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the bottom of my pan is now a dark silver instead of black. the inside sides of the pan is still black. I used brillo pads to clean it and now I fear I have ruin this pan as well as another that have been passed down from generations to me. Can they be repaired?

Joy G
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    I use my cast iron skillet weekly and found seasoning more trouble than it is worth (I know...). I find that a Scotch Brite scrubbing pad and some hot water work wonders. Then a little oil on the pan and set it aside for next time. Note, I use my pan never less than once a week, unless you do the same don't wipe it with oil as it may go rancid. – Steve Chambers Jun 10 '19 at 20:29
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    @SteveChambers while some purists will quibble, you have essentially "seasoned" your pan by coating it with oil after each use...so, actually, no trouble at all. BTW, Scotch Brite is different from the OP's use of Brillo, which is much more abrasive. – moscafj Jun 10 '19 at 20:42
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    There are inexpensive chain mail squares that are sold for cleaning cast iron. I have been able to easily clean my pans with just that and hot water without damaging the seasoning. – Sobachatina Jun 10 '19 at 22:00
  • Steve: if you wash an unseasoned cast iron pan, and don't oil it, it will rust. – FuzzyChef Jun 11 '19 at 02:19

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It sounds like you may have scrubbed the seasoning off your pan. It is not ruined, but will need to be re-seasoned. As you can see on the right (if accessing the site on a computer), where it says "related", there are a number of links to questions and answers about cast iron seasoning. If you are accessing the site on another device, you can search for "cast iron care", or "cast iron re-seasoning" using the search bar.

moscafj
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    Just to add-- it sounds like OP just scrubbed off the seasoning on the bottom of the pan, which isn't the end of the world. So no need to panic. I know a lot of sources (And answers here) recommend completely wiping out the old seasoning and restarting, and I wouldn't think that's necessary here. – kitukwfyer Jun 11 '19 at 01:16