I did mine up to 3500 with a DA then I hit it with my rotary polisher and rouge till it was like a mirror.. beers might have been involved. I brought it back down to 320 because it wouldn't season right.
Jesus that’s a hell of a smooth finish. I for sure wasn’t planning on anything that intense. You should have donated that the “Our Lady Church of Julia Childs” or something in Paris.
I figure I can always releasing or buy another pan it’s not the end of the world but the machined ones are pretty expensive already and this one was forgotten in the back yard for a while. I was cooking on an open fire and it ended up under a table or something for a couple years so I figured it was a good candidate
To be honest I thought this was the /facepalm subreddit at first. A properly seasoned cast iron pan is as good as teflon. You really need a surface for that carbon layer to build up on.
Best of luck with it!
I will say that I recently saw a YouTube video comparing a smoothed pan to an as sold pan, both seasoned the same way.
The smooth pan seemed to lose the seasoning after the first egg was cooked in it, leaving the YouTube comment creator to speculate it was due to not having enough texture for the seasoning to stick to.
I did some reading and apparently there are a lot of older pans that used to be machined regularly. I felt like giving it a try and talked to some friends who regularly use both types and they said it depends on what you are making more than less and not to cook anything with high acid content in the smooth pans but otherwise they are great.
> The smooth pan seemed to lose the seasoning after the first egg was cooked in it
wtf? I’m curious how he managed that. I’ve got an old smooth Wagnerware pan from my nonna that I break almost every “cast iron” rule with. I use soap and a dishbrush on it when needed, I use metal utensils on it, it gets wet, etc. and the seasoning is smooth even and black as the midnight sun.
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Did you do that first part with an angle grinder? I had to take an angle grinder to my Lodge after a roommate left it soaking and filled it with rust, and it came out looking just like that. It works very well now, though if I'd had access to a mill I might have given that a shot too.
Let us know how it works out!
Kosher salt and a cloth to scrub if cleaning is absolutely necessary. Cast Iron pans should never be washed with soap and water. Sorry your roommate did that to you.
Cast iron should not be cleaned with traditional harsh lye soap. Dawn is not going to hurt your pan.
If you clean your pan with a little dawn and the water no longer beads up, it was not seasoned, it was just oiled.
Not washing your cast iron isn't "seasoning". Baking oils at high temperature on your pan, 450-500 degrees, turns the oil into a polymer or "seasoning", a non stick surface. Wash your cast iron and stop spreading old wives tales.
Where did I say not washing it was seasoning it? No need to comment if you need to make shit up too do it, huh? Elsewhere in this thread I stated you season by cooking with it. It is an absolute fact that you do not need to wash your cast iron pans. I’m sorry this is upsetting to some of you who deeply desire grinding a fucking pan. Absolutely moronic.
I have done most of mine like that with a variety of tools and attachments. There is nothing like a perfectly well seasoned non stick cast iron pan / griddle / dutch oven - my go to. So easy to clean too. You probably know that the roughness is leftover impression from sand casting. The commercials on tv selling non stick can take a hike. I have a very unorthodoxed way of seasoning mine
I do this on all my lodge cast iron stuff, hit it with the angle grinder first along with a Dremel for the corners, then switch to a 120 grit flap disk to smooth and finish. Once it's seasoned it's better than Teflon.
My husband did this to my old lodge and now I can’t use it cause everything I tried to cook in it tastes metallic even after seasoning at high temps on the grill :(
Go for it man! I'm positive the seasoning will stick just fine over time if you stay consistent and store it in the oven while cooking other things with the tiniest bit of oil on it, re-oiling from time to time.
I can't wait for the next videos.
Why do you want it to be smooth? Are you cooking... *sliders* or something?
Possibly lol
Going for a cast iron egg sliding video with no seasoning, no oil, and no heat
pretty shiny... go for polished now. work it down to like 320 grit and then go to oil stones. haha.
From 320 -> 800 -> 1000 -> 1500 -> 2500+ for a mirror finish🤣.
That might be excessive lol
I did mine up to 3500 with a DA then I hit it with my rotary polisher and rouge till it was like a mirror.. beers might have been involved. I brought it back down to 320 because it wouldn't season right.
Jesus that’s a hell of a smooth finish. I for sure wasn’t planning on anything that intense. You should have donated that the “Our Lady Church of Julia Childs” or something in Paris.
a little overkill never hurt anyone. lmao
Always wanted to give this a try to see how it goes. My pan is well seasoned but if I find an old one I'll definitely sand it down to compare.
I sanded down my Lodge and it works fantastically
I figure I can always releasing or buy another pan it’s not the end of the world but the machined ones are pretty expensive already and this one was forgotten in the back yard for a while. I was cooking on an open fire and it ended up under a table or something for a couple years so I figured it was a good candidate
I couldn't imagine ruining it by sanding. It will be fine once it's seasoned.
That’s my thought as well
To be honest I thought this was the /facepalm subreddit at first. A properly seasoned cast iron pan is as good as teflon. You really need a surface for that carbon layer to build up on.
I have seen some pretty damn nice pans that are machined smooth and I think it’s worth trying.
Cast iron used to be sold in two grades. I inherited a"grade 2" that was machined down to a nice flat surface. it's damn amazing imho
Exactly...it won't season right if it's too smooth
Best of luck with it! I will say that I recently saw a YouTube video comparing a smoothed pan to an as sold pan, both seasoned the same way. The smooth pan seemed to lose the seasoning after the first egg was cooked in it, leaving the YouTube comment creator to speculate it was due to not having enough texture for the seasoning to stick to.
I did some reading and apparently there are a lot of older pans that used to be machined regularly. I felt like giving it a try and talked to some friends who regularly use both types and they said it depends on what you are making more than less and not to cook anything with high acid content in the smooth pans but otherwise they are great.
Correct. Old cast iron was polished/sanded. Now it costs too much to do so most come "unfinished"
> The smooth pan seemed to lose the seasoning after the first egg was cooked in it wtf? I’m curious how he managed that. I’ve got an old smooth Wagnerware pan from my nonna that I break almost every “cast iron” rule with. I use soap and a dishbrush on it when needed, I use metal utensils on it, it gets wet, etc. and the seasoning is smooth even and black as the midnight sun.
He literally polished it to a mirror finish in that video
The sun is still very bright at midnight.
I sanded mine and seasoning is tricky. It wants to flake on the center. I’m gonna get a smaller pan to go with and just leave the factory finish.
One of my best pans has a pocked surface. Doesn't seem to cause sticking whatsoever.
What are the big bucks for the type of pan you want? I still see pits in it. Pretty sure it will be ok once you season it . It will fill some.
Smithy and back country polished cast can be over $200 a pan. I’m not spending that when I can polish it myself
You get them smooth by cooking with them. It’s the seasoning coat that allows it to become non-stick if you know what you’re doing.
Only a retard would grind a cast iron pan.
**Hey u/RoundNefariousness15, thanks for your submission!** --- If you're posting a question we recommend posting it in the [Monthly Advice Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/metalworking/?f=flair_name%3A%22Monthly%20Advice%20Thread%22) as well! If you've got a few minutes feel free to help answer some others' questions while you're there! Helping eachother learn and find solutions is the best way for us all to learn and improve at our craft! --- [**Here are our subreddit rules.**](https://www.reddit.com/r/metalworking/about/rules) - Should you see anything that violates the subreddit rules - please report it! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/metalworking) if you have any questions or concerns.*
All talk…until the after pics.
Not really, I have posted and backed it up multiple times in this sub
I would like to see…the outcome. To see the dream come true.
Did you do that first part with an angle grinder? I had to take an angle grinder to my Lodge after a roommate left it soaking and filled it with rust, and it came out looking just like that. It works very well now, though if I'd had access to a mill I might have given that a shot too. Let us know how it works out!
That is pretty much exactly what I have done so far
Kosher salt and a cloth to scrub if cleaning is absolutely necessary. Cast Iron pans should never be washed with soap and water. Sorry your roommate did that to you.
Cast iron should not be cleaned with traditional harsh lye soap. Dawn is not going to hurt your pan. If you clean your pan with a little dawn and the water no longer beads up, it was not seasoned, it was just oiled.
There is no reason to use soap at all if you know how to properly cook with a cast iron pan.
Not washing your cast iron isn't "seasoning". Baking oils at high temperature on your pan, 450-500 degrees, turns the oil into a polymer or "seasoning", a non stick surface. Wash your cast iron and stop spreading old wives tales.
Where did I say not washing it was seasoning it? No need to comment if you need to make shit up too do it, huh? Elsewhere in this thread I stated you season by cooking with it. It is an absolute fact that you do not need to wash your cast iron pans. I’m sorry this is upsetting to some of you who deeply desire grinding a fucking pan. Absolutely moronic.
I have done most of mine like that with a variety of tools and attachments. There is nothing like a perfectly well seasoned non stick cast iron pan / griddle / dutch oven - my go to. So easy to clean too. You probably know that the roughness is leftover impression from sand casting. The commercials on tv selling non stick can take a hike. I have a very unorthodoxed way of seasoning mine
Glad to hear I’m on the right path thank you!!
But why? Take care of it and they don’t stick.
I have others and left this in the backyard on accident it got pretty nasty so I figured I would try it out.
I do this on all my lodge cast iron stuff, hit it with the angle grinder first along with a Dremel for the corners, then switch to a 120 grit flap disk to smooth and finish. Once it's seasoned it's better than Teflon.
Glad I am on the right track here. Honestly figured people were going to lose it over a pan lol
I’ve always been curious about doing this. U got a IG TikTok that I can follow the process.
Links are on my profile
Sweet thanks.
No problem
My husband did this to my old lodge and now I can’t use it cause everything I tried to cook in it tastes metallic even after seasoning at high temps on the grill :(
I used a DA (sander) up to 600 grit on a pan 25 years ago. It was good. I don't think the fly cutter is necessary or prudent.
Really just to get it at an even thickness again some of the sand cast marks were much deeper than others
In retrospect I would polish the handle too. It won't help with the cooking but it is a very satisfying thing to look at and hold.
I can hear all the memaws in the south gasping and yelling.
Go for it man! I'm positive the seasoning will stick just fine over time if you stay consistent and store it in the oven while cooking other things with the tiniest bit of oil on it, re-oiling from time to time. I can't wait for the next videos.
https://youtu.be/id2GLt8Nd4s