@Kinnikinnick
We should rename this thread Cooking Gadgets and Heavy Metal Fetishes! 
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Lye is very caustic and it removes any oil/fat type residue (think Oven Cleaner). Vinegar is acidic and the idea was to neutralize the lye so itâs not dangerous. Your pans could be toasty and beyond repair, so removing the rust and get a better inspection might save you the bother. Vinegar is weak but somewhat harmless. You need something acidic to remove the rust (opposite of caustic). Go to the Home store and buy some chemical resistant gloves and a pack of green 3M cleaning pads.
My suggestion of a black trash bag means you can use less liquid (cheaper) than trying to fill a tub. You can also seal them up so you can smell whatâs goinâ on. You could try vinegar in a trash bag just to get a first look (are these roached?) You can also get Rust Remover from the Home Store which is stronger (and maybe not as safe).
Once your pans are totally de-rusted and degreased they will get light rust instantly, so wash and buff and hand dry immediately and wipe with some shortening/oil and follow some seasoning vids on YT (or just listen to Johnny up top 450 degree oven). The idea is to remove the rust and not remove non-rusted iron (the good stuff). The tub idea is good because you can keep an eye on them, but chemicals like ammonia and vinegar stink. Warmer temps work better (outside?) Commercial Rust remover is way faster (no slow soaking in a trash bag necessary or advised), but cost $$. Vinegar and a trashbag? $2
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His answer was more comprehensive.
Hey must have a keyboard.
To answer your questions you asked me:
No, lye wont eat through plastic. Iâve had my lye tub filled for a couple years and I re-use it.
The vinegar bath is usually just a half hour or so.
And he brings up a good point, if they are âroachesâ, or spin when set on a flat (like glass) surface, or rusted through, itâs not worth it.
Also, sometimes yard finds have been put in the yard because they were used to melt lead, and that could be a concern.
Iâve learned so much over the years I forgot how many things there are to âworry aboutâ.
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So TRUE. I also see alot of lab glass out in the Wild and itâs tempting, but I pass it up because there are plenty of chemicals which can be deadly toxic in very small trace amounts and cast iron is actually somewhat porous. Also warping is reason to not bother exerting all that elbow grease. However once the desire to pick up some cast iron relics gets into your psyche, you may start paying new attention at the next Yard sale/Estate Sale or local Thrift. Something many folks just walk by. Search for Griswold Cast Iron on eBay âŠinteresting value$ Itâs not that uncommon to find for a couple bucks however in someoneâs driveway on Saturday morning. At the knowledgeable Antique Mall however, Dealers prices can start at $75+ easy for a restored Antique skillet.
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I put the wire brush on them to see if they were worth not scrapping, but I might just have to scrap them due to the lead concernsâŠmy guess is the people who previously lived here used to make stained glass lamps and things, found lots of stained glass chunks and lead strips with grooves in them in one of the pilesâŠ
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Take the rust off and reseason them. They donât make em like the use to. Since the Advent of made in China and mass production the castings are not the same. I have pans that are 60/70 years old I inherited from my mom and they look and pro-form like like they should. New isnât always better. The trick is is in the seasoning.
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Happy! 
âŠmy newly seasoned â99 centâ thrift store cast iron griddle. A thing of beauty! 
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I helped my Son set up housekeeping a week or so back; first time heâs been solo in an apartment (always been bros or hoes, thus far 
). He is a total noob when it comes to cooking at home! Thus, I had a lot of âsâplaining to Lucyâ what to do, with regards to proper cookware. I told him⊠no matter what the 2:30am infomercial
said⊠stay away from the non-stick cookware⊠go with stainless steel or cast iron! Iâve pretty much convinced him, through showing him spectacular results in frying an egg in a properly prepped SS omelette pan, he doesnât need all that BS non-stick crap. 
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Notwithstanding all my beloved GrandMoms cast iron skillets⊠Below is one of my fav specialty pieces. It comes in handy, especially on Valentines Day! 
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How do you keep it clean? Any particular method?
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Iâve been obsessed with this Instant Pot my parents bought me at Christmas. I cook big meals in it and then divide and store. Sean takes a bunch of these containers of âmealsâ with him on the road every week so he doesnât have to do any fast food at all. He just pops one in his âlunchbox warmerâ an hour or so before he wants to eat. This has been working well for a couple of months now.
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⊠clean, is a relative term.
Once you season a item like this and keep it well oiled, the baked on stuff just sloughs off with warm water and a nylon scrub brush⊠And, if you donât get all of it off⊠itâs there to flavor the next cook session. 
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Nothing really, I can tell you what I would like to have in my kitchen to make it worthwhile and fun.
A cook 
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Just a plane ticket, room, and Netflix⊠Iâm there!
2 plane tickets⊠the spouse will be my assistant. 
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You could maybe talk @DarthVapor into coming to your neck of the woods, and being your personal chef! Again⊠probably 2 tickets involved there. 
But, having a Beard Award winning chef at your disposal wouldnât be to shabby! I hear he knows how to run a vacuum, do laundry, and is great with kids!
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Love my instant pot. Best kitchen gadget I ever bought.
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Thatâs the clincher 
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Iâd hate to be a cook in that kitchenâŠ
I mean, whatâs the âcut-off pointâ (history wise) in the answer you give to the guest who harmlessly asks âwhatâs for dinner?â!?
Well⊠A month ago we had tuna casserole, then corned beef and cabbage, and then pan-fried liver and onionsâŠmomma fixed a right mean batch-o-cornbreadâŠthen Rooster did up a mess of yard-bird⊠ROFL
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