Pressure washing cast iron cookware

[cgcwmec627]

I recently obtained a few used pieces of cast iron cookware,skillets and plain Dutch ovens,and I want to start all over again new with them.
I already tested for lead and they are negative.I want to get them down to bare iron.Ive used easy off and vinegar baths but I still have remnants of previous seasoning and such,I want to completely clean them and start anew as I said earlier.
I have a pressure washer and thought it would be a time saver to accomplish that goal.
My websearches have turned up everything from,"Sure,whatever dude",to"No,it will collapse into a black hole!"
Maybe not quite so dramatic but I think you get the idea.
Has anyone done this?
I'll most likely try one piece either way but thought I'd ask to see if there is a right way or wrong way to do it.

 

[homebrewed]

Based on my experience with refurbishing an old cast-iron pan, you'd be better off either sandblasting it or using a wire wheel on your angle grinder. I did the latter, and it took awhile to get all the old baked-on seasoning off.

I have read accounts of folks putting cast-iron pans in a self-cleaning oven and running a cleaning cycle but, lacking a self-cleaning oven, went with the wire wheel. It worked fine although it took a lot of elbow grease.

The pan now is in the cupboard, keeping my Wagner CI pan company. It's a Griswold so definitely worth refurbishing.

 

[Boswell]

I used my Sandblaster a while back with I wanted to clean up an old rusted beat up cast iron skillet. Worked great.

 

[benmychree]

I have used a sandblaster/bead blaaster and it worked fine.

 

[mmcmdl]

Another vote for the bead blaster .

 

[pdentrem]

Lye bath in plastic tank will do the trick. Easy Off looks as well. I have been buying old iron over the last year, to get away from teflon.

Chris has many videos on cleaning and restoring.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=chris.+cast+iron

 

[Nutfarmer]

Throw in the fire. The heat will burn off all the grease and gunk. Afterwords it is easy to clean up and reseason with cooking oil. This is the way my grandmother did it. I am not one to argue with what works or my grandmother. They use heat now days to clean engine blocks. Seeing that the hot tank of lye can’t be used anymore

 

[westerner]

Throw in the fire

Yup.

 

[ltlvt]

Throw in the fire. The heat will burn off all the grease and gunk. Afterwords it is easy to clean up and reseason with cooking oil. This is the way my grandmother did it. I am not one to argue with what works or my grandmother. They use heat now days to clean engine blocks. Seeing that the hot tank of lye can’t be used anymore

The heat is followed by tumbling in steel shot

 

[sdelivery]

If you throw it in a hot enough fire for a little while you won't need to blast it or use any cleaners or chemicals.
I take old cast iron pans I am trying to save and throw them on the bonfire until they have a slight glow of gray/ red, wire wheel with a brass wire brush and return to fire.