Today's finds ... so close to finding my grandmother's #7

SpurgeonH

Active member
I'll post a link to pictures of my new favorite place in another thread ...

But these are my finds today:

1- A Griswold Corn Bread Pan - #954 - He had a $49.50 tag on it. We settled at $25. (Not a very good picture.)
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The next two are extremely rusty. The SMS has major pitting, but I couldn't resist due to the reason listed below ...

1 - #5 single notch Lodge ($5)
1 - #7 Southern Mystery Skillet Recast? ($5) - This one is very close to the Holy Grail that is my broken grandmother's skillet. Raised 7, Small Pour Spouts, Reinforced Handle. Unfortunately, it also has a Gate Mark. Doug? Would you say it is a recast of one like my grandmother's?

This one is really too far gone. There is probably some serious pitting under that rust. There is also a moon-like crater on the cooking surface.

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and finally ...
1 - Univ of Georgia Belt Buckle ($5) for a friend who just had surgery, is a huge UGA fan, and collects belt buckles.
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As I was paying, the owner said, "I only accept cash". Oops. I owed him $40. I only had $36 on me. He said, "Mail me the $4 when you get home." A gentlemen who had been hanging out with the owner when I walked in, pulled out his wallet, handed the guy the $4 I owed and said, "The next time you meet a man who need a meal, you can pay me back by giving him the $4 you owe me." God, how I love the South.
 
After enough use won't the pits fill with seasoning and become flat again.

I would have bought them for 5 myself.
 
Andrew, if I cooked bacon in it every day for 75 years, the biggest crater might eventually fill in. Maybe my grandson will have a smooth surface to cook on. Ha!
 
Here are some close up comparison pictures of the handles of the number #7 SMS I found yesterday and my grandmother's. So close! Ugh.

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The "7" on the one I found yesterday is a more stylized font. I don't see a molder's mark on it either, although there might be a couple of dots under the rust.
 
Update: Just took the #5 out of the e-tank. It has a two-inch, hairline crack running parallel to the bottom, right along the curve where the side meets the bottom. Rats.

The Griswold looks perfect after a couple of days in the lye. It is in the oven, preparing to be seasoned.

#7 - too early to tell. It's back in the lye again.
 
Doug, that's what I thought when I first saw it, but it looks like it goes all the way through. These skillets were hanging up on the outside of the building. If I remember correctly, the number 5 was laying on the ground. Maybe it fell off and broke when it landed? I'll be able to tell better in the daylight tomorrow. My kitchen doesn't have the greatest lighting.

Edit: The Griswold is turning out really nice.

BTW - today I saw a Griswold corn bread pan like this one, except it only said Erie on the row this one has Erie, PA, USA. I'm assuming that means it's much older? They were asking $55 for it.
 
Update on the #7. .... Ugh.

That pretty much sums it up. I wish I had taken a picture before I put it back in the lye, but you'll have them soon.

Can't remember how long I left it in the e-tank when I first got home. Then I had it in the lye for a couple of days. It is crazy pitted. Lots of casting flaws too. But, for sentimental reasons, I trudged ahead and gave it one round of seasoning. I went to bed last night with it cooling in the oven. This morning I was really surprised by what came out of the oven. The whole pan is orange. It looks like a thin layer of flash rust. How is that possible?

Could it be that the pan is so pitted/porous, and was so extremely rusted, that the rust was buried deep within the pan?

Anyway, I've pit it back in the lye for a few minutes. Then I'm going to leave it in the e-tank until the weekend and see what happens. Unfortunately, this pan is too jacked up to be a user. Maybe I'll hang it in my office as a reminder of my, sometimes painful, quest for the Holy Grail.
 
I had a pan that had a odd orange tint to it after the first seasoning. I am interested to see what people say causes it.
 
Comment: Um, Spurgeon, my sympathy, dude. You are indeed on a quest, and as The Bard said: the course of true love never did run smooth! All the best to you in your ongoing search. S.
 
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