My latest finds

[elven_sphinx]

I haven't posted in a while, but I finally have some stuff to share with everyone:D

Comments

[lullabye123]

What a great little chest to put your supplies in!

I like your cauldron as is, but if you really want to get it all black and non-rusty, it is possible, if you have access to an outdoor area where you can have a fire.

Light a fire (hmm... a fireplace would probably work too, never thought about it) and put the cauldron IN the flames, at the bottom. Let the fire die out naturally. Once everything has cooled, take the cauldron out and all the rust should come right out with a minimal amount of scrubbing.

[elven_sphinx]

Unfortunately, I don't have access to anywhere that I could light any kind of a fire:( And I don't currently have a stove/oven.

Thanks for the advice and compliment on my wooden chest:)

[briar_witch]

Nice! lullabye123 is correct, a nice hot fire should help you remove that rust. My husband puts our cast iron pans into the woodstove right before he reseasons them, and it works well.

[elven_sphinx]

My Dad likes to put his cast iron skillet over a bed of coals in his little grill in the backyard..seems to work for him.

Thanks for the advice!:)

[arliss]

When our place was still classified as rural, we burnt our paper trash in an empty oil drum. My dad rigged up a heavy wire bracket across the top of the drum to hang iron pots and pans in when we inherited all my aunt's cast iron cookware. It had been stored not well-cleaned for a number of years and my mom thought she'd never get it clean. The fire took everything off down to bare metal. It really works

[elven_sphinx]

Oh no, that sucks that you didn't think to grab the cauldron -that would have been a fantastic re-purposing 'find'!!

Unfortunately, not only do I not have anywhere to set up a fire, but I also do not currently have a stove/oven. Just moved into a new(new to me) apt. and apparently we have to get our own stove/oven.:(

Umm...*squeamish look* I used dish detergent, water, and a potato to try to clean it when I first got it. Some friends of mine said they saw a woman on tv do this to clean rust off of a cast iron pot and that it worked. Needless to say...it did not work. Did I just ruin it? Can it be saved?

Thanks for all of the advice as well as the compliments on the chest of drawers and the cauldron -really appreciate it!:)

[arliss]

Cast iron can almost always be saved unless it's rusted right through. Wash it again in clear warm water and use a scrub pad on it. Use one of the nylon or plastic ones rather than the metal scrub pads, because the soap will have caused more rust to form and the surface is very dry and unseasoned. You want to remove as much loose rust as possible without cutting scratches into the raw surface. After you've gotten as much of the rust off as possible, carefully dry your cauldron with paper towelling. You may still get some rust streaks off as you rub or wipe. Don't worry about that now. Air dry it for a day, but not much longer, and then rub it heavily, inside and out, with cooking oil. Make sure there's no salt (or sodium) in the oil, and I use peanut oil because it can be heated to higher temperatures than other veg. oils without smoking. You can use paper toweling for this, but frankly, I use my fingertips when I'm working on a new-to-me piece, or an old familiar piece. I get a better feel for any irregular spots, or lumps of

[kuniklos]

Would you be willing to mechanically derust the pot? Granted, I admit I know little about cast iron, but a an archaeologist my tools get rusted all the time due to damp or wet soil and a whole slew of fun things.

I have a metal scrubber drill bit for my drill and use it one a year on my tools. I try to clean and give them a good oiling, but North Atlatic soil is sooo acidic it doesn't always help.

[elven_sphinx]

Hmm...I hadn't considered a drill bit. I'll try the fire method first and if that doesn't work, then I'll try a drill-bit. Thank you!:)

[kuniklos]

Your welcome! It works well. I do suggest wearing gloves and goggles while doing it, so you don't get a rust splinter or something in your eye. I learned the hard way. :p Oops!

[camp_permafrost]

We always removed rust from cast iron by heating it with salt inside. Put the cauldron on a fire, put a generous amount of salt inside and keep stirring it around with something heatproof and scrubbing gently.

You will see the salt turning a rusty shade. Repeat as necessary. Just be careful, the salt get heated too and stays hot for a while after. For this you need the cheapest non-iodized, no-additives table salt, medium or fine grain.

Rinse with warm water, pour some cooking oil in and spread it around and heat it until it smokes. Wipe the excess oil with a paper towel.