Is there a limit to how many times a piece can undergo electrolysis?

[Mike_C]

Long story short, I screwed up a reseason effort of 3 skillets, tried using the gas grill instead of the oven in August, grill evidently got too hot, I got distracted, and ended up with black patches on each skillet that look like cooked on carbon. These patches are both on the cooking surfaces and the outside and bottom.

These skillets went through an initial stripping including electrolysis a few years ago when I got them. Now, after this debacle, I tried another round of electrolysis after a week in a lye bath. The black patches are still there, but the one on the bottom now seems a bit tacky, where it didn't before. The black patches on the cooking surface just look like darker metal, smooth like the rest of the surface. I don't care what the pieces looks like, just that they cook well and can get the seasoning to the nonstick stage.

My concern is putting these skillets through electrolysis for a third time. Will this affect the material strength? Is that the correct course of action?

Thanks for any constructive advice!

 

[Doug D.]

Electro won't affect/damage good iron. It will convert red rust to a soft, removable, black form of iron oxide, and it will make carbon and other build-up release from the iron. The latter sometimes better than others. I would see what a stainless steel Chore Boy scrubber will do to the spots. It will not hurt the iron or its original surface texture, either.

 

[Mike_C]

Electro won't affect/damage good iron. It will convert red rust to a soft, removable, black form of iron oxide, and it will make carbon and other build-up release from the iron. The latter sometimes better than others. I would see what a stainless steel Chore Boy scrubber will do to the spots. It will not hurt the iron or its original surface texture, either.

My main concern is for the Wapak 9" I have. I'm guessing that qualifies as "good iron?" There's also a 7" and 3" of unknown origin and vintage I'm working on, but I won't get too broken up if those go south. They both have rougher surfaces then the Wapak, so I'm guessing they were bought in the 50s or 60s. In fact the 7" had extensive pitting on the cooking surface when I got it, so no worries there. I was hoping new seasoning would take care of that.

Dumb question - does it have to be specifically the Chore Boy brand, or just one of the round SS scrubbers? I have 3 of those right now.

And thanks for the answer!

 

[Doug D.]

"Good iron" = iron that's intact, not rust.

The Chore Boy brand is commonly available, but the main thing is stainless steel, not brass or copper, which will transfer color to the iron.

 

[Mike_C]

So I've put my 3 skillets in a lye bath after a session in a electrolysis tank. I *might* have forgetten about them and left them in there for about 3 weeks!

Today I remembered to take them out.

My main concern is what appears to be old seasoning still on the skillets, especially on the bottom where it's contacted by the flame on my gas stove. It's not the cooking surface, so should I let it slide...? Also, on the inside of the pan, you can see a ring of black around the sides. Again, does this need to be removed, or can I season over it?

The rust - is this the flash rusting I've read about? This is the first time I've seen this on my iron. I know I wasn't diligent about rinsing and drying after the electrolysis session. Will this disappear when I season, or does this require another electrolysis session, or a vinegar soak followed by scrubbing?

Thanks in advance for your advice and help!