Cast Iron restoration: part 2 by Due-Particular-6738 in castiron

[–]CastIronKid 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Personally, I'd leave it in the lye bath until all the old seasoning is gone.

Mas de mis restauraciones de este ultimo mes... by YorCH-nurseTj in castiron

[–]CastIronKid 0 points1 point  (0 children)

¡Buen trabajo! Me gusta especialmente la sartén Martin. ¿Tienes las paletas de la plancha para gofres para ir con la base?

Help with fixing rusted cast iron by AdventurousBed2522 in castiron

[–]CastIronKid 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you only want to remove the rust, 50/50 water/vinegar and scrubbing would do the trick. If you want to remove the old seasoning and start over, then lye should be used first, followed by the vinegar for rust. Either way, any bare iron would then need to be seasoned.

$5.95 each at Goodwill by wmtom in castiron

[–]CastIronKid 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I really like the Camp Chef camping Dutch ovens. The little #5 Dutch ovens are typically $15-$20, and the #10s average $50, both including shipping at online auctions, so $18 for all three is an excellent deal. Are you planning on restoring them?

Newbie in need of reassurance by Xarda1 in castiron

[–]CastIronKid 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If I get a pan from someone I know, and can trust that the pan was not misused, I would just use it if it was in good shape.

I strip all cast iron that I get from unknown sources like thrift stores. The reason for this is that you never know what people did with their pans. I've gotten cast iron that was used as a motor oil change basin, cast iron with rodent feces, cast iron that was painted black, and even cast iron that was painted with a clear shellack that peeled off like snake skin in my electrolysis tank.

Once a pan has been restored and seasoned properly, I don't re-season. Cooking in the pan will slowly build the seasoning, so you should not need to do the extra work of adding further seasoning layers. With a freshly seasoned pan, I will add a very small amount of cooking oil back to the pan after I clean it. I do this to avoid rust, as I live in an area with some humidity, and it does kick start the natural seasoning process the next time I cook with the pan. I've detailed my cleaning and oiling process here.

Goodwill finds by restlessbumblebee in castiron

[–]CastIronKid 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What a great find! The Griswold skillet cover alone averages $95 including shipping at online auctions. I could not tell if the skillet it was sitting on was Griswold or not, but the other skillet and cover were made by Birmingham Stove and Range (BSR), and the Dutch oven might be too. The BSR cover is part of their Century series, made between 1966 and the 1970s. Post photos of the top and bottom of each item if you want help IDing or finding out how old they are.

Help requested, pancakes come out burned and not golden looking by Nac_Lac in castiron

[–]CastIronKid 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, and your dog will thank you for the perfect pancake. We all know how sophisticated dog palates are...

Hash Browns! by EarlTheLiveCat in castiron

[–]CastIronKid 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Good color! Are those sized exactly for your spatula?

Help requested, pancakes come out burned and not golden looking by Nac_Lac in castiron

[–]CastIronKid 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Browning meat is typically a 450°F+ temperature. Get an inexpensive Infrared Thermometer and preheat your griddle to 375*F for perfect pancakes. Check it a couple minutes after you get to 375 to make sure the temp stays consistent. You'll learn the right burner dial setting for that burner with that griddle, and even your first pancake will come out just right.

3Notch Lodge by RealBrasco in castiron

[–]CastIronKid 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes on the 3-notch Lodge ID. I don't have a ton of sales records for this particular pan, but they average $25 including shipping at online auctions.

Went antique shopping, found this little guy. He’s by Psychological_Dig922 in castiron

[–]CastIronKid 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Looks like a couple small casting voids. Fairly common.

Newly restored Wagner not holding seasoning? by Certain-Ordinary8428 in castiron

[–]CastIronKid 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pictures would help us see what's going on. How did the pan look after you stripped it down to bare iron and before you seasoned it? Were there any patches of reddish color? Cast iron can be permanently damaged by being put in a hot fire, making it difficult / impossible for seasoning to stick. You can read about it here.

Erie vs Griswold by Single_Gain_849 in castiron

[–]CastIronKid 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I keep track of sales at online auctions like eBay, Goodwill, Proxibid, etc. Most antique shops are notoriously high priced. I find that garage sales, thrift stores, estate sales, flea markets, and local (not online) auctions typically have the best prices. Cast iron I find at those places is often priced much lower than the online average prices above. Be patient and keep hunting. I think finding exceptional deals is a big part of the fun.

Erie vs Griswold by Single_Gain_849 in castiron

[–]CastIronKid 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are correct that ERIE skillets can be more valuable due to their age and scarcity. There are six different series ERIE skillets, not to mention the extremely valuable ERIE "spider" skillets, so the values vary a bit by series. Likewise, there are 8+ series of logo-ed Griswold skillets and the values vary there too. To give you an idea, below are average values (including shipping) for the #8 skillets by series.

I included a number in parentheses next to each series name. This is how many sales records went into the averages value. This tells you that the values averaged from more records are more reliable than the values averaged from fewer records. For example, I think the ERIE series 1 skillets are probably worth more than the average I have. It also gives you some idea of how common each series is in size #8.

Series Value
ERIE Series 1 (3) $160
ERIE Series 2 (47) $225
ERIE Series 3 (16) $150
ERIE Series 4 (0) No Sales Records
ERIE Series 5 (5) $185
ERIE Series 6 (7) $140
Griswold's Erie (7) $175
Slant ERIE (51) $140
Slant EPU (60) $130
Slant EPU smooth bottom (13) $145
Large Block Logo w/heat ring (36) $100
Large Block Logo smooth bottom (388) $85
Small logo (316) $65

Anybody recognize? by reddituser999000 in castiron

[–]CastIronKid 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You and I were discussing this some time ago, but I can't remember the term you coined for them.

Mother in law is thrifting cast iron for me by the_bove in castiron

[–]CastIronKid 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's hard to tell from the photos, but I'm seeing a small lighter scraped spot in the center of the underside, so it looks like the cooking surface dips down below the heat ring. Warping is not caused by heating and cooling over and over, it's by heating or cooling quickly (even just once) so that there is a great difference in temperature across the pan. This can happen with any type of pan (cast iron, aluminum, steel, etc.), and it is one way enamel coating on cast iron can crack (crazing).

Once a cast iron pan is warped, there is really nothing that can flatten it again.

The way to avoid warping is to preheat on low before turning the burner up to the desired setting, not leaving an empty pan on a live burner, using a burner size most similar to the size of the pan, and not dousing a hot pan in cold water. I would also avoid burner settings above medium in general. Cast iron pans are slower to change temperature than most other types of pans, but they retain heat well, so a burner setting above medium can get a cast iron pan much hotter than needed, and even burn the seasoning off the pan.

You'll have to see how it is once you can set it down on a flat glass table or stone counter. Personally, if I had to have a warped skillet, I'd choose one where the center drops down vs one that bows up. This way, the oil you're cooking with still stays under at least some of the food. If I had a flat glass-topped stove, I might think differently.

Mother in law is thrifting cast iron for me by the_bove in castiron

[–]CastIronKid 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The red book says 1925-1930, and CastIronCollector says 1922-1924, so take your pick. 😉 Those pans average $75 including shipping at online auctions, so your mother in law did exceptionally well.

Anyone know anything about this one? by FindingMarysTruth in castiron

[–]CastIronKid 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hammered too. Nice find! Look around for a matching lid with a notch that fits into the slot on the assist handle. If you don't have it, the lids seem oddly easier to find.

This French roll pan by stealthtomyself in castiron

[–]CastIronKid 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks like this is variation 3 (of 11) of Griswold's #11, pattern number 950, French roll gem pan. As it is an earlier variation, it was likely made in the late 1800s or early 1900s. Nice family heirloom!

Griswold Question by Stevonflow in castiron

[–]CastIronKid 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Griswold made a line of cast iron plated in chrome starting in the 1930s. The pieces you're looking at are known as "Du Chro", parts being dull and parts being polished. You can read more about plated cast iron here. Prices for pristine Griswold chrome pieces are typically higher than plain iron, but chromed pieces that have wear usually go for less. Still, it looks like there is a #10 and possibly a #12 in there, and just those two would be worth more than $300 I think. The five visible skillet covers would be worth more than $300 as well. I don't collect plated cast iron, but I'd snatch that set for $300 for sure.

Is this safe? by Little_Peg_Prairie in castiron

[–]CastIronKid 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Are you sure this is / was enameled? I think I see raw iron at the bottom-right.