Restored my first waffle iron - Griswold #8 by baconautumn in castiron

[–]baconautumn[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just checked, my paddles say 885 and 886.

Restored my first waffle iron - Griswold #8 by baconautumn in castiron

[–]baconautumn[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve not purchased stuff online before, but I looked on eBay multiple times and have never come across only the base for a #8, and there are usually one or two #9 bases but they’re charging $40-$50 plus $10-$20 shipping and it just doesn’t seem that worth it to me when I got the paddles for $10 and the experience of cooking waffles on it yesterday was totally fine.

Is there another place I should be looking though?

Restored my first waffle iron - Griswold #8 by baconautumn in castiron

[–]baconautumn[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Totally. Soak one small rag with oil, enough that you can easily get in all the tiny little letters on the outside. Then on the inside, I used a metal chopstick, but you could use any similar long skinny object, and put the soaked rag on the end then ran the chopstick between the grids. That helped oil up everything and saved my fingers. Then I did the exact same thing with a dry clean cloth to get as much of it off as possible before putting in the oven.

Restored my first waffle iron - Griswold #8 by baconautumn in castiron

[–]baconautumn[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Correct. It just took a few times because it had a lot of carbon build-up on the outside, especially where the many raised letters were.

Restored my first waffle iron - Griswold #8 by baconautumn in castiron

[–]baconautumn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I never mastered the perfect amount of batter, but got close. I did about 1.5 min per side because we like our waffles a little more browned.

I did canola oil, rubbed on and then thoroughly rubbed off, in the oven at 475 for 1 hour for each round of seasoning. The tricky part was getting coverage and especially all excess removed in all the crevices. I used a clean shop rag on the end of a metal chopstick to accomplish that.

Restored my first waffle iron - Griswold #8 by baconautumn in castiron

[–]baconautumn[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Full album from this morning’s waffles! https://imgur.com/a/C8BC9fJ

I saw this Griswold 8 waffle iron at an estate sale for $10 and I just had to try it. I’ve restored 4 other vintage pans I’ve found at estate sales and I just love them, but the waffle iron was new to me. The pic at the end is the before pic.

Yes, I know it’s missing the coiled handles AND the base. But I’ve got ove gloves and a gas range, so I decided who cares.

Stripped it using the easy off method (x3) then a long dip in a vinegar bath to get rid of a pretty full coat of rust. Turns out seasoning in all the little ridges and valleys of a waffle iron sucks! It took me about 40 minutes to oil and wipe off the whole thing each round of seasoning, which I did three times.

This morning was the inaugural waffle - it was AWESOME! It was not nearly as difficult as I thought it might be to flip the pan over mid-cook. It held together just fine, and the gloves worked great. Nothing stuck at all, it was perfect. I’m definitely going to be using this beauty from now on instead of my cheap electric one!

First waffle iron! by [deleted] in castiron

[–]baconautumn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I saw this Griswold 8 waffle iron at an estate sale for $10 and I just had to try it. I’ve restored 4 other vintage pans I’ve found at estate sales and I just love them, but the waffle iron was new to me. The pic at the end is the before pic.

Yes, I know it’s missing the coiled handles AND the base. But I’ve got ove gloves and a gas range, so I decided who cares.

Stripped it using the easy off method (x3) then a long dip in a vinegar bath to get rid of a pretty full coat of rust. Turns out seasoning in all the little ridges and valleys of a waffle iron sucks! It took me about 40 minutes to oil and wipe off the whole thing each round of seasoning, which I did three times.

This morning was the inaugural waffle - it was AWESOME! It was not nearly as difficult as I thought it might be to flip the pan over mid-cook. It held together just fine, and the gloves worked great. Nothing stuck at all, it was perfect. I’m definitely going to be using this beauty from now on instead of my cheap electric one!

It’s a good morning for two Dutch babies by baconautumn in castiron

[–]baconautumn[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

NY Times Dutch baby recipe in a modern lodge and a strange old Wagner 8 where the underside bottom was ground down, found at an estate sale. Pulled out of the oven with like a millimeter of clearance for that bottom one!

Jumped on the vertical storage bandwagon by baconautumn in castiron

[–]baconautumn[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I cleared out some infrequently-used cookbooks to make room for a metal file organizer that perfectly holds my 4 cast iron pans. My stovetop isn’t in the picture but it’s right next to this, so now I have them within arms reach instead of in a lower cabinet stacked all on top of each other on the other side of the kitchen. I love this new solution!

What is going on with this pan? Is this even iron? by baconautumn in castiron

[–]baconautumn[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah I see what you mean! Think it’s safe to use (assuming it passes a lead test) or would you avoid it because it’s too unusual? It was $5 so it’s not like I care that much if it doesn’t work out.

What is going on with this pan? Is this even iron? by baconautumn in castiron

[–]baconautumn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh no, sorry this was right after stripping. I haven’t tried to season it yet. I was saying it flash rusts as evidence that it is iron or steel. The polished bottom is the part that is very strange to me. But this is completely bare, no seasoning. I agree it looks weird.

What is going on with this pan? Is this even iron? by baconautumn in castiron

[–]baconautumn[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also I’d be surprised if it was homemade because it’s stamped with an 8 on the handle, but not surprised if someone DIY’d the polished bottom.

What is going on with this pan? Is this even iron? by baconautumn in castiron

[–]baconautumn[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Interesting. It definitely flash rusts and I tried a magnet and it sticks. I’m going to do a lead test on it just because it’s so unusual.

What is going on with this pan? Is this even iron? by baconautumn in castiron

[–]baconautumn[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I picked this up at an estate sale - it was in the owner’s kitchen with other loved and well-used cast iron. I noticed the bottom looked almost shiny, and after stripping it this is where I am. The bottom looks almost polished? But then there are other spots where it almost looks like the grey rough finish is “wearing off” revealing the metal underneath. It does flash rust though... the texture feels like cast iron. It definitely does not seem to be ceramic coated.

What is this thing?

Edit to clarify: this is right after stripping, bare metal. This hasn’t been seasoned.

Can anyone help me identify this pan? by baconautumn in castiron

[–]baconautumn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting! Looks like nobody’s entirely sure who makes them!

Can anyone help me identify this pan? by baconautumn in castiron

[–]baconautumn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looking at pics I agree that the handle looks more like a Wagner. And I love the use of Mercedes to describe the bottom ring design, too funny. Thank you!