It's a shame what people do to skillets

R

RLMuse

Member
I went to the OKC Land Run Antiques Fair this weekend. Not much in the way of Cast Iron.

There was however one piece that at first glance caught my eye. It was a #14 Griswold LBL skillet. It was hanging on a hook, and it looked nice at first glance.

I lifted it off the hook and the vendor had apparently spend quite a bit of time on the cooking surface with a stainless steel wire brush. The inside literally looked like the outside surface of "The Spirit of St. Louis". He must have put his whole body weight onto the drill, and sat there with it spinning in one spot for 10 minutes, then moved it slightly and started on another spot.

I simply commented "Nice piece, shame about the cooking surface" and he came unglued about how this was the industry standard way of cleaning a piece, and that he had cleaned and sold over 2,000 pieces.

I just shook my head and walked away, just as another person picked up the skillet, and said, "This is a huge Griswold, too bad they ruined it."
 
I also saw a very nice #5 LBL flat bottom skillet (no heat ring) at an antique store a couple weeks ago. I didn't need one as I already have a very nice example of the same piece. They were a little overpriced. I paid $25.00 for mine. They wanted $449.95. :icon_rofl:
 
CJMunnich said:
It bugs me when I see a skillet that has had a hole dilled in it and turned into a clock.
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I understand some of your logic (especially a perfectly good skillet) but when a skillet is of no use for cooking/baking in with a crack at a critical stress point do we just throw it away?
I think there comes a time that you try and salvage a piece even if it requires altering it in such a way that it will no longer be of use to cook in. I've read all the methods tried to repair cast iron but bottom line it's only a temporary fix at best. I would certainly not want a piece that was repaired and passed off as being grade "A" when in fact it isn't.
I actually have made two clock skillets and gave them to my grand daughters and the delight I saw in their eyes was overwhelming. I believe there are exceptions to lots of things and when a piece of vintage cast iron is not restorable I will always try and repurpose it.
 
MDFraley said:
I understand some of your logic (especially a perfectly good skillet) but when a skillet is of no use for cooking/baking in with a crack at a critical stress point do we just throw it away?
I think there comes a time that you try and salvage a piece even if it requires altering it in such a way that it will no longer be of use to cook in. I've read all the methods tried to repair cast iron but bottom line it's only a temporary fix at best. I would certainly not want a piece that was repaired and passed off as being grade "A" when in fact it isn't.
I actually have made two clock skillets and gave them to my grand daughters and the delight I saw in their eyes was overwhelming. I believe there are exceptions to lots of things and when a piece of vintage cast iron is not restorable I will always try and repurpose it.
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I have no problem with people repurposing an unsalvageable cast iron piece. Cracks, chips, pinholes eaten through, there are many things that kill the collectible value, and eliminate the possibility of use for the original purpose. Might as well be artistic. Have seen many beautiful old tea pots that are now flower pots.

What kills me is when people ruin what would otherwise be a perfectly beautiful piece if cleaned properly. The 14 Skillet could have been a very nice piece if it had gotten the proper treatment.
 
MDFraley said:
I understand some of your logic (especially a perfectly good skillet) but when a skillet is of no use for cooking/baking in with a crack at a critical stress point do we just throw it away?
I think there comes a time that you try and salvage a piece even if it requires altering it in such a way that it will no longer be of use to cook in. I've read all the methods tried to repair cast iron but bottom line it's only a temporary fix at best. I would certainly not want a piece that was repaired and passed off as being grade "A" when in fact it isn't.
I actually have made two clock skillets and gave them to my grand daughters and the delight I saw in their eyes was overwhelming. I believe there are exceptions to lots of things and when a piece of vintage cast iron is not restorable I will always try and repurpose it.
Click to expand...

I got burned on 2 different Dutch ovens I bought off ebay. Both DO's needed cleaning, and that's when I found the cracks. I now use the bottoms of same to transport smaller kettles and DO's that are hot and full of food when the occasion calls for.
 
I'm proud to say I did the most unshameful thing to a severely pitted skillet recently. Two weeks ago I found it sitting outdoors in what's best described as a junk pile. I know it was out there over at least one Wisconsin winter because it was in the exact same spot it was in the last time I visited that particular junk pile last October. At the time my kid chastised me for walking away from an obviously old #8 skillet with an outside heat ring and no sign any cracks or warping. It was completely covered in rust in October, and obviously much more worse off after winter. I got it home and dropped it in the e-tank, only to reveal a totally unmarked mystery skillet pitted almost as badly as the world's roughest Griswold shown on Youtube. Inspired by the video, I simply washed it off, seasoned it, and have been using it daily ever since. At this point eggs slide around on it just as easily as a mint condition Griswold would at this stage post-restoration. The pits are still an obvious eyesore but don't feel all that rough compared to when I pulled it out of the e-tank. My college age nephew is moving into his first apartment this fall and has already called dibs on it.
 
Do you have a before and after picture of that skillet? I just can't visualize some of the horribly pitted skillets that I have ever being used for cooking.
 
This is the only before I took, minutes before it went into the tank. The other two are after a couple weeks worth of daily use cooking seasoning-friendly food. The thickness and angle of the sidewall don't look right for a 1920's unmarked Wagner. It also feels way too heavy for a Wagner, but lighter than a Lodge. I've never seen a handle like that on an Erie/Griswold with an outside heat ring, and again there's the weight problem so I'm totally stumped about the maker. There's no rocking when placed on my counter top, it has no cracks, and it cooks just fine despite the pitting.
 

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Very similar 8 to what I posted about here:
http://www.castironcollector.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3578
What does yours weigh?
Also, yours has 2 dots offset from each other near the wall on the handle. Mine has 2 dots in a line further down on the handle on one and a letter C on the other.
Thanks for the before and after picks. I can see life for some of my pitted ones now.

---------- Post added at 01:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:04 PM ----------

That video with the pitted egg cooing was amazing and confusing. I have smooth skillets that take repeated fatty cookings before I can get an egg to loosen that fast and easily from the pan.
 
MEValery said:
Very similar 8 to what I posted about here:
http://www.castironcollector.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3578
What does yours weigh?
Also, yours has 2 dots offset from each other near the wall on the handle. Mine has 2 dots in a line further down on the handle on one and a letter C on the other.
Thanks for the before and after picks. I can see life for some of my pitted ones now.

---------- Post added at 01:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:04 PM ----------

That video with the pitted egg cooing was amazing and confusing. I have smooth skillets that take repeated fatty cookings before I can get an egg to loosen that fast and easily from the pan.
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4#6oz. A little lighter than yours but given the pitting I'd say it was more like 4#8oz when new.
 
I think the pitting on a pan might actually be helpful as the grease will pool in the pits when cooking and cause little pockets of oil and steam under the food which could make the food slide easier. There is a canadian who makes forged steel pans and hammers them just for this purpose. Willow Creek Forge Check it out- http://www.willowcreekforge.com/shop/medium-frying-pan/
He proclaims that the hammered bottom on the pan makes for a better cooking surface.
 
OK, I'm going to try it. I have an old victor skillet that looks so horrible. Need to finish cleaning it first.
 
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