Late to the discussion, but my 2 cents: I’ve used flax seed to re-season, use pans daily/ weekly in rotation, depending on what we’re cooking: no problems with flaking or sticking. I wonder how those who report flaking and sticking are using and maintaining their pans. The flax (or baked on Crisco or grapeseed, whatever) is just a base. You want to be adding seasoning to that base layer every time you cook. If you’re using soap and a scrubby after you cook, you’re subtracting your top layer of seasoning, not adding to it. So your pan never gets a chance to build up from the base. Soap’s not the only thing that cleans a surface. Oil will clean a pan! Let it cool after use, then wipe the residual oil down with a clean paper towel, distributing it all over the pan (front, sides and back, handle too) if there’s enough oil. If bits of food won’t come off with wiping, mix a little kosher salt with the oil and wipe it out. If it still sticks, a little water (not cold) on your pan, heated up will practically float off any residue. Then dump the water, dry it on low heat and oil your pan before you put it away for next time. Keep using your pan and oiling it afterwards with whatever you cooked with. Any kind of oil or combo that suits your recipe is fine and will contribute to a nice non stick surface that gets better with time. My skillets don’t stick or flake and all have a slick, glassy black surface.
One tip: after stripping and re-seasoning, the first thing I cook to give the pan a blackened, super slick non-stick surface is green onions in peanut oil. The chemicals and salts in the onions carbonize and enhance non stick properties. (You cook the onions to a blackened char and then throw them away, you don’t actually eat them). Heat your freshly seasoned pan on medium high until a drop of water on the surface vaporizes instantly. Add peanut oil and a bunch of green onions chopped into one inch pieces. Cook them to a char (10-20 minutes) moving them around aggressively with a metal spatula, scraping and pressing the charred onions into the surface and sides of the pan with the spatula. You’re done when they’ve burned away to a crisp. Your pan’s surface will acquire a nice even black tone in the process. Let the onion remnants and oil cool, then dump the onions and most of the oil, and wipe your pan all over with any remaining oil. Your pan will be super slick and have that coveted jet black color. Then go ahead and cook with it, making sure you wipe your pan clean with whatever oil or butter you used after it’s cooled enough to handle.
