I've Acquired a Grail!!!

JaredS

Member
Before the pictures, a little about why this piece is so important in my collection. My collection has focused on "unmarked" Griswold pieces—that is, pieces manufactured by Griswold in Erie, PA, but without the word "Griswold" inscribed on them anywhere. I chose this to be the theme of my collection for three key reasons.

1. Firstly, Griswold manufactured a fine product. The quality and craftsmanship that went into most of the company's work is superb, and therefore—beyond the mere tantalizing quality of scarcity—their product is worth pursuing.

2. The second reason is practical—one is more likely to find a better deal on pieces that aren't marked Griswold. It is certainly generally cheaper to collect unmarked Griswold gems than it is to obtain LBL skillets, skillet covers, and dutch ovens.

3. The third could be dubbed a form of snobbery. It is personally gratifying recognizing and identifying important "no name" iron, particularly Griswold products. It is especially nice being able to (usually) date the pieces to a much narrower time frame of production than one can usually manage for other brands.

All this being said, I have been able to gather quite a few Erie branded pans, several relatively unmarked gem pans, etc. But I have yet to come across one of the true Grail pieces that fall into this category. Until now.



Griswold No. 11 gem pan:

https://flic.kr/p/2aWvrK1 by twillightkids, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/NThfsj by twillightkids, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/29CzrLe by twillightkids, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/NThdq3 by twillightkids, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/29CzpMK by twillightkids, on Flickr

The pan is essentially intact. There may be a small chip in one of the cups, although it may be a casting flaw. I will be able to tell once it is out of the e-tank. It is remarkably fragile. The handles are the THINNEST cast I have ever seen. I cannot believe they have survived 130 years without cracking. This pan epitomizes exactly what my cast iron obsession is all about.

I normally make it a rule that I only keep pieces that I cook with regularly. This pan will prove to be the exception to that rule. I am, needless to say, ecstatic.
 
I can't really describe how amazing this pan is. It's SO delicate. I've tried to capture the handles in the below pictures, but it's hard. The skewer in one picture is a bamboo skewer just to give a bit of perspective. There are little details running along the edge of the pan that are immaculate. It's a little mind-boggling.

20180913_205806 by twillightkids, on Flickr

20180913_205814 by twillightkids, on Flickr

20180913_205823 by twillightkids, on Flickr

20180913_205941 by twillightkids, on Flickr

20180913_210012 by twillightkids, on Flickr
 
Thanks! I "discovered" a new technique with this pan that I had never tried before. I've always used bamboo skewers to scrape out carbon after electrolysis in corners and lettering, but this time after I had scrubbed the pan I put it in the oven at 225 for 15 minutes to dry it before the initial seasoning and when I took it out, I found more of the carbon in the nooks and crannies. Instead of taking it back to the sink after cooling I just started scraping with the skewers—the carbon broke up significantly easier than when wet and cold. I'll probably do this from now on; electrolysis, scrub with steel wool and BKF, heat dry, then scrape off residue with a wooden skewer. Additionally, the pan being dry made it MUCH easier to see the residue and to tell that I had actually removed it. Its a nice trick that I intend to use from now on.
 
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