My other hobby

[Slab Slicer]

I've seen some beautiful picture on here of some kitchens, and notice that some folks have cast iron pans hanging on the wall. It just so happens, that's one of my other hobbies. Been collecting for 6 or 7 years now. Had to thin the collection by about 200 pcs just a few months ago. Just no where to go with it all. Here's some pics of the infamous "Iron Room" as we call it.



 



 



 



 

[WDH]

Every time that I would sit in that room, I would be thinking about sausage and bacon  :D.

That is incredible!

[DanG]

I'm not much for collecting things, but I find a nice cast iron piece hard to resist when I find them.  Beautiful collection, Slicer!

[Slab Slicer]

Thanks guys. We don't only collect, we also cook with iron almost exclusively. An occasional piece of glass ware here and there, but that's it. We use the skillets of course, waffle irons, dutch ovens, griddles, etc etc etc. There are actually collector pieces out there that go for upwards of $5000. That's out of my league though. Most all the piece I collect are pre 1940 or so. Some as early as mid to late 1800's. Every piece in that room can be taken into the kitchen and used. It's all been cleaned, and seasoned, and is ready to cook in.

[5quarter]

I do all the cooking for the family and one of my go-to skillets is a 12"x2" griswold skillet with an opposing carry lip and double drip edges. Nearly identical to the large skillet hanging the upper right of your first pic. it is older than dirt, but it is one of the finest cast iron pans ive ever used. I was at the landfill dump one morning and a gal next to me was dumping a truckload of stuff. The last thing out of her truck was this skillet and of all things, the lid for it. I had to save it somehow, so my next canfull of trash I pulled off the truck and dumped right next to the skillet. when empty, i quietly slid the cookware into the can and swung it back up into the truck. once cleaned and re-seasoned, it has been one of my best performers in the kitchen.
   I also have an eight qt. hanging pot that I use regularly on the woodstove for soups and stews.
   your collection is impressive. I can appreciate the value of what you have there. good job!

[thecfarm]

Now that's a collection. Nice way you have them displayed too.

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

Awesome collection and i really like that stove in the corner. When I saw the cast iron, i thought about chili, because I have a cast iron pot with lid that i hang over the campfire and slow cook chili when we are at the lake.

[Magicman]

Nothing holds the heat and cooks like iron.   

[Peter Drouin]

Nice, thats all we cook in too

[fishpharmer]

Impressive!  I might add, you better make sure your wife is happy before you nap in that recliner ;)

[doctorb]

Wow!  New reality show.......Frying Goes Wild!

Great collection.  What would make you turn down the next one you came across?

[Autocar]

I like your stove thats about as cool as they come  ;).

[Axe Handle Hound]

I never would have even thought of collecting iron cookware like that.   Seeing them all in that room is really impressive!  I like the shelves that you have in there as well.  They fit with the decor really well.

[red oaks lumber]

i suppose cast iron  is the best for cooking grits. :D

[Jeff]

What is the piece in the first photo that looks like a web and spider?

[Slab Slicer]

What is the piece in the first photo that looks like a web and spider?

Thats was actually sold as a halloween decoration, but a member of the collectors club I belong to painted them black, and put the word ERIE on the back of the spider. Erie was the home of The Griswold MFG CO until 1957 when they were bought up, and combined with the Wagner Mfg Co of Sidney Ohio. The spider, and web design was a trademark from the Griswold MFG Co back in the late 1800's to early 1900's. There is actually a skillet with a spider, and web design in the center of the outside bottom, and the word ERIE is spelled out on the spiders back.



 

This skillet in excellent condition is one of those pieces that can cost into the thousands of dollars, so if you happen to come across one, don't send it to the scrap yard.

Food cooked in cast iron just tastes better in my book. It took some time to convince Deb about that, but now she won't use anything else.

5quarter, if you found the lid along with the skillet, that's a good deal. Alot of the lids were scraped during WWII to support the war effort. I guess they felt that you can still use the skillet without the lid. Griswold is also the premier name for collectors, so you found a good one for sure.

Axe Handle, we built those shelves out of some old rough cut lumber that used to be our attic floor. The floor was replaced with plywood. The shelves were basically designed to look like crates. In fact, the one shelf was made from old crates. The TV stand was also made from the same poplar boards. None of it was suppose to look fancy or anything, Just sort of like the stuff you would find in the basement of an old farmhouse.

[customsawyer]

Very nice collection. I would gain weight just sitting in that chair and thinking about what all I could be eating.  :D

[Slab Slicer]

Thanks to everyone for the comments. If anyone else has the same interest, or would like to know more about the hobby, this is the best site I've found for info.

http://www.griswoldandwagner.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl

You can register for free, and if you'd like to become a member, it's only $25 / year. Tons of great info, recipes, history, and the like. This is only there website. We do hold a convention once a year believe it or not  :D

[Jeff]

Wow, I'm very surprised to see a cgi YaBB forum still running. The Forestry Forum started as YaBB, and soon outgrew the software.

[Slab Slicer]

When I joined here Jeff, I noticed how much fast this forum ran, and suggested a change for our forum. This forum is lighting fast in comparison. Nice work. The layouts are similar, but you can't beat the speed here.

[thecfarm]

Speed,thanks to Jeff. He tries to keep the few on here that still use dial up happy. I'm all smiles. ;D

[5quarter]

slab slicer...How do you season your ironware? scores of ways to do it and I'm always on the lookout for good tips. when I first get it I clean it to bare metal. I coat it inside and out with cooking oil and place it in my outdoor grill for 15-20 minutes until the oil is carbonized. then I take it out, let it cool some and sand the inner surface with a fine grit sanding sponge. I repeat the process 2 or 3 more times until I get a black exterior and an amber satin sheen on the inside. I then take it inside, put it on the stove, coat the bottom with oil, about a tablespoon of salt and a whole egg (shell and all). mash it all together and rub the mixture around the interior for a good minute. dump contents and wipe clean. ready to go. sometimes I'll use a heel of bread in place of the egg.

[Slab Slicer]

OUCH!!! The only thing I see as an issue is the sanding part. I know it's fine grit and all, but if there was any kind of value to the piece, it will be lost with the sanding. Any type of abrasive, sandbalsting, bead blasting, wire wheels, etc, etc should be avoided at all costs. I know these things can look like a gunked up mess when you find them at a flea market, auction, yard sale and so on, but there are MUCH better, and less destructive ways of cleaning the pieces of American history. For the sake of time, and alot of typing, I'll post this link of the acceptable ways of cleaning, and seasoning cast iron. As I mentioned before in this thread, there are pieces that are worth thousands of dollars, and that value will be lost, along with a piece of history, if harsh methods are used. http://www.wag-society.org/cleaning.php  I know you may be just using them to cook with, but just think if a collector saw that you had one of those highly prized pieces, and it was damaged by the method you used for cleaning. Now the value has dropped to $10, rather than $1000. That's one heck of a lose. I guess you could equate it to someone taking a nice clear, straight 30" dia sinker cypress log, and chipping it for flower bed mulch. It would make most of us break down in tears. I hope you can understand. We ( collectors) see pieces that were damaged and just can't believe what was done to it.

Let me know if you have any questions. I'd be more than happy to help out.

Chuck

[thecfarm]

I thought of you today. I was talking to neighbor when I went down to the mailbox. He just put his ice shack out on the ice,invited me down to fish. Than the FF topic came up,FOOD. He said he had to go home and season up his cast iron pan for eating at The Shack. As he said you don't wash it,just wipe it out and it's ready for the next time.

[Slab Slicer]

That's what we do cfarm. If anything does get stuck in it, which hardly ever happens, we let it cool, put some water in it, heat it up on low, and give it a light scrub with a plastic scrubby. Dump it out, wipe it dry, lightly oil it, and wipe it out really well. No need to leave it wet with oil. It will still be protected.

Cast iron is great. The more you use it, the more oil that carbonizes on it, and the slicker it gets. We have frying pans that are far more slick than teflon. In the collector world, teflon is a 4 letter word.  :D

[5quarter]

Slab slicer...sorry for setting off the alarms. The sanding sponge simply removes some of the baked on oil from the inner surface while leaving carbon deposited in the pores. no Iron is actually sanded. The grit is the equivalent of about 800 grit, much finer than a scratch pad. successive seasoning and sanding just builds an ultra smooth cooking surface without completely blackening the inside. What are the points a collector would look at when determining the condition and/or the value? can you devalue cast iron by cleaning and reseasoning?
   The reason I give it a light sanding on the inside is the first couple times the oil comes up to temp and begins to darken it tends to carbonize unevenly (Maybe I'm coating it too thick?).so I sand in a circular motion until I have a uniform color and season again. by the 3 or fourth time, I have a very even color and a nice gloss to the surface.
   I have 11 pieces total, but this 12" skillet is one of my workhorses. It probably does have some collectible value if for no other reason than it is very well crafted and in excellent shape. No hot spots, no dishing in the center, sets dead level on the stove and has a nice ring to it when you rap it with your knuckle (I don't know if that last part is of any real importance).
   I checked out the link you provided. some useful info there. I think his cleaning methods are a little eccentric, but very thorough. I just use easy off and sanitize with boiling water and vinegar. I have also burned out the old carbon on a few pans with good results.
   I have a few pans that are obviously old but do not have a makers name on them. Is there any way to ID them?
Thanks.
Great thread.

[Jeff]

We have three cast iron frying pans, that we cook almost exclusively out of. They are always on the stove or in the oven.  I have no idea from where or when we got them, but I just looked and they area all marked Lodge.

[Slab Slicer]

Slab slicer...sorry for setting off the alarms. The sanding sponge simply removes some of the baked on oil from the inner surface while leaving carbon deposited in the pores. no Iron is actually sanded. The grit is the equivalent of about 800 grit, much finer than a scratch pad. successive seasoning and sanding just builds an ultra smooth cooking surface without completely blackening the inside. What are the points a collector would look at when determining the condition and/or the value? can you devalue cast iron by cleaning and reseasoning?
   The reason I give it a light sanding on the inside is the first couple times the oil comes up to temp and begins to darken it tends to carbonize unevenly (Maybe I'm coating it too thick?).so I sand in a circular motion until I have a uniform color and season again. by the 3 or fourth time, I have a very even color and a nice gloss to the surface.
   I have 11 pieces total, but this 12" skillet is one of my workhorses. It probably does have some collectible value if for no other reason than it is very well crafted and in excellent shape. No hot spots, no dishing in the center, sets dead level on the stove and has a nice ring to it when you rap it with your knuckle (I don't know if that last part is of any real importance).
   I checked out the link you provided. some useful info there. I think his cleaning methods are a little eccentric, but very thorough. I just use easy off and sanitize with boiling water and vinegar. I have also burned out the old carbon on a few pans with good results.
   I have a few pans that are obviously old but do not have a makers name on them. Is there any way to ID them?
Thanks.
Great thread.

Where to start??? The sanding, even with the grit you mentioned can be harmful. The light amber color is evidence of the damage done, and collectors can spot that easily. The iron both inside and out should be black, and shiney. That black is the carbon that you're looking for. That's what makes it non-stick. The uneven color you mentioned is from too much oil being left behind when you wipe the iron down. Continue to wipe until the the paper towel you're wiping with comes back nearly dry. Burning off the old baked on stuff is another NO no in the cast iron world. heat that high can cause the iron to begin to breakdown. You will be left with a dark red color to the iron. That evidence of the damage.

To a collector, chips, cracks pitting, repairs, and rust, along with any warp to the cooking surface, whether it's an upward bow, or a downward bow. And of course, the proper cleaning, and seasoning of the iron. If you'd like me to help ID your iron, send some clear pics of the outside bottom, including the handle. if there are any numbers or marking of any kind, make sure those are clear in the pics. Some of those unmarked pieces were made by the major manufacturers to seell in hardware stores, and place like Sears, and can carry a good bit of value to a collector.

One other note about using iron. NEVER put any water in it until it has cooled down. Doing so can warp or crack the piece.

I hope I covered everything. I'll check your post again, and see if I missed any points.

Chuck

[loggah]

Slabslicer, I have a ancient cast iron pressure cooker black iron on the outside , the inside is  white enamel probably holds between 2 and 3 gallons. the top cover rotates into place under cast iron ears, the top lip is beveled where the cover mates with it. It has a round castiron weight  that sits in a countersunkhole with  a small bow assembly to hold the weight centered when the steam pushes it up. Don

[Slab Slicer]

Loggah, that sounds like an interesting piece. I'd like to see some pictures of it if possible. Are there any markings on any of the pieces. I can see if I can dig up any history on it for you. I'd really appreciate the chance to get a look at it.

Chuck

[loggah]

I'll try and get Cheryl  to take pictures today. Don

[loggah]

Slab slicer, Heres a few pictures my wife took today, it actually says 4 gallons on the lid it also has a big X and a x on one of the clamps for proper lid placement,no other words on it.I actully think its just mineral scale inside and not enamel,the inside of the lid looks nickeled. Don

[isawlogs]

 That is really a nice peice.   

[loggah]

I keep thinking it would be great for making beanhole beans , if i could get it clean enough. Don

[isawlogs]

 I read that and the aroma of the beans came my way  :D

[blackfoot griz]

Great thread,

Thanks for sharing your collection.

My long departed granny insisted that lard was the only thing to use for curing cast iron...That is what I have done for years. She always claimed it was the way to go that it was around long before shortening and cooking oils were commonly available. 
Slab slicer...was granny just old fashioned.... or wrong?

[WDH]

This thread has me looking at the bottom of all our cast iron skillets  .

[Dan_Shade]

how are the new dutch ovens?  I'd like to pick up one, but don't have much interest in the collector ones, unless I can be convinced they are heavier/better/etc...

[Slab Slicer]

Slab slicer, Heres a few pictures my wife took today, it actually says 4 gallons on the lid it also has a big X and a x on one of the clamps for proper lid placement,no other words on it.I actully think its just mineral scale inside and not enamel,the inside of the lid looks nickeled. Don

Don, that is one unique piece, and I can think of some collectors that would like to get their hands on it.  ;) Unfortunately, the markings don't give me any clues as to the maker. Are their any marking on the bottom of the pot. They may be hidden by crusted up residue.  If you truely want it cleaned up, I could do it for you FOC of course. Just for the chance to say I worked on a piece like that. My only concern would be shipping it to me. Cast iron is brittle, and can easily be cracked, or broken from poor handling, or packing, or a combination of both. This link can offer packing suggestion for cast iron shipping. It's a link for our collectors website. http://www.wag-society.org/Packing/Packing.htm   I agree on both the insid eof the lid, and the mineral build up on the insid eof the pot. The lid was plated to keep it from rusting during the pressure cooking. Other types of iron lids would not be subjected to the same abuse, although some lids were coated with porcelain in later pieces. The mineral deposits on the inside of the pot may have been from someone using this as a humidifier on top of a wood stove. This pretty common on these old pots / kettles.

[Slab Slicer]

Great thread,

Thanks for sharing your collection.

My long departed granny insisted that lard was the only thing to use for curing cast iron...That is what I have done for years. She always claimed it was the way to go that it was around long before shortening and cooking oils were commonly available. 
Slab slicer...was granny just old fashioned.... or wrong?

Granny was not wrong at all. The lard in those days was one of the best for seasoning. Unless you copy the old process for obtaining lard, you just can't get the same quality that they did back then, and unfortunately, don't get the same results. Collectors, and chefs alike, have alot of different methods of seasoning these days. They do what works for them, and have great success. On the collectors forum, seasoning methods vary, and it's a "do what works best for you" attitude. There is no hard and fast way,. Cleaning on the other hand is only handled certain ways, without much variation. We do what's safe for the iron to protect it's quality, history, and value. I'll bet Granny had some iron that looked like black glass. 

[Slab Slicer]

how are the new dutch ovens?  I'd like to pick up one, but don't have much interest in the collector ones, unless I can be convinced they are heavier/better/etc...

The best present day manufacturer of cast iron, and the only one still made in the USA, is Lodge Manufacturing out of South Pittsburgh TN. http://www.lodgemfg.com/     This site repeatedly has the best prices on Lodge cast iron http://www.katom.com/cat/lodge-cast-iron.html  . I hope this info is helpful. If you need additional, please let me know.

Chuck

[loggah]

I'm pretty sure i doesn't say anything on the bottom,but i will check again. It really isnt very rusty on the bottom but i may have missed something. I thought it was neat i got it in a yardsale 20 years ago,the woman was amazed i knew what it was. Speaking  of lard heres another iron trinket i have. Don

[Slab Slicer]

Don, another very nice piece, and all the original graphics still intact. Made by The Enterprise MFG Co those were used as a lard press, a fruit press (for making juice / wine) and a sausage stuffer. They cam with a large plate, small plate, a strainer plate, and a strainer basket. There was also a tube that would mount to the opening toward the bottom that you would slide sausage casing over, fill the "barrel" with your favorite sausage mix, and crank the handle to push it into the casing. Does yours have all sthe plates and other attachments I mentioned? If not, I can post a pic of them. They can be found fairly easily, and folks still use these just as they did back in the day.

[Al_Smith]

We don't really collect cast iron skillets and so forth but between the Mrs. and I we have family heirlooms .Some such as a 10 skillet I got from my grandmothers estate  which dates back to her great grandmother so that makes it very old .

Unfortunately with modern cookng stoves such as the ceramic top unit we have you cannot use cast iron on it .Too bad because nothing fries pork chops or fried potatoes like a cast iron skillet .Come to think of it though I could use them with the gas grill .Never thought of that until now .

[Slab Slicer]

Well, I guess my set isn't complete. Apparently, I'm missing the large plate for mine. I'll have to dig one up at the local flea market.

Don, this one has been refinished, and not near as original as yours. I did have plans on using it, so all the old gunk had to come off. In this pic, you can see the strainer plate on the left, and the strainer basket on the right. The small plate is mounted to the press, along with the stuffer tube I mentioned.



 

[loggah]

I have the 2 plates ,but no strainer, i see they are on E-bay, i also need the tube. its just a neat item ,i got it out of a junkyard. it was laying in the no.1 pile.

[Slab Slicer]

That's a good place to find parts for these. Be sure to measure the cylinder on your press to make sure the strainer basket will fit. It should be just about the same heigth. Yours looks to be a little shorter than mine, so the basket will be shorter. Don't forget about that strainer plate either. Or did you say you had that? Also, that tube is held on with a nut. They are all the same size no matter which stuffer you have, so that will be easy to replace. The original tubes were nickel plated copper, if you're looking to stay original. They do make some new styles though.

[LeeB]

Lindy bought an old stuffer like that the other day for $35. Has a couple of plates and the strainer and basket. Not sure about the tube and nut. have to go looksee.

[cinnabar]

Slab Slicer,
What a cool collection!  I have yet to use my gem pan since it was cleaned, but love the dutch oven and keep the assorted skillets at the ready.   When I restored my grandma's stove (Chambers 3000 series form 1934), there was a lot of rust on the parts all of which are cast iron and porciline over iron.  I used the electrolysis method similar to what the collectors site suggests to clean burners, racks, drip pans etc.  It takes some time, but the pieces are nice and clean and there it does not require hours of elbow grease or blasting.  The setups on the site are fancy, mine was very small and simple but equally effective.  I keep the tub/bucket handy in warm weather to clean up items that I find or tools that need de-rusting.  The castiron cookware comes out ready to season.  It is nice to find the pieces and use them when they would otherwise be in a landfill.
cinnabar

[lowpolyjoe]

Great collection SlabSlicer.  Interesting pieces posted by others on the thread too.

I needed a skillet recently and was trying to decide between stainless steel and cast iron.   I ended up going with steel because i wanted to order 2, one for me and one for my parents who cannot use iron on their new age stovetop.

Any comments on advantages of iron over steel?  I heard it's supposed to actually provide some benefit by leeching some benefitial iron into your food as you cook? 

How does the 'non stick' ability compare between the two materials when seasoned correctly?  I've been using my steel skillet about once a week for a few months now and i'm not thrilled with it's surface .  It sticks unless i grease it up good.  But i don't think i did a good job seasoning it.  Wondering if it will get better or maybe i should ditch it and get a cast iron one. 

I'd like a monster so i can cook bacon and pancakes at the same time.  Current steel skillet is something like 14" by 21", covering two burners.  It's a little *too* big so something a little smaller woudl be good.  Can you recommend an easy-to-find cast iron equivalent?  Or a good place to shop for one?  I found a bunch of stuff from China but i will not buy anything that touches my food from China 

[Slab Slicer]

Lowpolyjoe, check reply #40 of this thread. Those links will take you to the only company that sells USA made cast iron cookware. A bit heavier than the old stuff, but at least you know it's not radioactive stuff from China.

As for the steel skillets, I don't have much experience, but if after using it for so long, and you're still having issues with it sticking, I'd say go with the cast iron. My stuff is pretty much non-stick right after I season them the first time, and only get better with use. From what I understand, a small amount of iron will leach into your food, but not enough to change the flavor to something unpleaseant. People swear by the iron they get from cooking in cast iron, so I guess it has merit. The largest skillet is a #10, which is actually about 12" across. Some folks will use a #12 (13" across), but the #10 works good for me.

[Slab Slicer]

Cinnabar, it sounds like electro did a good job on that Chambers stove. We use electro for rust for the most part. It's not just for cast iron though. You can use it to strip alot of things off alot of metals. I would avoid the softer metals though. (Copper, aluminum, and such)

Deb loves those old cookstoves, and so do I. I've tried to pick some up at auctions, but someone always loves them a little more than we do.  :D

[lowpolyjoe]

That's a great site... i guess i missed that post with the link earlier.

I kept saying "skillet" but i meant "griddle".  Perhaps that was clear since i quoted rectangular coordinates.  There's a good cast iron option on that site.  Maybe i'll do some reading and try re-seasoning my steel griddle from scratch, but this is definitely on my list 

http://www.lodgemfg.com/seasoned-cast-iron/grill-pans-and-griddles/double-play-reversible-grill-griddle-LDP3

[cinnabar]

Yup, the electro method will pretty much melt aluminum. Is ok on some steel but not stainless.  Some of my nickled stove parts had a fair bit of rust under the plating.  I cleaned them all so when the parts went to the plater he only had to do the acid wash for prep.   No blasting needed.

BTW, I used my Wagnerware ware dutch oven for roast pork tonight.  mmmmm good perfect every time.

[Slab Slicer]

Yup, the electro method will pretty much melt aluminum. Is ok on some steel but not stainless.  Some of my nickled stove parts had a fair bit of rust under the plating.  I cleaned them all so when the parts went to the plater he only had to do the acid wash for prep.   No blasting needed.

BTW, I used my Wagnerware ware dutch oven for roast pork tonight.  mmmmm good perfect every time.

Cinnabar, I'm looking for a good plater to do some "old style" nickel finish on a parlor stove I'm restoring. The older style nickel had more of a yellowish tint in it. The newer nickel plating is very bright in comparison. Maybe this wasn't a concern for you, or maybe it was. Could you share the name of your plating Co?

Deb and I make roasts in the Dutch Oven all the time. They have a completely different (better) flavor when done in the iron.

[Slab Slicer]

Lowpolyjoe, I hope you find what you want on that site. You'll save a bundle over the collector / vintage pieces if you go that way. Let me know how you make out. Lodge still makes good iron.

[cinnabar]

The nickle on my stove is the yellower version.  The plater showed me the difference with chrome/ nickle and the finishes when I went in for an estimate. Kaching.  Was the most expensive part of the resoration. Any way, I went local  ( DuluthMN) and voided the shipping.  Also the stove is hard to find replacement parts for should something get lost or broken in transit. 
Ask the cycle shops in your area who they send the parts out to.  There is most likely somebody close who can get it done right.

[Slab Slicer]

Got your PM, and I'll dig around locally some more. I agree with you about shipping any of these pieces. You sure can't run to the corner store, and pick up replacement parts for these stoves. I'd hate to see any of them lost or damaged in shipping.

You're also right about the cost of the restoration. The nickel will run the bill up for sure. I can do the rest of it myself, but I'm guessing the plating will run $1000 or more. Just a guess though

[lowpolyjoe]

My mom picked up this skillet recently at a flea market or garage sale or something... She later found out you can't (or shouldn't?) use cast iron on the new fancy electric stovetop she has so she passed it on to me.   My worry is that it almost looks painted.  I tried to catch it with some pics, but it might be hard to see.  Within the cooking surface I could understand if there was heavy carbon build up that was uneven and maybe looked like chipping paint, but then I noticed on the handle, where I wouldn't expect any carbon build up, there was also this 'chipping paint' look.   











It looks like a mess to me.  I know any use of sandpaper was aggressively discouraged earlier in this thread  :D.   If this is a $5000 collectable piece, I will look further into the electrolysis cleaning method, but I figure it's unlikely  .  Can you tell me anything about this piece Slab Slicer?  Or if this is really paint that i'm seeing?  Should I be worried?

Thanks a lot!

[Slab Slicer]

The Wagner #8 is one of the more common skillets. Still, sanding is discouraged. Another method of rust removal is a 50 / 50 mix of vinegar and water. Soak the piece for 30 minute intervals and scrub with stainless steel scrubby. Leaving it to soak for long periods will lead to damage to the iron.

[lowpolyjoe]

Thanks a lot - i'll try the vinegar/water mixture tomorrow and see how it goes

[Beefie]

This is a great thread. If my wife didn't sell those expensive home pots and cooking accessories,pc. I would have some iron. It does have me wondering wear the cast skillet went from the deer camp. I need to find it and get it reseasoned. Thanks for all the info slabber.

Beefie