Too much oil. Scrub and re-season thin.

Scrub the sticky residue off with coarse salt and a little oil, then re-season with a nearly invisible coat.

That stickiness means excess oil didn’t fully polymerize. Happens when you lay it on too thick—the outer layer bakes into a hard coating, but the oil underneath stays tacky. You can’t bake it away without burning the whole thing.

Fix it mechanically. Coarse salt + a paper towel works great on cast iron. Rub in circles until the sticky spots are gone. If you have a chainmail scrubber, even better. Rinse and dry thoroughly. No soap needed unless you want to (modern soap is fine for seasoned iron, but salt scrub is gentler on the seasoning).

Then re-season with the thinnest layer you can manage. Wipe on oil, then wipe it off like you’re trying to remove it. The amount that remains in the microscopic pores is