Go to 14:44 and hunt another video. Well intended video, yes, but let's get real and get cooking. There's a thing called a stainless steel pan. Cook in it if that's what you like and want. Let's not reinvent the wheel and get hurt and spend hours of "perfecting" and $$$ in tools and supplies over something that isn't even broken. But hey, to each their own and just follow Rule #1 no matter what - SAFETY.
I work in very hazardous environments where respirators are literally life. Good on you for wearing one and recommending them. For anyone reading this and doesn't own a proper fitting one, there's a ton of readily accessible, free information on it. Proper fitment is VITAL. You may need to buy a few to get one that fits right, but it's easily one of the best investments you'll ever make. The cartridges have a short shelf life, but they're pretty cheap. Don't skimp out on this.
@@koldosodupe9363 it was about the smoothing. The seasoning failed on this after a camp fire cook. It was an epic learning experience. The next video I did was what I learned from this. That seasoning was not sticking due to the surface of the metal. I corrected it later with a follow up oven clean cycle. Great question.
🙄Its amazing to me how some people take this as serious as you do......smdh. Bro! You do realize that you're using a grinding disc attached to a drill gun, while wearing a ventilated face mask, with the cast iron pan double BOLTED down to a 2X10 inch board, that's being held by a vice grip, all bcuz you want the surface smooth so that you can fry an egg in it right? WTF bro?
I’ve watched and i know this is old . Lost a lot of my kitchen things. Long story short. I had a cheap nonstick set. Horrible. Tossed it all and got a few lodge pieces I was missing. One month ago a new skillet. I don’t see this pitted horrible finish? Paper towels do not leave any shreds? Nothing sticks. Hamburgers, thick boneless pork chops, chicken breast, ground beef onions and peppers for American goulash. Boiled elbow macaroni in lodge Dutch oven drained everything and continued in Dutch oven. Seasoning every step. Great taste and filling meal. Made fried eggs this morning. No sticking. So what’s the big deal? Sure after a minute put spatula under to loosen no broken yolks and literally could slide around pan. So why the sanding? I wish I could put this comment on every video extolling the sanding etc. men especially seem to find it entertaining the kinds of tools and sandpaper grades they use. How about just cook in it.
Not any deal. Trying to see if I could make a cheap lodge into a smoother higher end model. Worked. Do or don’t do it. Eventually your pan will season to a flat surface. Thanks for commenting.
@@ScottCush i appreciate your response. But it is flat it’s already nonstick. After a month of continuous use. No traces of fiber when I use paper towels. I won’t go into my cleaning and care routine because you can do it without always popping it into oven to season all the time. People tend to overthink it. I just use and do my own thing. It works great. All for $20!
@@nancysullivan6827 again do or don’t I have no issue with just leaving it. When you dive deeper into cast iron you will see smoothing was done at the factory until cost cutting measures sold the idea of removing the process and having you seal the rough sand casting with carbon and oil. Leave cast iron and it will rust. Don’t worry it can be salvaged. The point of the video was to see if I could do it and document the process. I cook on old and new cast prices. All are great. Having a smooth surface makes me smile. You don’t have to get it. Thanks for commenting.
I did this with my ozark trail 5qt cast iron Dutch oven. I had an angle grinder but had the strip disc wheel that you used. I encourage anyone that has a cheaper cast iron that comes from lodge or ozark to do this to their cast iron pans. It makes a world of difference.
I’m going to do a vid on rough versus smooth cast iron finishes and the experiences I encountered. The non stick results were indiscernible. The amount of work to smooth the iron was monumental. Good vid. Ciao
When sanding the elemental advice us to always keep it moving. That is, do not stall over any spot. Old timers just hand sanded the inside bottom of any rough cast skillet or to clean a rusted pan. You need to buy a few quality full sheets of garnet paper and fold them into quarters. That's it. 120 grit is the classic but you can go more coarse to start or finer to finish if you want. But buy 120 if you are only buying one. The crappy garnet paper from Home Depot isn't worth getting. Anything they have isn't like the garnet paper that automobile paint supply houses carry. Mattos used to carry the real thing and probably still do if they haven't closed. You'll know it when you see it. And try it out. Hand work will not remove a ruinous amount from your pan even though it may take patience and time. Good luck!
Initially I wanted a mirror finish, I did it in my first video. After trying a super smooth finish, I focused on smooth but not super smooth. The manufacturer used to do this, but mass production called for quicker seasoning processes. Which is why a rougher surface was required. I really enjoyed the process. Later on I managed to get some older pieces and I have been using them as well. No regrets.
I popped my lodge in my Ooni pizza oven for 30 minutes and the entire seasoning just came right off! It was nice to start with a complete blank slate to get it just how I wanted.
If I could make one suggestion because its an unbelievable nasty process, set a blower to your left side to blow between you and the skillet. It'll take most of the dust out the door. I make spatulas from new Lodge skillets to support my vintage cast iron addiction. Don't let anyone tell ya that smooth cast iron won't hold seasoning, the people that say that sell rough products. What I couldn't do is get the weight down. For that reason and the smoothness we use an early 1900s Erie. That's the beauty of cast iron it can be over 100 and still work and look like new.
@@alsmits1572 I took a look and you are correct, the version I was wearing was the 6006, and I should have had 60926. The product I have now has p100 overlaid. This did help though. Thanks for the comment.
@Scott Cush the reason Lodge leaves it that way is that their Seasoning process requires them to spray the pans as they are hung this method of doing it requires the surface to be of a rougher texture to hold the oil as it moves down the assembly line to the ovens . Long enough use will even out the seasoning at home but a smoother metal surface takes less time to get that non-stick cooking we all like about Cast Iron
I have watched the videos on how lodge makes their iron. I don’t disagree that the more I use a pan the smoother it becomes. I would say that this process shown here will return to the roots of the cast iron production environment. Lodge makes smoother pans. They also bought a competitor that mills the surface with grooves (Finex). They make a premium model (Blacklock). Seeking to sell people on an idea that it is the same or just cook more on it to make it like the better pans is a bold move. It is a way to charge a bit less but make more inventory. I would say you are right and I also prefer smoother pans. Thanks for the comment.
The new pans are pre seasoned from the factory so no need to do all that. I have vintage 1960s 3 notch Lodge #5 skillet I found this weekend for $27.00 at a peddlers mall. Just needed a good cleaning and none of that sanding work.
Listen Richard. Take a video of the three notch. I am willing to bet that piece was sanded from the factory. I have one too and it is silky smooth. Pre seasoning from the factory is a sales pitch. I don’t disagree that you don’t have to sand them. I prefer it smooth and I have never had any regrets. Thanks for the comment but I would say your knowledge level of cast iron seems to be on the sales pitch side. Do some research and you may find the three notch lodge was an amazing pan that lodge had to abandon to survive as a company. Imagine how much effort was put into that verses the new process. You got a great deal.
I have an 11" pitted one that I have not been able to reseason successfully . I tried sanding it. It will take forever to get it smooth. I want to order an 11" one. What brands do you recommend? If it's more than 50-60 bucks, I cannot afford it. I am retired. Cook every day. I need a good skillet. I have done some looking on the internet. But you seem to know about this.
Sanding does take awhile. I feel your comment. If $60 is your limit, look for an old 11” that was sanded from the factory. Good luck a lot of good stuff out there. I’m cooking on a three notch lodge and it is sweet. It’s a slow process to build seasoning. When it’s done it is going back to my aunt.
Thanks for the video. This sure beats the hell out of buying one already finished. They’ve gone up even more in price since you posted this. It’s crazy.
Ive had the lodge double cooker you worked on for over 15 years. It is the campsite master piece of cookware for small groups. Zip tie the handles for transport. Never sanded it. It gets used 6 or so times a year for a week at a time. Breakfast lunch and dinner. Its by no means nonstick. But over time, use and cleaning it isn't rough. The season builds up. Right now im seasoning my Pit Boss double cooker 14"(avocado oil) 450* 45 minutes each run. 5 should do it. Its the set lodge should make. Not as rough as lodge but not smooth either. You need some roughness to hold those seasoned layers.
No, the rough texture was adopted when their pre seasoning process required surface area to spray and establish the first layer. They never looked back. I have a three notch lodge and it was made prior to the change. it was milled from the factory. Your preference is fine. Mine was this. Thanks for the comment.
I was living here on Maui when these atrocities got erected and for one they ruined the beautiful natural ocean/mountain view especially from Kihei where they can be viewed clearly from and stand out like a sore thumb. Maui's electric rates are the second highest in the country, only second I believe to Kauai, Hawaii and there was rampant propaganda that these atrocities would definitely lower our electric bill and that was a complete lie. Actually our rates have gone up from the very get go of them coming into use!
That is an option. Recently I came across a family workhorse. A three-notch lodge. It came milled from the factory and has been a pleasure to work with. Lots of options out there if you just want to put cash into it. Thanks for the comment.
Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video. I need to get my wife’s cast iron back in good shape, and I tried by hand the way I learned as a scout to refurbish and re-season. This will make the process so much quicker and better. Cheers mate.
I just bought and used a polished cast iron pan and I don't like it for the first time. Here's why. I fried up a nice hamburger. Made a mess and was hard to clean after cooking the hamburger. The taste was not as good as a plain cast iron Pan! Not at all!The cheaper standard cast iron Pan was a 100 times better! I will try a few more times to see maybe i'm doing something wrong. And I might add it was an expensive ...... Smithey pan like two hundred and twenty five dollars !
Sorry to hear. I came across a free BSR, A GSW that were both smoothed from factory. I have a machined Finex. All had a stage where the seasoning wasn’t ideal. Once the seasoning is built you will have an amazing piece. I wanted a Smithey when I did this lodge.
i just take a cheap whetstone, put a damp tea towel under the skillet, wet the stone and skillet, and grind the skillet back and forth in a 0 45 90 degree pattern. Works really well
All of my cast is Lodge. Lodge uses a type of sand to cream the mold for forming their cast products. I’ve never sanded any of them. I’ve found that after three seasoning cycles, theres no problems at all with the rough surface.
I don't get why you are wasting your time with a drill. You could have gotten a mirror finish without any pitting in under an hour if you started with an angle grinder with a sanding disc and then finished it with sandpaper and polishing paste
In my first attempt I went for a mirror finish. Believe me or don’t. Smooth has its limits. I found that getting it down to 120 grit is a great compromise. I used what was available and was hinted by others. It can be done other ways. Thanks for the comment.
I did this a couple years ago. Seasoning doesn't stick as well. Comes off easily, even after seasoning it many times before using. I think maybe the newer stuff isn't the same metal content as older pans. I'm going to hit mine with a sand blaster to rough it back up and re-season it. Even when it is working, it isn't any less "non stick" than the original finish, well-seasoned. Looks prettier, though.
Great job man. I don't understand why they just don't do it out of the factory. I have a nice 20" when I looked at the finish I couldn't believe they sent them out that rough. It's Lodge, we'll work it. Thanks for sharing your process!
The machining alone costs more than the entire rest of the manufacturing process. You can still buy modern machined cast iron, but you could buy four Lodges for the same price, and even without being machined, a Lodge is still pretty decent.
They were always rough cos they're cast in sand. The seasoning flattens it out. I dont think it's bad that uts rough. So long as its seasoned well it should get smooth.
