Help ID old pot

Hello people! I've used this website several times over the years to identify CI I've found and restored. This is the first time I've posted a new thread for one that has me stumped.



It's 9" diameter on top, tapering to 7 3/4" on bottom. It has characteristics that tells me it's old, but the condition is excellent. Very little seasoning build-up, just a slight brownish tint toward the top. Someone did a good job of restoring it in the past, since when I removed the thin layer of seasoning using the Self-cleaning oven method, I found in chalk on the bottom "$2.80". And I thought I had a good deal!

The bail has no dents, bends, or tool marks. No pitting inside.



The grinder marks along the edges are very sharp, so the condition looks either very little use and/or very well cared for.



It has a flat bottom and well-preserved numbers 7 and 3 at twelve o'clock. Those are the only marks I've found.



The external heat ring and slight bulge on bottom outsides looks like early work, designed for wood stoves. Unfortunately, it has no lid.



Anyone have any ideas?

Close-ups of parts are actually not the best to help make an ID. At least one should show the entire piece and the entire bottom. The markings, however, are Lodge ca. 1950s. It's one of their stove kettles.

Doug D. said:

Close-ups of parts are actually not the best to help make an ID. At least one should show the entire piece and the entire bottom. The markings, however, are Lodge ca. 1950s. It's one of their stove kettles.

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You nailed it! Thanks.

I searched "Lodge Kettle" and came up with practically all tea kettles, but I found a blog describing a "Lodge Straight Kettle" and that sure looks like it.

(I would have posted a pic of the whole kettle, but I just couldn't get the right perspective to make it look right. Kind of like trying to sell a fly rod on eBay with a pic of the whole 9' thing leaning against a wall.)

Jake, do you always use the self cleaning oven approach?

It would be good to know exactly when they discontinued this model kettle, or at least if/when they started putting the Lodge name and "Made In USA" on them. One of the few websites I found referencing the "Lodge Straight Kettle" said they are hard to find, and the author looked for two years before finding his.

Anyway, I bought this mainly for cooking, not looking. I got it down to bare metal, got the flash rust off from the self-cleaning cycle, and after just three coats of oil it's looking really even and black. I might give it another coat or two tomorrow.









I even found a glass lid for $0.99 at Goodwill, and it fits almost perfectly. It should get me by until I ever find a cast iron lid.

DonnaM said:

Jake, do you always use the self cleaning oven approach?

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Almost always, except I don't do it in the oven. I put them in my covered gas grill at about 650 degrees for about an hour. I do the seasoning in that grill, too, but only 350 degrees.

It works great for gunk and oil buildup, but doesn't do much for rust.

Here are some of the skillets I did, before and after: