Author Topic: Pics of a lye bath in action (Read 8294 times)

Lewis Downey · « **on:** February 12, 2015, 09:39:06 PM »

I recently set up my first ever lye bath and put a piece of ci in it. I was not expecting to see much action but within a few seconds stuff started falling off of the skillet. So I grabbed a camera and took numerous pictures over the first hour and a few more over the next five hours.

The pictures are assembled into a document here
https://lewisland.bffcommerce.com/page?name=lye+bath+pictures

The material that came off of the ci made swirling patterns in the water. The pictures attached to this post show some of the activity that took place in the first hour. The first pic is about 3 minutes in. The second one is about 10 minutes into the soak, and the third one is about 1 hour into the soak.

Mark Zizzi · « **Reply #1 on:** February 13, 2015, 05:20:54 AM »

Very interesting Lewis. Man that is one crusty pan! What was your water/lye ratio?

Lewis Downey · « **Reply #2 on:** February 13, 2015, 09:00:01 AM »

Mark,

The bath was mixed to approximately a 5% solution by weight -- 4 pounds of lye added to just over 9 U.S. gallons of water.

It was a crusty pan and now it's a little bit of a problem child. After more than a week in the lye bath (with a few scrubbing events) it was looking pretty good - maybe not perfect but pretty darn good. It spent a couple of days in the electro, then back into the LB so the electro could work its magic on a friend's mother's skillet. After a couple of days of additional LB the crusty child went back in the electro for another 24 hours. Last night I decided it looked good enough to season.

It was scrubbed down and placed in a 200° oven for about 45 mins, the temp was upped to 350° for a while (maybe 30 mins) then to 500° for another half hour or so. I sprayed the skillet with Pam and wiped dry as best I could. I qualify the drying because the skillet is massive and holds a lot of heat. I cannot handle it for long. Anyway, since it was close to dry, it into the oven for 15 minutes then came out for another round of drying then back into the oven. After a total of 45 minutes or more I turned the oven off and went to bed thinking I would add a second coat of seasoning today. It smoked like crazy when the Pam was sprayed on and when I opened the oven door to dry it a second time.

When I woke up this morning the pan had developed some rust on top of the seasoning on the cooking surface. The rust is a little bit subtle. I had to take the pan out into the sunlight to be sure. But it's there.

I guess I'll start from scratch; are there other good options?

Lewis Downey · « **Reply #3 on:** February 13, 2015, 09:11:08 AM »

Here are pictures -- the pan less than 10 seconds out of the electro and this morning after one round of seasoning.

Mark Zizzi · « **Reply #4 on:** February 13, 2015, 11:20:21 AM »

I don't know how you can get rust on top of the seasoning without it coming from underneath. That old girl is pretty pitted..maybe the rust ran pretty deep..I'd try more electro.

Jeff Friend · « **Reply #5 on:** February 13, 2015, 11:23:34 AM »

Lewis,

While you were applying the PAM, did your rag or paper towel get a black residue on it? A red residue? Or just the excess PAM?

Jeff

Lewis Downey · « **Reply #6 on:** February 13, 2015, 12:06:11 PM »

The electro should be free again within a couple of weeks, I'll toss it back in.

The drying towels did not show any red color. Maybe a bit of brown when there was liquid Pam in the skillet but after that the paper towels showed a dark gray color.

Did I blunder by using a metal brush (hand powered not on a drill) to help the lye bath along? I focused the brush more on the inside and bottom of the skillet than the outside. The handle is not showing any rust. Neither is the inside skillet wall near the handle -- that was an area I scrubbed less initially. Every day or two in the LB I brought the skillet out and hit it with hot water, a SS scrubbie, and a metal brush. Toward the end I only used the scrubbie.

Russell Ware · « **Reply #7 on:** February 13, 2015, 01:05:08 PM »

Lewis, looking at your full-sunlight photo, the pan looks like it may have been overheated at some point in its life. If that is true, it will not season well, and it will not turn a uniform black. Fire damaged cast iron will have a reddish, blotchy appearance. If you do not see or rub off any rust, this could be the case.
Keep in mind that a well pitted piece, especially if on the cooking surface, will be tricky to run through the electro. The pits do not give that straight line of sight from anode to cathode the set up needs to function well.

Lewis Downey · « **Reply #8 on:** February 13, 2015, 02:06:06 PM »

Russel, It's easy to imagine the pan sitting in a campfire with coals piled up everywhere except the area of the handle. That pattern also fits the pattern of rust.

On the other hand, the skillet didn't seem reddish or blotchy to me. It did seem extraordinarily rusty. Right now the bottom has a little bit of rust where the legs meet the skillet but nothing like thecooking surface.

I've attached pictures of the piece before it suffered the lye bath. Does it look fire damaged?

James Wilson · « **Reply #9 on:** February 13, 2015, 05:45:06 PM »

To remove the deep oxide from over/extended heating use diluted phosphoric acid.
Use caution. Pour a small amount on and agitate with a short bristle s/s brush, wipe off and inspect then apply again etc etc. Eventually the oxide will be completely drawn out and you can proceed with the electrolysis.
This is the process I use and it works, guaranteed.

The skillet in the image was well burnt with deep oxide when I received it. You can still see the faintest remnant of that oxide. This result is what came of using the process I described.

Russell Ware · « **Reply #10 on:** February 13, 2015, 08:01:18 PM »

Lewis, that is one rusty pan to begin with. I would call that one a "project piece." Give it some more electro as you have time too, but don't hold high hopes for it.

James, there is no acid that will help a truly fire damaged piece of cast iron. Take a look at the Fire Damaged Iron sticky thread at the top of the cleaning section for examples. The high heat of fire exposure permanently alters and scars the iron. No amount of "cleaning" will help. It will not season normally.

James Wilson · « **Reply #11 on:** February 13, 2015, 11:33:40 PM »

The overheated/burnt/incinerated cast iron problem is a relative thing and in particular cases you are correct Russell :).
From where I am and based on what I have recovered, that pan of Lewis's looks salvageable to me.

Quote

James, there is no acid that will help a truly fire damaged piece of cast iron. Take a look at the Fire Damaged Iron sticky thread at the top of the cleaning section for examples. The high heat of fire exposure permanently alters and scars the iron. No amount of "cleaning" will help. It will not season normally.

Mark Zizzi · « **Reply #12 on:** February 14, 2015, 11:30:05 AM »

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Did I blunder by using a metal brush (hand powered not on a drill) to help the lye bath along?

Not in my opinion, as long as it isn't brass. I use SS brushes quite often during the lye bath process for stubborn areas, pits, etc.

James Wilson · « **Reply #13 on:** February 14, 2015, 04:49:25 PM »

If the pan is not distorted Lewis (as in the 'sticky') and given what Russel has outlined about the interior surface, this is how I approach such items. I use this method on all camp ovens and deeper items.
The image I have provided is one way for pans. Use good sense when clamping. The timber is an insulator so don't worry about contact issues.
The wire from the interior anode is connected to the main anode of the electrolysis bath.

Maybe this will be of some assistance?

For C.Os I suspend the C.O by the 'ears' with chain link from a length of timber. A s/s (pot) anode bolted to the timber in such a way that it is suspended in the inside of the C.O.

The Etna images illustrate what can be achieved. Remember that the rust you see is larger in volume than the original metal; also it can be deeper than anticipated as this C.O was :'( ;)

Quote

Keep in mind that a well pitted piece, especially if on the cooking surface, will be tricky to run through the electro. The pits do not give that straight line of sight from anode to cathode the set up needs to function well.

Lewis Downey · « **Reply #14 on:** February 15, 2015, 02:37:00 PM »

Quote

Lewis, that is one rusty pan to begin with. I would call that one a "project piece." Give it some more electro as you have time too, but don't hold high hopes for it.

Russell,

I completely agree it is a project piece. My expectations are pretty low but my curiosity is medium high.

I wonder if the skillet was smooth when it was new of if it was always heavily textured. Clearly it is heavily textured now. I have a hard time imagining it as a good user even if it were to somehow end up perfectly cleaned and seasoned.

Mark Zizzi · « **Reply #15 on:** February 15, 2015, 02:57:29 PM »

Hate to say it, but if that was mine Lewis and I wanted to use it, I would sand the inside smooth, then re-season. Just a rare case where it would be justified, imo. It's not a valuable piece, not any more. What have you got to lose really.

Lewis Downey · « **Reply #16 on:** February 15, 2015, 03:26:43 PM »

Quote

If the pan is not distorted Lewis (as in the 'sticky') and given what Russel has outlined about the interior surface, this is how I approach such items. I use this method on all camp ovens and deeper items.
The image I have provided is one way for pans. Use good sense when clamping. The timber is an insulator so don't worry about contact issues.
The wire from the interior anode is connected to the main anode of the electrolysis bath.

James,

Ha! Finally I have a justification for keeping the 1/2" thick SS office chair bases. I can remove the base and cut the legs such that they will fit in a skillet with enough space to avoid arcing. If not for this skillet then maybe some other piece in the future.

Nice drawing -- very helpful.

Quote

The Etna images illustrate what can be achieved. Remember that the rust you see is larger in volume than the original metal

Thank you. Does the top picture (ETNA_interior.jpg) represent a before or after picture? If it is an after picture, the three-legged skillet currently looks about like that. If it is a before picture, do you have an after pic of the same skillet?

Lewis Downey · « **Reply #17 on:** February 15, 2015, 03:59:33 PM »

Quote

Hate to say it, but if that was mine Lewis and I wanted to use it, I would sand the inside smooth, then re-season. Just a rare case where it would be justified, imo. It's not a valuable piece, not any more. What have you got to lose really.

Mark,

Fair point! The main reasons I could see not to do it is are to preserve the original form and the value of the piece. Those qualities are already altered by decades of rust.

The skillet looks to be a good learning opportunity. I'll try several days in the electro, followed by phosphoric acid if necessary, and might move onto physical modification if all else fails. I love the form of it -- so direct and sensible. I have a another footed-skillet in better shape. It is bigger and has a hanging hole, but I prefer the form of this one.

It's not clear how much use it would see from us even if smooth and seasoned. We love to camp but normally forgo a campfire. No fireplace either.

Mark Zizzi · « **Reply #18 on:** February 15, 2015, 05:21:21 PM »

Will it span a burner on your stove? Hard to gauge the size of it. Of course it would have to be a gas stove.

Lewis Downey · « **Reply #19 on:** February 15, 2015, 11:45:59 PM »

Mark, it does fit over and through the grates on our range. The fit is awkward and once in place the pan is not very moveable.

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Author Topic: Pics of a lye bath in action (Read 8294 times)