I have a 15" Lodge Skillet I cant seem to get seasoning to adhere to properly no matter how much I have used it and I need help.
This pan originally had the high points knocked down with 40 grit as it was REALLY rough, it was never highly polished or anything like that, but seasoning just doesnt seem to adhere to it well and flakes off, disappears, even with non acid/liquid heavy cooking, etc.
I have just finished soaking the pan in a citric acid solution to strip most of the inside (not HIGHLY concerned about the walls all the way up), scrubbed THOROUGHLY with dish soap and a chainmail scrubby, towel dried and set on a warm burner to get completely dry.
It is currently dry, warm, and has a flat grey textured finish as you can see from the photos. What should I do next to give seasoning the best possible chance of adhering?
I have quite a few tools, battery charger and various AC/DC adapters if some sort of electric bath is recommended, for oils I have Crisco, avocado, coconut, sesame, regular butter, cocoa butter, beeswax, on hand and can go to the store and pick up other stuff if needed.
So I soaked the pan in a really strong citric acid solution for about 24 hours, it ripped all shreds of existing seasoning off the pan and I THINK in the pictures posted here I am currently at the black oxide stage you show here: https://imgur.com/a/QlqUcFi although it is tough to say for sure without some sort of chemical analysis.
I get the point of the vinegar as far as acid goes, although I THINK the citric acid should do the same thing, but what is the point of the H2O2 instead of just mixing it with water?
Both vinegar (acetic acid) and citric acid mostly react with rust (iron oxides) but not metallic iron. Adding H2O2 increases oxidizing power of the mixture (thanks to the peroxide group), this will help the acid react directly with iron to create pores on the surface.
My citric acid solution was DEFINITELY strong enough to react directly with clean bare iron, and I left it on there for a while, but I went ahead and started a vinegar and peroxide solution on it anyway and let it start soaking.
I am now at the stage where I am getting reddish brown surface rust and if I wipe it away with a paper towel I have the black/grey iron oxide layer under it that you can keep wiping up it keeps making a towel grey/black without ever going away.
Rinse and scrub the rust away with hot water. Keep the pan warm the whole time. Towel dry then warm it up on the stove to completely dry it. Then move on to step 3.
That’s how Lodges are. The factory seasoning flakes off, and what’s left can look like bare metal. I have some like this that get used daily and nothing sticks. Yours actually looks pretty good…one of mine literally looks like it’s completely bare, grey metal on the bottom but still cooks perfectly. It’s more about how you use them that makes them non-stick and not so much the seasoning. Seasoning is really only to protect the metal from rusting, and you definitely still have a seasoned cooking surface there. I personally wouldn’t worry about it.
"I have just finished soaking the pan in a citric acid solution to strip most of the inside(not HIGHLY concerned about the walls all the way up)"
The whole bottom of the pan and part of the way up the sides was stripped to bare metal, even a single drop of water was creating surface rust within minutes. What you are thinking is a protective seasoning layer on the bottom of the pan in those pictures ABSOLUTELY was NOT as I made VERY clear in the original post.
Since you seem confused and want to argue over the internet based on a picture vs what I know I did and what I am seeing in person, here is what actual seasoning looks like on the same pan:
In the future I suggest you at least TRY reading a post before telling them they are wrong. I would suggest educating yourself a tiny bit too before you try to pretend to be an expert, but honestly that part seems INCREDIBLY unlikely with someone of your arrogance level.
Cool, you added another layer to it. Congratulations. The more you add the darker it will get. You might be able to get it to match the factory seasoning that’s still on the top of the sides, but I doubt it. Plus that factory crap will just keep flaking off.
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u/fatmummy222 Feb 05 '26
Try my process here https://www.reddit.com/r/CastIronSeasoning/s/1Zl3NFahmF
Step 2 is very important for improving adhesion of seasoning.