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u/Prestigious_Ad1808

Image 1 — Bubbling Cast Iron?
Image 2 — Bubbling Cast Iron?
Image 3 — Bubbling Cast Iron?
Image 4 — Bubbling Cast Iron?
▲ 25 r/CastIronRestoration+1 crossposts

Bubbling Cast Iron?

Need some help here! Bought my first Martin yesterday, a #5 skillet. Looked like it was in good shape but threw it in the lye and e-tank anyway because other people’s grease is gross.

After just a few hours the black was basically gone but the texture was a little rougher than I anticipated. I didn’t know exactly what to expect but most of my other old cast iron is smooth so thought it was a little odd.

This morning, I pulled it out of the e-tank to check on it and there were literal bubbles in the finish. I know iron doesn’t do this so wondering if maybe someone painted it black and the e-tank is stripping it?!? It’s just so weird that it went from black to gray to bubbles.

Please see the attached photos (1 and 2 are before any treatment; 3 and 4 are after lye and 8 hours in the e-tank) and let me know if you’ve ever seen this before or what you think caused it. Will try to provide updates this evening when I pull it from the tank again.

u/Prestigious_Ad1808 — 3 days ago
▲ 41 r/CastIronRestoration

The Perfect Finish

Home hobbyist and newb here. I’m trying to achieve as nice of finish as possible.

Photo is from a seller on eBay that claims to use flaxseed oil but his methods are “proprietary”. I’m not trying to compete or even sell my iron BUT I am refinishing quite a few pieces to give away as gifts and would like them to look as nice as possible. Does anyone have the magic formula to get this sheen and smooth finish?

My methods:

  1. Soak in lye bath with intermittent scrubbing until all carbon is gone. The harshest scrubber I use is a Brillo pad.
  2. Put in e-tank until any rust is gone or at least 12 hours if no/minimal rust. At this point the iron is as free of any foreign materials as it can be.
  3. Wash in cold water with dawn. Towel dry.
  4. Immediately oil (Barlean’s Organic Flax Oil) to prevent flash rust.
  5. Heat in oven to 200 degrees F until up to temp.
  6. Wipe oil clean w/ dry rag x2.
  7. Heat to 500 degrees F for one hour.
  8. Let cool in oven.

I repeat steps 5-8 (with oiling and wiping clean upon skillets reaching 200 F) until I start to get the sheen I’m looking for but I can never get anything as smooth looking as what’s in the photo.

Any advice to get that perfect finish I’m looking for?

P.S. I know flax oil is prone to flaking if not done correctly. I’m also open to Crisco or grapeseed as long as I can get a silky smooth finish.

u/Prestigious_Ad1808 — 7 days ago