Very Rusty Dutch Oven Restoration

[sweet_magnolia]

A friend gave me this old DO in January 2009 and I've just started trying to restore it. I don't know anyone with a bead blaster and I don't really care about even trying electrolysis. Anyway...I don't know who made it and couldn't see any marks on it when I got it. My friend and her husband bought an old farm 30 years ago and this was in the farmhouse. I really love it...I have never seen one like this. Here are some pics when I first received it. Check out the dimples on the outside...that is one reason why I really love it!



Inside and top of lid



Inside the pot...lots of rust, and yeah, that's a dead ladybug



The inside of the lid had a lot of rust build up...it was worse than the pot.





Bottom of the pot



So last week I let it soak in some water for about an hour and then started scrubbing with steel wool and soap. It cleaned up a little better than I thought. Here are pics after the 1st scrub.





Didn't really get too much off the inside of the lid, but enough where I could see the marking "88C". Anyone familiar with that???? I also found the same marking on the bottom of the pot that I had not seen before either.



So tonight after work, I let it soak in water and vinegar for about an hour and then scrubbed it again. Then I poured straight vinegar in the bowl of the lid and let it soak for a while and scrubbed again. I am very impressed with that. You can see a line where the vinegar stopped, and look at how much rust it helped take off after 2 more scrubbings.



This is the mark I uncovered.





OK, so what do y'all think I should do next? I thinking about trying more vinegar covering the entire DO or giving RowdyRays Draino method a try. What do y'all think? It's already looking better than I thought it ever would.

Thanks!

[THE ICEMAN]

Looks like most of the job is done. I would scrub it one last time with some vegetable oil & granulated salt. Then wipe it out & season as usual.

[Fishawn]

Very cool Becky. One my wifes relatives brought a cast iron pot kinda like that to a recent family party with a roast he cooked. He bought it new in the 60's. I really wanted to offer him some money for it

Good luck on yo resto

[Texas-Hunter]

That is made by Chicago Hardware Foundry.. (CHF) they made the fully hammered pots and skillets..

[sweet_magnolia]

Looks like most of the job is done. I would scrub it one last time with some vegetable oil & granulated salt. Then wipe it out & season as usual.

I hope one more time is all it takes...I'm about out of elbow grease.

Good luck on yo resto

Thanks for the luck...I need it.

That is made by Chicago Hardware Foundry.. (CHF) they made the fully hammered pots and skillets..

THANK YOU so much, TH! I have never heard of them and will definitely be doing some research.

[bigun94]

get ya little muratic acid at lowes.

wear gloves and work outside.

dilute it 10 parts with water roughly always add acid to water. then let it soak in that for 1/2 hr and rinse with cold water and coat with grease/lard immediately after drying it off after rinsing.

the acid will disolve the rust just the vinegar, acetic acid btw, but a helluva lot quicker.

[Bassman]

Nice score, Becky. When you get that seasoned, you're going to love it. I have two about that size (but not the hammered finish) that I use all the time.

[ptt49er]

Now who's flexing the chemistry degree? :-)

Awesome DO! I'm jealous!!

[aczeller]

very cool... I would have just hit it with the sandblaster and called it good before I seasoned it.

while looking for fishing stuff in my parents' garage last weekend, i found our old DO... I might have to creatively acquire it soon...

[Abelman]

Have you thought of putting it into the oven and then doing the self clean option on the oven?

I'd do that before anymore elbow grease. Works great for grill grates, why not that

[erain]

that is a great looking DO... an looks like you are doing a great job of getting it ready for seasoning. nothing else, season it and just a show piece. very cool, i love that old stuff too.

[SMOKE FREAK]

Cool pot...and great info...
I have a couple rusted pans that I brought home from my folks house...Need to get to work on them...

[smc51]

http://www.dutchovendude.com/default.shtml
Here is a site for Dutch oven users, lots of information here.
Perhaps information on restoring a dutch oven. HTH

[eDJ]

Re:

Any old rusty Iron I pick up at yard sales etc I take a cardboard box & line it with a plastic lawn and leaf bag and masking tape the sides to hold it up. Place the iron in it and pour two or three 3 liter bottles of cola beverage into it so the rust will be etched off by the carbolic acid in the beverage.

I get the soda at the Dollar Tree for a buck a bottle. When cleaned up rinse it off with water and dry with a towel. Then oil it and set it in the kitchen oven and repeat the process several times. Then they are back to black
and beautiful.

[sweet_magnolia]

I got to get back on this and finish because now, not only do I have one but I have TWO! I won one on ebay a couple months ago for $85.00...it is the one on the left in the picture and is marked with an "88C". So now, I have an 88A and 88C and I'm on the search for an 88B