How to fix rusted cast iron skillets?

Question

I found some cast iron skillets, but they have some rust in them. One has quite a bit of rust. Is there any hope to get the rust off of the skillets? If so, how do I do it?

I didn't wash these pans. I found them and just wondered if they're worth saving!

Answer 1

Scrub, scrub, scrub with steel wool. Finish with dishwashing liquid and cloth or sponge. Rinse and dry well. Don't worry if a few particles remain.

Now, grease the entire inside generously. You can use lard, Crisco, vegetable oil, margarine, whatever. Place skillet in 200 degree oven for a couple of hours. Remove, cool, wipe off any excess gently with a paper towel.

Now the secret to using your skillet is never to wash it again. You have successfully "seasoned" it. You can use Pam, olive oil or whatever when you cook in it, but when you are finished, just wipe with paper toweling. Better than any non-stick surface!

Answer 2

A brand new, sharp stainless steel or copper Chore-girl, used with a lot of elbow grease under running water will take off a lot of rust. There are two or three kitchen cleansers on the market made especially for aluminum and stainless steel -- available in most supermarkets - which do help the Chore-girl considerably. Regular kitchen cleansers, like Comet, Babb-O or Dutch Cleanser are probably better than nothing but don't seem nearly as effective. Barkeepers Friend or Kleen King are better for this purpose.

Without any doubt, the most effective way to remove that rust is with a motor driven wire brush mounted on a workbench. If you have access to one you're in luck. Hand brushing with a wire brush is a slow, tedious and ineffective process; so much so that one would almost stay with the Chore-girl and metal cleanser and forget the wire brushing. With a rotary brush, one can keep going over it and over it and it and it looks better all the time. When enough is enough is up to you, but a final process before giving up on the brushing can be an overnight soaking in a fairly strong solution of Lime-Away. Lime-Away is an acid and about the strongest acid that Ol' Jack would recommend, because any strong acids are very dangerous to use and will, of course, attack the base metal as well as the rust. Once you've done your final wire brushing, wash the piece thoroughly with regular detergent, rinse and dry it well and season it the same as you would a new piece as described in Ol' Cast Iron Jack's famous bulletin "Cast Iron Jack McGraw's Ultimate Method for Seasoning Cast Iron Cookware" (above).

Answer 3

Try steel wool or the sos scouring pads. The important thing is that once the rust is off, you need to rub vegetable oil back onto the cast iron as a protective layer or it will be exposed to the air and rust all over again.

Answer 4

You will have to clean the skillet down until it's shiny, your best bet is probably a drill with a wire wheel. You could probably use a fine grit sandpaper, but your arms will fall off before it's done that way lol. Once it's nice and shiny it's a matter of seasoning the skillets again

Answer 5

Have them sand blasted if the price is reasonable. Minor rust can be taken off with acid mixtures such as Naval Gel. First see how much you can remove with a steel wire brush and emery paper.

Answer 6

SCRUB THE SKILLETS WITH A HEAVY STEEL PAD. YOU MIGHT HAVE TO DO THIS SEVERAL TIMES. AND ONCE THE RUST IS GONE SPRAY WITH PAM OR GREASE WITH COOKING OIL. ALWAYS DRY THE SKILLETS GOOD AFTER USING THEM. I ALWAYS SET MINE IN THE OVEN OR ON A STOVE BURNER TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE DRY.

Answer 7

1)soak in hot water 1 hour
2)scrub with scotch brite pad
3)then scrub with steel wool or brillo pads
this should be enough to get it clean. Now a light coat of vegitable oil. You might even have to "reseason" the pan be cooking some bacon in it. Then just lightly rinse with water and reseal with veg. oil.

Answer 8

soak the skillets in vinegar or lemon juice. when the rust is
removed, you can wipe them with some cooking oil and you
can use them again

Answer 9

SOS pads, then you rub grease on them and put them on the stove to get really hot almost burning, that should work, then you no that you never wash cast iron you just wipe it clean and grease it...

Answer 10

i think the sandblasting idea is your best for time , wipe them down after wards and bake with oil in oven for two to three hours, they will be brand new of sort , season them befor euse