Erie 2nd Series #9 Star Makers Mark Restoration

I'm in NM too but haven't had the luck you have in finding good pans like that! Well done.

Anyway, I'm in the ABQ area and regularly travel to/from Angel Fire. If nearby, I can do electrolysis on them as I just built a tank to do my own CI.

I've done a few pans and they've been turning out pretty good. Sure beats the oven cleaner approach because as you've learned, it takes a long time and a lot of elbow grease.
Cheers.
jc
 
Thanks for the offer, James. I'm in Farmington and visit Abq occasionally so I'll reach out if I decide to do the restore process on these pans again.

---------- Post added at 11:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:15 AM ----------

Update:

I've started over on the #11 but decided to go ahead and post pics and lessons learned.

Lessons learned using the Basic Restoration process
- patience, following recommendations, asking questions, and having a plan paid off
- avoid wrapping pan in a large trash bag (40-50gallon) because lye will be coated on the inside and can be an issue if not careful when reaching in to pull the pan out. The 13gallon size worked better for me.
-not all latex gloves are appropriate for handling easy off. At first I used 7mil painting gloves and could feel the lye sting. I upgraded to 14-17mil gloves and didnt have an issue.
-Scotch Brite SS scrubbing pads are a good option when Chore Boys cannot be found.
-when scrubbing a pan in the sink, place a cloth down or the pan to rest on to avoid sink damage.
-removing crud with an expired credit card didnt work for me but I would try it again.
-while a pan is soaking in a vinegar bath face up, I found it beneficial to place a small piece of plastic under the pan to create distance from the tub so that the vinegar solution can get to it
-silicone oven mitts thankfully didnt melt to the 350 degree pans.
-crisco as a seasoning fat worked great for me. I did only the initial seasoning round.
- unrelated but if taking pics throughout the process, be consistent with shot angles and lighting. Also take notes as they progress
-my attic was a better option than the garage for a lye soak in winter as it was about 30 degrees warmer in the attic.
-scrubbing a dry pan with a dry steelwool pad seemed to work better than wet. The packaging recommends wearing gloves and eye protection but I would also recommend wearing a mask when scrubbing dry. Those steelwool fibers get everywhere.

Erie 1st Series #11 in Progress
https://imgur.com/a/6ftZaZw

Erie 2nd Series #9 Restored
https://imgur.com/a/dOILReN

Erie 3rd Series #12 Restored
https://imgur.com/a/f72vCgD

So, they look restored to me but I'm a newbie. If I need to address any issues that you notice, please let me know. I've started over with the #11 and will post the final restore pics when complete. Thanks to everyone for following along on this journey.
 
from looking at the before pics of the #9 I wouldn't have thought that that line that runs downward from the R in Erie would have been visible after clean up... it must be deeper than it looks. wonder what caused that. that's a nice set of eries... they all seem to be in really good condition (flat, no pitting etc.) and look great cleaned up.
 
I was wondering the same regarding the line on the #9.

The only tool I used to clean it up was a 0000 steel wool pad. I didn’t know at the time that that grade is for polishing. I recently bought grade 3 and 1 so if you think those would remove the line, I’d give it a try.
 
This certainly has been one of the more interesting threads of late for me. What started as a potential disaster has, a result of BMyer's reaching out for advice, turned out to be a very happy ending. Some gorgeous pans and lots of learning along the way.

Maybe the makings of a reality TV show... "CIC Intervention" ?
 
Update:

Erie 1st Series #11 Restored
https://imgur.com/a/RBdLcm4

Heating the pan to 200 then scrubbing with 0000 steel wool thankfully removed the rust. When the pan would cool I'd heat it back up to 200 then continue to scrub till was all rust was removed. Spot scrubbing wet using straight vinegar didnt work for me.

I think the first series is a different animal and I'm curios if it's a different type of cast iron than the later series. Rust was more difficult to manage and the patina after initial seasoning was noticeably darker than the other two.

I plan to try and remove the line on the #9 using various grades of steel wool but not for a good while. I am having too much fun cooking with them. If I get the line removed I will post some pics.

Thanks everyone!
 
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