Scarce trio

Frederick N

New member
Hi there,
I'm from Quebec, Canada,

I just had to show you this Smart trio.
The number 3 was something I really wanted for a small omelet.
I found it advertised posing on a Hudson’s Bay blanket, can’t get more Canadian than that.
The company that was selling it also had a name very close to mine.

The smaller one is made of aluminum...Quite rare I guess , I use it for one egg easy over. It wasn’t perfect when I got it, a little sanding and polishing cleared it up nicely.

The smallest is a vendor’s sample, I use it to put a handful of nuts while I watch a few minutes of TV.
All in all I think that I have all the pans from Smart, including the square breakfast pan and a waffle maker.....also a tree stand, a pulley, the shoe anvil that I actually bought new when I was a student and making sandals in Old Montreal....
Can someone enlighten me?
Did they ever make a number 4 pan?
I thank you for your attention,
Frederick
 

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Aluminum skillets not usually having cast handles, and cast handles usually having hanging holes, it's most likely someone's metals casting project.
 
Welcome Frederick. Also I noted that the middle pan's maker's mark is Smart's while the other two are just Smart. I'm sure I'm just stating the obvious. Neat to see something other than the normal fare we see here.
 
Just when you think you've seen it all with Smart...

Aluminium skillet? The only ones that made Smart's products were Smart's themselves - and Findlay's Ltd. Findlay's bought the patterns and tools in 1960 and continued to make Smart's products out of Carleton Place til Smart's closed in 1965. Don't know if they had an aluminum foundry tho.

The larger one I suspect is probably 50's but I have no proof yet, the absence of the Diamond G. Smart's generally had a pronounced G, got smaller in the 40's then may have disappeared altogether.

The small one puts it post 1920 and before the 40's. The Smarts with the Small diamond G should put it in the 40's.


Not 100% sure overall tho.

What else do you have in your collection?
 
I have the No.5-6-7-8-9 with ring and one without and of course the No.10

I have a Plett pan made by Western Importing,
the Smart Endurance square breakfast griddle and a pancake griddle bought years ago in Augonquit Maine, I remember polishing it on the sand after frying a delicious fresh fish dinner.
It has number 737 underneath. The handle has a very worn number 8
I did some research and maybe it's an Erie, pre Griswold.
I have an eleven hole cupcake maker with only the letter S underneath. The quality of the casting is extraordinary, really smooth inside and out. After research I think that it is a Wagner, at each end there are the "lid-lifter" handles.
I'm going to use it for the first time next week-end.
I'm looking for a small Dutch stove and will learn how to use it. Was it a pre-electric crock-pot?

I'm single, for now, married to my small business and my material things....BUT
I use all my pans and keep them spotless.
You will all hate me for this but they are shiny, almost silver, I did not season them, I use a little olive oil for my omelets, and for the pancakes and French toast nothing else but coconut oil will do.
When I got them, I used oven cleaner to get rid of the accumulated "grime".
Then I use 3M scrubbing "sponge", the red one, I have direct access to an art foundry and we use a lot of it, finally a good once over with SOS, rinse with very hot water, shake and dry immediately with a paper towel.
 
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I have the No.5-6-7-8-9 with ring and one without and of course the No.10

All Smart Brockville with the large diamond G?


And Doug, pretty sure I have to apologize here. You are more likely right on the diamond G stemming from the Gill Brothers takeover. So much conflicting information online and many variations of "Gardner Tool Works", but that purchase happened in 1899. I have an 1885 catalog from Smart - No diamond G - the 1891 catalogue proudly shows the G. Seems James Smart was swindled out of his own company. Couldn't have stemmed from the Chown takeover either, that happened later. Still looking for the proof.
 
Yes, all except No.3
Did they ever make a number 4 ?

Seems to be 2 different series according to advertising from Canada Foundries and Forgings. One ad from 1922 has listed sizes of 5 to 10. Another from 1921 has sizes from 7 to 10.

Could you post the bottom of one of those skillets for me? All the same style G? They seemed to have played with different G styles between 1912 and 1920.
 
Yes.
That is correct.

---------- Post added at 12:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:31 PM ----------

They have all the same style G in the diamond.

I have two number 9.
One, with the fire ring says SMART,
the other one, without a fire ring and quite a course casting I may say, says SMART'S
 
Can you post a good pic of the bottom of one of the skillets with heat ring? There were several variations of the G itself and different variations of skillet. Some had wood handles, some were nickel plated, some were bare, some didn't have heat rings. It would really help to match up to other possible series'.

Does your Smart's have a single number or double digit sizing? IE number 9 or 90?
 
Well...as luck would have it I found out that the aluminum skillet is not a handyman's essay at foundry work.

I just received a brass or bronze skillet celebrating 100 years of the Smart plant. :D
It is IDENTICAL in size, shape and font as the aluminum one.
Years ago I made the trophies and the carrying cases for the Canadian Grand Prix held in Montreal, it was sponsored by Air Canada.
This got me thinking that the gold colored skillet, whether it is bronze or brass, I'll know later tonight, was probably given to top management or to the very best distributors and the aluminum ones were given to the workers....







 
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