Lodge Cast Iron  has a "recipe" for making their heirloom quality cast iron. Ingredients include pig iron, recycled steel, and alloys that get melted together at 2800°. It takes 45 minutes for the products to liquefy. During the process, impurities rise to the surface and are removed. The foundry uses modern-day technology via a spectrometer to measure the chemistry of samples of the molten compound. Next up, silicone is added and then when it all looks good, it's time for casting. Molds of sand are used for making cast iron. Interesting Fact: sand melts has a higher temperature than cast iron, so therefore it holds its shape when molten iron is poured into it. Once the casting has been made, it is moved along to a vibrating conveyor belt to shake off the sand. Next, the cookware goes to a rotating drum and gets scrubbed with iron media to help remove sand. After being sorted, the cookware gets finished by being cleaned with a shot blasting machine. Before moving on, any rough edges are ground down. Cast iron is then deep cleaned in a mixture of stainless steel media, water, and soap to enhance the finish. Last, but not least, is the seasoning of cast iron cookware. The cookware is rinsed and then blown with hot air before being coated with vegetable oil and baked at a high temperature.