Mostly unmarked #14 skillet

C

CCrannell

New member
I inherited a bunch of my grandmother's and gr-grandmother cast iron. I've identified most of it, including a Good Health 8 658, Groswold 7 701, Griswold 5 724, a Lodge 3 3-notch with a "P" near the handle, and a very unmarked #6 (with a distinctly high-tone "ting" when you flick it with your finger).. Guessing the #6 was a very local piece. It's actually an awesome skillet to cook (and was the most used looking of the bunch). These were all from the Sunbury, PA area, originally.

The subject #14 I got from a folding Scout Troop. It has a handle that looks like my Griswold's underneath, has an unbroken heat ring, an engraved "14" at noon and on the handle, with a "(U.S.)" an inch or so underneath. The tab opposite the handle is mostly squared off and looks similar to other Griswold's of this size, but I can't find anything with that "(U.S.)" logo underneath the size.

I'd post pictures, but they are mostly in the lye tank right now. The lye tank is an awesome method! I started by stripping and reseasoning a bunch of griddles from my kids' Scout Troop. The method posted on this sight works very well. The Scouts and Scouters were amazed at how they came out, and how well they work now. The Scouts thought they were new.

Now I'm stripping my vintage iron. Some of the pieces were massively crusty. The Lodge #3 has some tenacious caramelization, but otherwise the crud is just falling off, and revealing some faint characters in places. The Griswolds almost look new, you can see the manufacturing in the surface.

Can anyone give an early clue on the manufacturer?
 
It's a Lodge. Some want to claim the (U.S.) is military related, but Lodge has confirmed it was merely an early method of inscribing country of origin.
 
Doug D. said:
It's a Lodge. Some want to claim the (U.S.) is military related, but Lodge has confirmed it was merely an early method of inscribing country of origin.
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Thank you. I'll post pics when it's done. Hopeful that the carbonization all comes off relatively easily. It is one heavy pan...
 
Something is off here. Having the incised 14 and (U.S.) at 12 o'clock very much suggests Lodge. However, that same skillet having the size incised on the handle, or an unbroken heat ring doesn't add up.
 
We'll need to see it when it's all cleaned up. There is a skillet I can think of that would have a 14 in both places, a squared off assist tab, a handle like a Griswold, and an unbroken heat ring. That would be the "unmarked" #14 Wagner made from an altered Griswold pattern they acquired in the merger. It also has 15-1/4 INCH at 6 o'clock, but no (U.S.). It also has CAST IRON SKILLET in an arc above the 14, a marking in the pattern left over from its Griswold days.
 
Here it is cleaned up and one round of pre-seasoning. It was downright gross when I got it. The bottom, near the handle has a "P L", with the "L" quite faint. I thought it had an unbroken ring, seems the amount off crud on it fooled me. Apologies.
I'm amazed it cleaned up as well as it did. And it is flat, too! Or at least it is flat on the heat ring. Seem pretty flat overall, though.

IMG_7366.jpegIMG_7365.jpeg
 
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This is my total mystery skillet (that I initially said was a 6). It has the different ring sound to it when you flick it, a bit heavier than my #5 Griswold, not as finished as the others. It's a great skillet, though.IMG_7369.jpegIMG_7373.jpeg
 
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