I got into restoring cast iron back last summer. This was my first project. It’s a Lodge Sportsman Grill. I paid a lot of money for it and I accidently left it outside for several years. I had misplaced it and couldn’t remember where I put it. I originally thought that I had either left it at the last location I used it or someone stole it from me. I never dreamed that I left it outside but alas I did. When I found it I was so mad and disappointed in myself. I thought it was ruined.
I started seeing a lot of posts on some of the forums that I follow about how to restore cast iron by using a process called Electrolysis. At first I thought this was so far above my head that I wouldn’t be able to even consider it. I was wrong. I first started off with a five gallon bucket, a battery charger and a couple pieces of scrap iron. I put the smaller pieces into the tank and after a couple of days, the process had stripped all the rust off of it and left nothing but raw metal. I was impressed. After I got all the pieces stripped I then began the process of re seasoning. Which is another story altogether.
If there’s one thing I learned during the whole process is this. Don’t re season your cast iron in your house. It will leave a nasty odor and it will linger all day long. If you have an outdoor grill this is where you should re season your cast iron. Your marriage may last a little longer if you do everything outside.
“Life Goes On!”
I love my cast iron cookware, especially old pieces handed down through generations.