# Reseasoning Cast Iron Pan, What Did I do Wrong?



## ghostguy6 (Aug 8, 2018)

Hello,
I recently stripped my Cabela's ( presumably made by Lodge) 10" cast iron pan down to bare metal and sanded the cooking surface down with an orbital sander down to a smooth 80grit. I also removed the embossed Cabela's logo so it would sit flat on my stove top. The pan was completely bare of all the old seasoning, I made sure of that with the use of an angle grinder and wire wheel as well as rubbing alcohol to remove any grinding dust. I then seasoned it with flax seed oil according to the directions from this link.
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/the-ultimate-way-to-season-cast-iron-flaxseed-oil.137622
The only difference was I used the BBQ instead of the oven. All was well, the pan looked perfect, the cooking surface was like black glass when I was done, hard and not tacky at all. 
The first problem arose when I tried cooking with it. The first run was some onions and bacon on medium heat. The surface was far from non stick, not a big deal, it was manageable with  wooden spatula. The second and major problem arose when I tried to clean the pan. While I was eating I had put some water in the pan on medium heat so I could clean the pan when I was done. The water had just come to a low boil. I used the wooden spatula to lightly scrape off the food residue when the flax seasoning just came off with no effort at all. I would say 70% came off. All the seasoning on the sanded surface was soft.
At that point I just sprayed the pan with some oil to prevent any rust, poured a glass of scotch then called it a night. 
What could have caused this? I know the pan was clean before I started seasoning. The final paper towel I used  was so clean I could have dried it and reused it. I followed the directions to the letter ( aside from using the bbq of course). The seasoning on the bottom and sides of the pan seem to have held up. I was hoping to snap of picture this morning but never got the chance so I will do that once I get home.
Any ideas?


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## zippy12 (Aug 8, 2018)

I have all lodge and 1 CI 6 inch that is not lodge.  my Lodge CI holds seasoning.... but that 6 inch CI will flake the seasoning right off.  I trashed a non Lodge CI with ridges because it would not hold seasoning.  I figured these were china made pans with bad CI...


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## johnmeyer (Aug 8, 2018)

The flax seasoning was recommended by all sorts of professional sites, including the folks at Cook's Illustrated. However, for many people it has turned out to be a really bad recommendation, for exactly the reason you found: the stuff flakes off.

I just quickly re-read half a dozen posts on this subject, and some of them still recommend flaxseed oil, but the newer posts mention all the problems people have had with the stuff flaking off and now claim that these people didn't use the "right" flaxseed oil. I'll leave it to you to read these stories and see if you can get a more pure form of flaxseed oil, but the gist of the stories is that some of the brands contain contaminants which lead to flaking.

[edit]Here's one good story on what I just described. It includes ideas on how to solve the problem:

I Seasoned My Cast Iron Pan with Flaxseed Oil, and Here's What Happened

P.S. Speaking for myself, you couldn't pay me to use flaxseed oil. It is, of course, a very trendy food right now, with all sorts of supposed health benefits. My wife bought some flaxseeds to put on cereal, which I did. 

Yucchhh!!!!

Back in the 1950s my parents would have the house painted and the painters mixed their own paints from turpentine and linseed oil. Flaxseed is the edible version of linseed oil. To me, the stuff tastes and smells exactly like that old paint used to make my nose and tongue feel when I walked around the house while they were painting. 

I really don't like eating paint.


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## banderson7474 (Aug 8, 2018)

I learned a great trick to clean iron skillets and stainless skillets.  Once you are done cooking, just put some course salt in it and I use a green scratch pad (nothing too strong) and just a little water and the salt cleans up everything great.  I heard flax seed oil is good too.  The only thing I can think of is maybe the pan wasn't hot enough when you put the food in it which made it stick.  Plus, you have to give it some time for the meat to release from the pan when it's cooking.


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## ghostguy6 (Aug 8, 2018)

The thing is, it didn't really flake off. Its almost  as if the seasoning on cooking surface had somehow softened and then separated when in the water. Almost like a gravy skin look if that makes sense. The inner sides of the pan that were also exposed to the hot water were fine. The outside of the pan, including the bottom which I also sanded appear to be fine.
If it had flaked off in hard pieces I would have suspected surface contamination, but as I said the surface was well prepped.
Here is the oil I used, it says its 100% pure.


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## banderson7474 (Aug 8, 2018)

I've never heard of anyone stripping a pan the degree you did.  Maybe that's the reason?  I'm not sure.


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## zippy12 (Aug 8, 2018)

He stripped it to attain a smooth surface.  CI from Lodge today as a ruff surface to help in factory seasoning.


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## SecondHandSmoker (Aug 8, 2018)

What temperature was your BBQ during the reseasoning?  If it was too hot, that may have affected the polymerization process.


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## oldsmokerdude (Aug 8, 2018)

My thought was that you made the pan TOO smooth causing the seasoning not to stick as well as it could. This may have allowed the hot water to get "under" the seasoning allowing it to become soft.


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## banderson7474 (Aug 8, 2018)

That's a good point b/c if memory serves, when an iron skillet is unseasoned, you can see the pores.


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## SecondHandSmoker (Aug 8, 2018)

oldsmokerdude said:


> My thought was that you made the pan TOO smooth causing the seasoning not to stick as well as it could. This may have allowed the hot water to get "under" the seasoning allowing it to become soft.


That is a definite possibility.


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## ghostguy6 (Aug 8, 2018)

I don't think the temperature ever got above 500f but it could have possibly spiked as high as 525f when I wasn't looking.



oldsmokerdude said:


> My thought was that you made the pan TOO smooth causing the seasoning not to stick as well as it could. This may have allowed the hot water to get "under" the seasoning allowing it to become soft.



I was thinking the same thing however I watched a youtube video where they went all the way to 220 grit without a problem. This does make sense though.


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## GaryHibbert (Aug 8, 2018)

Can't help you with the flax seed oil.  I've always used peanut oil on my CI and never had a problem.
Gary


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## gmc2003 (Aug 8, 2018)

This thread got me thinking. My son used one of my grandmothers old CI pans to catch the oil from his car during his last oil change( I was not a happy camper). Is it possible to burn it off and reseason it somehow or is it a complete loss? 

Chris


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## weev (Aug 8, 2018)

I did the same thing to one of my pans except I redid mine in the oven but mine keeps  flaking off every time I wash it 
I was thinking I ruined it by getting it to smooth  Guess I was right


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## crazzycajun (Aug 8, 2018)

Wash with dish soap and burn off any residual oil cook fried potatoes for son. Repeat until son no longer gets the s**ts. Re-season and use for the rest of the family :cool:


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## ghostguy6 (Aug 8, 2018)

Here are the pictures I promised, The cooking surface looked the same as the bottom before I cleaned it.


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## chopsaw (Aug 8, 2018)

Look for the Kent Rollins videos on cast Iron . It worked for me , as I was having trouble with a new Lodge skillet . I used his methods and had great results . He talks about sanding in one of the videos .


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## johnmeyer (Aug 8, 2018)

gmc2003 said:


> This thread got me thinking. My son used one of my grandmothers old CI pans to catch the oil from his car during his last oil change( I was not a happy camper). Is it possible to burn it off and reseason it somehow or is it a complete loss?
> 
> Chris


Gosh, I wouldn't worry about cleaning off motor oil. Just scrub it really well using almost-boiling water and dishwasher detergent. That combination will remove all traces of the motor oil. Then, re-season.


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## chopsaw (Aug 8, 2018)

What was the viscosity ? Might pass right thru , and high mileage might add some life to you ,,,


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## SecondHandSmoker (Aug 8, 2018)

ghostguy6 said:


> Here are the pictures I promised, The cooking surface looked the same as the bottom before I cleaned it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I guess you could strip it down and try again.  I've read about the flaxseed method but never tried it since it seemed way too time consuming to repeat the steps 5 to 7 times to build up the seasoning.


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## Danno44 (Aug 9, 2018)

I would also strip it down and start over.  I suggest going with the easy off oven cleaner (yellow cap) process seeing as it’s only 1 pan.
I have used crisco, vegetable oil and olive oil to season pans.  All with good success.
Also, and not that it really matters, but my understanding is that Cabela’s pans are made in China by Camp Chef, not Lodge.
As mentioned, using flax seed has more negative results than good from what I have read/researched.


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## johnmeyer (Aug 9, 2018)

I would stay away from olive oil because it has a pretty low smoke point and I don't think it polymerizes as well as other vegetable oils. If you don't have peanut allergies, the peanut oil recommendation sounds good to me. I just use the vegetable oil I use for all my cooking. It was the winner, several years ago, of the Cook's Illustrated vegetable oil taste tests:

Crisco Natural Blend Vegetable Oil

Crisco's Pure Vegetable Oil is my second choice for general purpose oil.


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## kelbro (Nov 1, 2018)

I experienced a similar thing with a very smooth old Griswold 10" skillet. It always did pretty well with lard or crisco seasoning but I had the bright idea to strip it down and re-season with the flax seed oil that I heard was the 8th wonder of the world.

Bought the expensive pure flaxseed oil.
Scotchbrited and sanded the surface of my 8" and 10" skillets. 
Cleaned up completely.
Went through the whole process 6 times at 400 - 425 just as they described. 
They both looked like smooth black mirrors. Wow!
Cooked some Jimmy Dean Hot pan sausage. Stuck a little but no big deal.
Same as above, boiled some water to cleanup as I have done for 40 yrs with this skillet.
That stuff came off like paint peeling! 

Stripped it back down. Tried again. Same results.

Funny thing is, the 8" took and held the seasoning great. No flaking or peeling. Crazy.

Here's the solution that I found.

Scotchbrite it back down.
Wipe it with olive oil (probably any oil or lard)
Cook with the thing.
Wipe it out.
Cook some more. And then some more.
Now a seasoning is building up. 
Eggs don't stick. Bacon doesn't stick.

Our grandmothers didn't go through all of these gyrations. Shoot, mine scrubbed hers out with doggone Brillo pads!

My more textured Lodge pans never had a problem seasoning or with stuff really sticking. I'm thinking that super smooth may not be the most optimal surface for cast iron cooking.


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## johnmeyer (Nov 1, 2018)

Cast iron should be a somewhat rough surface; super-smooth is not what you want.

I thankfully never did the flaxseed seasoning. The people at Cook's Illustrated were one of the main proponents of using it, and they never did a follow-up, even after people complained of the flaking problem. 

I also cannot stand the taste of flaxseed or flaxseed oil. I think I mentioned before that when I grew up, the painters that came to our house would mix their own paint with turpentine, linseed oil, and pigment. Linseed oil is the same thing as flaxseed oil, and I can't taste flaxseed without remembering the stink in our house when the painters left for the day. 

I've always done the seasoning the same way: slather the pan with oil; turn upside down over a pan lined with aluminum foil; heat for an hour at 450 degrees. I'm still not sure if that is the right temperature, but the rest of the process I'm pretty sure it right. 

My two CI pans are the best non-stick I have, including my All-Clad non-stick. When the cheese oozes out of a panini sandwich and burns, it just pops off with my fingernail when the pan is cooled.


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## chopsaw (Nov 1, 2018)

johnmeyer said:


> I've always done the seasoning the same way: slather the pan with oil; turn upside down over a pan lined with aluminum foil; heat for an hour at 450 degrees. I'm still not sure if that is the right temperature, but the rest of the process I'm pretty sure it right.


I've been using 350 for a couple hours . Seems to work . After getting a newer Lodge 12" just about where it needed to be , I had it heating up on the stove today and got a phone call . By the time the dog told me to get my head out of my ,,, Backside , I burned all the seasoning out of the middle of the pan . not sure if I need to re do the whole thing , or if I can just re season the middle .


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## kelbro (Nov 2, 2018)

chopsaw said:


> I've been using 350 for a couple hours . Seems to work . After getting a newer Lodge 12" just about where it needed to be , I had it heating up on the stove today and got a phone call . By the time the dog told me to get my head out of my ,,, Backside , I burned all the seasoning out of the middle of the pan . not sure if I need to re do the whole thing , or if I can just re season the middle .



You can easily re-season just the middle. Run it up hot enough to start smoking a little. Remove it from the heat. Quickly put a little of your favorite oil in there and smear it around. After it cools, wipe up the excess.

That method also works to maintain the seasoning when you scratch up the  surface using forks, metal spatulas or the stainless steel scouring pads.


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## johnmeyer (Nov 2, 2018)

chopsaw said:


> I've been using 350 for a couple hours. Seems to work.


I'm still looking for some definitive source on what temperature to use. Lodge recommends 350°; Cook's Illustrated recommends the maximum temperature you can set your oven (550° for my oven). I've seen everything in between.

You would think Lodge would be a "definitive source," but when I went looking for sites that attempt to understand the science and found these:

Bon Apetit
500°

Cast Iron Collector
350° (they claim oil does polymerize at this temperature)

Chemistry of Cast Iron Seasoning
500°

Some sites say that polymerization happens at very low temperatures (some even claim it happens at room temperature), but that to get the oil to bond to the pan requires the higher temperatures. Some say that you want to keep the temperature below the oil's smoke point, and other sites don't seem to think that matters (500° is certainly above the smoke point of pretty much any oil). 

So, I've always just compromised and done it at 425-450°, which is just below the smoke point of the oil I use. I've never had to re-do it, although I always re-oil the pan and heat it on the stove to 375° (as measured with my IR thermometer) after each and every use, just after I clean and dry the pan.


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## browneyesvictim (Nov 2, 2018)

A few comments from the peanut gallery...

Been using cast iron as long as I remember. I was taught the old-school way that has been successfully for centuries. Never gave a thought to reinvent the wheel with any of these newer ideas, oils, and methods. They just all seemed unnecessary to me.

The only thing I have noticed is if I'm cooking something that is highly acidic- vinegar, citrus juices etc, that can soften the seasoning, but it doesn't take much to bring it right back. In fact I have used vinegar to boil out and clean used CI I acquired so I get a good clean base metal. Works better for me than dish soap. Im guessing it has to do with the residual detergent.


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## johnmeyer (Nov 2, 2018)

browneyesvictim said:


> I was taught the old-school way that has been successfully for centuries.


And the "old-school way" is  ... ?


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## chopsaw (Nov 2, 2018)

browneyesvictim said:


> I was taught the old-school way that has been successfully for centuries.


Like to know that myself ,,,,


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## browneyesvictim (Nov 2, 2018)

Sorry. That sounded rather cavalier. I apologise.
Lard or bacon grease and just use the dang thing. Doesn't have to be fancy is all I was saying. No need for modernization. There lies the root of my meaning for "old school".


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## chopsaw (Nov 2, 2018)

browneyesvictim said:


> Lard or bacon grease and just use the dang thing. Doesn't have to be fancy is all I was saying.


100 % agree with that . I did just that when I got my black stone . So I did the same with my cast iron . I fried bacon in it over and over , and just used it . The more it was used the better it got . Was heating it up to clean and oil  , and burned the middle out .


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## chilerelleno (Nov 3, 2018)

Old school... Fry everything...  If it could be fried, it was fried and fried in cast iron.
Clean up consisted of scraping out the big bits then wipe it out.
My Granny on my Dad's side, I don't think her cast iron ever saw water.

I had to re-season my Dutch Oven after cooking that Goat Shoulder in the chile sauce, too much acidity.
A couple of spots had noticeable changes in color/consistency of seasoning.
Heat it on the stove till just hot, wipe with olive oil and into the oven upside down for an hour at 450°.


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## kelbro (Nov 3, 2018)

And old school didn't have silicone spatulas and spoons either to 'baby' those skillet surfaces either.

I will give a thumbs up to one of the new-fangled cleaners, the chainmail scrubbers are amazing! My metal spatula cleans most everything up but the chainmail thing will get every last bit.


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## daveomak (Nov 3, 2018)

Did you invert the skillet while seasoning ??  You know, cooking side down ??   Maybe the oil was too thick to season properly and an "un hardened"  layer was next to the cast iron...


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## atomicsmoke (Nov 3, 2018)

I had issues with flaxseed oil too. It does give a nice glass like finish but it does not last (in my case).


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## SonnyE (Nov 3, 2018)

Fry, fry, fry, till your Cardiologist dies. :rolleyes:

I sanded my CI smooth-er and re-seasoned it.
First run was in the house oven. Bad mistake.
I moved it to my gasser BBQ and continued while I cleared the house out. :p
Then I just fry in my 12". Bacon, Beef (80/20 Hamburger), took the wife's Bamboo spatula to the shop and gave it a proper edge by hand sanding. Works great now.
I don't get mine wet, and it always has a film of oil (grease) very thinly wiped on it.
Pan, Dutch Oven, Griddle. All I need.

Kent Rollins
I consider him a guru of the cast iron.


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## crazymoon (Nov 10, 2018)

I have said this before but will reiterate-if you want to clean or start over with a CI pan just throw it on some good hot coals  in your wood stove overnight and it will be brand spanking new in the AM


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## darwin101 (Dec 1, 2018)

Here is a link to an article by Field Company.
https://fieldcompany.com/pages/how-to-season-cast-iron-pan-skillet-instructions


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## ghostguy6 (Jan 3, 2019)

daveomak said:


> Did you invert the skillet while seasoning ??  You know, cooking side down ??   Maybe the oil was too thick to season properly and an "un hardened"  layer was next to the cast iron...


I started cooking side down, then flipped as I did each coat. I did very light layers though.

Anyways I know  I started this thread some time ago to I will just give a quick update as to what happened. I stripped the pan down to bare metal with a grinder and wire wheel. After that I found a great deal on brand new Lodge 10" pan for $5 at a garage sale so I started using that one. The cabela's pan got put into the garage to sit until I found the time to re season it and then I ultimately forgot about it until last week...... when I found it full of mouse crap and rust. Even though I could probably clean it with the wire wheel again and sterilize it for re seasoning I think I'm just going to take it out to the farm and hang it beside the gongs on the rifle range.


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## chopsaw (Jan 3, 2019)

ghostguy6 said:


> hang it beside the gongs on the rifle range.


 Find time to bring it back , or find someone who would like to do it . One shot and it's pieces anyway . 
For now , sand the rust off ( don't use the wire wheel ) oil it up and store it in a plastic bag .


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## SecondHandSmoker (Jan 3, 2019)

You really should strip it back down and then re-season it.  
And yes, the more I research the flaxseed oil seasoning method and associated issues, the more I'd avoid that method and stick with just using Crisco followed by daily use if possible.


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## daveomak (Jan 3, 2019)

Always season cooking side down....  don't flip.....


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## Hinkle (Mar 19, 2020)

SecondHandSmoker said:


> stick with just using Crisco followed by daily use if possible.


Old thread but tossing in my 2 cents. We use almost nothing but CI on a glass top. New cast iron from 2019 Christmas to unknown age passed down. To do a full clean we bake 375*F for an hour, wash with hot water, chainmail scrubber, and Dawn (sure others will work) then put a thin layer of Crisco on. Bake again for an hour, 375. I do this with the new pans too. The first few cooks may stick until a base has built.

Upkeep - After cooking and still on a low simmer, we'll put in a glass of water while we eat, or whatever covers the bottom of the pan with a 1/4" of water. Scrape it with a plastic or wood spatula after eating and everything cleans right off. Toss the water and clean anything remaining, smear with another thin coat of Crisco with the burner on low and wait until it melts and is shiny. Continually doing this has built up the desired non stick coat/seasoning for our cooking. We rarely go over medium heat on the stove top or 375 in the oven.

corrected AT to UP


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## SecondHandSmoker (Mar 19, 2020)

Hinkle said:


> Old thread but tossing in my 2 cents. We use almost nothing but CI on a glass top. New cast iron from 2019 Christmas to unknown age passed down. To do a full clean we bake 375*F for an hour, wash with hot water, chainmail scrubber, and Dawn (sure others will work) then put a thin layer of Crisco on. Bake again for an hour, 375. I do this with the new pans too. The first few cooks may stick until a base has built.
> 
> Upkeep - After cooking and still on a low simmer, we'll put in a glass of water while we eat, or whatever covers the bottom of the pan with a 1/4" of water. Scrape it with a plastic or wood spatula after eating and everything cleans right off. Toss the water and clean anything remaining, smear with another thin coat of Crisco with the burner on low and wait until it melts and is shiny. Continually doing this has built of the desired non stick coat/seasoning for our cooking. We rarely go over medium heat on the stove top or 375 in the oven.




Outstanding information for daily care. 

You just can't beat using a chainmail scrubber for the  extra stubborn stuff and the thin coat of Crisco after cleaning.  I am the one who usually cleans all of our CI pans since they're kind of heavy for my wife to deal with.  
She won't even touch the CI wok...that thing is a beast!


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