Sauce Pan?

S

Stan D

Member
I'll try and be brief. I volunteer at a shop where we build traditional wooden boats, and was tasked with cleaning out a bin that stored a small foundry. We use it to cast hard to find marine hardware. In this bin, I found what I would call a cast iron sauce pan. It didn't look like it had been used to actually melt metal, but more likely was some sort of water pan used to cool tools. It had a bit of "slag" in the bottom, a bit or two of splatter on the outside, and generally nasty, with rust and paint splatter and such. I snagged it.


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It also had a lid.

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To be continued....
 
So, at this point, I figure any damage has already been done and how could I "ruin" it more than it already is. So I took it to the wire wheel. It looks like I got the slag off, as well as anything else (paint, rust...). I know that is frowned upon, but what more could it hurt? Well, it turned out fairly well.

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So, I'd be curious what it might be, and what to do now. Do I season it? Here are the identifying marks I found;

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The bottom of the handle;

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And the lid;

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What you can't see is a dash between the 3 and 4, and under the small side of the lid handle is another 4 that is sideways, top facing towards the center. I'd love to have your thoughts on this piece.

Thanks.
 
So, if I believe that an Ebay seller has it right, I may have an unmarked BSR. I found an Ebay seller that has a set for sale right now. The lid is identical to mine. The pot is similar, the difference being that the "2 Qt" marking is upside down from mine. Any thoughts?

Thanks.
 
I have what I believe to be a BSR 3 qt sauce pan. The lid has 2 ears and dimples indicative of BSR. The pan has an inset heat ring, a pour spout on the left side and an assist tab on the right side. The 3 Q marks on the bottom areof the same size and style as other BSR pans that I have. Other than the handle on the lid I don't see a lot of BSR in your pan. Does the inside of the lid have BSR dimples?

Maybe Doug or Steve will weigh in on this.
 
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My lid has the dimples as well. I just didn't post that pic. My guess would be that the 3 qt needs the helper tab, whereas the 2 qt doesn't(?).
 
These saucepans aka stew pans are some of the more frustrating things to ID. Lodges and BSRs have a lot in common, but also a lot of differences are seen within the makers themselves. Heat ring/no heat ring, pour spout(s) no pour spout(s), etc. Topping it off is that the BSRs don't seem to adhere to the V-shaped handle bottom rule of their skillets. Plus, BSRs lids seem to have been made with and without the dimples. I would say, all things considered, based primarily on the markings, the pan and lid in the OP are BSR.
 
I need some help with this one Doug, you without a doubt have a more trained eye than I do for this sort of thing. Comparing the two pots side by side: handle shape the same, font on top of handle size and shape nearly identical, lid shape from what I can make out in the photo are the same and lid handles are of similar style. Other than the 3 notch heat ring and the slightly better casting of what has previously been determined Lodge pot, what nuances are you picking up on that I don't see? Or are the above stated differences enough to conclude it to be BSR?
 
I have seen this identical combo discussed before, and there was a difference of opinion as to whether the pan was BSR or Lodge. If there are dimples on the underside of the lid, that would make the case for the lid being BSR at least. If the pan is Lodge, the smooth bottom would be what is throwing me off.
 
Thanks Doug, that is good information. The smooth bottom leads us to believe that the underside of the lid has dimples which indicates BSR. I haven't read the foundry pages recently, was there any sharing of patterns between BSR and Lodge? The similarities are too great to be a coincidence.
 
I'm totally with you all on the lid. But I'm somewhat confused on the pan. I'm sure it's my lack of experience on the subject, so let me ask more questions.

In my short time here I've learned that the handle is a big indicator of the make on these unmarked items. Is it safe to say that of the same make, skillet handles would be of the same shape and style of other types of cookware, in this case a stew pot? I went back to the CIC website, and the pot handle I have doesn't look at all like a Lodge or BSR skillet handle. Or any other make either. It's enough to make my head spin.
 
I found out last night that this pot WAS used to melt down lead. He said that he regretted it almost immediately, but the damage was done. So now the question is; do I find a way to use it? Will seasoning it seal away what little lead was in the bottom? It truly was only a spot about the size of the last joint of my pinky finger. You can just see it in the first pic.
 
I've heard that people use hydrogen peroxide mixed with white vinegar to remove stubborn lead from gun barrels. Mixing the two 1:1 creates weak peracetic acid which should also etch off a very thin layer of the cast iron leaving a nice surface to build seasoning on. I would do a few 1 hour soaks in peracetic with heavy scouring in between, possibly even use some fine sand paper. If you want total peace of mind there are lead detecting swabs you could test with after cleaning it to be sure.
 
Once used for lead smelting, I'd never trust it again. How deep into the cast iron pores has the lead settled, even at the molecular level.

My advice, use it as a decorative piece from now on. Get a electro pencil and etch it "lead Only" some place out of sight to save future heartaches.

I just could never use a piece used for smelting lead and not wonder how much lead is possibly being ingested. Bad, bad news.
 
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