Seasoning Headache

S

SteveB

Member
Hello all, new here. I’m just getting into cast iron and am having issues with a new lodge . I had it cooking well with the factory seasoning and a few oven seasoning layers using crisco .

That was until it got put in the dishwasher and left for a few days. I decided to just strip it down and re season it. I used a mouse sander and a wire wheel on an angle grinder to do this, the pan is smooth as can be now.

So far I’ve tried everything from lard to flaxseed oil.. lard/crisco oils will just wipe off after the first time cooking in it, flax/Alvacado oil just flakes off. I’ve done stove top and bake on methods and many different temperatures.. I’ve been messing with this pan for some time now!

This is how it looks, latest attempt was with Crisbee puck..



Is it coming along? Do I just need to cook in it and be more patient?

Just to prove to myself that I’m not a total idiot and can manage to season a pan I’ve been on the lookout for some vintage iron.


Two days ago I was in an antique store and found an unmarked Wagner and an unmarked 3 notch lodge , both pre 1960 I’m guessing due to no USA markings . After researching to identify them I paid $15 each. (They wanted a crazy amount on any marked Wagner/Griswold pans )

After I got them home I used the the self cleaning mode on the oven to clean them off, then hit them lightly with a wire wheel. Then I did two seasoning cycles with Crisbee puck as per their directions.. they turned out perfectly. If anything sticks it comes right off, and the seasoning stays put.. they’re beautiful pans!



So where in the heck am I screwing up with the modern lodge? I redid it again right along side of the vintage pans, it came out looking exactly the same, but the seasoning wiped off after the first cook again.

Thanks for any tips, look forward to reading and learning here!
 
There are tons of Youtube videos that are basically "look what you can do to make a modern Lodge smooth as a vintage pan using power tools". Unfortunately, there is sometimes such a thing as too smooth, and I think that's what you may be experiencing. I would just cook with it, put up with some sticking for a while, and let the season build up over time on its own.

Oh, and "vintage pans" and "wire wheel" are two things that should never be used in the same sentence. Unless you don't care about preserving their value.
 
Makes sense. I figured it had something to do with me getting carried away with power tools. Too smooth to soak up oil I guess.

I’ll lay off the wire wheels.
 
Well, it's not really porous, but even a fresh factory polish left a spiral of very fine shallow grooves that gave the polymerizing oil something to grab onto.
 
I would cook bacon in it a few times, saving the grease to reseason.....anything greasy will work.....good things come to those that wait.
 
In my experience, most times a pan wont take a season, it's because the user is trying for too much thickness per layer.

After you apply oil, are you wiping it off vigorously with a paper towel before heating the pan up? If you put on any more than a few microns at a time, it will flake.
 
RonC said:
In my experience, most times a pan wont take a season, it's because the user is trying for too much thickness per layer.

After you apply oil, are you wiping it off vigorously with a paper towel before heating the pan up? If you put on any more than a few microns at a time, it will flake.
Click to expand...
Or turn gummy.
 
This also sounds like you broke the "cardinal Rules" of CI ownership. Never use a dishwasher. No power tool. Thats as far as I see it.
 
Yes I wipe it all off. My other skillets look great, it’s just this one. It wasn’t me that put it in the dishwasher !

As far as a wire wheel.. if you guys say so 👍
 
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