This is the rustiest skillet I've ever bought

S

SpurgeonH

Active member
I was on the home from Trion, GA and stopped at a fruit stand to buy some apples and peaches. They had a couple of DO's and this rusty Skillet for sale. I probably paid too much. She wanted $20 and only came down to $15. I know, I know, I just bought a skillet yesterday, but the challenge of seeing if I could resurrect this one got the better of me and I bought it. It's a single notch Lodge #8.

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---------- Post added at 04:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:29 PM ----------

Oops. The title should say "rustiest".
 
When I got home, I stuck the pan straight in the e-tank without washing it or anything. I just took it out and washed it with Dawn, a steel brush (didn't use it much) and a #000 steel wool pad.

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Most of the gunk washed right off. It was probably mostly dirt. There was a thicker ring of hard stuff on the sides that looks like Georgia clay. Underneath that ring is some significant pitting. The cooking surface has a little pitting, but so far it doesn't look that bad. Although, it might be worse under the stubborn spots.

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I put it back in the e-tank and will leave it there for a couple of days before I check it again.
 
I think you did pretty well, assuming there are no pits under the remaining gunk, though it's not the "find of the century." To improve that much after (apparently) only a few hours in the e-tank, plus the raised parts of the remaining stuff suggests to me that you shouldn't be dealing with much more pitting.

Enjoy!

Steve
 
Here's the progress so far. I'm disappointed, but I hope several more layers of seasoning might help. I've done two so far. The cooking surface is very scratched, pitted and dull looking. This is definitely the toughest one I've tried to restore. The gunk that was in it was more like Georgia clay than rust.

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Although it could eventually be an acceptable user, instances like this help us to learn when to put a rusty piece back down and keep walking. Eventually, you'll also learn to recognize Asian import skillets just by their handles, and won't even have to bend down to pick them up.
 
You're right, Doug. This was a learning experience. I'm not even sure this was rust. It had an oily feel to it. I think it was a blend of Georgia clay, rust and something else. I'm guessing the blend was very acidic and was eating away at the iron. I'm not sure it can be saved, but I'm going to keep trying.
 
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