Lye Bath Restoration for Cast Iron Skillets

 

The fun with restoring vintage cast iron skillets continues. I don't want to use a self-clean oven cycle, as I've read the extreme heat can damage or ruin cast iron, and I don't want to take the risk. In the past, I've sprayed a gunky pan with oven cleaner and bagged it in a garbage bag in the garage for 24 hours, repeating at least several times for each pan, along with a lot of manual scrubbing. This is messy and time consuming. I'd read a lye bath can have the same end result, but is lower maintenance, as the skillet can stay in the solution for days at a time, basically until it is clean, and the lye bath can be kept and used over and over for different pans. I read up on how to do a lye bath at home and decided to give it a try. I tracked down a pound of Rooto lye, about $5, at the local Ace Hardware pretty easily. 

The harder part was finding a lidded plastic storage bucket that would work. Round 5 gallon construction buckets (like Home Depot) do not accommodate a round skillet of average diameter. Some people do this in large lidded plastic trash cans, but I didn't want something so big. Taking a clue from one of the site's instructions, I asked a couple cat-owning friends if they used cat litter in a square, lidded 4 gallon bucket, and eventually got a bucket from a neighbor friend- bonus for repurposing what was headed for the trash!

The formula is 1 lb. of lye to 5 gallons of water. The bucket accommodated 4 gallons safely, so I used about 4/5 of the lye. I followed safety instructions, adding lye to the water (don't add water to lye) while wearing safety goggles and thick rubber gloves. I stirred with a long paint stick. 

I added a skillet, a vintage Lodge I picked up for $12 at a thrift store. It just fit when placed on the diagonal of the square bucket. I left it about 2 days, then took it out, rinsed it and scrubbed it with chainmail and steel wool. It still wasn't great, so I put it back in the lye bath for another few days and repeated the process. I wasn't really happy with the cooking surface, but came to realize that this skillet had some pitting. I seasoned it up and we'll use this as a skillet over the campfire.

Next up was restoring Grandma's Griswold, which saw some hard service over the last few years, with some build up.

I left this skillet in the lye bath for a full week before I pulled it out, and when I did, it was covered with the crumbly liquified remains of crud.

I scrubbed with chainmail, and it came about 90% clean. 

Notice the remaining seasoning on the tip of the pan that was sticking out of the lye bath

Now, I could have done another soak (and next time I will) to get it entirely clean, but I decided to proceed to the seasoning step, knowing it could be cleaned again in the future.

I let a thrift store $15 unmarked pan soak for about 10 days, and it cleaned up more easily. This skillet went to go live at my mom's camper.

May 2021

Here is an unmarked BSR, likely Century series from later 1960s. My friend Donna picked it up for $6 while traveling through Iowa. I let it soak in the lye bath for a week, and flipped it part way through so the tip of the handle would be cleaned, as well. After the soak, it was a breeze to clean and then season. Since this is a bit larger than the #6 Wagner, I brought this north to use "at the harbor."

BSR Before

BSR Before

BSR After

BSR After

My friend Cindy acquired a modern Lodge from her parents. I used a vinegar soak for the rust (on the bottom too) before putting it in the lye bath, then three cycles of seasoning.

Before

After

Aunt Joann had four skillets and a fabulous lidded chicken fryer at the cabin that needed help.

Probably unmarked Lodge, given notched ring. Size 6. Maker's mark suggests likely 1930s

Unmarked chicken fryer, probably Wagner circa 1920s-30s 

There was rust under the seasoning that needed vinegar and steel wool

It took a while to soak the pieces in three batches, then season three times.

After: Wagner, Lodge, 2 modern small Lodges

After: Chicken fryer

After: Wagner #8, circa 1935-1959. Has a bit of a wobbly bottom

August 2021

My friend Donna picked up two pieces at an estate sale, each for $10. She offered that I keep the dutch oven in exchange for cleaning the small square skillet for her. I didn't realize some vinatage DOs came with glass lids, designed so you could check your food without lifting a heavy CI lid. I tried to get an idea on the date for the Wagner DO, but I couldn't find any real information online. It doesn't say "Made in America" on it, so it's likely before the mid-1960s. The bottom of the square pan just says "Cast Metal Service."

And after the lye soak and three rounds of seasoning:

Oct 2021

Grandpa Joe got this 12" modern Lodge skillet from a friend who had rescued it from the Duluth garbage dump, saying they're constantly amazed at what people throw away. It's a size we don't have, so I stripped it and it joined the collection. It will take over the primary camping skillet job, because I really don't care if it gets banged up.

March 2022

Will asked for my help finding a vintage skillet for his roommate, Luke, as he is an avid cook and every cook needs a good CI skillet. I decided to focus my hunt on Craig's List to avoid shipping expense (significant for CI) and the worry of breaking in the mail (I've seen some sad posts in online CI groups). I found a #6 Wagner for sale for $45 (overpriced), but I was able to negotiate the price to $25 and a trek to Maplewood. It had minimal build up, so only needed a quick dip in the lye bath.

May 2022

Donna found these two skillets at an Iowa estate sale. The left is probably Asian and I gave to my sister for her new camper. The right one is probably an unmarked more modern Wagner No 3. I gave this to Will for his new apartment.

July 2022

My mom wanted a smaller skillet for breakfast eggs, and bought this modern "Bare Bones" skillet for $35, then proceeded to try to oil it and season it multiple times so food wouldn't stick. With this surface, there is no hope, so I bought her a Wagner No 5, already seasoned, on Etsy, $10 for the pan, $10 for shipping. Much much better.

Bad modern skillet

Bad!

Much better vintage surface, Wagner

I stumbled upon this fabulous Erie 2nd series (1886-1892) at a local thrift store for $5.99! It's remarkable how light it is for its size (3lb 7 oz). It has a slightly red tint which makes we wonder if there is light heat damage, but it doesn't affect it's use.

Slightly red- possible mild heat damage, or some sources suggest it is from the color of the ore

Distinct Handle Shape

Oct 2022

Meg asked me for a standard size skillet she could give her friend Kevin. After some hunting in the usual spots that allow pickup rather than shipping (Craigs, Facebook Marketplace, K-Bid), I found a pair of BSR skillets on FB Marketplace marked down to $20. The drive out to Lake Elmo did not excite me, but the seller agreed to meet in St Paul. The 10" skillet is probably from the early 1970s, and the smaller (8") is probably Red Mountain series, pre-1966. I can tell the difference in production methods between the two. The cooking surface is machined in both, but the exterior is rougher in the more modern skillet. The smaller took a 24 hour lye bath dip, the larger needed some 50% vinegar soaking to treat surface rust, and both got seasoned up. I typed up some new instructions to go with the 10" skillet for Kevin.

BSR 10" before seasoning

BSR 8"

Dec 2022

Aunt Karen gave me the 5 qt dutch oven grandma Nellie would use to make beef stew for the family. It's in good shape, but a bit sticky in places. I did a 2-day lye dip and then reseasoned it. It says "Griswold" on the underside of the enameled lid, and research suggests it was made after Wagner acquired Griswold in 1957. The shape and features are almost the same as the previously acquired Wagner dutch oven, the inner surface is slightly smoother.

Oct 2023

My mom was given these two pans by a friend. One is an Asian import, and doesn't have a smooth surface. O'Brien & O'Brien was a manufacturer in Chicago, operating between 1925 and 1933. Apparently they're pretty rare. The #3 (6") O'Brien pan was caked with carbon buildup, and both pans were sticky.

Lots of carbon build up on the O'Brien

Asian import

I took the skillets out after 4 days in the lye bath, which turned out to be too little time, as they both had remaining old carbon and seasoning, especially the O'Brien. 

Still needs more soak time after 4 days

This is a theme for me. I should just leave it a week before I even look at them. Back in they went. I took them out again after 9 days, and they still weren't entirely clean. I had to go after the O'Brien with chainmail, steelwool and Bar Keeper's Friend, then 3 cycles of seasoning.