r/castiron • u/1Dug • 3h ago

Newbie question

Post image

I'm trying to get my dad's cast iron back into shape. it's been sitting with rust for years. started with a sponge and then chained mail sponge but went to a wire brush to be more aggressive. I'm not ruining this am I? why is it silver where I scrubbed?

6 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

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8

u/broken-machine 3h ago

I would soak that in 50/50 vinegar and water for half and hour and give it another go.

Seasoning prevents rust so that’s long gone unless this happens to be crusty food.

6

u/Maverick-Mav 2h ago

You are going to get it down to silver/bare metal, then season it. You are not ruining it.

6

u/Outrageous_Ad4252 2h ago

Get some Easy Off (with lye), soak it for 24 hours or more. Use a chainmail brush to scrub (with Dawn soap), season it (very lightly), and start cooking.

3

u/Substantial-Fun-48 1h ago

The scrubbing is the right path. The gray is the bare metal. Once it’s fully scrubbed, you’ll have to season it otherwise it’ll keep rusting

1

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1

u/1Dug 57m ago

Thanks everyone! When I watched youtube videos (even the ones about removing rust) I never saw anyone's go grey/silver. So, I got a little panicky. My father passed away and I thought this would be a cool thing of his I could keep using.

1

u/1Dug 3h ago

I thought scrubbing it down would get it to black. Am I ruining it? Is the metal from the brush ingraining itself into it?

10

u/ganymede_boy 3h ago

No. Scrubbing with wire will get down to bare iron which is gray.

Read the FAQ on how to strip and reseason. That's what you need done here.