Best way to bring a cast iron skillet back to life

I just did this last weekend with a skillet that had rust. I first took steel wool to it dry to get off the top layer of rust. Then soaked it in vinegar for about an hour or so and then steel wool again with elbow grease until all rust was gone. Washed it with hot water and mild soap and made sure all the soap was rinsed off then put it into an oven to warm up and dry. Then used coconut oil to season in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes upside down. Repeat the seasoning if needed

Just watch a YouTube video.

Martha Stewart has a good vid on YouTube on how to do this.

Why does my cast iron have seemingly unremovable markings the first time I used it and cooked burgers?

Angle grinder with sanding wheels to bring it down to the bare metal. Put it on a burner and keep coating it with lard until it blackens and smokes. Flip it over and repeat on the outside. Cast iron us porous and will absorb the oil. After that the more you fry in it the better. While you’re in there just make sure the whole inside is smooth. You’ll be glad you spent the extra time on it.

Post a pic and I can tell you what I would use for the particular piece.

If it's rusty, soak in vinegar (acetic acid) to break the iron oxide bond. I don't leave it in a vinegar bath for more than a few hours because the vinegar can eat the iron too.

If it's carbon build-up, I use water and lye bath (sodium hydroxide). Be careful. Lye can be dangerous.

Scrub with steel wool to get the spots that these methods don't remove.

Electrolysis will do these steps simultaneously if the piece requires a lot of work. But it releases hydrogen so do it outside. You can find instructions on how to make an electrolysis tank online, using a battery charger and washing soda.

After its back to the bare iron, season.

I don't use any grinding methods. I have. Chemistry solutions work better than mechanical.

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Scrub it real good with steel wool, cook bacon in it, rub it with the bacon grease, and bake it on low for hours. Do this outside on the BBQ pit because if you do it inside it will stink the whole house up. Then it will be good to go.

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Bacon would get a little expensive. Buy a small tub of Crisco. It will last you a couple years curing your pots, and it’s $4