Nancy, The absolute BEST way to clean old cast iron pans is with electrolysis. This is not a procedure for most people. The procedure can be obtained by a google search. There may be some shops in your area that use this technique of cleaning. People that are into restoring old automobiles, antiques, etc. often use this technique. Electrolytically cleaned cast iron pans will often look just like the day they were manufactured. Some of the better sellers of old cast iron on eBay use this process......."oldcatsiron" is one seller that comes to mind. Often these super-nice, great performing pans can be purchased at a great price. Regarding the cleaning of your pan with oven cleaner....it will eventually get all of the old seasoning off. Make sure to keep it wet with oven cleaner and let it sit a several days before washing it off. Soaking the pan in a lye bath will significantly speed up the cleaning process; however, that too is not a procedure for most people. Griswold and old Wagner cast iron pans are much superior to what is available today. I have written about this and the care & cleaning of cast iron in the thread that I have linked below. Dan Here is a link that might be useful: The Care and Cleaning of Cast Iron

Hi Robin, Just saw your posting and responses and wanted to add some info. American Brass & Iorn as noted used recycled iron in their foundry for years. This iron included old auto engines, transmission and differential cases, etc. that of course previously had oil in them. Todays American foundry practices do not use those types of reclaimed metals to manufacture food processing materials such as cast iron cookware to my knowledge. This is a hot and sensitive issue and current question and concern about imported cast iron especially from China. If your pan were mine I would be cautious of its use until the material content could be confirmed. AB&I also used different logos on the bottom of their pans. Most if not all pans were marked with the American Cookware logo. I had a pan and have seen others with a covered wagon on the bottom, and have seen boats and ships, all depicting americana. Your pan is unusual because of its size, large pans are hard to find. I also agree and disagree with the link to Old Jack's seasoning recipe and cleaning technique. I deal in cast iron on ebay and clean 200 or so pieces a year using the electrolysis method, fast, easy, efficient, and no posinous chemicals used. For more info on cast iron and use and cleaning I recommend the Wagner and Griswold Society or the Griswold and Cast Iron Cookware Association websites. Both sites have open forums and can be used by non members.

love2weed, I agree that the pan should be cleaned well first, then seasoned. I don't have a self cleaning oven, so that's out, but I have used spray on oven cleaner, put the pan in a garbage bag and left it overnight. Then you have a clean pan and you can start from scratch with seasoning. I also use shortening to season cast iron, some oils seem to get rancid to me. I rub all over, inside and out and put the pan in the oven upside down with foil under it to catch any drips. 350 for a couple of hours (maybe 3 or 4 if I forget), or 400 for an hour or so will start it off nicely. The very best seasoning method I've found is making french fries. Heat the oil hot enough to fry the potatoes and make a couple of batches. That oil soaks right in and in a couple of uses, you have a very nicely seasoned pan. I love cast iron, I have a set of skillets that I got in 1974 and they are nearly as slick as teflon. I'm still working on that old yard sale pan I got a couple of years ago, a Griswold "chicken fryer", but it's coming along... Annie

Weird: I answered this last night and my post isn't here? I re-seasoned my pans a few months ago. After scouring with a steel wood pad to get it back to bare metal, I lightly coated the entire pan with extra virgin olive oil. Then I wiped it off. You want it as thin as possible. Then I put the pans in the oven at 450F for an hour. Turn off the oven and let the pans cool on their own: don't open the door. After each use I clean with hot water and salt and a sponge. NO SOAP is needed. If food is stuck on, simply add water to the pan and heat it up a little. It'll pretty much slide off at that point. Dry with a towel, then set the pan on high heat until very dry. Then I put a bit of olive oil on the pan and using paper towel spread it all over paper thin, then wipe off. I let it sit until it starts to smoke. Remove from heat and cool off. It's gotten to the point where hardly anything will stick to the pan anymore. And they're so easy to clean now. Some say flax seed oil is better, but I have no problem with the olive oil