Has anyone ever heard of/seasoned a woodstove the way you would season a cast iron pan?
I ask because what looks better than a well seasoned cast iron pan and since I am just lighting the second fire in our Morso 3610 I wonder if anyone has done this?

I am considering it one way or the other but am looking for input on this subject, thanks

Not exactly.  The pan I seasoned by smearing grease all over it and putting it in the oven at low heat all afternoon.  The woodstove I ‘seasoned’ by having a couple small fires.  Also handy in that if something broke/didn’t work, I didn;t have a raging infernao int here to deal with.  I’m pretty sure I don’t want to grease my stove…

Steve

Sounds like you may be mixing up “breaking-in” with seasoning. It’s recommended to have a few small fires, each slightly hotter than the previous, to break in cast iron stoves.  This is also a good idea if the stove has been idle for a long time, like over the summer.  A well-greased stove sounds like flame-bait. Literally.

I am speaking of putting a light coat of say a Canola oil on the entire surface of the outside of the stove to have it keep and maintain a nice dark finish (it would actually get darker as it seasons)

Exactly as you would a cast iron pan, I know someone has done it I just have to find them

I’m not so sure.  Surface temps on a wood stove will run higher than a cooking surface, and I think the canola will just smoke off.  In a worst case, I suppose you could have a grease fire on the outside of your stove.  Keep the ABC extinguisher handy.  Or just hit it with some stovepaint and call it a day…

Steve

Steve, the reason you season the unfinished inside surfaces of cast iron cookware with oil is so it doesn’t rust.  Your cast iron stove is painted with hi-temp rust inhibiting paint to perform that function: soaking the paint with oil and firing it up won’t improve anything, and will probably ruin the finish.

babalu87 - 23 November 2005 10:32 AM

I am speaking of putting a light coat of say a Canola oil on the entire surface of the outside of the stove to have it keep and maintain a nice dark finish (it would actually get darker as it seasons)

Exactly as you would a cast iron pan, I know someone has done it I just have to find them

Yeah, I undertand what you mean. I supose there might be a way of accomplishing what you want to do but I would not suggest you do it there in your living space. I have, in the past, used vegatable oil on a wood stove surface to help prevent rust in a highly humid space. It should be wiped off completely leaving only a very thin film and it should not be done on any painted surface. If you try this you will have to remove the paint first.

I think you might have better results with stove polish. It’s not as easy to find as stove paint but it does give it a more “seasoned” finish. It won’t be like the oil dark finish you speak of, it will need occasional mainenance to refresh the polish.

Let us know if you are successful. And be careful.

Sean