I agree with all the posters here that one does not need to baby a hunk of metal. Just keep it dry and clean.

That having been said …I believe in the Cast Iron Spirits. Do not anger them. Two years ago I had my 25+ years old Lodge in the oven making a pizza, and when I went to take it out of the oven, the handle broke cleanly, perfectly off, spilling my pizza on the floor and my arm, giving me a nasty burn.

So um, yeah; don’t make the spirits angry. Maybe sacrifice a drumstick to them once in a while or something.