[NJ Rich]

I have painted cast iron Dutch Oven. I doesn't appear to have much paint on it and it is in great shape. I have been all over the web and didn't find an answer.

I see: electrolysis; vinegars; fire; gas grill and oven cleaning cycles and lye used to clean rusted cast iron. But no one addresses cleaning a painted Dutch Oven.

Do you think one of the cleaning methods mentioned would make the oven usable again? :shrug:

Thanks, NJ Rich

 

[FireMaker]

Put it in a fire pit, build a nice fire and let it slowly get hot. Let it burn off the paint. What's left can be taken off with a wire brush.
As long as you have a fire cook some wieners. Let the fire go down slow. When cool take it out and wash it good.

Set the Dutch on your stove top and heat it on low. Rub it with beeswax inside and out. This is much easier than oil and oven.

 

[NJ Rich]

Thank you FireMaker.

Just so happens my two grand daughters are staying over for the weekend.
Weather permitting we will have a fire in the half barrel and hot dogs and marshmallows.... LOL

I have nothing to lose about the cast iron. I have three more plus two Camp Dutch Ovens. I never pass up a good buy. I have never paid more than $5.00 for any piece of cast iron. Last count i think I have 9 skillets and two griddles. My wife won't make certain dishes in anything else....... I am at the point not not telling her I have "another piece of cast iron cookware....." LOL :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

 

[TraciInTexas]

If you have it, MEK removes practically everything... Just don't use it if you want to spawn again without being very careful.
Being old, I use MEK freely.

 

[Sawmill Jim]

Sand blaster :thumb:

 

[fordson major]

not a sand blaster!! opens up the cast and hard to season! are you sure its just painted and not enameled? you do not want to remove the enamel!!

 

[Wingdo]

My grandparents restored a few of these old stoves when I was a boy. The fire method works well. Afterwards, it was treated with a substance called 'stove-black' which is a mixture of kerosene and soot. After building a few fires in the stove, they would then treat it again and it pretty much looked good as new. I don't know if there's a modern day equivalent of stove-black but I wouldn't buy it anyway.

 

[OffGridCooker]

not a sand blaster!! opens up the cast and hard to season !!

You just answered my question before I had a chance to ask it.
If not sandblasting,
How well does a flap disc on a hand grinder work to clean up cast iron?

 

[beowoulf90]

We have used a wire wheel and then re-seasoned the cast iron. Watch though, some of it is made in China and of very poor quality.

 

[NJ Rich]

I thank everyone for replying.

I went on the www.youtube web and asked cast iron questions. There is so much info there i would need more hours than i have to read or look at them. I had my wife watch one about using the "self cleaning" method for the oven and she watched at and we did three skillets today.

Back to my painted Stove Top Dutch Oven". I went into the garage where it was stored for two years. It was rusted but the rust was underneath the paint. Most of the paint was lifted off the cast iron. :dance:

Now I will use the fire wood method to clean the oven. DW was not happy with the "smell" from the three skillets in the oven. She didn't turn the exhaust fan on high when this stared. LOL :face palm: :smack

 

[NJ Rich]

Using the "self cleaning oven method i resurrected two skillets. The skillets came out great. DW was very pleased. :happy:

The "painted Dutch Oven" had rusted under the paint. I used the propane grill to heat it up and a Makita side grinder with wire brush to remove rust and paint. Unforntunatly the bottom of the Dutch Oven was rusted badly. I could use it to do stews or soups but not much more than that. Hey, I lost two dollars from my pocket. LOL

Thank you all for your help. NJ Rich :buds: