JeanineAlyse wrote:
>
> Friends of mine asked me how to clean cast iron frying pans that are
> quite rusted and I know that has been discussed at length here
> before. Exactly what words am I to use for an rfc search to learn if
> the "fix" they are looking for is possible, and how to do it?
> Thanks, Picky

It's in the rec.food.cooking FAQ. You should look in there
before posting a question to the whole Internet. Here's
what it says about seasoning cast iron:

SEASONING A CAST IRON PAN

> How do I season a cast iron pan?

There are several methods. The best results are achieved using
the following procedure. First, the surface must be "awakened"
by scrubbing lightly with grade 00 steel wool. The entire surface
must be abraded. Then, the pan is coated with SAE 90 gear oil
and heated in a foil-lined oven at the highest temperature until
it stops smoking. Then, after it cools down, it is packed tightly
with cow or horse manure and buried in an inverted position
at least ten inches underground. After six months, the article
is dug up and cleaned by _lightly_ scrubbing it with a dry cotton
ball. Before using it, the surface needs to be conditioned by frying
a pound of bacon or pork sausages. Then you'll have one well-
seasoned cast iron pan! :-)