old cast iron

[simps80]

i found a sweet wagner ware deep skillet (chicken fryer) at an estate sale last saturday. it was marked 5 bucks, grabbed it, sprinted for the guy with the cash box..who told me it was half price for last 2 hours and he wouldnt take more than 2 dollars!!!

It was pretty crusty so i couldnt tell what shape it was really in..but for $2 on 10.5 deep 1959 or older..who cared..what a score!!

anyway used Daves @DaveInDenver lye bath method on this one.

left it in for 3 days..1 lb of lye to 5 gallons of water.

then 1 cycle in the oven cleaning cycle.

some quality time with a wire wheel and steel wool and all of my elbow grease, I had it completely down to bare grey cast. I was encouraged to see no cracks. there is some minor pitting, but this will be a good "use it skillet"

1 super light coat of base seasoning in...

I am very pleased with this one, especially for 2 bucks!!

i will do probably 3 more base seasoning cycles then put it in the rotation!

 

[LARGEONE]

All I can say is AWESOME!

BTW...if anyone ever sees a 10+” or 12” older skillet fryer of this old vintage I could really use one. I have one I use all the time but it is the newer kind with the rougher surface and I really don’t like it. Use it nearly every night so really looking for a Wagner Ware oldie or similar.

 

[SteveH]

Great find!

 

[DaveInDenver]

That turned out great!

 

[rover67]

Bad arse Mike, that thing looks awesome. I just redid a bunch of our cast iron with the lye bath method and ended up seasoning with Crisco. It worked a treat.

 

[SteveH]

Just sand the interior of your new one and re-season.

 

[LARGEONE]

Just sand the interior of your new one and re-season.

Do I use a sanding wheel on an angle grinder? Or just sand by hand with like 80 grit? Then 150 or something?

 

[rover67]

palm sander works and keeps things flat. the radius where it transitions to the edge can be difficult to keep smooth.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Do I use a sanding wheel on an angle grinder? Or just sand by hand with like 80 grit? Then 150 or something?

I would avoid using an angle grinder for sure and probably at least be careful with any power tool. It'll be tough to keep the bottom flat. Maybe a light duty Dremel at most. I prefer Scotchbrite pads or light gauge wire cup instead of sanding.

No benefit to being aggressive since the surface doesn't really need to be glossy smooth. You're just looking to polish. Leaving a distinct edge or lip is going to be where the seasoning starts to peel right away.

Bear in mind that old and well loved cast iron wasn't treated with kid gloves, it was used. I never remember my mom or grandma bothering with silicone and wood utensils either. I think the decades of bacon grease for seasoning and metal spatulas working the surface is how those old pans got to be so good.

 

[rover67]

But Dave the argument is the older ones were cast/finished smoother (baby's a$$) than like for example the lodge stuff. Then there is the argument as to whether or not that smoother finish actually makes a difference.

 

[DaveInDenver]

What I've heard is that Lodge just skips the extra step that Wagner, Griswold and the other used to do to clean up post cast. I think they probably came from the molds cast fairly rough originally.

My feeling is also that there may be a benefit to a rough surface that holds pockets of oil when seasoning isn't something your typical cook these days knows about. Cast iron used to come raw and unseasoned which isn't the case anymore either.

So Lodge may just figure it's the safer default so they don't get new cast iron users complaining, I dunno.

 

[SteveH]

I used a cheap palm sander like this one, and just buzzed it around inside with 80 grit for a while to clean up some rust. I didn't overthink it, that's for sure. I did run it around the sides a bit, too, and then used vinegar to convert the rest of the rust, before seasoning.

https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-DECKER...=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00MLSS1SW

 

[LARGEONE]

I happen to have one of these sanders...well, Makita version. I sanded one of my medium pans a while back and got some grooves in it, but the bottom where I made it smooth was 100 times better than the rough cast after seasoning. But nothing compares to my original old school smooth pan!!!

 

[simps80]

not cast iron, but another good find at the ARC today.
It was $9.99 for all of them, so worth it regardless, will clean them up and see whats what, but pretty happy with it.

i dont think its og mauviel or falk or anything, but it does look and feel like good quality, would be like $2500 worth if it was..

I think its copper coated stainleaa rather than stainless lined copper... but its got good quality cast handles and rivets. Will look around to hopefully ID it, probably cheap knockoff but at $9.99 definitely worth it either way!!

you think cast iron lovers are freaks, you should see the french copper nut jobs lol!

 

[SteveH]

A lot of metal for the money!

 

[DaveInDenver]

You can tell I believe from the edges, look for rolled or flared edges.

Other than cast iron I also have collected as much of the Revereware as I could from our families. It's of course nothing like the good French copper/stainless but the stuff made 40+ years ago and given as wedding gifts to our moms and grandmas is well made and stout.

 

[BritKLR]

I would love to find a large cast iron cauldron style/stew pot. I’ve looked for years and haven’t found what I remembered. When I attend college, academy and training on the east coast it seemed like a weekend didn’t go by without some type of ”brew and stew” happening. It typically consisted of a wood fire, large cast iron cauldron pot, game meat, tatters, veggies, beef broth, music, beer, bourbon, cigars, stories, lies, biscuits and good friends. Any suggestions of where to find such a witches cauldron? Thanks!

 

[DaveInDenver]

Try looking for a “Carolina Cooker” maybe?

 

[BritKLR]

Try looking for a “Carolina Cooker” maybe?

Thanks! That's a thing of beauty......

 

[rover67]

oh yeah, they have some big-un's... 90 gallons.... dang

https://carolinacooker.com/products.php