I used a random orbital sander and it took a pretty long time to get it as smooth as I wanted. Still worth it for a pan that will last forever!

I’ve been cooking with cast iron for decades, first with rough lodge pans then for the last 15 years after sanding them smooth. IMO smooth cast iron is far away the better cooking experience. Trying to get stuck bits out of the rough surface is a nightmare. With a smooth surface and a nice metal spatula (Dexter is the brand I use) nothing ever sticks and the seasoning sticks perfectly well. I’d just recommend getting carbon steel pans to anybody that doesn’t have smooth cast iron yet, as they’re much lighter and perfectly smooth out of the box.

Terry Pratchett once said: “I don’t think The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was the funniest Science Fiction novel ever written. The funniest Science Fiction novel ever written was Bill, The Galactic Hero”.

Ditto. I just farted to look into this yesterday and found the trash guides. It was pretty incomprehensible and I gave up. I hope to come back to this thread later and see that someone has explained how to set this up simply.