I had to store an antique cast-iron cookstove and was told to cover the surface with Vaseline to prevent rust. Well, it really did work in most places, but after 10 years in a dusty outbuilding it's a sticky mess. I'm preparing to sell the stove and am wondering how to clean off the grease without damaging the nice black patina underneath. I haven't tried anything yet; maybe hot soapy water will do it?? Also, for final polishing, should I use something like the Rutland stove polish/blacking mentioned in other posts?
How Do I Remove Greasy Protective Coating on Cast Iron Cookstove?
- Thread starter Nothing Like Wood
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I'd wipe it off as best as possible, then put on some temporary pipe outdoors and fire up the stove to burn off the remaining grease.
I never tried on ...fricken italics...I never tried on Vaseline, but in standard greasy stuff on shipped cast iron, I would do exactly what BG said. Burn it off after a wipe down. Once I used vinegar when I couldn't do a burn off. I wiped the bulks first, then vinegar. Seemed to work fine. Then I sprinkled some salt and pepper in the room so it smelled like Italian salad dressing.
The last part may or may not be 100% accurate.
The last part may or may not be 100% accurate.
I don't think I'll get it hooked up and run it because it's wedged into my barn where it's protected until I can sell it. The vinegar sounds like an option; at least it's nontoxic. I wonder about a "degreaser" from an autoparts store -- or might that be too caustic and strip it? I just need to make it look as nice as possible for pics that I'm sending out to buyers. If a dealer buys it, they'll know what to do. Thanks.
Mineral spirits will remove grease residue. Back in the day, kerosene. That's fine too, but smells.
No stove black on the machined polished top. It won't stick and makes a mess on pans...... That gets vegetable oil and seasons like a cast iron pan. That would have been the the thing to do when taking it out of service. Heavy coating of oil and smoke it off. Normal use is a very light coat. It browns and burns on and forms a coating after a few times. Lightly wipe with oil as it wears off in spots.
No stove black on the machined polished top. It won't stick and makes a mess on pans...... That gets vegetable oil and seasons like a cast iron pan. That would have been the the thing to do when taking it out of service. Heavy coating of oil and smoke it off. Normal use is a very light coat. It browns and burns on and forms a coating after a few times. Lightly wipe with oil as it wears off in spots.
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