chicken fryer

Bonnie Scott

Active member
I have learned my lesson about posting questions without photos to this forum. I took this fryer out just long enough for a quick photo shoot. What is it? The handle looks like Vollrath but it doesn't have any spouts. I thought maybe CHF but did they only make hammered? This pan is trying to keep secrets from me.
http://imgur.com/g3XwCUT,E3oPRk5#0
Image Image
 
Chicken fryers often did not have pour spouts since that would be something imprudent to do with a deep pan full of hot grease. The handle looks Vollrath, but until markings if any can be seen on the bottom, we won't know further. CHF did make more than hammered pieces, but this does not look like CHF.
 
I took the pan inside and scrubbed it with some steel wool. I can't see any markings like numbers or letters but there appears to be an area where a gate mark was carefully filed down to make the pan sit really flat (which it does). It is still holding on to 100 years of crud so I put it back in the bath. I will post another pic when the pan is clean, probably next week. I am hoping the hammered lid fits this pan but I can't know for sure because that sneaky thing dove down to the bottom of the vat and I can't fish it out. :covri:

---------- Post added at 03:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:58 PM ----------

Do they make a CI version of the magnetic screw finder? I need a really huge magnet duct taped to a broom handle. :icon_rofl:
 
My guess would be a casting anomaly or maybe sulfur pitting vs. a carefully ground down gate mark. A piece of coat hanger wire with a hook bent in the end is very useful with a lye tank.
 
They do make long gloves, just short of the diving suit.:icon_rofl:

At times I have tied a piece of string to a handle and just let the string float on top of the lye.
 
You could always try a plastic bag on your arm.

Please what ever you do dont try this... Caustic lye disloves all organic material, hair , skin, flesh, bone. This stuff is nasty and mean. Dont belive me . Toss a chicken leg in your tank and then the next day try to find it... Please please be safe with this stuff.

I would tape a magnet to a plastic pipe or broom handle cover it with a plastic bag and carefully fish it out. Rince off with lots of water when you are done.
 
Please what ever you do dont try this... Caustic lye disloves all organic material, hair , skin, flesh, bone. This stuff is nasty and mean. Dont belive me . Toss a chicken leg in your tank and then the next day try to find it... Please please be safe with this stuff.

I would tape a magnet to a plastic pipe or broom handle cover it with a plastic bag and carefully fish it out. Rince off with lots of water when you are done.

What is wrong with this; Originally Posted by Stan D
"You could always try a plastic bag on your arm."

The lye will not eat plastic, as you wrote "plastic pipe or broom handle cover it with a plastic bag"

I Agree, that lye will eat your skin.

But if you do not want to believe this, try to steal a piece of iron out of my lye bath. You might just come out with no skin.:icon_rofl:
 
To those of you who are concerned with my safety I thank you for your concern. Rest assured I am completely up to date on my mandatory trainings in the use of Personal Protective Equiptment and I won't be diving unclothed into my lye vat anytime soon. I tried using the coat hanger to fish out the lid but I guess I wasn't using the right bait. I am not to concerned about it being down there for awhile as Dougs instructions say it won't hurt it any to stay down there and he hasn't steered me wrong yet.
 
They do make long gloves, just short of the diving suit.:icon_rofl:

I get the feeling that this statement was misunderstood.

No way was I implying to dive in to the lye. You need long gloves, or put on you're diving suit.

Also you should wear safety glasses. My gloves run just past my elbows.

It is true, that you can just leave your cast iron in your lye with no issues. This is not case with all metals, aluminum being one.

The trick to the coat hanger, attach it to your piece before you put it in your lye. Not sure what bait will work.:chuckle:
 
I thought you couldn't put the aluminum in lye at all? I have run across quite a few pieces lately really cheap and have passed on them because of the time involved in the cleaning process. I want some of those long gloves and have considered going to the local feed store to see if they have them. They use them on cows to do unmentionable things. :eek:
 
I don't think anyone is using the term "diving" as anything more than a euphemism, nor are they perceiving it as anything more.

Let me give some perspective here. Lye, at the concentration used for drain cleaner and stronger is very caustic. It will cause destructive alkaline burns to clothes, skin, and corneas. It will, at the recommended concentration for iron cleaning (1 lb. lye/5 gallons water), also cause discomfort, irritation, and/or damage to tissues it contacts, the degree of which is largely dependent on length of contact. I have roughly calculated that which we use to be about half the recommended drain cleaning strength. So, do I want what's in my lye tank in my eyes? Definitely not. On my clothes? I would prefer not. On my skin? No, not for more than a minute without rinsing it off. If I can't fish a piece out of my tank with coat hanger wire, I have been known to snatch it with a bare hand and immediately dunk it (and my hand) into my rinse barrel without issue. On the one or two occasions I have done so and was not as diligent about thoroughly rinsing my skin post haste, the result was akin to the feeling of a very mild sunburn. After rinsing, the feeling subsided immediately. Will the main website article on lye usage ever recommend barehanded lye tank fishing? No, it still won't.

Lye will dissolve aluminum, or as I have read, lye is a catalyst which allows the water to dissolve the aluminum.
 
I saw a 5 quart Aluminum DO for 4$ it had a rough surface texture and seemed as though it would be a real chore to clean up. I figure my time is money and I don't want to spend to much time on a piece for resale if I can't recoup what I consider a decent wage. Is there a easy peasy way to clean this stuff that I don't know about? Jeffrey? and by the way, your comment was construed as amusing and nothing more.
 
Hammered finish aluminum is a pain to restore, if it's even possible. The techniques used on smooth, polished finish aluminum are not of any use on hammered. Or even "as cast" aluminum surfaces, for that matter. If the one you're looking at is really oxidized, I would pass, even at $4.
 
I want some of those long gloves and have considered going to the local feed store to see if they have them. They use them on cows to do unmentionable things. :eek:

They are to thin, for my liking

It is true, that you can just leave your cast iron in your lye with no issues. This is not case with all metals, aluminum being one.
That you can not clean with lye:icon_thumbsup:

Will the main website article on lye usage ever recommend barehanded lye tank fishing?

Well, at least let us know what bait to use with your hook:chuckle:

Is there a easy peasy way to clean this stuff that I don't know about? Jeffrey?

For me, Not worth my time to $$.

Also - the science is still out on this. Take it for what you want.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/143570-poisons-from-aluminum-cookware/
 
So where did you find your over the elbow gloves? The ones I have are only about 2 inches to short to reach to the bottom of the tank.
 
I don't know how deep your lye bath is, but sometimes if I'm fishing around for something small at the bottom i grab a SS colander with a long handle and attempt to scoop it out along the edge of the tub. it works most of the time :D
 
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