I scrapped off the build up on my cast iron pans--a project that took about a week to finish. I wish I had taken a picture of the pan before scrapping it down. The inside of the pan wasn't bad and in fact was seasoned nicely--it was the outside that was thick with about 40 years of bumpy black build up. This pan crossed the country with my husband and I way back when we traveled and camped our way from RI to CA. So here it is taken down to its raw metal.
and here it is after I seasoned it a second time in the oven. It's now ready to use--it will probably take awhile to build up the inside of the pan to the seasoned surface it once was.
I picked up the middle pan at a thrift store--that's what got me started on refinishing all of these. Turns out the thrift store pan does have a pitted area on the inside. I tried to sand it smooth, but it's still there--I'm hoping I can season it enough so that area isn't a problem. This project worked my hands sore!
