Cast iron finds

[Lady Hunter]

The 2nd is marked for $20 and the first I thought a little high at $75

Yeah I'd probably pass on those prices. Even the $20 because that much crud could hide all sorts of damage.

 

[Timp2]

Hard to see but can anyone recognize what brand this is? Letters very hard to see. Just got it from my mom’s parents old house. Papaw passed away a few years ago at age of 93 so it could be very old or not old at all for all I know. What do I do to it before trying to use it?

Edit: wouldn’t be surprised if it was cheap now that I think about it. All of the good ones were probably picked through by family members already lol

 

[Luther's Feist]

Hard to see but can anyone recognize what brand this is? Letters very hard to see. Just got it from my mom’s parents old house. Papaw passed away a few years ago at age of 93 so it could be very old or not old at all for all I know. What do I do to it before trying to use it?

Edit: wouldn’t be surprised if it was cheap now that I think about it. All of the good ones were probably picked through by family members already lol

I don't know enough about em to even make a guess but @Lady Hunter sees it she can probably let ya know something. I believe she knows more about cast iron than anyone

 

[Lady Hunter]

Can you take a pic of the entire back, especially where the handle connects?

Hard to see but can anyone recognize what brand this is? Letters very hard to see. Just got it from my mom’s parents old house. Papaw passed away a few years ago at age of 93 so it could be very old or not old at all for all I know. What do I do to it before trying to use it?

 

[Timp2]

Can you take a pic of the entire back, especially where the handle connects?

Here’s the bottom

 

[Lady Hunter]

Here’s the bottom View attachment 106848 View attachment 106849

Hmmm..... this is one I like to call a "scratch off surprise" - lol! I'm stumped on identifying it as is. I'm GUESSING it's Asian due to the eye of the handle but it's impossible for me to tell right now.

Here's some info I put together for another member of the board who inherited some old iron. PLEASE don't put it in a fire or use a self-cleaning oven!!!! The first can damage/warp the skillet and the second can destroy your stove or even catch your house on fire.....
--------------------------------------

First, you need to remove the old seasoning (because even on pieces that show only a little rust - the seasoning can be hiding additional problems & allow the rust to continue to grow) and then go after the rust. The best way to remove old seasoning from just a few pieces is with good old yellow cap Easy Off oven cleaner. Spray it good & put it in an airtight bag for a few days. Then pull it out, rinse & wash it good. Most if not all the old seasoning will rinse right off. Use one of the green mesh-like scrubbing pads if you have to. If there's still some that's being stubborn, put it back in teh Easy Off sauna for a few more days & then rinse/scrub again.

Once the old black seasoning has been removed, you should be able to see the rust spots really well. Mix up 50% white vinegar with 50% water and soak the iron for 30 minute intervals. Soak 30 minutes. Rinse. Scrub. Repeat as needed. Sometimes a stainless steel scrubber is useful (do NOT use copper as it will make the iron turn color). Don't soak longer than 30 minutes because the vinegar can actually soften the iron and that is NOT repairable.

At this point, you may or may not encounter a pain-in-the-butt called flash rush. One minute the iron looks beautifully black - the next the whole da** thing turns rusty brown. If it does, do a quick dip in the vinegar/water solution & wash it back off in COLD water. Dry as fast as you can- you may even want ot use an oily cloth to dry with.

So now you've got bare iron. It's gotta be seasoned to keep it from rusting again. No matter what our grandparents said or believed, seasoning is simply oil that has been heated past it's smoke point for a period of time so that the liquid oil turns into a solid, glass like polymerized coating. It's something you will normally only do if a piece has been stripped down to bare iron. You can't wash it off & it doesn't have to be repeated unless the seasoning is damaged (burned off or scratched/chipped).

To do that with new iron, rub it down thoroughly with your choice of oils. Everyone has their favorite. I do NOT recommend flax seed oil as it looks beautiful but has a horrible reputation for failing and flaking off. As for me, I just use Pam or whatever store brand spray of cooking oil is handy. Don't use bacon grease. Most of it has sugar in it & will produce a sticky gooey mess.

Spray the iron, rub the oil in good, then RUB IT OFF. Seriously, use a clean towel and rub that sucker until it feels dry and you can't rub any more off. If you don't, the resulting seasoning will look blotchy & the dark blotches will likely remain sticky instead of solidifying. It's a mess. Don't ask me how I know!

Then put the iron in the oven upside down at 410 degrees for one hour. Let it cool in the oven. (This process does produce smoke - after all you're taking the oil past the smoke point - and it does STINK but there's no other way to do it unless you have a grill with excellent temperature controls & can do it outside.) Some folks recommend pulling the iron after the first 10 minutes & then rubbing it down again. I haven't found that to be necessary & just burns the snot out of your fingertips.

That gives you your first layer of seasoning. I usually do 2 or 3 before deeming a piece "ready to use."

I think that's all you'll need to get 'em back in shape. If you have any questions, feel free to message me. A lot of folks will tell you all this is unnecessary but this is what's recommended by collectors and antique dealers and is what's safest for vintage iron - too much of which has been destroyed by sanding, grinding, fire tossing, self cleaning ovens, etc. - and I've done several hundred pieces over the past few years.

 

[HeadedWest]

I'm GUESSING it's Asian due to the eye of the handle but it's impossible for me to tell right now.

Racist!

 

[Timp2]

T

Hmmm..... this is one I like to call a "scratch off surprise" - lol! I'm stumped on identifying it as is. I'm GUESSING it's Asian due to the eye of the handle but it's impossible for me to tell right now.

Here's some info I put together for another member of the board who inherited some old iron. PLEASE don't put it in a fire or use a self-cleaning oven!!!! The first can damage/warp the skillet and the second can destroy your stove or even catch your house on fire.....
--------------------------------------

First, you need to remove the old seasoning (because even on pieces that show only a little rust - the seasoning can be hiding additional problems & allow the rust to continue to grow) and then go after the rust. The best way to remove old seasoning from just a few pieces is with good old yellow cap Easy Off oven cleaner. Spray it good & put it in an airtight bag for a few days. Then pull it out, rinse & wash it good. Most if not all the old seasoning will rinse right off. Use one of the green mesh-like scrubbing pads if you have to. If there's still some that's being stubborn, put it back in teh Easy Off sauna for a few more days & then rinse/scrub again.

Once the old black seasoning has been removed, you should be able to see the rust spots really well. Mix up 50% white vinegar with 50% water and soak the iron for 30 minute intervals. Soak 30 minutes. Rinse. Scrub. Repeat as needed. Sometimes a stainless steel scrubber is useful (do NOT use copper as it will make the iron turn color). Don't soak longer than 30 minutes because the vinegar can actually soften the iron and that is NOT repairable.

At this point, you may or may not encounter a pain-in-the-butt called flash rush. One minute the iron looks beautifully black - the next the whole da** thing turns rusty brown. If it does, do a quick dip in the vinegar/water solution & wash it back off in COLD water. Dry as fast as you can- you may even want ot use an oily cloth to dry with.

So now you've got bare iron. It's gotta be seasoned to keep it from rusting again. No matter what our grandparents said or believed, seasoning is simply oil that has been heated past it's smoke point for a period of time so that the liquid oil turns into a solid, glass like polymerized coating. It's something you will normally only do if a piece has been stripped down to bare iron. You can't wash it off & it doesn't have to be repeated unless the seasoning is damaged (burned off or scratched/chipped).

To do that with new iron, rub it down thoroughly with your choice of oils. Everyone has their favorite. I do NOT recommend flax seed oil as it looks beautiful but has a horrible reputation for failing and flaking off. As for me, I just use Pam or whatever store brand spray of cooking oil is handy. Don't use bacon grease. Most of it has sugar in it & will produce a sticky gooey mess.

Spray the iron, rub the oil in good, then RUB IT OFF. Seriously, use a clean towel and rub that sucker until it feels dry and you can't rub any more off. If you don't, the resulting seasoning will look blotchy & the dark blotches will likely remain sticky instead of solidifying. It's a mess. Don't ask me how I know!

Then put the iron in the oven upside down at 410 degrees for one hour. Let it cool in the oven. (This process does produce smoke - after all you're taking the oil past the smoke point - and it does STINK but there's no other way to do it unless you have a grill with excellent temperature controls & can do it outside.) Some folks recommend pulling the iron after the first 10 minutes & then rubbing it down again. I haven't found that to be necessary & just burns the snot out of your fingertips.

That gives you your first layer of seasoning. I usually do 2 or 3 before deeming a piece "ready to use."

I think that's all you'll need to get 'em back in shape. If you have any questions, feel free to message me. A lot of folks will tell you all this is unnecessary but this is what's recommended by collectors and antique dealers and is what's safest for vintage iron - too much of which has been destroyed by sanding, grinding, fire tossing, self cleaning ovens, etc. - and I've done several hundred pieces over the past few years.

Thank you for the help! Glad I asked because there is a lot to it I wouldn’t have known

 

[Lady Hunter]

T

Thank you for the help! Glad I asked because there is a lot to it I wouldn’t have known

No problem! My hope is to keep old iron safe & in use!!!!

If you ever end up with several pieces to restore, there's a method using a lye tank that's a lot more efficient than the Easy Off sauna. It's just not practical for one piece.... (There's also a method using electrolysis that will remove both the seasoning & rust in one step but again, it's not practical for just a single piece.) If you ever end up with a bunch though, send me a message & I'll be glad to help you out!

 

[kenbuckyblu]

T

Thank you for the help! Glad I asked because there is a lot to it I wouldn’t have known

To me it looks like that says Taiwan, which is not a pan i would have any interest in. Cheap asian stuff.

 

[Lady Hunter]

To me it looks like that says Taiwan, which is not a pan i would have any interest in. Cheap asian stuff.

They're cheap but they cook just as good as Lodge or any American brand. I keep several in my camper to use while camping so I don't mess up any good stuff. (They also tend to be lighter weight than most newer American brands which is a factor when loading up the camper.)

 

[HCDH66]

Hmmm..... this is one I like to call a "scratch off surprise" - lol! I'm stumped on identifying it as is. I'm GUESSING it's Asian due to the eye of the handle but it's impossible for me to tell right now.

Here's some info I put together for another member of the board who inherited some old iron. PLEASE don't put it in a fire or use a self-cleaning oven!!!! The first can damage/warp the skillet and the second can destroy your stove or even catch your house on fire.....
--------------------------------------

First, you need to remove the old seasoning (because even on pieces that show only a little rust - the seasoning can be hiding additional problems & allow the rust to continue to grow) and then go after the rust. The best way to remove old seasoning from just a few pieces is with good old yellow cap Easy Off oven cleaner. Spray it good & put it in an airtight bag for a few days. Then pull it out, rinse & wash it good. Most if not all the old seasoning will rinse right off. Use one of the green mesh-like scrubbing pads if you have to. If there's still some that's being stubborn, put it back in teh Easy Off sauna for a few more days & then rinse/scrub again.

Once the old black seasoning has been removed, you should be able to see the rust spots really well. Mix up 50% white vinegar with 50% water and soak the iron for 30 minute intervals. Soak 30 minutes. Rinse. Scrub. Repeat as needed. Sometimes a stainless steel scrubber is useful (do NOT use copper as it will make the iron turn color). Don't soak longer than 30 minutes because the vinegar can actually soften the iron and that is NOT repairable.

At this point, you may or may not encounter a pain-in-the-butt called flash rush. One minute the iron looks beautifully black - the next the whole da** thing turns rusty brown. If it does, do a quick dip in the vinegar/water solution & wash it back off in COLD water. Dry as fast as you can- you may even want ot use an oily cloth to dry with.

So now you've got bare iron. It's gotta be seasoned to keep it from rusting again. No matter what our grandparents said or believed, seasoning is simply oil that has been heated past it's smoke point for a period of time so that the liquid oil turns into a solid, glass like polymerized coating. It's something you will normally only do if a piece has been stripped down to bare iron. You can't wash it off & it doesn't have to be repeated unless the seasoning is damaged (burned off or scratched/chipped).

To do that with new iron, rub it down thoroughly with your choice of oils. Everyone has their favorite. I do NOT recommend flax seed oil as it looks beautiful but has a horrible reputation for failing and flaking off. As for me, I just use Pam or whatever store brand spray of cooking oil is handy. Don't use bacon grease. Most of it has sugar in it & will produce a sticky gooey mess.

Spray the iron, rub the oil in good, then RUB IT OFF. Seriously, use a clean towel and rub that sucker until it feels dry and you can't rub any more off. If you don't, the resulting seasoning will look blotchy & the dark blotches will likely remain sticky instead of solidifying. It's a mess. Don't ask me how I know!

Then put the iron in the oven upside down at 410 degrees for one hour. Let it cool in the oven. (This process does produce smoke - after all you're taking the oil past the smoke point - and it does STINK but there's no other way to do it unless you have a grill with excellent temperature controls & can do it outside.) Some folks recommend pulling the iron after the first 10 minutes & then rubbing it down again. I haven't found that to be necessary & just burns the snot out of your fingertips.

That gives you your first layer of seasoning. I usually do 2 or 3 before deeming a piece "ready to use."

I think that's all you'll need to get 'em back in shape. If you have any questions, feel free to message me. A lot of folks will tell you all this is unnecessary but this is what's recommended by collectors and antique dealers and is what's safest for vintage iron - too much of which has been destroyed by sanding, grinding, fire tossing, self cleaning ovens, etc. - and I've done several hundred pieces over the past few years.

This is excellent advice. I have restored many cast iron pieces with a process almost identical to this one Lady Hunter details.

I have switched to using Crisbee for the oil material to season. It works really well.