I dug around in my grandmama's basement and found a couple of rusty cast iron pans. I don't have a self-cleaning
oven, and I don't like the hassle of getting a burn permit, especially with the hot dry weather in summer. Who wants to breath that smoke anyway?
I tried using some coarse aluminum oxide sandpaper. The sandpaper works all right on the flat part, but it would take an hour's worth of elbow grease to sand the sides of one pan.
Right now I'm soaking the pans in a 5 gallon plastic
bucket filled with
water and about two cups of vinegar. They've been soaking for about four days now. There were lots of bubbles the first three days, but it looks like the bubbling has stopped and the water has turned the color of rust. However, there is still rust and black stuff stuck to the pans. If the vinegar doesn't work, and if I can be convinced that it is safe, I'll try electrolysis.
I have a jump starter identical to the one in this picture.
http://www.shopgoodwill.com/auctions/Everstart-MAXX-600amp-Jump-Starter-10102998.html#des
It's not a battery charger; in fact, it is a battery. It It says it provides "up to 600 amps starting power". However, it also provides "22 amps per hour", and this amount appears to be good for cleaning
cast iron from what I've read. It has the black and red clamps, but it also has two outlets labeled "12 volt DC." I don't know much about electricity, but I do know that it can be dangerous, so please only give advice if you are experienced!