Seasoning a Cast Iron Dutch Oven?

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Well, thank you very much, Pups! I do try to be thorough, if a bit wordy at times. I don't have a self-cleaning oven and really can not start a hot burning fire where I am (almost w/in sight of the city Fire Dept.!) so I cleaned my grandmother's really old skillet using the method I posted. Worked like a charm and didn't harm the skillet. I would never put a valuable piece of cast iron in a fire to burn off the crud.
 
One of the reasons people value old skillets is that the inside is very smooth. Years of cooking have worn the surface very smooth and when properly seasoned food doesn't stick. Even good Lodge cast iron pans when new are on par with the old ones. You can accelerate the aging of a skillet by using an orbital sander with emery cloth. It takes a little bit of time but it works. After sanding, cleaning and seasoning you will be amazed at how much better it will cook. A couple of hours of sanding can duplicate years and years of cooking.
 
When I buy an old piece that needs some TLC I try to strip it in such a way as to cover or fill in the pours. This I do by using my drill or grinder with a fine wire wheel, it takes off the old crude fills in the pours and still comes out really smooth and shiney, in like 3 minutes, works great on rust too. after that re-seasoning is so much easier with very good results, this the method I use on pieces that the seller thinks is a lost cause and thus I am able to get a good deal on a fine piece. I found some of these exact pieces in an old estate sale, after cleaning with this method I traced the age of them, and found they were 75 yr old Wageners, that are worth a ton in the collectors market. but I still have them and they are my best pieces, just think where they have been and been through, feel the history.

AL
 
I have to tell you that I put 3 cast Iron pans in the self-cleaning oven and voila!!!! I have 3 great pans...it nicely cleaned off the gunk...Thank you so much for your advice now if I can keep my DH from cleaning them they should stay seasoned... LOL

Pam
 

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