Cast Iron Nightmare??

Oldtymeflyr wrote:
Media blasting will do little more than clean the surface of the pan. I would not waste the media to do it.

WD40 has a flash point, I am sure that a charcoal fire or the oven will easily exceed the flash point of WD40--that will burn away the oil. Time is on your side. The oil if any in the pores will work its way out of the pan to the surface and there may be some ash. Wash the ash away and do the heating/cleaning process again.

Fire is a wonderful cleaner.

If its a particularly rusty piece I will have at it with a wire brush or scotch brite pad on a die grinder. It can look very stark.

I like old cast iron and have a number of pieces, when I get an old piece of cast iron I use the above process and when done cleaning, they are clean and ready for seasoning.

Good to see another Cast Iron Chef on the forum.

Media blasting will do little more than clean the surface of the pan. I would not waste the media to do it.

WD40 has a flash point, I am sure that a charcoal fire or the oven will easily exceed the flash point of WD40--that will burn away the oil. Time is on your side. The oil if any in the pores will work its way out of the pan to the surface and there may be some ash. Wash the ash away and do the heating/cleaning process again.

Fire is a wonderful cleaner.

If its a particularly rusty piece I will have at it with a wire brush or scotch brite pad on a die grinder. It can look very stark.

I like old cast iron and have a number of pieces, when I get an old piece of cast iron I use the above process and when done cleaning, they are clean and ready for seasoning.

Thanks for the great info folks.

You may have a pan of some value media blasting and putting in a fire will ruin all collector value of the piece please research here before doing any thing these people are great http://www.griswoldandwagner.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl

Time can make a big difference when revising a rusty piece. I've had success with smearing lard on the piece and then letting it rest for a month or so. This seems to get rust well oiled and gives you a softer foe.

OK... I'll plead stupidity on the "fish oil" thing. However, copied right from the MSDS:

11 – Toxicological Information
The oral toxicity of this product is estimated to be greater than 5,000 mg/kg based on an assessment of the ingredients. This product is not classified as toxic by established criteria. It is an aspiration hazard.
None of the components of this product is listed as a carcinogen or suspected carcinogen or is considered a reproductive hazard.

I know the OP already responded that he'll give it a try. But I just wanted to second third or maybe fourth putting it in a self cleaning oven.

Just wash it with lots of soapy water and place it upside down in the oven and let it self clean for three hours. In the end you'll have a clean oven and a clean pot. The oils in the WD-40 are not going to survive the 900 degree oven temps.

Scott W wrote:

paulcardoza wrote:
WD40 is fish oil. Hardly toxic and proper stripping & reseasoning will eliminate all traces of it.

fla-gypsy wrote:
Cast iron is porous. I would be afraid to use it due to residue even after high temp cleaning.

100% correct.

False. WD-40 is not fish oil. Look at the MSDS.

Yes!!! Send it to me and I can restore it BUT you won't get it back. :B

If you are unable to completely remove the lubricant, do NOT use the pan for cooking. Dispose of it and purchase a new one.

Sounds like the best option. :S

We are not talking about spending mega $'s for a replacement cast iron pan.

Example