seasoning question

i recently cleaned up my very first piece in my newly built e-tank. it did a great job, after the e-tank i used a SS brush to remove big chunks of seasoning and once all that was removed i used some 0000 steel wool to finish up the job. Then i noticed some discoloration on the surface where the really hard to remove bits held on longer. so i put some 50/50 vinegar in the pan and let it soak for probably 15-20 minutes before polishing with 0000 steel wool, i did that twice, and it seemed to blend the surface some. then i went ahead and started seasoning with crisco per the instructions on this site. 3 other pans i am seasoning at the same time are my moms BSR century series pans, two #5's and a #7. one of the 5's and the 7 have polished cooking surfaces. i stripped those in the etank, they didnt take long as they werent bad, a little steel wool and off to seasoning. Now for my question, after 3 rounds of seasoning with crisco, the #8 Victor of mine seems to have a matte finish vs my moms BSR's which has developed sorta a slippery sheen. Did i do something wrong when stripping/prepping? or is it the difference in the age/manufacture of the pans? when i get to the wiping step where you try to wipe the crisco back off to leave a thin film, i really feel like i am wiping every bit off of the #8. any ideas?
http://imgur.com/a/U4DA6

I don't see anything in the photos to be concerned about. Every pan is going to be a little bit different. Perhaps it's just more utensil wear on the older Victor making it not look as reflective. After I manually season or clean after cooking, I wipe a tiny amount of oil on (and off) my pans just to give a little sheen. Doesn't hurt.

ok thanks, i didnt figure it was a problem, the pan is gradually darkening down as i season, it just wasnt as smooth, i'll give it a thin wipe to add sheen and start using it, thanks!

They look great! Nice job.

Sometimes I think of seasoning pans like a fresh litter of puppies. Some have flawless coats, some have spots, some take a little more training than others. However, with consistency and careful attention, they can all turn out to be good dogs/pans.......does that make any sense?

NLevine said:

They look great! Nice job.

Sometimes I think of seasoning pans like a fresh litter of puppies. Some have flawless coats, some have spots, some take a little more training than others. However, with consistency and careful attention, they can all turn out to be good dogs/pans.......does that make any sense?

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It does to me! May not to anyone else, so at least you know we are on the same page, lol :mrgreen:

That's a good philosophy, I suppose, because I got one of those "not the pick of the litter", type puppies/pans, now ! :shootself:

I don't really see any splotchiness in the picture, but I have noticed when I try to do 3 or 4 pans at once that I have to be a little more careful about wiping them with a clean cloth. By that I mean, if you wipe more than one pan, be sure you are wiping the next pan with a clean cloth (or at least a side of the cloth that wasn't used to wipe the first one). Otherwise, I am wiping some of the oil from the first onto the second.

This is why paper towel is not recommended for wiping excess oil off the pan. Once saturated, you're just moving oil around not removing it. I use cheap terry shop towels folded multiple times so I can refold them to a clean part as needed.

I've had good luck using the blue shop towels sold in a roll like paper towels, they are super absorbent, and don't tend to shred and leave little bits as fast as paper towel either

Your seasoning job looks great to me!

I find cut up old white t-shirts to be excellent for seasoning cast iron. I'll use a small piece to spread the oil around and a much larger piece to wipe off excess.

All those pans are seasoned very nicely.

DonnaM said:

Your seasoning job looks great to me!

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Thanks!

---------- Post added at 10:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:32 AM ----------

Ty L. said:

I find cut up old white t-shirts to be excellent for seasoning cast iron. I'll use a small piece to spread the oil around and a much larger piece to wipe off excess.

All those pans are seasoned very nicely.

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Thank You!