RV TIP - Cheap Awning Lock

It's a $3 gate latch from the local hardware store. With the extended latch pin positioned in the end-cap hole, drill four holes in the awning arm and mount the latch with four 1⁄8 × 1⁄2-inch screws. When the latch is in the closed position, the awning roller can’t turn, so the awning stays tightly shut. A short twist-tie prevents the latch from opening accidentally.  I got this idea from the Good Sam RV Club blog, originally submitted by Vern Dalke of La Mirada, California, on June 1, 2014.

Seasoning Cast Iron the CORRECT Way

It does matter what oil you use. So what is it? Here are some hints: What oil do artists mix with pigment for a high quality oil paint that dries hard and glassy on the canvas? What oil is commonly used by woodturners to give their sculptures a protective, soft-sheen finish? It's the same oil. Now what is the food-grade equivalent of this oil?

The oil used by artists and wood turners is linseed oil. The food-grade equivalent is called flaxseed oil. This oil is ideal for seasoning cast iron for the same reason it's an ideal base for oil paint and wood finishes. It's a "drying oil", which means it can transform into a hard, tough film. This doesn't happen through "drying" in the sense of losing moisture through evaporation. The term is actually a misnomer. The transformation is through a chemical process called "polymerization".

Go to your local health food store or organic grocery and buy a bottle of flaxseed oil. It's sold as an omega-3 supplement and it's in the refrigeration section because it goes rancid so easily. Check the expiration date to make sure it's not already rancid. Buy an organic flaxseed oil. You don't want to burn toxic chemicals into your cookware to leach out forever more. It's a fairly expensive oil. I paid $17 for a 17 ounce bottle of cold-pressed, unrefined, organic flaxseed oil. As it says on the bottle, shake it before you use it.

Strip your pan down to the iron using proper techniques. Heat the pan in a 200°F oven to be sure it's bone dry and to open the pores of the iron a little. Then put it on a paper towel, pour a little flaxseed oil on it (don't forget to shake the bottle), and rub the oil all over the pan with your hands, making sure to get into every nook and cranny. Your hands and the pan will be nice and oily.

Now rub it all off. Yup - all. All. Rub it off with paper towels or a cotton cloth until it looks like there is nothing left on the surface. There actually is oil left on the surface, it's just very thin. The pan should look dry, not glistening with oil. Put the pan upside down in a cold oven. Most instructions say to put aluminum foil under it to catch any drips, but if your oil coating is as thin as it should be, there won't be any drips.

Turn the oven to a baking temperature of 500°F (or as high as your oven goes - mine only goes to 450°F) and let the pan preheat with the oven. When it reaches temperature, set the timer for an hour. After an hour, turn off the oven but do not open the oven door. Let it cool off with the pan inside for two hours, at which point it's cool enough to handle.

The pan will come out of the oven a little darker, but matte in texture - not the semi-gloss you're aiming for. It needs more coats. In fact, it needs at least six coats. So again rub on the oil, wipe it off, put it in the cold oven, let it preheat, bake for an hour, and let it cool in the oven for two hours. At that point it starts to develop a bit of a sheen and the pan is ready for use.