Stubborn Crud

Wally that looks like carbon residue, though very minor. Additional time in the lye won't touch it. I use a variety of non abrasive tools to scrape it away. Old credit cards, plastic utensils, and bamboo skewers.

A few rounds of seasoning and you won't really notice it.
 
or just plain old steel wool (start with #1 or #0 and work your way down to about #000)

sometimes the 'crud' is so carbonized there isn't anything left for the lye to react with... scraping is your only option... just use something to scrape with that doesn't gouge or scratch the iron.

electrolysis might move it... and won't damage anything.

sometimes I get down to what seems to be a smooth surface and still have some 'discoloration'... (after all of the above) and I'll spray it with some easy off and scrub it with a small wire brush and let it sit a while and it usually goes away... so I have a nice consistent even color of iron to start with.
 
I agree with the electrolysis option. I’ve had some luck using it on those last stubborn bits. Another thing you might try ... A week or so ago, I had one that had some stubborn spots on it. It’s been really cold here and I figured my lye bucket wasn’t operating at 100% efficiency. So, I put the pan in the oven for about 20 minutes on 200. Then I put it in our stainless steel sink and sprayed in with EasyOff. I let it sit for about 10 minutes and scrubbed it with a Chore Boy. The stubborn spots came right off!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top