Latest clean ups - a raised #7 no-notch Lodge and 2 Lodge ashtrays

S

SpurgeonH

Active member
Here are the latest items I have finished cleaning up:

I bought this one online. The seller said he used a grinding wheel on it to smooth it out (although he also said it was in excellent shape straight out of the lye) and shipped it with a coat of mineral oil. I put it in the lye bucket for a couple of hours to get the oil off and seasoned it 6 times. You can still tell it was "polished". But I must say he did a great job on it. I would have preferred it the way he found it, but I must admit, it is smooth as silk on the inside.

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And here are my cute little ashtrays. I'll use them as spoon rests.

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I was only going to buy one of them, but he didn't have change for a $5, so I bought them both.
 
Steven C said:
It looks like He did a nice job on the skillet. Was the price good on it as a user.
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The price wasn't good, period. I had a moment of weakness ... and #7's, especially, are my kryptonite.

It will, however, be a user. If I ain't using it, I ain't buying it. Ha!

---------- Post added at 01:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:08 PM ----------

I thought I would share these pics for color comparison. You can also see what happens when you polish a piece.

In this stack:
- The greatest skillet ever created, my #3 no-notch with hover technology.
- A three-notch #4
- single-notch #5
- single-notch #6
- No-notch #7
- Single-notch #8

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You can see how the #7 has a shiny, copper appearance..

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and a more "brown" color overall ...

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I have noticed the same color on old pieces I have done that had no original seasoning on them.

Also, the #7 I messaged you about is identical to your polished one.
 
Hilditch, I don't see a message about a #7? Was it today? Any further back than that and my 57 year old brain would struggle to remember. I don't see anything in my PM inbox.
 
[I said:
CJMunnich[/I];28681]I have noticed the same color on old pieces I have done that had no original seasoning on them.

Also, the #7 I messaged you about is identical to your polished one.
Click to expand...



SpurgeonH said:
Hilditch, I don't see a message about a #7? Was it today? Any further back than that and my 57 year old brain would struggle to remember. I don't see anything in my PM inbox.
Click to expand...
 
Hahaha! 57 year old brain AND 57 year old eyes. Maybe I need new reading glasses.

Scott, where did you see that #7?

---------- Post added at 05:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:16 PM ----------

BTW - this: http://imgur.com/a/okIqj

... is what the skillet looked like when I got it. In a couple of the pictures you can see a red tint on it. That's not the pan. That's the reflection of the red shirt I was wearing, reflecting off of the polished surface.
 
Those old Lodges were remarkably smooth. From what I can see, the previous owner actually might not be responsible for how smooth it is. I see no reason to try to etch it with vinegar.
 
The guy I bought it from said he coated it with a thin layer of mineral oil. I put it in my lye bucket for a little while to strip that off and then seasoned it with lard.

Edit: this is what the owner said he did, "I use a very fine wire wheel of a table grinder to polish the cooking surface. then wipe it down lightly with pharmacy grade mineral oil."
 
I forgot to add, I did scrub it lightly with a 50/50 Vinegar/water solution and a 0000 steel wool pad. I was scared to scrub very hard. I dipped the pad in the vinegar solution and rubbed it down, mostly on the outside of the pan. I was hoping to even put some of the color variations. It seemed like there were some spots he missed with the grinder. Or maybe hit some areas harder than others? You can what I'm talking about in the pictures.

Like I said, I didn't scrub hard, and I didn't scrub it for long either.
 
Your seller may have done something which took things down to the original gray iron more than you're used to seeing. That may also be responsible for the pan appearing more "bronze" after an initial seasoning than your other pans.

What I see on the "before" photos is akin to straight vinegar being left on areas of a piece for a short time then rinsed. To wit, where the vinegar was is lighter and grayer than where it was not. Unless higher resolution photos reveal more, I don't see where your seller did damage or alteration to the original surface. If he used the word grinder, it is not evident in the photos that that is what he did.

You should not be concerned that a 50/50 vinegar solution and steel wool will change patina or do harm. That is the strength used for rust removal soaks of 30 minutes or somewhat more. Even straight vinegar and a steel wool scrub for several minutes followed by rinsing will not do damage.
 
SpurgeonH said:
I forgot to add, I did scrub it lightly with a 50/50 Vinegar/water solution and a 0000 steel wool pad. I was scared to scrub very hard. I dipped the pad in the vinegar solution and rubbed it down, mostly on the outside of the pan. I was hoping to even put some of the color variations. It seemed like there were some spots he missed with the grinder. Or maybe hit some areas harder than others? You can what I'm talking about in the pictures.

Like I said, I didn't scrub hard, and I didn't scrub it for long either.
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Vinegar is not as scary as Doug makes it out to be, I leave most rusty pieces in the 50/50 mix overnight. nothing happens except the rust comes off easy.
 
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