‘Cast Iron Mike’

Hobby has become way of life for Fergus Falls man

By Carol Stender

Mike Streeter of Fergus Falls earned the nickname “Cast Iron Mike” for his cast iron collection and methods to remove rust and seasoning from the pans. His collection includes some unique as well as commonly used pieces from cast iron figurines to pots and pans. Photo by Carol Stender

They call him “Cast Iron Mike” for good reason.

Mike Streeter of Fergus Falls is a cast iron expert and has quite a collection of pots, pans, and ornamental figurines. He purchases them through thrift stores, at auctions, and from other collectors.

His hobby took off when he and his wife, Linda, were newlyweds attending an auction. They purchased five pans for $25.

“Everyone thought we were crazy,” Linda said.

Now, some 46 years later, they still have the pans and many more.

“From the day we started, I started collecting,” said Mike.

The collection started innocently enough.

“You see stuff you don’t have and you start collecting,” he said.

The majority of the cookware he buys gets a special restoration from him. Mike did use steel wool to remove rust and seasoning in the past, but now he uses electrolysis to restore it.

Mike found out about electrolysis from another cast iron collector from Detroit Lakes and, after watching several internet videos on the process, started using electrolysis in his own restorations.

After going through the electrolysis procedure, rust and old seasoning is easily scraped from the cast iron pan.

Sounds complicated, but the method is fairly simple. All he needs is a manual car battery, six-gallon pail, piece of waste metal, like a lawnmower blade, a board to place over the bucket and washing soda.

He could use a smaller pail, but the six-gallon pail is deep enough for the cast iron he restores. Mike, in a shed behind the couple’s home, uses the recipe he has memorized for the process - a half cup of washing soda per five gallons of water.

The piece of waste metal, placed inside the pail to one side, is connected to the positive charge while the negative post is connected to the pan. The current flows through the water, pulling the rust particles from the negatively charged cast iron to the positively charged waste metal.

The process can take three to four hours, but it may need more time, depending on how much rust or seasoning remains. He scrapes the seasoning off using a blade, but never scratches the metal.

Mike could use steel wool, oven cleaner or salt, but this method does the work while he can do other things. And, let’s face it, electrolysis is fun.

Mike, shown above may use electrolysis more than once on a pan. 

The process can reach as much as five amps and as little as one, he said.

He doesn’t clean every piece he purchases.

“If someone wants to buy them dirty, I will sell them dirty,” he said.

Once the pan is cleaned, it is seasoned. Grapeseed or avocado oil can be used, but some are allergic to those oils, he said.

Mike will oil a pan and wipe it down two to three times as he starts the seasoning process. He never uses cotton in this part of the process, but, instead, uses a coffee filter.

“You have to get as much of the oil off of it,” he said when wiping down the pan.

The pan is placed upside down in a hot oven - usually 400 to 450 degrees - for about 60 minutes. He lets it cool down and may repeat that process up to three times.

“Then you should have a nice, smooth finish,” he said. “It comes out better that way. You can cheat if you want to, but…”

 The process is intriguing and his collection is inspiring.

“Cast iron isn’t just pans,” he said.

There are cast iron trivets, figurines like cats, dogs and horses, vent grates and hay pulleys, to name a few.

He could use steel wool when restoring cast iron pans, but Mike Streeter uses electrolysis to rid pans of rust and seasoning. He learned of it from a cast iron collector from Detroit Lakes then researched the process online. While he usually restores pans in warmer weather, Mike cleaned one skillet amidst the snow and cold temperatures. Despite the weather, the method worked in cleaning up the pan. Photo by Carol Stender

While Lodge is a familiar cast iron cookware manufacturer, there are many others including Griswold, Wagner, and Wapak.

What makes cast iron popular is its longevity. Some individuals have pieces over 100 years old. Mike, himself, has three cast iron Griswold skillets ranging from 1900-1957. One skillet design was made during 1900-1929, another from 1925-1940 and the third from 1940-1957.

Some pans are hand-me-downs from one generation to another.

Not all pans are perfect. About two percent are cracked and another two to three percent are warped. He has one that, when he heats it up, warps. He doesn’t sell pans that warp, Mike said.

If he had to have just one piece of cast iron, it would be a chicken fryer with a lid, Mike said. The piece has many uses from oven roasting to making buns to deep frying on the stove.

And he’s found, in his years of collecting, that the lids can sometimes bring higher prices than the pan.

Cast iron manufacturers made many items from the useful pans and grates to figurines like these horses and buggy. Photo by Carol Stender

Through his years of collecting, Mike has met many people from across the country - Texas, Michigan, Oklahoma, western North Dakota, and areas closer to home like Perham and Detroit Lakes.

“They are all really great people who will help you out when you need it,” he said.

He has also had some learning lessons thanks to cast iron, including a word of advice - don’t go to an airport with a cast iron pan in your carry-on. It’s considered a weapon.

“We found that out the hard way,” Linda said of the pan that was to be a present. If the pan was in checked-in baggage, it’s not an issue.

Cast iron is durable and great in cooking and, if it could talk, could tell the history of a family. Often cast iron pieces are handed down from one generation to the next.