But don't season it on the stove top. After steel wooling it down to smooth again, do a very light coat of canola oil. Put it in a 400 degree oven for about an hour. It will smoke, so leave the oven door closed, then let it cool down overnight. Then repeat the process again. It should be good at that point, but if not, do it a third time.

Cast iron is pretty forgiving. I've healed, old rusty, damaged dutch ovens, and they're great now.