Oops.... Vinegar Bath for Days

[Greg C.]

I washed the lid of a dutch oven off after cleaning it in the lye tank dropped it into the vinegar tank.
Pulled the dutch oven out.... found it was cracked.... and COMPLETELY FORGOT about the lid.
It was in the 50/50 bath for a week.
the surface was chalky and soaked up a ton of oil when i tried to season it.
I'm glad it was only a cheapTexsport DO, but what actually happened?
should I dump the vinegar solution now?

[Doug D.]

The "thirsty iron" syndrome may or may not be the result of too long in vinegar. The altered texture you observed certainly must be. It may be salvageable, though, with repeated seasoning. The process of the vinegar solution is a chemical reaction, so its effectiveness may now be diminished. Cheap enough to throw out and start over fresh.