KC Masterpiece
Hard Core 4+
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old cast iron
- Thread starter simps80
- Start date
unimogguy
Lifted
- Joined
- May 10, 2022
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- 156
For those of you looking for old cast iron…
I’ve found several cast iron pieces at the recycle yards. The one I go to usually sets them aside on a table when they see them come in. They generally charge a little bit more for them then scrap value but not much.
Also start looking on Craigslist or FB on the East Coast for cast iron. Remember the migration went west…
I’ve found several cast iron pieces at the recycle yards. The one I go to usually sets them aside on a table when they see them come in. They generally charge a little bit more for them then scrap value but not much.
Also start looking on Craigslist or FB on the East Coast for cast iron. Remember the migration went west…
simps80
Rising Sun Member
my MIL found me a new one I hadn’t heard of before
“hamburger logo Martin Stove and Range”
neat old small #3 pan in business from 1917 to 1953 which is why it doesn’t have “made in usa” cast in it
<quote>
southerncastiron.com
Not quite 100 years ago, brothers W. H. and Charles Martin bought a bankrupt foundry in Florence, Alabama, along the Tennessee River in the northwest corner of the state. Renamed the Martin Stove & Range Company, the foundry soon expanded its line of coal- and wood-burning stoves to include cast-iron hollow ware—everything from skillets and griddles to Dutch ovens and saucepans. For the next 36 years, Martin Stove & Range Company made cast-iron cookware with its distinctive “hamburger” logo. The brand is highly collectible today.
The Martin brothers were not new to the cast-iron business. In the early 1900s, they were salesmen for the King Hardware Company of Atlanta, Georgia. Through their travels, they learned of a foundry for sale in Sheffield, Alabama, just across the river from Florence. The brothers convinced their employer, King Hardware, to buy the small foundry in 1905, and they became its managers. Rechristened the King Stove & Range Company, the foundry began making heaters, stoves, and ranges for King Hardware.
Twelve years later, the Martin brothers purchased the company from King Hardware. Shortly after that, they bought the Florence foundry and began making cast-iron cookware under both the King and Martin names.
The most commonly found set of Martin cast-iron cookware is known as the hamburger set, Jonathon says. The pieces all have the company’s distinctive hamburger-shaped logo on the back. “The skillets come in 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 14 sizes,” he explains. “Putting together a set of these can take from six months to a year for a new collector.”
</quote>
“hamburger logo Martin Stove and Range”
neat old small #3 pan in business from 1917 to 1953 which is why it doesn’t have “made in usa” cast in it
<quote>
Forgotten Foundry: Martin Stove & Range Co - Southern Cast Iron - Page 2
Not quite 100 years ago, brothers W. H. and Charles Martin bought a bankrupt foundry in Florence, Alabama. To this day, the brand is a collectible treasure. - Page 2
southerncastiron.com
Not quite 100 years ago, brothers W. H. and Charles Martin bought a bankrupt foundry in Florence, Alabama, along the Tennessee River in the northwest corner of the state. Renamed the Martin Stove & Range Company, the foundry soon expanded its line of coal- and wood-burning stoves to include cast-iron hollow ware—everything from skillets and griddles to Dutch ovens and saucepans. For the next 36 years, Martin Stove & Range Company made cast-iron cookware with its distinctive “hamburger” logo. The brand is highly collectible today.
The Martin brothers were not new to the cast-iron business. In the early 1900s, they were salesmen for the King Hardware Company of Atlanta, Georgia. Through their travels, they learned of a foundry for sale in Sheffield, Alabama, just across the river from Florence. The brothers convinced their employer, King Hardware, to buy the small foundry in 1905, and they became its managers. Rechristened the King Stove & Range Company, the foundry began making heaters, stoves, and ranges for King Hardware.
Twelve years later, the Martin brothers purchased the company from King Hardware. Shortly after that, they bought the Florence foundry and began making cast-iron cookware under both the King and Martin names.
The most commonly found set of Martin cast-iron cookware is known as the hamburger set, Jonathon says. The pieces all have the company’s distinctive hamburger-shaped logo on the back. “The skillets come in 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 14 sizes,” he explains. “Putting together a set of these can take from six months to a year for a new collector.”
</quote>
LARGEONE
Rising Sun Member
Soooo cool! Great find!
I just liked your balls
CardinalFJ60
Rising Sun Member
simps80
Rising Sun Member
i hadn’t heard Wagner is back
not surprised based on the demand now
first piece new manufacturing will be the og long griddle 1148
www.gearpatrol.com
not surprised based on the demand now
first piece new manufacturing will be the og long griddle 1148
A Mythical Cast Iron Brand Returns with This Must-Have Griddle
Your grandparents' grandparents probably cooked on a Wagner. With the relaunch of the brand, now you can too.
www.gearpatrol.com
DaveInDenver
Rising Sun Ham Guru
Been cooking in a #5 Wagner that was in a set (2x 5. 6, 7, 8 shallow) I am lovingly now caretaking that Dean found. The article mentions smoothness and I’ll be interested to see how true they are ‘cause this thing is friggin mirror smooth. If there’s a flaw or scratch you’d need a magnifier to see it. There is one nick in the seasoning that you can see. But even with that and the general lack of seasoning it takes barely a pat of butter to keep two eggs sliding on it making breakfast. I’m tempted to try scrabbled scrambled, something I would not ever try in Lodge and a couple of my lodge have nice thick surfaces now.
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PVCsnorkel
Lifted
Smoothing the cooking surface of cast irons 100% makes a difference. Lodge doesn't smooth theirs out from the factory like Griswold (and probably other companies) did. I have a 10" Lodge Skillet that was horrible to cook on, a wire wheel to clean it, then 10 minutes with an 80 or 120 Grit flap disc and it is a completely different pan now. I started sanding all my pieces to smooth and they are much easier to cook and clean with.
DaveInDenver
Rising Sun Ham Guru
Indeed. Lodge doesn't and that's I presume a time/labor decision. They manufacture in Tennessee and seem to really want to sell at a reasonable price point. I really think they should be given the credit for keeping domestic cast iron going in the lean times in the face of Chinese imported junk.
So like most I have tons of Lodge, a 12" skillet, dutch oven, a couple of camp ovens, a wok (easily my second most used) and my normal morning egg 5/8". I haven't taken the time to strip, polish and re-season them.
Lazy. Yup.
But my #5 Lodge has developed a real nice, thick, hard surface on about 65% of the bottom just from a decade of Kroger organic unsalted butter in the morning. The rough surface does have a benefit in lots of area to hold an uber thick seasoning if you have the patience to just use it. The season they put on to start I find to be tough at least.
https://risingsun4x4club.org/xf/threads/old-cast-iron.26910/page-5#post-340467
You couldn't get a seasoning like this in one shot. Just too thick to carbonize into a good film. I don't know the surface finish of a Lodge but you could probably measure it in 64ths or 32nds. So this would take probably half a dozen cycles in the oven to achieve. And even then it wouldn't be smooth since gravity wouldn't be helping to level it upside down. It takes heat, being set in the right way and *I think* a metal edged utensil to scrap it flat.
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DaveInDenver
Rising Sun Ham Guru
FWIW, three 8" pans. The camera flash is a little harsh but really shows the condition of these pans. Guessing the two Wagners saw steel wool, harsh detergent or perhaps even a dish washer.
Approximate dates would be left is 1936~1959 (the catalog number is low and a 'B' so I think that means earlier), the middle is 1960~1969 and I got the Lodge around 2013.
When you hold them next to each other it's obvious the Lodge is not cheap. It's just as thick as the mid-60s Wagner (the early one is quite a bit lighter and thinner) and overall it doesn't give up much to the mid-60s quality. It's clear the Lodge casting is not quite as careful or sharp and less finishing time, but it's not bad really. In the scheme of things it holds it own. It's not as obvious as like when you park a new Toyota next to an FJ40 or compare a Dynaco amp to a modern amp of similar mid-fi quality.
Approximate dates would be left is 1936~1959 (the catalog number is low and a 'B' so I think that means earlier), the middle is 1960~1969 and I got the Lodge around 2013.
When you hold them next to each other it's obvious the Lodge is not cheap. It's just as thick as the mid-60s Wagner (the early one is quite a bit lighter and thinner) and overall it doesn't give up much to the mid-60s quality. It's clear the Lodge casting is not quite as careful or sharp and less finishing time, but it's not bad really. In the scheme of things it holds it own. It's not as obvious as like when you park a new Toyota next to an FJ40 or compare a Dynaco amp to a modern amp of similar mid-fi quality.
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The modern polished Smithey stuff I got at Christmas has been a dream to cook with. I’ve even converted my wife to a cast iron believer finally.
smithey.com
Cast Iron
Smithey Ironware Co. designs and manufactures heirloom quality cast iron and carbon steel cookware in Charleston, SC. From skillets to Dutch ovens, roasters to our hand-forged wok, Smithey crafts tools for your kitchen that will last a lifetime.
smithey.com
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DaveInDenver
Rising Sun Ham Guru
Dang nice but those prices. A 6" is $85. The same Lodge is $11.95. In 2024. Different target markets for sure. For normal newlyweds to outfit a kitchen (such as we did in 1999) would be prohibitive I'd think. Heck I still couldn't justify a $200 artisanal skillet. The point for me was always to use cast iron every day. My first job after college in 1994 was at a place that dealt with food and beverage productions (my job being to develop products to sell more industrial gases in the field). By then aluminum and teflon coatings long term health was being questioned so I gladly accepted the cast iron and Revereware mom and grandma didn't want. When we got hitched we fleshed out the cookware with what we could afford.The modern polished Smithey stuff I got at Christmas has been a dream to cook with. I’ve even converted my with to a cast iron believer finally.
Cast Iron
Smithey Ironware Co. designs and manufactures heirloom quality cast iron and carbon steel cookware in Charleston, SC. From skillets to Dutch ovens, roasters to our hand-forged wok, Smithey crafts tools for your kitchen that will last a lifetime.
Agreed on the pricing. I got mine on a Black Friday deal where the pans were discounted and I got a 6” skillet “free” with the purchase. I don’t have any regrets.
DaveInDenver
Rising Sun Ham Guru
It's just a different target. Back in the day cast iron was just cookware, nothing special.
For comparison, take this ad from 1952 for a Wagner. A chicken fryer with a glass lid was $2.65 (or $3 west of the Rockies, LOL). In 2024 money $3 is $35.50. You know what's also interesting is a #5 was $0.85 in 1952 and would be $10 in 2024, so almost exactly what Lodge is asking.
Or this 1930 Griswold catalog. A 10E dutch oven (8 quarts) was $6.50, which in 2024 is $122. That's actually a significant investment you figure in 1930, more than I'd have thought they were. The Smithey 7.25 qt is $375.
BTW @PVCsnorkel I forgot to mention some time ago I came across an old Atlanta Stove Works catalog and they mentioned a foundry (they called a "plain") finished and polished finish.
I've never had the chance to ask someone who would have bought them new but from what I've come to understand that the finish we see was probably an upgrade when you ordered your cookware or your handy husband did it for you.
https://risingsun4x4club.org/xf/threads/old-cast-iron.26910/page-9#post-408776
PVCsnorkel
Lifted
FREE TO A GOOD HOME!!
I have a 5 quart Dutch oven that I saved from the scrap pile with plans to clean up, but I need to downsize my garage so it's time to pass it on.
I don't have a lid and the handle could use replacing, but the body should clean up well.
I have a 5 quart Dutch oven that I saved from the scrap pile with plans to clean up, but I need to downsize my garage so it's time to pass it on.
I don't have a lid and the handle could use replacing, but the body should clean up well.
PVCsnorkel
Lifted
Nothing like cast iron for camp cooking.
[On the Train Trip]
[On the Train Trip]
simps80
Rising Sun Member
i hadn’t heard Wagner is back
not surprised based on the demand now
first piece new manufacturing will be the og long griddle 1148
A Mythical Cast Iron Brand Returns with This Must-Have Griddle
Your grandparents' grandparents probably cooked on a Wagner. With the relaunch of the brand, now you can too.
i bought one because I was curious to see how close to original the repop is and what the quality is like
it’s very nice.
it has a new cast 50|23 in it to distinguish it from an original 1148 griddle from 1950
the 23 or 24 as it may be is the year of manufacture
i did an unboxing video but that’s too dorky so here’s some pictures.
i enjoyed the wood box it came with
while not practical or justifiable at the price point, this has now become more than an exercise in utility for me and so I guess there’s that
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