Just an update from my recent experience. I had mentioned I was trying using plain cooking oil (usually canola) and a stainless scouring pad to clean cast iron pans, avoiding water and especially dish soap like the plague.
I let the pan cool or at least wait til it's warm to the touch, then remove excess food bits with a metal scraper. Then add a few tablespoons of canola oil, and scrub with the stainless pad. Once all the food bits are gone and the iron is smooth again, wipe out with a paper towel and store til the next use.
We had got a couple of used pans that I actually boiled clean with soap and water, so I definitely had a fresh start.
Over the past several months, the pan has slowly darkened to a glossy almost mirror finish, and very little sticks to it any more. Foods with high sugar content, like bacon, or anything with a sauce type mixture can be a bit sticky, but as long as you use moderate heat and don't let things burn on, it seems to really work well.
The scouring with oil seems to remove residual flavours, so your bacon and eggs doesn't taste like last nights fried fish dinner..
All in all, I'd rate this method a success. I wish I'd taken before and after pictures, the pan looks really good now and performs well.
We do have 3 cast iron frying pans now. One is a Wagner 1891, strictly for stuff like pancakes and French toast, crepes, etc. It's black as coal, and nothing even thinks of sticking to it. That one simply gets wiped out with oil, nothing sticks anyway. He or she who washes that pan will die a slow and painful death!
The second one is the one I just described above, also a Wagner 1891, slowly darkening and improving with age. It gets used for bacon and eggs, fish, steaks etc.
The third is a Lodge pan, noticeably rougher finish than the Wagners, it gets used for anything else we cook that might damage the finish with vegetable acids, like a stir fry. It's the one I'd leave in the kitchen if we had someone house sitting for us, the others would get locked away.. Yes, I'm serious!
As always, your mileage may vary.. but I think it's worth a try if you're having trouble getting a pan seasoned.
Sean