Fix it? Leave it alone? My sad find... :(

RandyR

Member
Well, I found one of what I think, is the prettiest skillets. A Griswold #7 big block lettering. Man was I stoked, sat flat, had a nice ring to it. Cleaned the gunk off in a tank with a gallon of oven cleaner from smart and final.
Then I saw it, cracked from the rim down to the bottom, right next to the handle.

I have another, small Griswold, that once cleaned, showed someone had repaired it with brass or something.

I'd like to repair it so it'll have another lifetime of use and make it a daily runner.

Would a simple brass braze sucked into the crack do? When working in aircraft we'd drill the end of the crack for stress relief. Since the pan is no good to collectors, I figured drill the end of the crack with a #40 drill bit, braze it with brass, smooth and use. just want it to use for generations on.

What'd y'all think?
 

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People will tell you that a crack is fine to cook with, others will talk about catastrophic failure resulting in burns and a visit to the hospital.

I have 4 pans that started out without cracks, but through bad packaging for shipping, ended up on my doorstep with everything from hairline cracks all the way to a handle being 90% broken off (R.I.P. No. 8 Mi-Pet). I won't personally cook in them. I have enough other non-cracked ones that I don't have to worry.

Keep your eyes open, you'll find another, OR, cook in it..... Your choice.
 
If you do cook in it, limit your cooking to things that don't require you lifting the pan by they handle, or having the skillet filled with hot liquids.

Stick to steaks, fish, hamburgers, grilled cheese, etc., things that if the crack did let go, won't burst into flames over a gas burner, or spill hot oil all over your legs and feet.
 
I found a product called Castaloy (notice the spelling, only one L) on the net that allowed me to "solder" a pin hole in the bottom of a very old cast iron kettle. I bought one stick of the stuff and the primer. To use it I wire brushed the metal back to bright gray iron. I preheated the pot in the oven for an hour at 350 degrees so the pot would be hot all over when I fixed the hole. I used a propane torch to patch the hole and it worked! I think if you wire brushed front and back and used a Dremel to "V" open the crack a bit it would work find. If it doesn't you aren't out much at this point.
 
Thanks Andrew.

Oh yeah, no matter what, I'm not out much. $7 flea market buy.

I figure v the crack on the outside of the pan and repair it. I'm an aircraft mechanic, I already stopped by the weld shop. They said they'd crack check it to find the end of the crack, drill it, prep it, pre heat and do any welding needed, then control cool it so it doesn't recrack from un even cooling.

Next step will be a formed aluminium doubler on the outside going from one side of the crack across to the other side of the handle, attached with countersunk Ti fastners. All so there will be no chance of it breaking the handle off in the future.

Obviously this is over kill, but hey, for a future "shop" pan, eh, why not. It's junk right now anyway.

This is what happens when techs. Have down time, the inner Wile-E-Coyote comes out.

If/when this comes to fruition, I'll be sure to take pictures of Grizzy the "Frankenpan".:biggrin:
 
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