This is an article about rust removal for cast iron by my friend Dave Herzog.

He wrote this for one of the Yahoo groups about Dutch oven cooking. It is a unique way of removing rust!

Cast iron rust removal by NorCalDutchOvenDave

Coleen Sloan taught me how to remove rust from cast iron with a couple of household items and the method is not toxic in any way. I have used this method many times with great success and for heavy rust I just let the iron soak two to three days instead of over night.

You need to gather the following items together:

• 1 to 2 gallons apple cider vinegar (not apple cider flavored vinegar) super important.
• a large non reactive (plastic preferred) tub.
• enough alfalfa hay or pellets to completely cover the cast iron.
• enough hot water (120 degrees or hotter) to cover the cast iron by at least 1″ over the top.
• I use an S.O.S. Pad for lighter rust and a wire wheel or brush for heavier rust

Take the wire wheel brush for heavy rust or use an S.O.S. Pad and hot water for lighter rust and scrub or brush the pot to remove rust chips, heavy or loose rust and rinse with hot water and dry in a 225 degree oven for 30 minutes. This helps in the total removal of rust and sometimes even determines if you need to soak the cast iron or not. When the cast iron dries, you may notice a light orange dust covering the surface. This is normal and ok. If all you have left is the orange dust and no remaining rust deposits or bright orange spots, go ahead and season your cast iron and use it. If you have rust remaining in the form of brighter orange spots etc. Then proceed to the remaining steps.

Please note: alfalfa cubes or pellets will expand in volume anywhere from 4 to 8 times so you do not need to completely cover a piece with cubes or pellets. Try rehydrating cubes or pellets with warm water for 30 minutes prior to soaking.

Place a 1″ layer of alfalfa on the bottom of the large plastic tub then place the cast iron on top of the alfalfa layer. Fill the tub and interior of the cast iron with alfalfa and cover 1 to 2″ over the top of the cast iron.

Add a solution of 3 parts of hot water and 1 part of apple cider vinegar to completely cover the cast iron 3:1 I like to boil the water but you need to be careful with the hot water when pouring into the tub. You can use hot tap water that is over 120 degrees F.

Let this solution soak over night for lighter rust and 2 to 3 days for heavy rust. Remove the cast iron from the solution and rinse the cast iron with cold water to remove the alfalfa. Scrub with an S.O.S. Pad in hot water and rinse with very hot water. Place the cast iron into a 225 degree preheated oven for 30 minutes to dry the cast iron completely. To season increase the temperature to 500 and proceed with the seasoning process at 500 degrees.

On the note of electrolysis for rust removal go to this link:

http://www.wag-society.org/Electrolysis/electros.php

This is where you can get the best description of a set up and how to do it.

You can also go to http://www.idos.org and click on the electrolysis link there for more info and great pictures.

Dave Herzog

Thanks Dave for sharing this with everyone!!