We take our new or neglected lodge pans, grease em up with lard and throw em the fire. lol
But
Here is some cut and paste advice
complete redo sounds to be in order
1. Clean
Scrub the pan well in hot, soapy water. Yes, using a little soap is fine in this case because you are reseasoning the pan. Use a nylon scrub brush or fine steel wool scrubber to remove rust, if needed. Once the pan is clean, dry it thoroughly inside and out. (And keep the pan dry in the future to prevent rusting.)
2. Oil
Rub a thin layer of vegetable oil or melted shortening over the entire pan. Make sure to cover the inside, outside, and the handle. Don't add too much, you don't want the pan to be so oily that it's slippery. A nice even coating is what you're looking for.
3. Bake
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Place the pan upside down on the middle oven rack. This prevents the oil from pooling inside the pan. Put a sheet of aluminum foil on the lower rack to catch any drips. Bake the pan for one hour.
4. Cool
After one hour, turn off the oven and leave the pan in the oven to cool completely. When the pan is cool, wipe away any excess oil with a paper towel.
When it's time to cook with your shiny new skillet, make sure to wash it with hot water (no soap this time) and dry it completely after each use. If and when it needs to be reseasoned again, now you'll know what to do.
The skillet looks rough. Lots of rusty areas and pitting on the inside. Grease and grime on the outside. But, I have never seen one that is shiny-ish on the inside. I can only guess that someone started to clean it up. It looks like it could become a usable skillet.
It will become a great air rifle target backstop if all goes wrong in the clean up. That was my first thought anyway.
I have never heard of the Grape Seed Oil You learn something every day
I use Bacon Grease. If I do not have any then Lard. stuck in the oven at the highest temp. the oven will go for an hour to 2 hours. Cool And Repeater until I am happy with the seasoning.
The skillet looks rough. Lots of rusty areas and pitting on the inside. Grease and grime on the outside. But, I have never seen one that is shiny-ish on the inside. I can only guess that someone started to clean it up. It looks like it could become a usable skillet.
It will become a great air rifle target backstop if all goes wrong in the clean up. That was my first thought anyway.
It would make a nice wall hanger in the kitchen if you can not fix it up.
I have a No.8 Griswold skillet I picked up at a flea market for a very good price a number of years ago. I have a No.5 Griswold skillet that belonged to my Grandmother back in the 1920's or 1930's. I was looking around in the garage for something a couple years ago and found a No.3 Wagner ware skillet that I hadn't seen since we moved almost 20 years ago. I had actually forgot I even had it and don't remember where or when I acquired it. Wiped out the dust and webs, used some 0000 steel wool on the interior, washed and dried it, oiled it and have been using it ever since.
Great find for you !!! It will be serviceable (unless it's cracked) . . . DON'T use for an air rifle backstop, you'll be sorry . . .
Someday I hope to be the person my dogs think I am . . . The only true cost of having a dog is its death. Someone once said "a nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves." Shiloh Sharps . . . there is no substitute. NRA Endowment Member
set it on a flat surface first to make sure its not warped. if its warped, it usually won't cook right. you can take a wire wheel to the cooking surface to smooth it down. i wouldn't worry about the outside pitting. i renewed an old no-name one somebody gave me with a wire wheel and lots of sandpaper. as others have said, there's instructions on seasoning them everywhere.
Only reason it will end up unusable is if you mess it up.....I have many "cast iron" pans most were found in the garbage and free most took some Elbow grease to return to a usefull state .....one of my greatest finds is a Griswold flap jack skillet 14 1/2" x 26 1/4" rectangle shape have never seen one and never ever herd of one found it in the garbage would have ended up in a dump....
I cleaned one up with an angle grinder and a flapper disc. Gave the bottom and sides and nice smooth surface and then seasoned it. It works perfectly.
This is what I did. My wife had one she got from her aunt. She complained it was rough inside. I used an angle grinder with a wire cup brush and it cleaned up real good. Did several ore after that. The flap wheel would be slightly more aggressive if needed. Flap wheels come in different grits. I don't think I would use a grinding wheel.
I cleaned one up with an angle grinder and a flapper disc. Gave the bottom and sides and nice smooth surface and then seasoned it. It works perfectly.
This is what I did. My wife had one she got from her aunt. She complained it was rough inside. I used an angle grinder with a wire cup brush and it cleaned up real good. Did several ore after that. The flap wheel would be slightly more aggressive if needed. Flap wheels come in different grits. I don't think I would use a grinding wheel.
