Can I safely remove the non-stick coating from cast iron?

[daniels]

I asked this on another forum and I'm getting some back-and-forth answers; some almost good and some not so good.

Has anyone successfully done this with a non-stick coating on a cast iron skillet?  The skillet is part of a set that I'd like to keep complete.  If I can remove all the non-stick material I'll season the cast iron and use it.

Anyone have a good process for this?  (I think I'll have better luck on this website for a good answer since several of the folks here seem to be DIY'ers and more mechanically inclined, e.g., building smokers and such.)

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Well not knowing what the surface coating is makes it hard to say what the safest way to remove it would be. Wire wheel? Light a bid fire and throw the pan in the fire and cover with hot coals for a hour or two. Sandblast?

 

[daniels]

Finally, someone who thinks along the lines that I do.

In addition to your list I was also pondering the use of Easy Off.

I have an angle grinder.  I can put a cup brush on that and get most of the material off.  I thought about using a charcoal grill to burn out the remainder of stuff in the cast iron's pores.  Seems like it should be thorough.

I'd like to hear from someone that did this 5 years ago, uses the pan multiple times a day, and hasn't developed any health problems from it.

 

[padronman]

Be careful......non-stick coating is poisonous at high heat as it gives off it's fumes.  My question would be......why not just buy a cast iron skillet and use it as such?  They are cheap.

Scott

 

[dirtsailor2003]

I'd do the grind, and then burn it good. Easy off may not remove the coating. I have been using my weed burner to clean up cast iron and it works great. You need a safe place to do it though. You could also try electrolysis, I know that paint will come off using this method, and the coating might also:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/61319/cast-iron-electrolysis-rust-removal

 

[diggingdogfarm]

If you're talking about removing seasoning...folks do that all the time...I've done it many many times.

http://www.panman.com/cleaning.html


~Martin

 

[daniels]

Scott,

I have another cast iron skillet about the same size so I'm good for cast iron but this one is part of a nice set of porcelain coated cookware.  I'd like to salvage it.

And yes, I'd heat it up to high temperatures outside.

Martin,

No, not removing the seasoning.  Removing a Teflon or Teflon-like substance.  There's a good cast iron skillet underneath that non-stick stuff.  I'd like to season it up and use it.

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Doesn't sound like a good idea to me.



~Martin

 

[daniels]

PadronMan,

Yeah, the electrolysis may remove the porcelain or enamel or whatever it's called.  I live in the country and have a safe location for a fire.  Instead of putting it in the charcoal grill I could build a fire.  Do you think the heat will hurt the porcelain/enamel?

 

[ak1]

I'm still not sure exactly what you are trying to accomplish? Are you trying to remove the porcelain coating from the inside so it's raw cast iron?

 

[diggingdogfarm]

He's trying to remove Teflon.
Not a good idea, Teflon by it's very nature doesn't adhere well, that's what makes Teflon Teflon....there are special treatments used to get the Teflon to adhere...you're not going to know exactly what you're dealing with and could run into trouble....a pan isn't worth the possible risk.


~Martin

 

[daniels]

AK1,

Each piece of the cast iron cookware set has a nice porcelain coating on the outside.  This skillet has a non-stick coating on the inside.  All of the other pieces are in very good shape.  Other than the non-stick coating the skillet is also in good shape.  It would be nice to remove the non-stick coating so the skillet is a better piece of cookware but I'm not certain that can be done safely so that's why I'm here.

 

[daniels]

Here's something I found: http://www.ehow.com/how_6971990_remove-teflon-coating.html

 

[oldschoolbbq]

Daniel , why screw-up a perfectly good coated pan , don't like the color , or is it scratched too bad to be useful

 If it is one of those French 'La C****** '  pans , send it to me and I'll use it , then you can go get a Lodge pan at the store...Better yet, many folks sell their old CI pan at garage sales. They may be a bit ruff , but that's an easy peasy fix... I find them all the time , and have gotten to choosing only the rare ones and re-conditioning them , and Jewing them down to a decent price

.

Later . . .

 

[daniels]

oldschoolbbq,

I really like the pan.  That's why I'm attempting to make it a usable skillet again.  All that scratched up coating inside needs to go.  The outside is still nice and, of course, matches the rest of the set.

I already have a well seasoned new Lodge of the same size.  I like it too!  I want my old set to be complete again but if it gets to be too much trouble I'm tossing it out.

I worked on it for a few minutes tonight.  The handle and fastening hardware are all in good shape but they were just a bit rusty.  A tap and die set with a bit of oil cleaned them up quite nicely.

Now if I can just clean off the old non-stick material.

 

[woodcutter]

I bought this Griswold for $10 thinking how nice the surface of the pan would be when I stripped it. I found out from some cast iron dealers (people who restore pans for a living) that porcelain can not be stripped from my pan.  I accidentally put a Griswold dutch oven cover in a lye tank because of ignorance and the lye only etched it. I took a SS wire wheel to it for a long time and did get some of the porcelain but really only lightly sanded the surface.

DSCN9609.JPG

• woodcutter
• Sep 19, 2014

DSCN9611.JPG

• woodcutter
• Sep 19, 2014

This pan is now my new chip pan in my smoker. If you figure out how to do it please let me know.

 

[mdboatbum]

@DanielS: I think, like others have said, you maybe fighting a losing battle. I'm baffled as to why anyone would think putting a nonstick coating on a cast iron skillet would be a good idea in the first place. Corporate brilliance at work again.

And @Oldschoolbbq:
I see you've taken the Joe Biden international relations course. Nice.

 

[daniels]

Mdboatbum,

Yeah, I don't know why anyone would make one like that and I don't know why anyone (my wife) would buy one like that.  I wanted the cast iron cooking surface but got vetoed ... again.

The typical enameled cast iron skillet isn't cheap but the non-stick surface, IMHO, makes such a skillet a cheap disposable skillet.  The non-stick coating is the weak link and it's a very weak link.

The sauce pans and dutch oven in the set all have the matching porcelain inside and outside.  Nice!

I've never felt comfortable with non-stick surfaces.  I use them correctly but I don't like the idea of cooking on chemicals of that sort.  I prefer a well seasoned cast iron skillet to fry on.  The porcelain in the sauce pans and dutch oven should be inert when it comes to cooking so that's fine too.

 

[woodcutter]

I would watch e-bay and try to pick up a replacement to keep your set complete. It might take a little time but you will find one.