new Lodge Cast Iron pan rough surface

I brought a new Lodge Cast Iron fry pan a few weeks ago.
The surface is rough and I am thinking of removing the seasoning and giving it a good sanding.
What do you guys recommend. Leave it and build the seasoning up to smooth it out? Sand it smooth or semi smooth, then give it a new season?

I would just use it, great pan.

If you want a smooth, buy a de Buyer mineral pan.

oldtrout said:

I would just use it, great pan.

If you want a smooth, buy a de Buyer mineral pan.

Click to expand...

I have used it a few times already with no stick issues. Compared it to a old unknown cast iron pan the smoothness is polls apart.
I treated myself to three de Buyer mineral pan a few Months ago, very nice pans.

Give the new pan some use over a few years and it will become smooth. Properly seasoned, the rough surface will not interfere with your cooking.

The brand new ones are a little rough. Give it a few rounds in a hot oven rubbed with a light layer of crisco. Then cook a ton of bacon on it.

I took a orbital sander to mine.

You can definitely sand it but I just used mine, a lot, and it got better with time. I like to make cornbread in new skillets to help the process along. But if you want smooth, look for used Wagners or Gridwolds but be prepared to pay for them. And no, mine are not for sale!

NO WAY..........DON"T SAND IT!!

Just season it a few times and it will smooth out fine.

Thanks guys. While I think that sanding it will be fine I am going to add some season and use. Will see what that does after all once sanded there is no going back.

I just picked a another new lodge fry pan today. No Crisco here in NZ that I can find so will use Beef Dripping. This has worked well for me in the past.
Will cooks some bacon in both for sure. Corn bread in the 10" but I think the 13" is too big for a corn bread unless I am having a lot of people over.

I've found some variation between pans. The first Lodge pan I purchased had what I then described as almost Velcro like hooks. I felt I had to sand them down . . . and I did. It is a delightful pan to use. The next pan I purchased worked well with the factory seasoning . . . no hooks, more like a pebble leather finish.

Alacrity59 said:

I've found some variation between pans. The first Lodge pan I purchased had what I then described as almost Velcro like hooks. I felt I had to sand them down . . . and I did. It is a delightful pan to use. The next pan I purchased worked well with the factory seasoning . . . no hooks, more like a pebble leather finish.

Click to expand...

I just compared my two pans, there is a difference for sure. The 10" is smoother than the 13".
The inside and outside are also a different texture. On both the outside is smoother then the inside, this is the same for both lids.
The jury is still out for sanding the 13" but the 10" looks good to go.

I often have bought Lodge seconds at their outlets. They usually have pits or are more rough. I never had a problem seasoning them.

Mikhail1 said:

But if you want smooth, look for used Wagners or Gridwolds but be prepared to pay for them. And no, mine are not for sale!

Click to expand...

Funny thing is a lodge cast iron pan here in NZ is not as cheap as in the USA due to shipping. If I get one from the US it is approx. $50 in shipping. So even if you double the buy price of the pan the cost to me does not go up that much.

What makes the Wagners or Gridwolds better than a lodge?

cleanshaved said:

Funny thing is a lodge cast iron pan here in NZ is not as cheap as in the USA due to shipping. If I get one from the US it is approx. $50 in shipping. So even if you double the buy price of the pan the cost to me does not go up that much.

What makes the Wagners or Gridwolds better than a lodge?

Click to expand...

They are just as expensive in Oz. I use a no name Chinese cast iron pan. It is possibly even rougher than a lodge, but it still seems to work fine.

Wagners and Griswalds are old vintage pans. It seems back in the day more time was spent smoothing the cooking surface during manufacture. Combine that with years of use, and some of them are positively glassy.

cleanshaved said:

Funny thing is a lodge cast iron pan here in NZ is not as cheap as in the USA due to shipping. If I get one from the US it is approx. $50 in shipping. So even if you double the buy price of the pan the cost to me does not go up that much.

What makes the Wagners or Gridwolds better than a lodge?

Click to expand...

It's like night and day. The vintage ones (there are other brands but Wagner and Griswold are the best known) are just better made. They surfaces are super smooth, if not damaged, and they also tend to be a lot lighter. I don't know the exact difference, but I've held one of each and I was amazed by how much heavier the lodge was. That might save you a bit in shipping, cone to think of it.

The hard part in buying vintage, is sources and quality. I've had good luck in the states with garage sales, but I've only found a few like this. Most people know cast iron is worth something. I got my first on eBay. There are tons there, so you just have to educate yourself a little on what to look for then wait for the right pan to come along. I got a pretty good deal on a Piqua Favorite brand. They aren't as well known as the Griswold so don't command the higher prices. I think I paid 15 before shipping. It did require some cleaning and seasoning, but that is half the fun

Mine was horrible, if you wiped it with a paper towel it would pull of all kinds of lint. Believe me I tried seasoning it smooth but had no luck.

the_ogre25 said:

Mine was horrible, if you wiped it with a paper towel it would pull of all kinds of lint. Believe me I tried seasoning it smooth but had no luck.

Click to expand...

There's an antique store in Ottawa (IL.) that has a bunch of CI at pretty good prices.

Been wanting to head that way to see the sights with the girlfriend. I have a few vintage pans in addition to the Lodge but always like looking through new areas.

Sanding the pan should not hurt it one bit- start with 80grit and work up to 220 or so, I sanded a steel pan once to 1200 grit almost a mirror thinking that it would be terrific.... I could not get even the seasoning to stick to it so I backed it down to 600 and all is well. I have seen some of those pans in the store and am horrified at what they are putting out.

If it isn't sticking you don't need to do anything other than keep using it