each, all were either crusty with rust, or caked with old burnt grease.
This system fixed them all.
The next cast iron restoration will be done that way.
@@AJRestoration 👍 I think it will be really interesting for subscribers to see the old school methods after seeing this video. One note, don't throw big two part caldrons on the fire. They soldered the seam on those, cast iron is fine at camp fire temps, solder. . . . .not so much.
@@saoirse5308 thanks for the heads up
Please don’t do this!! Horrible for the pan!! One of the fastest ways to ruin a good pan.
@@kimberlysmith8206 never had any problems with ours
Я старые чугунные сковороды собрал у всех знакомых-4 шт разных размеров, пару часов в костре обжигал, вся грязь с них сгорела, потом полирнул балгаркой и запек в плите помазав льняным маслом.
Зачем так долго? Шуруповёрт или дрель + ёршик для чистки краски 30мин. и сковородка блестит, проверено
@@Еленаежкун Зачем так пыльно и грязно?) Да и трудозатратно пол часа с дрелью... не говоря уже о том что обжиг идеально снимает все ненужное
@@Еленаежкун геморно, вся грязь не отстанет, а так раскалил до красна, точно как после завода становятся.
It strikes me that I've never actually seen a completely unseasoned pan. They always have at least the preseasoning layer from the manufacturer. Very interesting to see you strip back to nothing.
An unseasoned pan just looks silver or a pewter color, until you heat and cook till turn black. I bought some from Harbor Freight, but it take too long to season. Unless you oil and put in oven for a long time as he shown.
@@alisacobb5450 My aunt just gave me a tip to season pans... put your bacon in them and bake in the oven... eat bacon, rub grease inside pan...
@@tashainjena thanks, I’ll do that for sure
@@tashainjena while that works, it would be important that you then use the pan regularly, bacon grease can turn rancid, if used as seasoning and then left unused for longer periods. If you cook with it all the time that is not an issue.
It amazing what can be done with things that peoples just throw away. You do a great job
Thank you!
I don't know which one shocked me more: the restoration transformation or the fact that you cut the toast with scissors.
Great restoration, I love all the cookware restorations you've done. Makes me want to buy and restore an old welsh bake stone and make some welsh cakes👍
It is so easy to restore!
I also don't think media blasting won't hurt cast iron however, I used to powder.coat auto and cycle parts, to say I came across a phenomenon that when I heated up heads or exhaust manifold specifically quite a lot of oils and who knows what other contamination would leach out of the cast iron just to say made getting a nice powder coat finish on item, I learned to clean item then heat then clean and repeat until surface didn't leach out anymore in order to put a good powder coat finish on. I have also used muratic acid numerous times and it looked perfectly clean until heated, powder coat process required oven at 400 degrees F so similar to seasoning temp.
Excellent job! Amazing how you turned a completely rusted, useless peace of garbage into a nicely looking, totally functioning skillet. It's magic!
That's a beautiful finish! If you haven't already, you could set yourself up with a little cottage business, restoring cast iron pieces and other items.
I get great results and it's way quicker to blast them in those parts cabinets with baking soda or the glass beads. Walnut shell is good if you can get it.
The acid dunk was super satisfying!! 😍✨
Great and interesting restore. I'll need to try the baking soda next time. I've done a few reclaimed cast iron items. I don't have your fun tools so I use elbow grease mostly. Great fun to watch your work!!
Although I like the brown looking pan, my experience says, if the seasoning is brown color, then it's not that good, and probably won't hold well. If I recall correctly this indicates weak thick layers of seasoning. Best seasoning so far I found is from cast iron collector's advice where the seasoning layers must be as thin as possible to hold well: apply oil, use a rag to clean as much as posiible and into the oven, then repeat. The seasoning will come grey to black, but it will hold better.
The color comes from the oil I used, every oil has a slightly different color.
@@AJRestoration you have no idea what you’re talking about
This is completely false.
Different tutorial,interesting,in old days we would have a pit fire and lay the pan in it ,leave it for while,cleaned off built up grease,rust,scrubbing it and then coating it in vegetable oil ,couple times let it sit for while,wipe,ready to use.good video.😎😎😎👍👍👍
I have always used a rotary wire brush followed by steel wool...cleaned up good enough to use for cooking...yes, you can use a file to smoothen the rough edges...in the end alittle bit of iron in your cooking process is healthy.
That’s how I do it also
Nice comparison 👍 I think I will be using the acid method if I ever have to do this.
Thanks for sharing. Great video.
I also prefer the acid, it's just easier.
@@AJRestoration for sure, such a superior job.
I have 4 cast iron pans, I like them. This was interesting, as always.
Glad you like them!
I love that there is no music or words and I can hear the birds throughout the video
Use a lye bath for crud buildup, and electrolysis for rust, or a 50% vinegar bath. Never use Sandblasting or wire wheel on vintage pans, it will destroy the value of vintage pans. Electrolysis is great because it gets the crud and the rust.
How's it destroyed? It's still a perfectly usable pan.
@@blainemarquise it changes the factory milled surface. It's okay to use but collectors can tell if it was sandblasted. There are safer methods to restore old iron that won't mess up the finish. There is 100+ year old cast iron floating around, and it's best to preserve them without using any destructive methods.
You're absolutely right. Some of the comments here are making me hope that none of these people ever get their hands on any quality vintage iron. Sandpaper, wire brushes, self-cleaning ovens....ugh.
@@blainemarquise the same way that a classic car would be destroyed if you beat it with a sledgehammer. Sure it still runs and gets from point a to point b the same, but something has been lost.
Looks good. Although you can still see the lines from acid rust removal and the electrical one
I want to buy one of these. They’re perfect for searing steak.
Avocado oil gives the best non-stick qualities and the pan looks amazing.
I'll have to try avo oil!
Iv'e always used flaxseed oil
I always use electrolysis or a combination of lye & electrolysis. I don't really like acid because it also attacks good iron as well as rust.
I just use steel wool and elbow grease but the sand blaster looks way more fun and satisfying
Great. You have shown everyone what not to do. Iron oxide does not conduct electricity, so what is happening is just hydrogen excretion. It partially repels the rust from the metal. It is more effective to use hydrochloric acid (HCl 10%) with the addition of dry spirit (C6H12N4 Hexamine) (an anhydride which passivates the acid so that it doesn't etch the cast iron itself).Soak for about 3 hours. Disadvantage: the surface remains very active after treatment. Neutralisation with a baking soda water solution is necessary. The other method chosen (sandblasting) is the right solution. When you did the oil (or spirit) baking, the pan rusted (you can see the brown colour of pan) because you didn't neutralise the surface after the pickling with acid. This is not critical. But not according to the technology.
There is a ton wrong with this. the brown color is not from rust. Until enough layers are applied most oil appear brown after being use to season. Some brief research on google will show this to you, and electrolysis is the most cost effective way to remove rust (albeit not the fastest). Again some short research will show that.
@@Mad-Lad-Chad Ok. Now just look forward to proof, or at least theoretical justification.. I was very interested to know what you base of the electrical conductivity of rust on. Look forward to it. Could it be that what I have studied and learn in my life is just one big conspiracy theory? In a word, I am waiting.
@@baubash I'll be entirely honest, its kind of ironic you asking for proof and sources when you provide absolutely none. Though I'm sure I'm supposed to believe some rando on the internet is indeed some kind of specialist here (others below also have claimed to be metallurgists and agree with the video). I'm skeptical, to say the least.
In the mean time I'll take the bait, on the off chance you're being sincere here. Give me a bit and I'll try to pull together a loose research paper for you.
@@Mad-Lad-Chad I give you simple question: rust have electrical conductivity or not. If yes electrolysis will work if no it will not work. you can google you can check wiki or use books to find this out. Im don't care you see video in youtube or you hear from your neighbor. Just tell me yes or no and the question was ended. Science does not recognize reservations. It does not lie or speculate if its true science. If you want to argue, read the question and look for information. There are several methods of removing rust, and the one I have suggested is not the best. But when a person says I have seen the video and it must work (it must work because I believe it works) it drives me out of patience.
@@baubash I didn't say any of those things. All I said was:
1. You are a hypocrite. You ask for proof or theoretical justification while providing none.
2. I'll humor you and give you the scientific justification (which I'm currently working on) even though I doubt you are interested in real back and forth.
To answer your question (and I'll quote directly from what I'm typing up for you):
"You said iron oxide (actually called ferric oxide, or Fe2O3, in this case; I'll refer to it as just "rust" from here on out) is not electrically conductive. That's not exactly true. It has a high resistance to electron movement through the atoms, or essentially slows them down. Making it difficult for electricity to travel through it unless the voltage is very high. With sufficient voltage, anything can conduct electricity. Lightning striking through the air is a really obvious example."
as a metallurgist, i loved this video!
Gotta love a simple restoration of a cast iron skillet. So easy to get back into shape. Muriatic acid works well with dissolving rust, and can clean concrete pretty well too.
Merry Christmas from Alabama, USA!
Merry Christmas buddy!
Good luck newbies following this one
I remember my brother left a few good cast iron skillets outside, and I took it on myself to restore them to usable function, so using a method of kosher salt and half a potato I got to work removing the rust and got them to a usable state in a few days.
And you don't have to ingest the caustic solutions used here. Only clean your pan with items you would eat !
Why go to all this trouble? Simply build a hot fire and burn the pan out then scour it with a brickbat and sand. That’s the process that has worked for over a hundred years in my family. Acid leaves a residue behind.
Now that is truly Old School.Bravo.
@@ronaldbaatjes2470Fruit tree pruning’s from the previous year seem to work best.
Lol, using scissors for your toast! Mad Man 🤣.
Enjoyable video, great work!
Glad you enjoyed haha.
If I had a sand blaster I would be restoring my old cast iron! I don't have one! I guess that means lots of sand paper and elbow grease!
Sometimes the elbow grease gives you a better finnish!
Nice job. That pool acid caught me off guard.
😂
Really enjoyed that restoration! But your French toast recipe is challenging - I can handle the batter and I can probably find a rusty pan but getting my hands on a sand blaster might be difficult! 🤣 Seriously though really like this video and appreciate the comparison of electrical, chemical and physical rust removal techniques. I do want to get my hands on a nice cast iron pan now - very helpful to have you guide here on seasoning. Oh and love that stove you used - really cool! (I'm guessing there's a restoration vid for that? I'll look for it!) 👍
I love the ambience of this video
like with the birds in the background I mean
You can get the same results from scrubbing it with Dawn dish soap and coarse metal scrubby
But what if you wanted to use electrolysis or acid and could not make up your mind? Haha dont stress, I got you covered! :-) Real men do not scrub.
That's the simple way of doing it if you ain't got all that technology
That restoration was interesting to watch. Now, for the French Toast, which is funny, because I just had French Toast today, and I've got to say, I make the best French Toast I've ever had. 😄 and frying in oil is a no to me. Butter .
Muriatic acid will affect the steel structure , an acid like Citric acid is way safer but still extremely effective on rust
I’ll take my made in the USA cast iron pans over that one any day of the week, you did a fine job of cleaning that one up though! And now I gotta go make some French toast
The ones made by one of the big name companies in the USA are not smooth on the bottom which I think is a big disadvantage. They are said to be "preseasoned," but I think that's must a marketing strategy so they don't have to finish the bottom of the pan.
Alternatively, if you don’t own a sand blaster and are afraid of chemicals, you can also use a wood fire to burn the rust off. It doesn’t need to be a heaping blaze, but something the size of a good fire pit fire.
Takes about 15 minutes or so. Fish the skillet out, let it cool some, apply cooking oil liberally. Let cool completely. Then back in coals until skillet smokes. Back out and oil. Repeat about four times.
Yeah and then you'll eventually ruin the piece. Professionals use electrolysis.
Horrible for the pan!! Quickest way to ruin a cast iron pan.
@@thespiritof76. tell that to the 6 in my kitchen that are 20 years old, the one at my uncle’s that’s nearly 70, and the one my mom has that’s over 40. All had rust that had to burned off. This process is once used all around Appalachia and nary a pan has been ruined unless someone got careless.
@@WorldsOkayestSorcerer I don't make it a habit to talk to pans. Continued heating and cooling with those types of tempartures will eventually warp a good piece of cast iron.
Up in Maine we season & CLEAN castiron with salt and oil. Heat pan slightly, add a little veg. oil, or lard, sprinkle with/coarse salt, scrub, using the salt as an abrasive, rinse, wipe dry. Never, never use detergent or soap on castiron. The best pans have sort of layer on the non cooking side, that will build up, don't remove this coating.
I'd like to see a restoration like this using only natural materials like sand, sandstone etc.
Acid is natural.
Many years ago I used a small whetstone to smooth the bottom of a new store-bought pan. It worked, but it took a lot of work and used up almost all the whetstone.
I have several cast Iron cookwear, all made in America, all seasoned with lard, and all over 70 years ols and have been in the family for several generations
Wow!! It looks brand new! With all the rust, how can you tell it doesn’t have too much pitting and is worth restoring?
You probably know this but if you let the pan get just a bit hotter before you put the french toast in, it will not stick at all
Another nicely-done restoration! Keep it up, dude! 🤘
Thanks Andy! Will do!
I have 2 of them to do! Thanks for your expertise!
You are so welcome!
The scissors killed me lol 😂
У меня 3 советские бабушкины чугунные сковородки!Пользуюсь ими с огромным удовольствием!
Круто!
I didn't have access to what you used. Electrolysis wasn't an option. Steel wool, elbow grease and time to restore a deep iron pan. You may be familiar with the kind, great for deep dish pizza or baking a high crust meat pie. It took a while.
I have seen people who have as kitchen decor painted ironware. A real shame.
Merry Christmas from Ontario, Canada.
Merry Christmas Ricah! It is a real shame, cast iron should be used not painted haha
The scissors cutting of French toast made my day, thank you.
Skillet Cleaning RULE #1: NEVER clean your skillet with anything you wouldn't eat (ie - Muriatic acid) Grandma always used Molasses and water mixture to get rust free results you can safely eat off of. Also used Flax seed oil to season the pan because it has a high smoke temperature and really turns the iron black... Bon Appetite.
Wooow, my mind was blown when using scissors to cut bread hahahaha, great video🇲🇽
You can also just buy a gallon of white vinegar, let it sit for a few days and then just use a wire brush.
Vinegar will eat ALL RUST.
None of this is necessary.
Vinegar will also etch the metal. Lye bath and electrolysis won't effect the metal.
Very nice. Lodge says you can wash these with some dish soap. afterward, i put mine back on the fire to dry it thoroughly, then give it a quick wipe down with some cooking oil and it's ready to go for the next time.
Merry Christmas to you and your familly
That's a great idea! Merry Christmas to you Jeff!
Is that an elusive number 2 I can't find or 3? never mind I seen the 2 when you sand blasted maybe it's the 3 I can't find. I love my cast iron pan collection and I have seasoned them all. I haven't dug out my cast collection in about 10 years . Hope the X-wife didn't take them lol.
Really cool! I like the little bits of sly humor, too.
This is amazing. I used to think rust is end of the line for cast iron cookware. This is creating a whole new mindset for me. You used a box (Red) that came into view at 6:00. Is it specialised item and what is it called please and can I buy it or did you build it yourself. It does look pretty nifty. Thank you for the post. Seasons Blessings. 💖
It's a sand blaster
@@alvarez321 Thank you very much. Wishing you a most Blessed 2022. 💖
I was just thinking of making grilled cheese after watching the restoration but you changed my mind to making French toast instead. 😋
Nice! What oil is being used to season it?
I have seen him use canola oil in his other videos.
Wow made in TAIWAN!!!!! Wait a minute, is it true🤣 So amazing seeing that in this video~ ( I’m Taiwanese)
That is correct! This is made in Taiwan, to be honest this was one of the better quality cast iron items I have restored. Welldone to the Taiwanese!
Congratulations on this great work and video!!
What kind of oil did you use to make "oven" process? Is it regular cooking oil?
This restored cast iron looks better than my new stuff.
Is it safe to cook with cast iron that was dipped in muriatic acid? I know you sandblasted it, but just curious!
Personally I don't see why not. Assuming you're cleaning it before going on and using it. Plus the fat coating between the metal and the food you're cooking is going to keep a separation unless you're scratching your seasoning off. I was taught how to cook using cast iron and if used it my whole life I don't think I've ever scratched through the seasoning on accident. Only when I acquire a new piece and it has horrific buildup that I have to get rid of.
It is totally safe in my eyes, the acid was washed off, sandblasted and wiped down with alcohol.
@@AJRestoration Wiping it with IPA was totally useless; just rinse the pan with hot water and dry it immediately with a towel would have been enough (to remove any solid particles).
nothing to worry about you nailed the recipe, and theres places where i live in los angeles that deep fry french toast....so i think your good on the oil too. cool video my guy!
Other than using butter than oil on my French Toast, this would be how I do it. Great way to make sure the pan functions properly.