Cast Iron Resotration

In the last year, I've tried my hand at restoring some cast iron cookware. I soaked in oven cleaner, then in vinegar, then reseasoned the pans. I had great success and I now have several frying pans, a griddle and a crispy-corn-stick pan that look like new.

But being a pagan spirit, I've always had a certain draw to the cauldron. It represents the community pot from which the tribe is fed. I is a doorway for Shamans to enter into the dream world. It is a well of clean water refreshing the body and the soul.

From time to time, I check sales sites online to see if I can find cast iron pots from last century that are within driving distance. Cast Iron is far too expensive to ship if it is a large piece. When I find one that has less than a modest amount of rust, I consider the purchase.

Recently, I decided to purchase a large cauldron for myself to experiment with electrolysis removal of cast iron rust. I got most of my information here: http://www.gcica.org/ElectrolysisMethodbyJohnBelden.htm. I didn't use a large metal pot as my anode, I just used a plastic tub and surrounded the cast iron with lengths of rebar wired together. One just has to make sure the anode doesn't touch the cast iron. I bought a 10 amp battery charger (manual, not automatic) and fired up the system.

Here are some before and after photos of the cast iron.

The dark coating on the finished pot is not paint, it is seasoning. I seasoned the pot using coconut oil (the pot barely fit inside my oven).

Though I'm very happy with the results, I found that there were several things I could have done to make the results even better. I could have invested in a larger piece of metal for my anode because more surface area on the anode makes the process much faster. I really wanted a larger tub to give me more flexibility with the arrangement of anode and cathode, but I had to work with what the stores could provide. I could have bought a stronger battery charger; mine delivered a max of 10 amps, but at least 40 or more would have made the removal of rust faster and more thorough. I also found that I needed smaller wire brushes than I had to get into all of the tiny corners. This cauldron is not being used for cooking, only for spiritual use, so this is a great improvement, but one day I may strip it and rework the whole thing again.