Is this a lost cause?

S

SteveC

New member
I picked up this dutch oven with a lot of rust on it. I put it in an electrolysis tank for almost 20 hours. I cleaned it as much as i could but the inside is really rough. It had a raised spot on the inside that has been hard to grind down. When clean it spots of rust keep coming up from it. Is this still ok to cook with or should i just chaulk it up to a learning lesson and move on?
Also, any ideas as to why its like that? What could have happened to it to cause that to happen? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks all !
 

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The DO appears to be unseasoned. If so, is it possible that you are experiencing "flash" rust that will go away after rinsing with cold water and then going through an initial seasoning process?

As mentioned in the Stripping and Cleaning article on this site, I've also used Evapo-Rust® to remove hard-to-get-at areas of rust.

My biggest question revolves around that patchy, crusty area on the inside of the DO. Was it an application of some sort that was an attempt to fill in pitting or is the surface of the metal flaking from severe rust or some other chemical process? It doesn't look normal or else I'm just not used to seeing pieces in this condition. I hope you can find an answer to your concerns.
 
If it was me, Id just try different methods on it. It says USA, so Im assuming its not very old, or worth the time. If you want a user it would be ok. I have a DO right now outside thats full of water, has been all winter. Im just trying to see how much pitting occurs. Its a #8 Griswold, no lid, and it was rusty beyond repair for my skill set. Would make a great DO for camping with an open fire.
 
The inside was like that when i got it. I thought that raised part was gunk. But as i started to clean it i noticed it was part of the inside. Its a big piece of iron. I dont know how it got that way but it wont come off
 
I have a #6 Griswold DO with a similar issue. I tend to think that it's not that those are raised areas but rather the rest of the inside bottom has eroded more and those spots for some reason have eroded less. On mine, the upper part of the inside walls as well as the outside are pristine. I think yours spent some time somewhere sitting in water or on a wet surface (mud?) and with water in it.
 
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