Hey thank you for that trip. I'll definitely look into it. And yes, it is a long and expensive path to go down lol

I agree, electrolysis is the way to go. Drives me nuts when I see restoration vids use acids for rust removal. I've done quite a few skillets/dutch ovens/etc with electrolysis and it works great.

how does one get a gig like yours restoring for estate companies?

@@tinytoolmantim It stems from a desire to finance my addiction. lol Estate sale companies with their own building are more likely to want their pieces restored. For whatever reason these pieces didn't sell so they have to cleanout the house as part of the contract. At this point they have very little money in them so if I restore them they sale. Used furniture stores are another place to ask. Like last week Lane ask me to restore some pieces that looked like Fido's butt. His exact words were 'if they are too bad don't fool with them". They looked new when he got them back. In that group was a #10 Lodge that had zero value when I got it but it was worth 50ish when it was finished. Offer to do the worse skillet they have for free to see how it sells, it will sell and they'll call ya back. Show them that it's profitable and you won't have any trouble. I've offered to restore for others that didn't want to fool with it. Like a drug addict whatever I make goes back into cast iron. I'm retired and this is what keeps me busy. Since I'm not trying to live on what I restore I can be cheaper. I also make spatulas from new Lodge skillets. The smash burger crowd really like them and they trade well. I toyed with the idea of starting a UKposts channel but I don't think I could enjoy working with UKposts. Start with the estate companies that have store fronts and used furniture stores that have cast iron. Introduce yourself and pick the worse skillet they have and ask if you can restore it for them. If you're good they'll be impressed and you'll have a customer. About two companies is enough for me, like I said I'm retired and this keeps me away from our savings and I can go looking for pieces that I normally wouldn't pay that much for. If you want to work with the public run an add on Facebook Market Place offering to restore grandmas cast iron. Good luck, I think you'll find customers.

He speaks the truth….. it started with a simple WAGNER skillet for me. Now I have industrial steel warehouse shelves in my kitchen , full of iron 😂

Those things must be slick as glass

That is an awesome story. 👍. Those will be the most treasured heirlooms in the family. Well done.

I love this

I am 81 and Have Used cast iron to cook many years. Never had an operation. And do not take medicine.

Sounds like a Hallmark Christmas movie 🎉

I always thought cast iron was complicated to maintain and clean. However all the old folk always made the best potatoes, fried okra, and cornbread in cast iron. They wont use anything else. Once i tried cast iron a couple of times now I wont use anything else either, unless I am boiling or deep frying. Cast iron is easy to clean and maintain and cooks everything perfectly and evenly.

@@Bf26fgeThe only way to fry chicken 🐓 is in a cast iron skillet!

You can use metal, the seasoning is polymerized oil, just recoat with a thin layer of oil when done

@@Zestypanda fist of all I was just letting others know that when using plastic utensils in cast iron that the plastic will melt to the cast. And when using metal utensils it will scratch the seasoning off. Yes you can spend the extra time to recoat your cast iron when using metal utensils. But who really wants to take that extra time to recoat even with a polymerized oil. When is just easier to use wooden utensils when you're cooking with with cast iron and not worrying about having melted plastic in their cast iron or scratching off the seasoning when using metal utensils. But if you or anyone else wants to take the extra time to recoat your cast iron after using metal utensils then that fine. I'm not saying that no one can't use metal utensils or plastic utensils because people can use whatever they want. I'm just saying that they should never use them because wooden utensils is much better because they don't scratch or melt.

Thats how my Granddaddy and Granny always did it

That doesn’t work.

I’ve been told that cast iron should be heated up slowly as the material may vary in thickness and you don’t want it to get wonky.

So you had rust fall off the pans in the oven?

​@CastIronEric Don't do it!!! That's the easiest way to crack or warp your pans!

You got extremely lucky, especially with thinner griswolds.

Thank you, Cynthia! About to cook up some steaks 😁

Thank you Nancy!

Lol yeah he wasn't having any of that

I have a Field that also has a little ring. It seems to work pretty well, but I usually give it more time to slowly warm up

not a heat ring it is a stabilizing ring for woodstove holes if a iron skillet has one it was usually made before 1950, flat bottoms made after 1950 and yes you can use either on glass stoves poor heat transfer is a wives tale. Once cast iron heats up it stays uniformly hot throughout

@GenX...MCMLXV the pans with the heat ring don't allow direct contact with the glass surface. While the pan will heat, this damages the burner. A warped pan is also not good for glass burners.

I do have a non stick pan but mostly my good too pans are my cast iron.....try making a pie in a cast iron pan.....wonderfully easy.

Thanks I was really surprised how well it turned out

Thanks!

Yeah I was quite surprised how easy it was to remove the rust. Honestly, the more time consuming part was reseasoning it.

Thank you! I still want to try the fire method and electrolysis method.

Appreciate it James. More content coming soon

Thank you!

I have a cast iron skillet that my sister left out in the rain I'm gonna try the vinger baking soda and water

I will try that when I get back to making videos again! Thank you for the tip

Then you, Kev!!

Animal fat is superior

We didn't have the temp that high ( 375-400) and left it in for an hour or two..

I was hoping the bread was turned out too.

Oh that's a good idea. We will try that on my gf's Wagner

Nooo, don't do that! 🥹

Thanks very much for allowing me to restore it! 🙏🏻

You should never sand a cast iron skillet, especially a nice BSR. Well I say never, but if the cooking surface looks like the moon you can try to smooth it, but you might get hotspots.

It gets toasty, but you can. Or you can use a towel

About how long do you feel it lasts before going rancid?

@@CastIronEric a long time. I find it to be a great way to season the pans. I use it for more than seasoning. I fry eggs and hash browns.

There are many opinions on this. I think there's a lot going for grapeseed oil (what I use), flaxseed oil, and even bacon grease works well provided you use it often

Canola has worked best for me. It always just drops out every time no matter what pan I use.. Cornstick pans, wedge skillets, regular skillets, doesn't matter. The key is to get the pan hot, then oil, then pour in the batter. Easy peasy

@@hawgwildcastiron2023 I've not used canola oil yet. I'll pick some up this weekend

i use bacon, beef or lamb fat 👍👍

​@@TyCampbell666, my husband uses bacon grease for his.

I have read that lye works great for getting off old seasoning and build up, but not so much for rust. We have a video coming up that will test this!

I look forward to watching it.@@CastIronEric

You can, you just need to make sure you pick it up when you move it, rather than sliding the pan around.

You really need a flat bottom on your pan or you'll burn out the element. I did that with a stainless steel that was slightly raised in the venter and kablooey!