Excellent thread! I've long had a soft spot for cast iron & my favorite piece is grandaddy's 10" round griddle/skillet lookin thing. I have no idea how old it is but after a session with a heavy wire wheel & reseasoning, it still makes perfect pancakes. I never knew how to perform the electrolysis process described but you can bet your ass I'll be scrounging local yard sales for the gnarliest, cheapest POS cast iron cookware I can find now!
Wow.................this thread is awesome..............I loves me some cast iron.......
WARNING: This post may contain material offensive to those who lack wit, humor, common sense and/or supporting factual or anecdotal evidence. All statements and assertions contained herein may be subject to but not limited to: irony, metaphor, allusion and dripping sarcasm.
Really cool article on electrolysis, I suppose this could be used for cleaning old iron decorative shelf brackets and antique stuff, that is, if you wanted it to look new. It also gives me an idea for making hydrogen for my blimp, what could go wrong? Lol
Common sense is so rare these days, it should be re-classified as a super power.
Just found this while looking at griswald cast iron collecting tricks. I love cast iron cookware but I will only buy old griswald. But anywho here ya go.
Numbers & Letters
Numbers
Skillet size number with pattern letter.Regardless of what other markings or logos the major foundries incised into their products, common among nearly all vintage pieces-- whether they be skillets, dutch ovens, waffle irons, or griddles-- are size numbers.
Often, the assumption is erroneously made that the large numeral, found normally either on the top of the handle or on the bottom of a piece, indicates its diameter in inches. A measurement of both the top and the bottom rim of a pan, however, will quickly confirm that the number has nothing to do with either dimension.
http://www.castironcollector.com/numbers.php
I am me,
I am free,
You can not change me.
If you try, you will see,
That I am unchangeable,
Because I am me.
Cool info Taz. I had never paid much attention to the markings, sure didn't know what they were for.
I believe i mentioned earlier that I picked up a few pieces of cheap chinese cast iron for stupid cheap... During my couple weeks away, I cooked exclusively on them on the propane stove in my stand-alone camper hunting shack, and they performed beautifully.
Had they been shit, it was no big deal, as I had a place to stay/cook nearby, and could borrow/buy new cookware.
But I had a 6 and an 8 inch frypan, that I did everything in from full meals to boiling water for coffee. NO complaints.
I LOVE cast!!!
btw... 6" pan 2.99
8" pan 3.99
Give a man fire, and he'll be warm for a day!
Light a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life!
Cat's are food... not friends!
If you're going to fight, then fight like you're the third monkey on the ramp into Noah's arc... and brother, it's starting to rain.
It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
I found the coolest pieces not long ago. A pot (not real big) with a smaller pot inside and a ladle like thing to match. I haven't looked for any markings but it's almost like a mini Dutch oven without a lid. I need to soak it in vinegar to clean it up but it's in good condition. The tag at the antique shop said they are rare, I've never seen anything like it before.
I apologize for nothing...
let's see some pics LH...
sounds intriguing
Give a man fire, and he'll be warm for a day!
Light a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life!
Cat's are food... not friends!
If you're going to fight, then fight like you're the third monkey on the ramp into Noah's arc... and brother, it's starting to rain.
About 7 years ago my son took one of my mothers cast iron to use with his gas grill for making blackened fish, etc. Long story short, it sat outside for several years, and rusted badly. A few months ago I cleaned it up by following a YouTube video and re-seasoned it. After some time now it has become my favorite pan and works well for many things. It is a Wagner from Sydney, Ohio. I am guessing that my mother originally got the set sometime around the time she got married. That would date it back to the early 1930's.
A reported bonus to using cast iron is that minute amounts of iron leech into the food and provide a good nutritional benefit. Not sure if that is true or not.
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