How do I clean a very large old cast iron kettle?

Question

The kettle is a 10 to 15 gallon and has 3 legs.

Answer 1

A good soak in Coka Cola will do it...

1. In many states (in the USA ) the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the truck to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.


2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days.

3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in
Coke removes stains from porcelain and china.

4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a
rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.

5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.

6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.

7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for sumptuous brown gravy.

8. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains.

9. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.


For Your Info:

1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its pH is 2.8. It
will dissolve a nail in about 4 days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis.

2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial truck must use the Hazardous material place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.

3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years!
Now the question is...

I also heard that Coke is good to remove oil stains from your driveway...just pour, leave overnight and rinse the next day.

Answer 2

Id clean it with some CLR clear lime rust or whatever, sold in hardware stores. But honestly i don't think id even risk using it for anything, specially anything for ingestion. I cant see the kettle but you say its old, the boiled water could inherit some micro metal pathogens, i wouldn't trust it. They say iron's good for ya, but not in raw form lol. All that or the interior would need to be resurfaced (buffed) to release the probable layer of oxidation, even then, i wouldn't trust it. No-one makes old large kettles anymore. So from the wording that was given, i consider it to be an antique. a picture would probably help (of the inside).

Answer 3

Use a scrubby pad and warm/hot water to get any rust off that you can. Then wipe it down with vegetable oil and bake in an oven for 30-45 minutes. Let cool and it should be good to go.

Answer 4

Pour coke in it and let it sit for a week. The citric acid in Coke will eact the rust. Then take a scratchy pad and shine it up.

Answer 5

When I had to reseason my cast iron skillet I went here I hope it helps.

Answer 6

here's antother goo site. seems all it takes is some elbow grease.http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/SandblastCastIron.htm