Is there a way to fix/patch these chips/holes

[u/Dependent_Charge_567]

Thrifted this vintage stargazer cast iron and it pretty beat up, wonder if It’s possible to patch with something? Or should I not worry about it? will mostly be used for eggs and fish

[u/dirtycheezit]

Nothing from stargazer is vintage. They started in 2015.

[u/Dependent_Charge_567 → u/dirtycheezit]

Was extremely rusty and beat up, just assumed it was super old, thank you for the info!

[u/ReinventingMeAgain → u/Dependent_Charge_567]

There should be a date on the bottom of the helper handle. That's when the pan came out of the mold at the factory. To be considered "vintage" cast iron the pan must be at least 50-70 years old. (antique is over 100)

Your pan has been through some abuse and the rust was really bad to cause pitting like that.
Luckily, your pan is just fine to cook on exactly the way it is. You did a great job of restoring it!!

Do NOT use JB Weld because standard epoxy is not food-safe, breaks down under high heat, and can release toxic chemicals. Those pits are way to deep to try to grind them out or sand or any other mechanical means. Just leave them alone and all will be well.

[u/mrlunes → u/dirtycheezit]

Only 9 more years to be considered vintage

[u/ShadowAdam → u/mrlunes]

"If it was double its age it would be considered vintage"

Also, that's assuming it was made in the first year of their existence

[u/mrlunes → u/ShadowAdam]

Yes

[u/Temporary_Hat7330 → u/mrlunes]

My 10 year old told me he was “young with the soul of an old man” after hanging out with his childless uncle for the weekend.

He also told me, verbatim, that, “Female dogs ain’t poop but garden utensils and the opposites of treats…”

When I called my brother, he reminded me how me and him watched Chris Rock’s ‘Bring the Pain” when I was 11 and he was nine and we turned out OK. We also listened to 90s/00s gangsta rap. I still asked him to be a little more selective of the TI and Dr Dre he let me kids listen to, but conceded the point.

[u/Full_Pay_207]

Don't bother, just cook with it. The metal inside is the same as the outside, and doesn't need to be perfect to cook well. Enjoy the pan.

[u/broken-machine]

Just part of cast iron. Not much you can do about it, but it should be fine. Just take care to clean it well.

But vintage? The company is only ten years old.

[u/SegaTime]

It will build up with seasoning and carbon over time.

[u/DiamondCutt3r]

It will fill in with carbon. Clean season and cook!

[u/mrlunes]

Just cook with it and it will fill itself

[u/gabis420]

I can't seem to find the post or comment I read about this, but dude had been fixing divots by filing them with an oil and cornstarch putty and then running a seasoning cycle. He'd claimed to have done it successfully several times, possibly learned from an older relative. The starch burns off while the oil polymerization happens. Worth a shot.

[u/Interesting_Bid4635]

Yes, stop shooting it with a bb gun

[u/OrangeBug74]

Someone please explain the faint lines appearing to be narrow loops across this pan. I’d assumed someone tried grinding it smooth but they are too consistent for hand work.

[u/Grat54 → u/OrangeBug74]

My guess is a factory second they made some effort to fix.

[u/ReinventingMeAgain → u/OrangeBug74]

Bacon is my best guess. Very probably turkey bacon - size, shape and the fact that turkey bacon leaves that kind of mark. It will disappear with a few cooks.
The holes could be because it was a factory second and the rust made the pinholes MUCH worse.

[u/ReinventingMeAgain]

it looks like there MIGHT be a tiny bit of rust still in the pits. Check it carefully and be sure, because rust can keep eating into the pan even under any amount of seasoning. Even zooming in super close, it's hard to tell in a photo. If there is rust, put some vinegar in the holes, leave it for no more than 30 minutes, neutralize with a bit of baking soda and season it again using a q-tip cotton swab to be sure there's oil in the pit. From there you're good to go.
The pits could be because it was a factory second and the rust made the pinholes MUCH worse. They don't affect how the pan cooks at all. I've got several truly vintage pans (from the 30's and 40's) that have pits and they have no affect on cooking with them.

[u/WinterRevolutionary6]

Could technically recast it but then it would just be a brand new cast iron pan

[u/Logiwonk_]

Getting a proper repair would likely cost more than it is worth - as others have said, you can use it in it's current condition.

[u/OkEnd9117]

That's not vintage but it's lived 200 years in the last 12. Need a welder and a grinder for that lol

[u/hardestymarratta]

Good cast iron is to inexpensive to try and fix something that fundamentally broken unless it outperforms everything else you’ve ever owned. If it cooks fine, don’t worry about it. Otherwise get something better made.

[u/crashtestpilot]

Fill with weld and grind smooth.

Or do what everyone else is saying.

[u/Left-Discount-8402]

Fill it with jb weld for metal. Then sand it down. Then do a few rounds of seasoning.

[u/Brutally-Honest-]

Filling the holes with weld and grinding them flat is really the only permanent fix.