Graphite Foil

J. Vito

New member
I've recently acquired several vintage cast iron pieces--mostly Griswold, a couple of Wagner. For use, not display pieces alone. Almost all were restored before I got them. But, as I read, one person's seasoning is another person's gunk. So I'm interested in stripping all of them down and re-seasoning myself.

And my biggest problem piece is an Erie Tea Kettle with a porcelain knob which is very rusty and very gunky. But I also have large dutch oven, extra-large griddle, fryer/skillets with lids, grill pans.

I'm a Norwex Consultant, avidly concerned with radically reducing toxins in our homes (thus the move from toxic teflon-coated cookware to cast iron), therefore I'm looking for the least toxic way to accomplish this.

As I understand it, only electrolysis and lye (including lye-based Oven cleaner), and self-cleaning oven (which I know is not recommended on this site, and even if I were willing to gamble my vintage pieces--I'm not--I couldn't use for the tea kettle as I don't think the porcelain knob could handle that) remove the gunk. All the other cleaning methods are for removing rust, and lye doesn't remove rust. And is pretty toxic -- disposal being my primary concern as I understand safety measures to avoid toxic exposure during the process. We have a septic tank, so pouring it down the drain is not an option. And the porcelain knob on the tea kettle eliminates lye as a possibility for that piece.

Which leaves me with electrolysis. And it seems the least toxic set up for electrolysis would be using graphite as my sacrificial piece of metal. That way I can easily dispose of the solution when done.

I find the graphite plates easy enough. However, line-of-sight limitations for electrolysis is a concern for the tea kettle. I'm thinking to use the kettle itself as the container for the electrolytic solution and a graphite rod dangled inside it for stripping the interior. Will that be able to get the inside of the spout?

But I still need to get the exterior, so will need a tank to hold the kettle itself in order to get the exterior including the very rust bail handle. Will that get inside the spout if the interior stripping does not?

I do find there is graphite foil, and from what I can tell, it's pure (without any binder added to it). This seems ideal for being able to line the interior sides of the tank. But I can't find any confirmation my hunch is correct. Does anyone know -- would this work?

https://www.amazon.com/MinGraph-201...&qid=1548084434&sr=8-4&keywords=graphite+foil

Thanks.
 
I use graphite sheet for all of my electrolysis.. but have never tried the graphite foil... so no experience there. I have used 'reverse electrolysis' on a few kettles by suspending graphite into the electrolyte solution inside... I would like to fabricate something like a cylinder hone with graphite sheet attached to the legs so I can alter the size and shape of the suspended anode to more easily match the size of the piece being done.

any way to safely remove the lid from the kettle and do it separately... maybe soak in evaporust?
 
Thanks. The lid is held in place by one side of the coiled bail handle (it swings out). From what I've read, I don't think attempting to remove the handle--and thereby freeing the lid--is a good idea because it's likely quite brittle. I'd be scared I'd break it.
 
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