My owner's manual doesn't discuss this, so I would appreciate any feedback.

My relatively new (last winter) cast iron stove is developing rust spots on the outside, mostly on the top surface, in places where I do not see how there could have been any contact with water or moisture. What to do, and how to avoid? (It has a nice finish, so I vainly hoped not to have to paint it for a while.) Some of the points are under items I have on top of the stove (to discourage the cats from jumping up), including a cast iron tea kettle and a bronze trivet on feet. But rust is also forming on the top lip and at the base of the stove pipe.

TIA for any comments.

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), November 08, 1999

Answers

I just touch it up with a little cooking oil, just like all the cast iron cookware. Once it's been heated up again, a light coating of oil will give you a hard black finish.

-- flora (***@__._), November 08, 1999.

don't paint it.

go to a hardware store and get a container of stove polish (a black liquid or cream depending on vendor) follow directions... it'll look like new.

don't paint it.

-- clayton (ratchetass@hotmail.com), November 08, 1999.

This happened to us, too. When I told the dealer about it, he gave me a spray can of the black high-heat paint used by the manufacturer of the stove to touch-up the spots.

-- Ann M. (hismckids@aol.com), November 09, 1999.

This forum is awesome, thanks!

I used fine sandpaper to grind down the rust spots, and then worked olive oil into the top surface. (My father told me later that next time I should use WD40 cuz veg. oil has salt, but at least he agreed with the general idea). I'm now very proud of my little Lopi again.

I realize it isn't regular paint that I use, but I only recalled it looking kind of artifical after application. Sounds like the high- temp stove paint cures to look more natural.

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), November 09, 1999.