[Sca-cooks] Another cast iron question

[Daniel & Elizabeth Phelps]

Again, thanks Dragon!! The more detailed the answer, the happier I am. So, 
clean the rust off, paint the bottom, season the grill on top, probably 
don't worry too much about the inside except try to not let it get rusty 
again (said former friends who let it get rusty last time were far away in 
the other end of the kingdom and don't play in the SCA any more anyway). I 
think we can live with this.
Thanks so much to everyone who pitched in on this question-I really 
appreciate having the resources available to me, especially as I never know 
quite what the answer is going to be. (The electrochemistry experiment 
surprised me a bit, we still might do it that way just because it sounds so 
cool (;-) ) TTFN
Cheers from Hurricaneland,
Isabella de la Gryffin
Oldenfeld, Trimaris
Tallahassee, FL

Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.
Frank Zappa

To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like 
administering medicine to the dead.
Thomas Paine
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dragon" <dragon at crimson-dragon.com>
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2008 2:03 PM
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Another cast iron question


> Daniel & Elizabeth Phelps did speak thusly:
>
>>But I have another question about using edible oils to season the 
>>hibachi-it's not huge, I think it would probably fit in the oven, but what 
>>would keep the oil from going rancid? I don't think we'd be using it more 
>>than half a dozen times a year, outside of hurricane season and local SCA 
>>events.
>
> You don't just wipe the oil on, you heat it to the point it polymerizes. 
> That is what is happening to create that black sheen of the season on the 
> surface. Rancidity occurs because of oxidation of the oil, this is just 
> not possible with the polymerized fat because all of the weak molecular 
> bonds that would normally oxidize have been cross-linked to other fat 
> molecules and now form a very large network that is difficult to react 
> with oxygen.
>
>>So, still playing devil's advocate and asking questions, why would cast 
>>iron stove paint not be appropriate? It seems to me the usage of a cast 
>>iron hibachi is closer to a cast iron woodburning stove than a pan that 
>>you use every day.
>
> My hibachi is painted. It came that way from the factory and it has 
> remained well coated. I don't use it a lot and it really has not rusted in 
> the 18 months or so I have had it. I think it is a much better solution 
> than seasoning if you get a paint that is designed for such temperatures 
> (like the stove paint you mention or other "engine" paints).
>
> The problem with seasoning is that you will burn it off fairly quickly 
> anywhere the burning charcoal is near the iron. It cannot withstand the 
> temperatures of the direct contact.
>
> Dragon
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>  Venimus, Saltavimus, Bibimus (et naribus canium capti sumus)
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> _______________________________________________
> Sca-cooks mailing list
> Sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org
> http://lists.ansteorra.org/listinfo.cgi/sca-cooks-ansteorra.org