I've got one that I need someone to do this to so I can start over. It's older than I am and was poorly taken care of for several years before I got it.
The cast iron I bought for myself is all in good condition. That one means a lot because of where it comes from but I don't have the patience to scrape all that shit off. I wish someone would do it for me so I could enjoy the pan my grandaddy cooked me bacon in.
Right, that is your experience. And I'm telling you that there are cast iron fry pans that can defeat wire brushes, both manual and ones you attach to your power drill. (Of course it's up to you if you want to believe me. There's no particular reason to believe some random stranger online, but then again, there's no obvious benefit for me to lie about it.)
My oven uses some weird "eco-friendly" self-cleaning process that involves pouring water into it and steaming the dirt off, which doesn't sound like it would be good for the pan. Got any alternatives? I found a Griswold at the thrift store a few years back and I'd like to be able to restore it without damaging it.
Wet/dry sandpaper is fast and will easily get you down to the fresh bare metal again. Then you simply re-season and start cooking that delicious bacon in it again. A rainy Saturday afternoon will easily get it done.