Mystery One Dot #8 Skillet

J

JBPoole

Member
Picked up the cruddiest skillet I have ever seen for $2.50. Soaking in lye bath and scrubbing for several days has revealed what appears to be an unmarked #8. Looks like it may have a single dot at 12 o'clock. Thus far, nothing else.

No gate mark; no heat ring; no clue...

Any ideas?
 
With maybe 95% of the crud removed, I have:

1 (or 2?) dot at 12 o'clock
slightly crooked 8 inscribed on top of the handle
single dot under the handle
no other markings
groove on the top of the handle
seems much heavier than average
HAMMERED FINISH! (first one I have seen in person)

Maybe foreign made?

This appears to be an identical skillet:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Old-cast-ir.../201140103810?pt=Cookware&hash=item2ed4e26a82

Any help with solving this mystery would be very much appreciated!
 
Thanks for directing me to those posts from last year.

I guess the jury is still out this one. Seems odd that no one would find the origin of these extra heavy, crude looking pieces. Maybe someday...
 
Maybe someone can chime in on this mystery...

Notable descriptors:

Very HEAVY
Large dimples
Semi-rough finish throughout
Ribbed handle
 
I guess the mystery will continue. It appears that several of us have these skillets that are pretty much identical. I'm still just a beginner, but the look and finish on this skillet is very different from my Wagner, Griswold, Blacklock, Lodge and BSR pieces. Also, it seems that they pop up all over the country, not concentrated in any particular region.

I am not a member of any cast iron association, and I am not on FB. Maybe someone here would be kind enough to post the ID question elsewhere.

Surely, someone knows the story on these mystery pieces...
 
Best guess on the heavy, hammered, somewhat crude, dotted pieces is that they were some maker's attempt to cash in on the popularity of hammered CI back in the 30s or 40s. Being otherwise unmarked, unless one turns up NOS with an original paper label with a manufacturer's name, we'll probably never know.
 
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