Cast iron smoothing

[wallawu 195]

This was on a Lodge 10". Pretty cool little project that may turn into Christmas presents for cast iron fans. I've seen a few videos and used an Avanti pro 4" grinder on my drill, then some Diablo sanding pads with the stickfast end. 40 grit then 60, 80, 120, 180, and 220. Took about 45 minutes for my first time. This thing is so much smoother. Considering I could do this to 2 others I could save a lot of money by grinding and polishing myself. If I can do it, anyone can. Excited to see how she cooks vs the others.

[wallawu 195]

By the way, for safety's sake I was wearing a respirator and the filters ended up a lot darker when I was done. A mask and glasses are required.

[Struja 47]

This looks amazing.  What prompted the need?  Did they rust or were they just rough to the touch?

[Tarnation 53]

2 minutes ago, Struja said:

This looks amazing.  What prompted the need?  Did they rust or were they just rough to the touch?

Brand new Lodge, at least their everyday cheaper offerings, are rough cast from the factory.  Polished and smooth cast iron is way more expensive do to the extra process.  I think Lodge's new Blacklock line is polished smooth, but I know stuff like Stargazer pans and there are a few other premium brands out there that have made lighter weight and polished cast iron.  That stuff gets pricey.  Supposedly a polished surface is even more nonstick.

[Struja 47]

That is great info.  Thank you.

 

I am not sure I am equipped to do this but now you have me intrigued.

[wallawu 195]

4 hours ago, Struja said:

That is great info.  Thank you.

 

I am not sure I am equipped to do this but now you have me intrigued.

 

They've always been rough.  I kept the one with a better seasoning on it as it is, and will compare the two as fairly as I can. If you have a corded drill you're halfway there. Then you get these:

 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Avanti-Pro-4-in-x-1-in-Non-Woven-Drill-Mount-Quick-Strip-Disc-PNW040100D01G/202830913?g_store=1401&mtc=Shopping-B-F_D25T-G-D25T-25_7_POWER_TOOL_ACCESSORIES-Multi-NA-Feed-LIA-NA-NA-PowerToolAccessories_LIA&cm_mmc=Shopping-B-F_D25T-G-D25T-25_7_POWER_TOOL_ACCESSORIES-Multi-NA-Feed-LIA-NA-NA-PowerToolAccessories_LIA-71700000043746545-58700004596952413-92700038656498262&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=Cj0KCQiAno_uBRC1ARIsAB496IVhupXQhDk1zooRBLVsYBTfYd67PQxuLzVRdWyOTdQAJaDEOSgTozgaAnVAEALw_wcB

 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Diablo-5-in-StickFast-Sanding-Disc-Kit-DCD050KITD01G/202830915?keyword=diablo+drill+sanding&searchtype=text&semanticToken=21300000111_201911071333061020048_xh4m+21300000111+>++cnn%3A{0%3A0}+cnr%3A{7%3A1}+cnd%3A{4%3A0}+cne%3A{8%3A0}+cnb%3A{0%3A0}+cns%3A{5%3A0}+cnx%3A{3%3A0}+st%3A{diablo+drill+sanding}%3Ast+oos%3A{0%3A1}+br%3A{diablo}%3Abr+pt%3A{drill}%3Apt+rt%3A{sanding}%3Art+dln%3A{552594}+qu%3A{diablo+drill+sanding}%3Aqu

 

The sanding bit comes with two 40s, two 80s and one 120. I got a 180 and a 220 on top of that. I'll try to remember to come back and let you know if it was worth the time.

[Struja 47]

I assume a cordless drill would be fine???

[wallawu 195]

31 minutes ago, Struja said:

I assume a cordless drill would be fine???

 

I found out it wasn't. You may have a big time drill, but mine got really hot and the battery quit on me about 10 minutes in. Had to pull out the corded one and let the battery cool a while before charging it. 

[Struja 47]

Hmmm.... not sure I have a "big time" anything!!! LOL

 

I have a fairly new Makita cordless with two lithium batteries.  I suppose I could give it a shot.  Only problem is if it doesn't work, I'm stuck (and I don't want to go buy a corded drill).  

[wallawu 195]

20 hours ago, Struja said:

Hmmm.... not sure I have a "big time" anything!!! LOL

 

I have a fairly new Makita cordless with two lithium batteries.  I suppose I could give it a shot.  Only problem is if it doesn't work, I'm stuck (and I don't want to go buy a corded drill).  

 

if you have a sander that will fit down in there you'd only need the drill for the grinder, which you'll have plenty of juice for.  I was already sanding when it died.

[KJTerp 99]

if i recall, a guy used to sell these on etsy and ebay, he would sand them down and reseason and sell, but then one day it was alllll gone, and i bet lodge sent him a CnD

[wallawu 195]

1 hour ago, KJTerp said:

if i recall, a guy used to sell these on etsy and ebay, he would sand them down and reseason and sell, but then one day it was alllll gone, and i bet lodge sent him a CnD

 

For as easy as it is, I could see someone selling them at farmer's markets and things like that.

 

It's coming along with the seasoning. Got one spot that was just a smidge too thick on one of the first ones, but I think it's just a cosmetic flaw. 

 

 

[Walrus 38]

I did this to my Lodge square 10-1/2", and it works sooo much better than the rough surface. I used a 120 grit flap disk in my angle grinder. It took a while, I should have started with a 40 then worked up, but it's what I had already.

[Chris Topher 332]

I'm a fan of lodge CI and have a bunch of different sized skillets, griddles, etc. Made in the US, by a family-owned company with lots of history, and fairly priced. What's not to like about Lodge?

 

I undertook a smoothing of a subset of them. I first tried the Avanti with a cordless drill. Even at high speed, it was pretty time intensive. I moved up to flap disks on my angle grinder. Like these https://www.homedepot.com/p/Diablo-4-1-2-in-40-Grit-Steel-Demon-Grinding-and-Polishing-Flap-Disc-with-Integrated-Speed-Hub-DCX045040B01F/301454111, but I'm not sure I started with 40-grit. It may have been 60 or 80. This knocked off most of the pebble-like surface.

 

But, man, angle grinders are powerful and can do real physical damage without careful attention. Mine, a Bosch, has a locking switch, which kind of scares me, because once it's running, it is screaming. I'd hate to have it locked in the "on" position and lose my grip or have it run away on me...

 

Anyway..., after this initial step (may have been 2 grits of the flap disk), I moved on to orbital sanding, moving up 2 or so grits. I don't think I got my to the smoothness that @wallawu show above but definitely drastically more smooth than factory.

 

Did this make a difference? I dunno. Part of me feels that that real difference is stripping the factory seasoning off to bring the pan back to bare metal and starting off with a solid foundation of seasoning. I've used Crisco, Crisbee, flax oil, vegetable oil, and avocado oil at various times with really keeping track of which might perform better. I'm interested to see @wallawu's comparison with the original as time progresses.

 

On seasoning, doing a little on-line research, there is so much material, a lot of it conflicting and, seemingly, a lot of pseudo-science. It's as much a rabbit whole as Kamado Guru...  (castironcollector.com is a pretty good site, but a rabbit hole. You've been duly warned!) If you think the KJ vs. BGE, Ford vs. Ferrari, Pats vs. Giants debates are heated, just wait until you hear the Griswold vs. Wagner, flax oil vs. Crisco debates 

 

I think, based on not a whole lot, is that use matters the most. Use will build up seasoning over time, improving non-stick properties, regardless of smoothness. Avoid the dishwasher and maybe some extremely acidic foods for extended periods of time. Soap is fine.

[wallawu 195]

I cooked bacon on it today because I'm an impatient person. It's a lot easier to clean, but I won't be using the chain metal to do it anymore. It scratched the seasoning. I'll be cooking fatty meats and oily foods exclusively for awhile. Nothing with tomatoes like @Chris Topher suggested with acidic foods. That'll be in the other one.