Okay, so this was a bit waste of time imo. I got hyped after I bought my first Griswold skillet. So I decided to try and save money by buying a dutch oven that hasn't been restored and try to do it myself.

I think I just bought the wrong one. This one is so greasy and rancid smelling, I underestimate the amount of rust and pitting that's hidden underneath.
There's an extra cost in finding the right manual car charger to do the electrolysis. Some of them have manual settings, but won't turn on unless it detect the battery. It took three tries and the only one I found working are those cheap float chargers. It works, only problem is it only output half an Amp. So I don't know if that's much less effective in removing rust compared to typical recommended 2Amp. I had to give it 5 days to be sure, switching sides of the pan in between.
Every though there's a lot of rust removed, it wasn't enough. I really don't want to use lye. I gave it an overnight vinegar soaking. After that, most of the rust are easily removed with a copper scrubber and baking soda.
But I can't seem to remove the rust from underneath the lid no matter how hard I try. I even used a wire brush drill head to no avail. At this point, I gave up on the this lid, I'll do a bit more electrolysis, and then longer vinegar soaking. Didn't want to damage the iron in vinegar too long, but at this point I don't care. Prefer to not use lye, or other harsh chemicals since I want to cook with it.
As for the pan, it's good enough now for seasoning, but there's a lot of pitting on the inside. It'll be usable, but not exactly a show piece.

I wouldn't be so bothered if this was the summer so I can do this outdoor, but since it's freezing outside, doing this in the garage it's just a pain. I rather just pay full price for a fully restored one at this point. Without the issue with the rust underneath the lid, I think this would have been a better success story.

There's a product called CLR (for Calcium, Lime, & Rust)- I don't know if it would help or not. You don't have anything to lose by trying it.

Thanks, I'll see if I can pick it up at the hardware store.

Lye is one of the least harmful chemicals you can use.
If you eat corn tortillas /chips or hominy you have eaten food that has been soaked in the same type of chemical.
Very water soluble.
If it were me I would spray the lid with easy off and let it sit.

Not trying to push lye on anyone.
I my opinion a good blasting cabinet would be the best choice.
The things would come out looking brand new.

that turned out really nice.

It does look nice.
I can't find stuff like that here to save my life.
Just cheap wore out aluminum junk.

Gave it a couple layers of seasoning. It's usable, but with the pitting it's not much smoother than your typical Lodge. I guess it's not too bad considering those new Le Creuset dutch oven are close to $300. I would like to find another one that is smaller. This was the first one I bought that's already restored, just gave it more seasoning.

Beautiful!

It looks great. You did a fantastic job.

Nice adventure!

Very nice.

After continual use and seasoning, the pitting is shallower and less noticeable. It's really nice to cook with.

Awesome!!! She sure am Purty too!!!
It won't be worth 1K but it'll cook like a dream. At the least it has 'character' and you have a story to tell, at best everyone loves the food and that's all that matters.

Nice. My skillets were found junking in Germany, they were durn near brand new didn't even have a CRUST or even a sign of seasoning but they were rusty. They got stuck in a trash bag with ammonia for about a week. They ere nice and clean and rust free when we took them out. That was umm almost 50 years ago... they are still very nice skillets but do have a nice seasoning and signs of being used and loved now.

Decided to polish out my Lodge cast-iron round griddle skillet.

It's in the oven getting seasoned as we speak.
If anyone is considering this do not wash it because it will rust like no tomorrow.
Just keep whiping with oil till the carbon is gone.
Not like its any big deal you're putting carbon back on it anyway when you season it.
The black powder from machining cast is practically pure carbon.
And the reason you never use a cutting oil on it.
Makes a horrible mess.
Cast is self lubricating from the carbon graphite.

The right angle grinder you see in the picture cost something like 25 dollars.
I got it with a company Christmas gift certificate for home depot close to 20 years ago and I added the extra.
It is a Milwaukee made in the USA not China.
It has ran its tail off on many projects.

Skillet Skillet on the wall who's the fairest of them all?

Skillet passed the egg test.