Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Canadian John]

   We have a lot of cast iron cookware and enjoy using and caring for it.  However, there is one dutch oven that we have a hard time maintaining the seasoning on. The reason is, from infancy the seasoning
  never got properly developed due to liquids and at times acidic foods being cooked in it. I came across cast iron seasoning pucks in my quest for the ultimate seasoning. The ingredients were somewhat
 guarded and they were cost prohibitive so I never tried them.. Then one day I came across a make your own cast iron seasoning puck. I noted "beeswax" as an ingredient. Very interesting! I have pure beeswax
 so I made a very small batch.  Just can't believe how well it works. One or two applications results in an amazingly durable coating that has the properties of well seasoned cast iron. So what is it?

  1 PART BEESWAX and 2 PARTS COOKING OIL (a high smoke point oil). The 1:2 ratio is borderline semi solid. Just under 2 results in a slightly more solid puck. The bees wax (melts ~ 146º) and oil needs to be
  stirred together and poured into a tapered mold for release purposes, then let cool to solidify.

   Points of interest. 
 
  Beeswax. Must be pure beeswax. There is beeswax on the market that isn't pure. Don't use it. Beeswax won't harm you.

  The puck may be stored on the counter as it's a solid. just keep it away from heat. Not sure? Store in the refrigerator.

  Use sparingly. A little goes a long way. As with oil. once applied, wipe off as much as you can for an ultra thin layer.

  Seasoning. Done the same way as with oil.  Just don't try to season over flaking seasoning or rust.
  Keep the seasoning temperature below the smoke point of the oil in the puck. Too high a seasoning temperature will  burn the oil resulting in flaking. Two  to three seasonings will result in a good  seasoning
  start.
 Use the puck to reseason the CI after using. Same as with oil.
 The puck will leave an almost clear finish on the cast iron to the point it appears that nothing is there.

 The "puck" as I call it could have other names. I went with puck as it was the original.
 
 

[02ebz06]

Nice tip.  Thanks for sharing.

[bregent]

Thanks John. I have some cosmetic grade beeswax I used to make a balm for my wife - I wonder if that will work?: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B3U0FW4

What type of oil are you using for this?  Do you just store it in a jar?

[jdmessner]

Thanks for posting this. I also have a lot of cast iron. I've become a firm believer in using flaxseed oil for seasoning. Years ago I came across a blog by Sheryl Canter, she wrote: Vegetable oils and shortening leave cast iron soft and prone to scratching and wear and tear, but flaxseed oil — which is essentially the food-grade equivalent of linseed oil, the drying oil that painters and woodworkers use to create a tough, protective layer on their work — makes cast iron surfaces smooth, hard, and even. I have found that to be true. I am curious to see how it will work mixed with the beeswax.

I once was given a pan that was initially seasoned with PAM by the person who made it. I couldn't get the seasoning right at all and decided to start from scratch by placing the pan in the oven while it was self cleaning to get rid of the old seasoning. I then had a clean surface to begin re-seasoning. I applied at least six coatings of the flaxseed oil and ended up with a great cooking surface.

[BigDave83]

I may have to try to find some bees wax and mix something up. I bought a Crisbie Roll on a few years ago and have used it on my blackstone griddles and a carbon steel pan.

[pmillen]

What type of oil are you using for this?

The Crisbee Puck is beeswax, soybean and palm oils.
The Crisbee Cream is beeswax and sunflower oil.

[Canadian John]

Thanks John. I have some cosmetic grade beeswax I used to make a balm for my wife - I wonder if that will work?: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B3U0FW4

What type of oil are you using for this?  Do you just store it in a jar?

  BEESWAX: That looks good to me. I would use it for sure.

  OIL: I have used, grapeseed and avocado,  canola and avocado, both 50/50 and canola 100%. Any oil with a high smoke point.

 STORAGE: It sits in a small dish on my counter top. I have a small tapered stainless steel container I use to melt the beeswax and mix into the oils. That (the taper) made removing the "puck" easy to do,

otherwise the product will remain stuck in the mold.

 I found placing the puck in the freezer for ~ 30 min helped to release it from the stainless mold... Storing in a glass jar would work with a caveat. That being, a shallow wide mouth jar to access the product.

 You don't need much! My pucks are ~ 2 fluid OZ in size, and last for months.  That isn't much beeswax/oil. To make it easy, go 1oz beeswax and 2oz  or a bit less oil(s) = one 3oz puck.

[jdmessner]

My brother-in-law gave us this batch of cast iron pans yesterday. They may need a little seasoning! Any ideas on how to knock some rust off?

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

[02ebz06]

Maybe some Coca Cola

[slaga]

Electrolysis. It is actually a really simple process. I removed rust from a really rusty grill grate using electrolysis and all the rust was gone with minimal (almost no) elbow grease.

[WiPelletHead]

Electrolysis. It is actually a really simple process. I removed rust from a really rusty grill grate using electrolysis and all the rust was gone with minimal (almost no) elbow grease.

I've seen that about electrolysis and sounds like it works well.

Another popular method seems to scrubbing with steel wool. Here is what Lodge recommends.

https://www.lodgecastiron.com/cleaning-and-care/cast-iron/restore-and-season-rusty-cast-iron

[slaga]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8jrjNZng0A

[BigDave83]

you could see if anyone does soda blasting in your area. Even glass beading would work. An automotive machine shop would probably do glass beading. Glass or soda is usually used on aluminum so it really shouldn't hurt the finish. I have sandblasted some at my home a long time ago, then scrubbed well and seasoned.

[pmillen]

I agree with Slaga, use Electrolysis.  It's easy—much like a junior high science experiment.

Instructions

Find a seventh grader to "help" (watch) and teach them something DIY practical.

EDIT:  OH!  Do it outdoors.  The Electrolysis makes copious amounts of Hydrogen gas.  A spark in an enclosed area will set it off like the Hindenburg.

[jdmessner]

Looks like a trip to Menards in the near future! I am curious to see how well the electrolysis works. I was excited when I saw the bean pot, I have been wanting one of those for a while. The deep frying pan will also be nice. I figure the small pans can be used to experiment on.