I know people would ask why but I think thats so cool! If I wasn't married, I would live like that! I'm sure you remember the nice fella "Coaly" from the "OTHER" place, well I visited him up in the pocono area of Pa, He heats his house and cooks in the same way. He's a super guy! and has some "REALLY" coooooool old Fisher wood stoves .
the square unmarked wagner is still my favorite... I like the double logo wagner too, but there is crud on the bottom and sides and I haven't done the oven cleaner yet. That 10" flat lodge is newer... I'm not really a fan of it. It works ok, but something about the old ones that just work. My parents are both nonstick people and SS. They don't get it. They don't understand why I would want some 100 year old GROADY AZZ pans... Mom almost threw those pans from my uncle out because they has some minor rust from sitting in a damp basement..... I still wish I would have been able to get his 16" skillet
My "X" trashed some of my mothers old cast I wanted to skin her alive! , Mom had a 14" I wish I had back . I think it became Toyota or something
i use coarse kosher salt to scrub mine rinse well wipe dry with paper towel and store with 2 paper towels between each of them in the stack.
WelderDave, I need your assistance.... stopped by a buddies on the way home from a wood haul and watched the rest of the game tonight. been a couple weeks since I have seen him but he's like me and is always on the lookout for Stuff. He knew I wanted a pan to melt lead in. he didn't know I had gotten the cheap cracked one at a scrapyard (to try and weld and use) for melting lead. Anyways his dad found this at a garage sale for 3 bucks. I gladly gave that to him. I've never seen a surface like this one, its like glass no porous anywhere, , well seasoned. Might be my "nicest" cast iron yet... Anyways, has a "7" on the handle where it meets the pan, and a "F" cast outwards on the bottom.. no other markings anywhere.. it measure between 10 and 10 1/4 to the outside diameter of the top. inside cooking diameter it about 8 7/8"-9". the mark on the bottom is the "F"
it might be a lodge 1900-1910 blacklock.. description fits to a T.. heat ring, number on handle and makers mark on bottom at 6 o'clock.... so is it a 7 or an L? lodge put their name on their products from 1910-1930.... http://www.castironcollector.com/unmarked.php
I believe it's a BSR, Birmingham stove and range, but a Lodge is very similar.. The 7 and the ring are a good indicator and the heat ring is not on the direct edge. "but" I'm not 100% Anyway, I would "NOT" melt lead in it, but it's your pan ….. That is a beauty. I have one similar that is my daily driver. Wait till you find one from tiawan or china, Ebag has them on there all the time. Or just keep looking, I wouldn't hurt that pan, The time line on that one is till about 1930. I'll dig into my book tonight and find it/give you a definitive answer, Its Very nice piece
No no-no no. I'm not going to melt lead in it. I have a junk pan that has a crack in it that I'm going to use to melt lead. this one is going to be used for cooking The cooking surface in this is the nicest ive ever scene. It's like glass.
As nice a condition that is in, that's easly a $25/$30 dollar pan so you did well! I like finding/collecting them because of a couple reasons; The History behind them, keeping them from the scrapers, and they are "far" superior in cooking qualities and "MUCH" better for you health wise. I usually the wife and I go hit a couple local flea markets on the weekend if I'm not on duty, I trip on a few from time to time. where I live is mostly seasonal/touristy so the spring and summer when people are cleaning out crap is when I come across them more. The guy at the flea market is getting wise to them and he's been hitting the $$$ hard. His one son does the e-bag sales so he know's what he's got. I "usually" can get him down about half of what he's asking most of the time. This past summer he had a Grizwold dual waffle maker in there and I wanted it sooooooo bad but he wanted $250 and I let it slip away. The S.O.B. wasn't gonna budge and somebody gobbled it up the next day. I was pi$$ed but thats the game,.. I got a local scraper friend get's them from time to time, he swaps for Beer and smokes .
It's amazing how far a case of beer goes... It's also amazing how getting in good with the scrap guy pays dividends.
I'm in the process of bringing back a lodge dutch oven. In the cleaning phase still, $20 goodwill score. Next up is a griswald #8.
Oven Cleaner in the trash bag, wire wheel on the drill. Is superb. Drill battery just died I had always wondered what the "nubbins" were for in the lids, found out it is to baste the meat while braising. They sure a PIA to deal with.
It's pretty ingenious if you think about the nubs! The designer knew the condensation would go to the lid and the points would allow it to drip on the food, very coooool. I personally don't use a trash bag, it's a PITA! I have a big plastic container, tupper ware type thing big enough to put two pans in. That way I can scrape them with a plastic putty knife, respray and close them back up. what oven cleaner falls to the bottom of the container, I use a throw away cheapo paint brush and reuse whats on the bottom also. When is eventually clean, I scrape it into the trash, rinse the container with the hose and I'm ready to do it again I personally "try" not to put wire to any pan if I can help it. If I do I use a brass wire brush. Back on block 5 of the thread it shows a couple pans I did with the oven cleaner that came out super!
I like the idea of a tote vs trash bag. Would make multiple applications (reapplying with the brush) MUCH easier.
Dave, it's the same here. $250 must be the going rate on the east coast for a decent one. At the bigger fleas I've seen guys with 3 or 4 of them for sale. The lowest I've come across is about $125-175, but those are usually beat up.
I would really like to find one for a fair price, even a single. They have been getting scarce! Some people have noticed that cast stuff is "starting to be collectable" and the prices have gone through the roof! My wife and I were in a local flea a couple weeks ago and I saw a Grizwold 6 piece corn bread pan, in fair to good shape that was $35 bucks! . Two years ago that would have been, "maybe" $5.00 I'm still gonna hunt for a waffle maker, I've been wanting one for years but I'm not gonna pay $250.00 for one.
I guess i've been naive or not been in the loop with cast iron until just recently.... I had been looking for a big huge pot/skillet for melting lead that started all this about a year ago. last time I was down a moms, had said something to her as she frequents flea markets and swap meets and thrift stores. She had grabbed the 4 pans from her brother when he died (my uncle) and was going to hang on to them. She's not really a cook, I mean love her to death but her cooking consists of turing it on high and walking away till the smoke alarms go off... lol. She gave them to me to see if I could use one for melting lead... that;s what started this whole little fiasco adventure... She thought they were junk because of the rust on them from being stored on the floor in a damp basement at my uncles... well, I googled and got one or two of them up and running.... for food, looked like too nice of pans to use for lead... So I talked to all my buddies and scrap yard guys to keep a look out and over the last six months I have gotten quite a few things for dirt cheap. I sent mom some pictures of the few of uncle steve's that I've been using and she was in shock I could "fix" them. she would have never known they'd be able to used to cook in again... The only thing she said was that one was a wagner, its worth a lot of money.... (the little 1891 6" skillet and the #8 wagner/national, the other two were unmarked from him). I guess she's been seeing 50, 60, 80 and even 100 dollar pans at some of the flea markets... The whole reason I went looking for a used cast iron skillet to begin with was because I was too cheap to spend 40-60 bucks on a large new one... then after cooking with a few that I brought back..... I'm hooked... I get it now why they are valuable to people. The new stuff sucks.. I don't need anything else... I don't plan on collecting them, but if I find something cool, there's nothing to say I might not pick stuff up if its cheap enough. you will not see me spending 100 or 200 or even 50 on some waffle maker that I probably won't use. It's also amazing how many people my generation and younger have no idea about cast iron, other than its heavy, food sticks and they rust... My boss is 10 years older than me. I'm middle 30's and not "with" my generation at all.. I build things, I fix things. Most people my age are throw away types. Fixing something is too much work or just buy new, its cheaper attitude. He always has to have latest things and I'm just a trash heathen in his eyes. he really thinks I'm half tarded for wanting "old rusted worthless skillets" when Tfal nonstick or whatever brand is the new "thing" is so nice... He doesn't understand why'd Id burn wood when he just walks up to the wall and hits the thermostat. We as a society are getting away from what started and made this country so great... Its sad, and also with that society, trust, honor and integrity are all seeming to go by the wayside as well. Not everyone, but a lot....
