DIY Refinishing Lodge Cast Iron - First attempt
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- Опубліковано 28 гру 2020
- Two year update: • Two year Update - DIY ...
***Edit:
Thank you for watching! I do not recommend going this far, but if you remove the factory seasoning and stick with 40 grit or so, you will get the 'old pan' look and it will perform just fine. I recommend doing that much on these cheap pans, they are usually not flat to begin with!
Also:
I know I used a lot of discs
I know this makes the seasoning not stick well
I know the factory seasoning works fine
------------------------------ /Edit ***
I tried to refinish a brand new Lodge pan.
This is that attempt. In the middle of this video is a ~4 minute sanding sequence, skip 4 minutes if you don't want to watch it, it is loud and annoying most likely.
I used inexpensive sanding pads and a 5" orbital sander
I got a lot of fine particles inhaled through my mask, it was one of those blue surgical masks, so take that into account if you are worried about inhalation.
We seasoned the pan well, and were able to make scrambled eggs and a grilled cheese sandwich on the pan with no issues!
Personally I think hitting it with a flap wheel or 0000 Steel Wool is a good idea to finish it off, but I did not show that in this video. - Навчання та стиль
Interesting video and much appreciated 👍 the finish is brilliant! Here in the U.K. this type of cookware is uncommon to say the least! I have a Lodge 8” frying pan (skillet!) and cooked an egg in it on day one! The seasoning it came with from Lodge was okay, the egg didn’t stick to much and I got it out without too much trouble. I then found Kent Rollins and re-seasoned according to his take on the subject, in and out of the oven 5 times in all, using a high smoke, plant based oil and so far it’s now slick and and pretty much non-stick. The thought of attacking the cooking area with sand paper fills me with horror 😂! The texture It’s still as rough as a witches armpit (😂) but the seasoning and slide ability is pretty much on the money! Looks like a Dutch Oven and another skillet are on the cards! All the very best from deepest Dorset England 🇬🇧🇺🇸👍
Thank you for your thoughts!
Grinding off their finish and reducing the cooking surface to smooth is not necessary, this test proved it to me for sure. What you get from it is a certain look and nothing else. The seasoning struggles to stick to this very flat surface, but the look is very nice. I will check Kent's video and see if I can learn how to season better as well.
Thanks Jim for your reply, much appreciated. if I want to make my cheap Lodge look like the cats whiskers …….you will be getting a parcel in the post😂 All the very best from deepest Dorset 👍
I don't like the finish that lodge leaves on them. it you ever get hold of griswald or a wagoner. you would know what I mean
@@jimknowlton342 he is a good person to watch, but i sanded my new lodge. they are sand castes these days and it don''t leave a smooth finish.
man you did an amazing job I literally was impressed like 4mins into the video
Wow that thing looks gorgeous!!
Nice job on smoothing it out.
I have done over a dozen like that.
The old Lodge, wagner, etc. Cast iron pans were machined smooth from the factory.
Honestly, they really don't need to be smoothed to a mirror shine, just knocking off most of the roughness with 60 grit will suffice. But, smoothing them out like you did will not ruin the pan.
Seasoning it may be a bit harder, but it will take.
And the more you use it the better it gets.
👍
I have been learning how to make homemade bread lately! Been a great adventure. Also, what an awesome mug!
Very nice job, really like mine, done the same thing. Great pan now.
Dude! Turned out awesome! Nice! You’d think they could come up with a robot, that could give us that polished finish, cheap! Was a huge fan of cast iron but, then transitioned to carbon steel for several reasons but, ultra smooth cast iron is still tough to beat for many applications!
Looks good. I did mine the same way. I did season mine in the oven at 350 for an hour
I have several lodge pre-seasoned pans and like them very much. Never saw any reason to put that much work into a pan. Mine work great and are non stick and easy to clean. I do a quick re=season each use and they work fine for me.
Nice! I hate the textured surface of the stock cast iron pans and was almost considering this. A lot of work but I think it's worth it! Bonus ---> It get lighter. Those things can almost break your wrist one handed with some food.
Sir you did nothing wrong, I love the way you polishing that surface.. I give you a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ......
I did my lodge by hand. it took me awhile. a lot of potatoes and bacon has left a nice smooth finish, my favorite oil to curse is Crisco
Once it’s done, it’s done. I dread getting new pans because I know what I’m going to be doing. But I love the finish I get.
Happy to find who think like me trying to get mirror shinning lodge pan.
Looks like you improved that lodge pan for sure. Not sure it needs to be mirror, but is definitely useable now.
it is useable right out of walmart....
I bought a really cheap cast iron frying pan in a junk shop, I had to take a milling machine to it to take the lumps off the inside, finished off with a flap wheel in an electric drill. Still using almost every day 35 years on.
In past decades the Wagner company and Griswold always polished the cooking surface of their cast iron to a smooth finish. The old ones are definitely better. Nice to know they're at least is a way to make the new ones usable.
Great job, super smooth, you took your time. I have done similar and I have no regrets. This will be passed down for many generations. Good job.
What was the point of all this work and money for a pan you didn't show how the performance makes a difference.
Yup strip and sand the inside smooth.....then rebuild the coating with high flashpoint oil for a tough finish
Not bad at all! Thanks.. quality work takes time.
So now I'm curious, if you sand it smooth like you did, then soak it with vinegar/water to clear the pores, burn it with campfire/cleaning cycle, then clean dry season. Nice work thanks
Seasoning would not stick well when I sanded the surface like this. After sanding I put it in the oven on a clean cycle which gave the surface something that season would stick to. The pan works awesome now.
I would've Loved to see that pan scrubbed clean in piping hot soapy water then seasoned about 10x with Flax Seed Oil...After that, it would've been like cooking on Teflon coated iron...Well done!
Thing for me is the grating of the spatula. For most folks it's fine. I would buy this pan over a seasoned from the factory pan.
Flax seed flakes. Avacodo oil is way better
Really amazing. Thanks a lot 🙏
I think it's mostly unnecessary but it looks great. From other videos that don't polish their iron pans. I believe the seasoning process fills in rough spots and gives a nice glossy look.
I, too, found out the hard way that you cant sand cast iron and get the beauty and functionality of the older cast iron. I believe this is because old cast iron was not sanded...the pieces were milled with a machine lathe in a circular pattern which left radial grooves that were still deep enough to hold seasoning well, but gave a very smooth feel to the pieces. Unfortunately I just dont think sanding can accomplish this the same way. If youre struggling with seasoning those pans, you can definitely rough them up on the surface with a diluted vinegar water mixture to help create the surface roughness and improve the seasoning hold on the pan
You aren't trying to get it completely smooth when you start, your trying to knock off that super lumpy ridiculous "seasoning" that lodge puts on there, and eventually build up your own glass smooth seasoning, I have lots of iron, and the ones I use most took roughly a year of nearly daily use to get right, but make no mistake, it's still great iron
You did much better than needed. But it is undisputedly the best Lodge pan on earth now.
LOL
it looks nice. so now the curing process
great job!
Nice upload! My lodge right from the store is just so gritty that I can't seem to get super non-stick cooking. I am going to try and do a light sanding just to take some off the grit off
The trick seems to be an endless amount of high temp thin coats of seasoning, but knocking this down to 40 grit or so will help a lot in my opinion. The bottom line, you won't hurt it and if you like the look go for it they are not expensive!
@@jimknowlton342 yeah from what I understand it needs some roughness for the seasoning to stick well. But it's just so rough now that I think making it a little bit smoother will lower the amount of seasonings I'll need for a non stick feel ya know? Cause right now my spatula gets stuck if I drag it across..
@@SalsaBro I got my Lodge a few years ago and spent a full day (4-5 times) putting a thin coat of flaxseed oil on, then baking it for an hour at 500.
It wasn't "perfect," but about 10 cooks later it was. I've probably cooked 300 times on it now, and it's seasoning is amazing.
I think with any cast iron, even the more expensive ones, you just have to use it. I also have a Borough Furnace and it took awhile for it to perform at the level of my Lodge, because there's just no replacement for "game day experience."
I love that steel-grey color! Mirror, mirror, on the wall - who's the fairest of them all?
I bought a 12" Lodge skillet. I started with 40 grit and then did 80. It's nowhere near where you're at. I plan to use it on my EcoZoom rocket stove. Still working on seasoning it.
I think you've gone far enough, it didn't seem to help going past 80 in my opinion. Thanks for watching.
I think it was perfect after the 60... Still interesting video... Would you recommend that sander or another one? I am buying it largely for this...
You are right to stop at 60!
We got this sander for drywall work, it will work for this obviously as well. Probably better pads than we got would be a good move. I burned through the cheap pads quick, the sander never gave me any issues.
I thought I had patience but this was truly impressive.
I had read somewhere else of a person sanding a pan down like this. They had trouble with seasoning too as it flaked off easily. Another person said the smooth surface was great but that the seasoning needed something to anchor to. Apparently, after smoothing down, a rough grit was run over it to give it some small crevices. These crevices would not roughen the seasoning as they would fill in.
Could anyone comment on this? I'm in the process of smoothing mine. I didn't realize it would take this many discs. Progress has been slow so I'll start changing them out more. I had intended to go to a 600 grit, then rough up with a 60 or 80.
It took that many discs because I bought super cheap discs.
I think you're right about wanting to scuff it once it's smooth. It doesn't really hold seasoning that well but I don't season them expertly.
I love what was done here for the look of it and the labor out in.
In reality you can do this very fast with a few flapper disks and a grinder. 40, 60, 80 or just 60 or just 80. Anything that will take the high sides off is what matters. Leaving a semi rough surface is fine as long as the high sides are gone. It will take seasoning well that way and not stick do to only having divvets and not bumps. The low sides will eventually get filled by polymerization after many seasonings.
The best way to season a smooth cast iron pan. Buy a couple avocados and big bag of corn tortillas. Cut the tortillas into triangles, put about an inch of oil in the pan then get the heat on it. Cook all the tortillas into corn chips, mash the avocados and enjoy with the chips while the pan cools. Dump the oil and the pan will be great. Nice and slick.
To season that cast iron skillet is heat 250⁰F oil let smoke it. Second oil it very thin coat go for 450⁰F let it cool,then third is oil it thin the oil coat 500⁰F make it 3 more times cooling down it will do the trick. Awesome 👌 👏 👍
What oil are you using that smokes at 250⁰?
@@jaredroberts578 I believe flaxseed around 225⁰F
@@stevemoy9834 Low smoke point flax is,...just wondering why to do it initially and then ramp up temp beyond that, to 500 or so.
I would think a higher smoke point oil would be better,...don't mind me.
Thanks for the response, peace and blessings.
The oil plaster it bake on like lodge in the factory "non stick"
Wow, looks great! But it looks like you took a slower route with a sander. I think the job could be reduced in time with angle-grinder and flap discs. The rpms of the grinder cuts faster. Cost probably the same in materials. One would finish up with the sander.
Brother Im very impressed , I'm trying to do a Lodge pan also. What and how how many disks did you use in order? Thanks for the vid btw..people forget how valuable cast iron is.
I started with 40 grit and went to around 300 or something. I think I used quite a few of the 40 grit, around 8 or 9 to get it level and smooth. Then I started to polish it with the higher grits.
Have you had any issues with seasoning coming off? I sanded my lodge and have had issues with the seasoning sticking.
Yes. I went too smooth on these. If I do another one it will be 40 grit just to remove the factory seasoning. Cosmetic change only.
@@jimknowlton342 I just learned this lesson last week. Low grit to smooth it off, then let the oils and seasoning do the work for you. Beats blowing black iron out of your nose for days after too.
I only remove the sharp high spots with 40 grit and leave the pits. Then I continue with 60, 80 and sometimes 120 grit for a finer scratch pattern. The resulting surface is still slightly uneven and completely covered by the small scratches. It holds a seasoning pretty well and is much easier to clean than a rough surface. No more tearing apart the towels and sticky stuff releases much easier. You don't want a mirror finish as the seasoning will come off easily.
Beautiful
Excente, que número de lija usó
try a Makita type hand grinder with different grades of grit... use a light touch , but you will get it super smooth, finish up with fine sanding disks and wire wheel for the bottom curve.
Thanks for the advice!
the finfish is superb. You dont want to go to mirror finish because the seasoning is susceptible to flaking. I done this same way to my skillet i stop with 400 grid. Also by the look of it you buy sandpaper for wood, those get dull really fast. If you use sandpaper for iron you will need like 2-80 grid, 2-100, 1-200/320/400 but they are bit more expensive. I am also glad you sand it and not buff with abrasive discs like in other videos. If you want a smooth pan and already going to grind to bare metal make it properly. Also by sanding you dont copy the surface imperfections but create flat surface. Last tip be patient with the seasoning if you are a new user. I build up mine in 2 years, now it perform like teflon pan after half year of use. I can make crepes/waffles/pancakes with ease. So if you can make eggs your in the right path but if you can make crepes, the seasoning its finish, now its just maintenance
The smoothness has nothing to do with seasoning flaking.
@@StuninRub well yes and no. You just have to applied very thin coat of oil. But after first coat its no difference. Also i am using fats instead of oil. The seasoning is "softer" but build up quicker and its not sticky at all because fat dont dried out like oil. So i can use paper town without it leaving lint stuck in to it. That also mean if it goes rancid you can clean it with ease and it wont flow like a asphalt. I almost have feeling like cast iron is not suppose to be used with oil.
@@scasny Lard that has been seasoned correctly cannot go "rancid". This is less of an issue regarding seasoning or surface type and more so you don't understand how to season.
@@StuninRub do you even own/use a cast iron because you sound like not.
@@scasny The only one who doesn't know how to use cast iron here is you
Are you supposed to use some kind of polishing compound to get it to a mirror finish?
I've seen people do that. I didn't do it and I'm not sure if it was good or bad that I went as far as I did or not. I like the look but it's not any more functional at the point I left it at.
I don’t understand why people say seasoning won’t stick to sanded cast iron, isn’t carbon steel pans also smooth? Are they holding their seasoning?
Pretty cool! Anyone else can just start watching at 11:56 cuz that covers it all.
So much yacking in this video!!
did it pass scramble egg test after that?
Still needs to be seasoned. Question. Does the oil stick and bond on such a polished surface. That's what makes it stick free. Does the oil adhere for the long term?
If you can get it hot enough and build up enough thin layers, yes it sticks.
It doesn't need to be that smooth. I've found its fine after 1 pass each with a 40 and and 80. Then over the next few uses it settles and works great. In fact I have a taiwanese pan that has the grooves from machining it that may actually be rougher than the casting of the new lodge that works very very well, and you can catch a finger nail in them grooves. They're huge.
I agree with you!
Agreed.
It'll work fine out of the box. If you know how to use cast iron, or carbon steel, food won't stick regardless of surface texture.
@@phill3583 I'm no where near that good of a cook, but I am yet to screw up something cooking in cast iron. I think because I have electric flat top which turns on and off you end up with hot and cold in other thin pans, and you end with hot spots and cold spots because they warp with heat. Cast Iron is immune to both. Smooth etc is secondary.
It’s really beautiful but I doubt it works. I always just knock the high bumps off the cooking surface, leave the void spaces, it’s much smoother but I have no trouble with seasoning, and they act like well-worn old cast iron, non-stick.
Looks great, but I can't see putting in that kind of time, effort and materials into a $20 skillet. Once again it looks great! 👍
Doing this to a $20 skillet makes it a $120 skillet. It's the labor that makes pans expensive.
I used a flap drum in a drill to do the sides.
Does the seasoning stick to this a well as with a grainy one?
Absolutely not, it is extremely difficult to keep it. I'd say just hit it with 40 then 60 grit and call it a day.
Does it make any sense to have a cast iron pan super smooth and use it as a traditional pan with cooking oil spray each time? I like that my cast iron pan can be moved to an oven or grill without a plastic handle melting. I'm new to cast iron but I love it, mostly because it is bad ass to pull out a heavy ass pan!
It's not really better than a modern nonstick and spray, but I prefer it over them. If you decide to try this, I recommend you use a new Lodge or Walmart Trailwhatever brand, do not mess with a nice older one.
I did one like this years ago. Spent about 8 hours sanding it. It looked like a mirror. I also burned out a sander. After seasoning it, I was disappointed in it’s performance with food sticking to it. I’m thinking I’m going to get it lightly sandblasted and re-season it. Unfortunately I can’t add a pic of it sanded.
I like my lodge cast iron sanded down as well, but not that smooth since I find that the seasoning don't stick to well with a mirror smooth iron.
I agree with that 100%
I did the same and I cannot get it to season.
I don’t know if you should or shouldn’t sand an iron skillet until smooth, but it seems like the right thing to do. someone made a comment that the skillet was milled with a precision tool, but I found that NOT to be true. I watched a Lodge skillet manufacturing video on UA-cam that walked through the plant operation. The fact is, the iron and steel is melted down and formed into a skillet by pouring the melted metal into molds and then it is coated with soy bean oil and heated to a high degree in an oven. That is all. If you watch the video it will not be surprising to you why it is has such a rough texture. Again, I don’t know if you should or shouldn’t sand the skillet, but it seems like making it smooth is better. Then all you have to do is re-season it.
It looks nice. But my rough Lodge takes the seasoning much and much easier than my very smooth DeBuyer carbon steel skillet. The latter was a bit of a struggle. I think I will keep my Lodge as is, because it looks like the dimple structure helps with the non-stick. I have a stainless steel thick bottomed skillet with a surface with little dimples. And this is more non-stick frying eggs and fish than a top of the line fully clad smooth finish skillets.
I think that is the right move. This very smooth surface is difficult to season. I need to scuff it with 40 grit. Thanks for your feedback!
Cowboy Kent Rawlins has a video where he does this only just knocks the peaks down. I've done this to the extreme, like this, and don't like the seasoning result. IMHO the seasoning needs some texture to adhere to. I've tried this after 60 to 80 grit and got great results. A lot less work.
I can't imagine a factory finish on a new lodge being better than an all clad. That sounds absurd to me but if you have success with it all the best to you. Personally I am going to hit all the new ones with the flap disk 40 grit, then 60 and maybe move to 80 but no higher. The idea is to take off the high spots and hope to only have divvets left. Every once in a while I find a new lodge that is semi smooth but most are a sand paper type finish.
@@ZCRAIZED1 I think you misread what I wrote.
It's GREAT! It always confused me if Cast Iron is a piece of metal, why there is silver under black.
Because that's the raw iron dummy
It’s overkill, a well seasoned rough pan will cook as well as a smooth pan. I didn’t believe it either until I actually compared a new Lodge to my antiques.
best way to do that is put it in coals after you burn a wood pill and camp fight burn it off in. take it out of the fire clean it up and reseason it.
You really don't need to work through all the different grit sizes, you move as much material as possible with a low grit and you finish with the grit you want to have the finished look with.
I’m curious to how thick the bottom is now after all that sanding…looks great though
I did not remove very much thickness, maybe a few thousandths.
Thanks for your sharing and I from Hongkong
Thank you for watching
If they would shoot the cast iron cookware with steel beads after casting they woulbe like tgis from factory. Or give them a polish in the vibratory machine like they do with car rims for polishing but I guess that is asking too much from producers.
put the pan on a turntable and mount the sander on an arm with weights. Go for a walk. Start with 24 grit. add water and a drop of soap.
Looks AWESOME…only question…after 6 months….how has it taken seasoning, being that polished? Would you have done it any different in hindsight?
It takes on a very attractive finish. The seasoning does not stick well to it. I think you can either do it or not, it makes little difference in performance other than appearance.
@@jimknowlton342
I did the same thing but I bought 2 Lodges. 1 I sanded down and the other I left alone with the rougher surface.
Seasoned both the same way with grapeseed oil and the rough one is better IMO.
The sanded one looks better but much like my Stargazer pan, it's been a chore taking seasoning.
@@MrBullet888 I agree with that. If you decide to strip it I would say maybe just do the 60 grit or maybe up to 150 tops if you like the look, but for function it is not in any way better or worth the effort.
@@jimknowlton342 I sanded my 12 inch down completely. I think it’s made a major difference now that it’s excepted the seasoning. One thing which was a huge game changer for me when it came to seasoning is using seasoning oil‘s from companies like field. You seriously have to try those proprietary blends that have a tiny bit of beeswax in them you only need the smallest tiniest amount and now my pans are waterproof, everything just beads off of them
They are made well for modifying because they are plenty thick. People like to over-smooth the finish but its nice to have a little texture for adhesion of the seasoning. Vinegar after sanding has achieved some nice results in other videos. Cooking is about experiments so keep it going everyone that is willing! These experiments make people that don't own tools cringe and spew contrarian b.s.. For a 'not a metals guy', that pan looks superb. I'm thinking mild sandblast after fine sanding would deliver that $200 pan effect. Some one out there, do a video on that please.
I used flapper disc to get it smooth then sanded
got a little carried away. how does it work?
It was only a test lol. So the only reason to do it is to get the old school look, but practically you can achieve it from scrubbing off their factory seasoning with some 40 grit and calling it good. This one was too smooth, I rehit it with some 60 grit so the seasoning would stick.
Appreciate you guys ruining these skillets with overkill sanding/power tools. Down the road, my normal factory-finish Lodge collection with be worth much more to collectors! Thanks!
They make 1000 more every day
@@jimknowlton342 Not the Wildlife Series. Changes all the time.
Ok, so it's been a year since refinishing this skillet... What's it look and performing like now?
We scuffed it with 40 grit, seasoned it and use it all the time.
@@jimknowlton342 wait, so it was TOO SMOOTH?!
@@kentuckyrattler2641 for our skill at seasoning, yes.
sanding it until seethrough .. lol I love it... it's a cheap pan why not make an experiment out of it.
Great job but I have done metal work before and why I bought a stargazer
How long did that take you
I think the most of the time was using the 40/60 grit to get the high spots ground down. Probably 2/3 of the time was that. Maybe 2 hours. The final hour was all the sillyness of polishing it up.
nice
Bet my well used pans are just as slick without any grinding but with a bomb proof season.
ok
Either way I enjoyed the video and there was a point that I was about to do this until I purchased a high end polished pan... My "cheap" lodges are what I use.
Wouldn’t it be less expensive to buy a new one ? Not to mention the amount of time spent on this ?
Possibly yes but this was a brand new one before I started in on it.
Wow, not needed to be insanely smooth, but okay. Pretty cool though.
I agree
How are eggs in that shiny pan of yours?
Eggs work great in it, however the pan is too smooth for seasoning to stick to it very well. I have not scuffed it back to 40 grit yet, but I don't think I'll go this smooth again, just because of the difficulty in seasoning it.
I have one question "what is the point"?
Food sticks
harder. After sanding up to 120 grid my pan does not stick anymore and finally cleaning is easy
See what happens if you go all the way up to wet sanding it
i did a similar thing to my old 10" skillet which was well seasoned and had 20 years or so of use and good maintenance. after refinishing and 4 bakes to season again from scratch, and the performance was not any better than before. it was worse, but maybe it's because my old seasoning was so good.
it get better after a year or two. Smooth skillet is not better then raw cast after seasoning (the difference is only in very specific uses). Its more about utensils, smooth pan is way more gentle to them so less metal or wood shavings in food. Also the cleaning is easier that the food can be scrape off and the pan dont act like sandpaper.
One thing i add is old way of making skillets was bit more time and material consuming but create way more smoother surface that dont need sanding at all. But due to reusing the same sand to save money the cast is much rougher. In old method 60-90% of the sand was use just one time.
Of course it would get worse. You took off 20 years of seasoning. The best time to sand it down is when you first purchase a lodge cast iron. Then build up the season from there
To each his own, but I would never spend the time and effort to do this. I have several Lodge pieces and they work just fine as they come from the foundry. I know that some people are fixated on that super smooth surface, but why not buy a Field or a Finex or one of the other premium brands, and not go through all of that? As I said, to each his own.
This was a test, thank you for watching and for your input. I agree with you we have not touched our other ones, some we have just hit with 40 grit and those are nice too. This is purely a patina thing, and it does make it harder for the seasoning to stick.
Could it be possible You may have an older Lodge? Been cooking for 45 years. I have two Lodge skillets. They no longer polish the inside of the skillets like they did years ago.
The older Lodge, has a smoother bottom, the other one is only a couple years old- a gift from Cracker Barrel - it has a bottom like very stiff rough sandpaper . Been using them both Both for a while now and are well seasoned. I will always grab the older one to Cook in. If I need to use the newer one I have to put so much oil or butter in order for the food to not stick, where as the older pan barely needs any oil.
@@anitamarshall7528 I purchased all of mine new.
Well if your are doing that for looks well done. But one 80 grit disc and smoothing the bottom a little to remove some of the factory seasoning is all that is needed. I do cast iron restorations for a living. The only reason to sand one down to the point you are doing is for looks. It WILL NOT COOK BETTER, IT WILL NOT BE ANTI STICK BETTER. Bad thing about that slick surface is the seasoning won't stick. What seasoning is there will cook into your food. You should ruff the surface up a little with 80 grit and start the seasoning cycles. But like I said for a wall hanger its good. For a cooking skillet it a lost cause.
Then why are all the higher end and vintage cast iron Milled super smooth finished before seasoning.
The need for a carefully scuffed surface is called "tooth" which micro scratches provide a mechanical bond with a finishing treatment. This principle is the same for all slick/shiny surfaces. Shiny is pretty but dysfunctional.
Actually, you just want to take the factory seasoning down a bit to remove the high points. The seasoning is what makes it smooth, not polishing the iron to a mirror finnish. The seasoning will not stick well on that smooth surface well.
Well, old pans are really smooth, just because they were milled or sanded down.
Actually it will. The old cast was smooth.
What the hell are you looking for,do you want to cook with this thing or make a mirror finish?
Thanks for watching
looks awesome to.me
Thanks!
I want to buy 🥺
My friend is a huge fan of Lodge iron cookware. He did that too and got it to a fine smooth surface.
Don't do it. It is a mistake. He ended up sand blasting it to get it back to its original surface condition. The rough surface holds the seasoning and is what keeps it non stick.
it depends if he go past 400 grid the seasoning will have harder time to adhere. I done same sanding to my skillet, it was a bit more work and i hear somewhere its good to let the bare metal sit for a week to make the oxidize a bit. If it does something dont know i start seasoning raw pan right after sanding.
Seasoning smooth skillet is harder for 2 reasons. First there is less for the oil to grab when starting new seasoning. Second you are prone to putt way too much oil in first run. I learn that the hard way and have to scrape the thick burned oil. Rough surface you can oil and wipe and there is still plenty left. On smooth surface you can wipe almost all oil. So with rough surface its possible to do 1-2 thicker layers and be done. With smooth you need like 4-8 thin layers and really bake them good or they will flake. After 2 years i can make crepes with more ease then in teflon pan.
A vinegar and water solution will etch the iron enough to hold seasoning oil too.
@@lizburgess4398 i know vinegar eat up rust and iron i just always forget. Maybe because i never use it in real life, but excellent tip.
Why but ok. All I did was use oil and then cooked in it. Super slick but whate works for u
So what are you going to use your $1,000.00 pan for.
I let it get rusty in the bottom drawer :P Nah, I make over easy eggs and bacon on it :)
I learned the hard way that if the surface is too smooth the seasoning will not stick. I also learned the hard way that I needed a respirator.
a typical day for a cast iron skillet owner🤷♂️
Unfortunately even tho the pan turned out great and looks awesome it won't hold a seasoning because you made it too smooth
Too bad Lodge doesn't sell them raw like that, it looks so much better. Great job!
I am sure they are never that smooth at any point in the process at Lodge. Which is why there are high-end cast iron pans selling for 6x the price of Lodge. If you want mirror smooth when you get it, you have to pay for that. Or take a sander and a few hours of significant work.
Also the rough surface help it keep its seasoning, its going to be extra hard to season it now with how smooth it is, nothing go grip on too.
@@elisiahcampbell4572 This is not true and a myth perpetuated by Lodge to justify their shit seasoning.
@@StuninRub then try seasoning two pans at the same time one rough and one smooth. The smooth pans always season streaky and requires more effort to get an even coating.
@@elisiahcampbell4572 Nope, not if you know how to season correctly.
Once you discover that the pan will now not hold the seasoning and you are about to discard it, boil some white vinegar in it to etch the smooth surface and wash and reseason. Voila a black and seasoned great pan to be used for the next 5 generations. Or more!
No. It's over two years since I made that video and the pan is fine. Thanks.
In a comment section full of experts, I'll chime in as well.
"Mileage may vary" .... it's the same old tune. One doesn't have to possess a doctorate in metallurgy to attain acceptable results in surface-conditioning a cast iron skillet, besides, what works for you may not for the next ten guys in line. There are literally dozens of variable factors which affect the anecdotal outcome of every pan out there, but it's seems at least logical to look to the more expensive pans available and model your project after what they're selling. Stargazer, Smithey, Field, all for example, machine and finish the cooking surfaces of their products, Lodge doesn't. Get what you pay for ... OR you can buy cheap and put in your own work for the same end result PLUS the sense of accomplishment in knowing you have a one-of-a-kind cooking piece worthy of becoming an heirloom with a story. Jim, you've done a fine job. Ignore the criticism.
And for anyone out there cooking in cast iron with metal utensils, washing them with anything more than a fresh oil wipe-down, and NOT sliding your skillet into the oven every time it's hot for a "free" seasoning treatment; may every biscuit you bake taste as rancid as your soul.
Lol that’s a $100+ pan now with all that work
maybe! lol It looks great, but it doesn't work tons better, at least the way we use it. Thanks for watching.
Not sure what your total cost was in resurfacing the pan, but it may have been more practical to have purchased a better grade cast iron pan to begin with: "Field", etc. No harm done in seeing what you could accomplish, though.
I was going to post the same thing. It'd be neat to compare a well seasoned, diy sanded Lodge VS another pan in the same price range all things considered:
Sanding pads: 0.67x30 = $20.10
Pan cost: ~$20
Labor: $20/HRx3.5 = $70 (this could be quite a bit more, depending on how you value your time)
$110.10
That takes you into a whole new level of quality. This also assumes you aren't buying an orbital sander just for this project. If you're just looking to dick around in the shop and see how far you can take a cheap pan, more power to ya, but.... I don't know, man.
I'm also interested to see if there would be any difference if you were to do the easy off oven cleaner to strip the factory seasoning before the first stage of sanding. Seems to me like the first couple rounds of paper might live a little longer? But then, that's $5 or 1/4 of the paper fund, might save in labor though.
You did a great job but using it will season it as you go.
need more cowbell.
I will put it on the list!