Stripping via oven self-cleaning semi-fail!

[ChadVKealey]

OK, so I had an afternoon free and thought I'd try using our oven's self-cleaning feature to strip my two old skillets (a Favorite Piquaware and a Maid of Honor, both #8). After just an hour, and even with a box fan exhausting through the kitchen window, the house started filling with acrid smoke. Literally, my eyes were burning from it. So, I hit the cancel button.

A couple hours later, when the door unlocked and things cooled down, I pulled the pans out. The short time actually did a decent job of getting most of the carbon crusting off, which is what I was most concerned with. It too a little elbow grease and a scotch-brite pad, but it did come off...mostly.

Most of the non-crusty old seasoning came off as well, but it's not uniformly stripped, so I'm going to pick up some oven cleaner and try that route later this week. At least with what did get stripped off allowed me to determine that there aren't any cracks or pitting hiding underneath, so when I get them re-seasoned, they'll be good to go. I'm really looking forward to getting my wife to use them more often. Right now, the usable CI we have is too heavy for her to comfortably move.

---------- Post added at 09:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:19 PM ----------

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[Ty L.]

I find my gas grill on the high setting to be a much better way to burn off old seasoning, no angry spouses or screeching smoke detectors that way. I'll only do it on pieces I wouldn't miss too much if they cracked or warped but after doing it on roughly half a dozen I haven't broken anything. Goes through a lot of propane though, and doesn't it do much good if the pan has any significant amount of rust. All of that being said, I would have considered your pieces "too nice" to clean that way if they were mine. I save the heat for the more common 1950's and any post-1960 pieces I plan on giving away or selling for dirt cheap.

 

[KevinE]

Before I set up a lye tank or an e-tank, I used my SCO to clean several pieces of what I suppose some would consider collectible CI. Never had a problem and it works quite well----at least in my oven. Do I recommend it be done on a regular basis? No, but only because of the wear and tear on the oven heating elements, temperature control circuits, etc. And yeah, it can get stinky/smoky.

 

[ChadVKealey]

I find my gas grill on the high setting to be a much better way to burn off old seasoning, no angry spouses or screeching smoke detectors that way.

Now why didn't I think of that? That's how I'd strip my old smoker's cast iron grates when they got too badly crusted up, just didn't consider using it for these skillets. I think after a couple day soak in Easy Off, I should be able to get the rest of the crust off with steel wool or a wire brush, then set about reseasoning them.

 

[Ty L.]

Now why didn't I think of that? That's how I'd strip my old smoker's cast iron grates when they got too badly crusted up, just didn't consider using it for these skillets. I think after a couple day soak in Easy Off, I should be able to get the rest of the crust off with steel wool or a wire brush, then set about reseasoning them.

It usually takes about 90 minutes. I'll peek in on them once in a while and see if there's any crud under the ash with a wire brush but I don't try to move them or turn them over, and once I turn the heat off I keep the lid on and don't touch them until I think I can do so without an oven mitt.