high dollar cast iron

[j_h_nimrod]

At a camp I used to work at we had a great collection of old cast iron skillets an pots from Griswold, Wagner, and unmarked.  Most were from at least the 60’s or older and were great. After a season they would go in storage over winter and in the spring would be a pile of mold, but no rust. We threw them in the wood stove over night and would pull them out in the morning looking like new. A couple weeks reseasoning and they were great for another year. I love cast cookwear, but using them on a gas cooktop (or Coleman stove) is key in my opinion!  They will scratch the crap out of these new smooth electric cook tops and do not work near so well.

[DoubleJ]

At a camp I used to work at we had a great collection of old cast iron skillets an pots from Griswold, Wagner, and unmarked.  Most were from at least the 60’s or older and were great. After a season they would go in storage over winter and in the spring would be a pile of mold, but no rust. We threw them in the wood stove over night and would pull them out in the morning looking like new. A couple weeks reseasoning and they were great for another year. I love cast cookwear, but using them on a gas cooktop (or Coleman stove) is key in my opinion!  They will scratch the crap out of these new smooth electric cook tops and do not work near so well.

Not totally true.  I agree tthat gas would be best but, we don't have that option.  We have a glass top electric and as long as the skillets aren't really warped and spinning, they work just fine without scratching anything.  Heck, even a few of my spinners work good for certain things

[DoubleJ]

4 seasoning rounds and a pan of bacon later, look at that shine!

[Duckhunter14]

Clean up done.  Not a speck of rust left.  I can't believe this is the same skillet.  I don't know why the first pic is so big.  Sorry. 

Seasoning starts tomorrow morning.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing. I found an old cast iron pan that was my grandparents and worked on it last week. It had several small rust spots. I watched several videos and tried the salt and potato trick and that didn't work, so I tried #000 steel wool and that didn't do it either, I ended up using a dremel and a sanding tip. Took the rust right down. I'm in the process of re-seasoning it now. Excited to see how it turns out.

[Special T]

Sanding the inside also increases it's non stick properties, and make it super easy to scrape then wipe clean.

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[DoubleJ]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing. I found an old cast iron pan that was my grandparents and worked on it last week. It had several small rust spots. I watched several videos and tried the salt and potato trick and that didn't work, so I tried #000 steel wool and that didn't do it either, I ended up using a dremel and a sanding tip. Took the rust right down. I'm in the process of re-seasoning it now. Excited to see how it turns out.

See, the difference is I'm inherently lazy   I googled and saw the oven method and that was right up my alley.  Let the oven do the hard work and I'll just rinse it off and scrub a little, lol.

If you're interested, the oven method is to put it in the oven upside down.  Put a sheet pan under it to catch whatever falls.  Set your oven to the self cleaning mode for either 3 or 4 hours, however long your mode is.  Mine was 3 hours.  Then let it fire away.  Once the oven door unlocks, remove and let cool to room temperature and then wash with soap and steel wool to get whatever rust is on there off.  Then wash with soap and a sponge.

The self cleaning method absolutely vaporizes everything on the pan.  It literally looked like the scene in T2 when the nuke hit and all of the people in the park turned to dust.  I rinsed most of the crud off and only had to scrub a small bit.

After hitting more thrift stores after work today, I have 5 more to do tonight, maybe tomorrow.  I also got 2 from my dad.  One I don't know if it's salvageable without SERIOUS sanding.  The cooking surface is caked in rust and super pitted.  We'll see.

[Duckhunter14]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing. I found an old cast iron pan that was my grandparents and worked on it last week. It had several small rust spots. I watched several videos and tried the salt and potato trick and that didn't work, so I tried #000 steel wool and that didn't do it either, I ended up using a dremel and a sanding tip. Took the rust right down. I'm in the process of re-seasoning it now. Excited to see how it turns out.

See, the difference is I'm inherently lazy   I googled and saw the oven method and that was right up my alley.  Let the oven do the hard work and I'll just rinse it off and scrub a little, lol.

If you're interested, the oven method is to put it in the oven upside down.  Put a sheet pan under it to catch whatever falls.  Set your oven to the self cleaning mode for either 3 or 4 hours, however long your mode is.  Mine was 3 hours.  Then let it fire away.  Once the oven door unlocks, remove and let cool to room temperature and then wash with soap and steel wool to get whatever rust is on there off.  Then wash with soap and a sponge.

The self cleaning method absolutely vaporizes everything on the pan.  It literally looked like the scene in T2 when the nuke hit and all of the people in the park turned to dust.  I rinsed most of the crud off and only had to scrub a small bit.

After hitting more thrift stores after work today, I have 5 more to do tonight, maybe tomorrow.  I also got 2 from my dad.  One I don't know if it's salvageable without SERIOUS sanding.  The cooking surface is caked in rust and super pitted.  We'll see.

Sweet I have a pile that were used for my grandpa and dads elk camp from years and years ago. A couple are in rough shape I'll have to try it! Sounds like less work than using course salt and half a potato and scrubbing until my arm is sore! 

[DoubleJ]

Protip:  DO NOT do this method on more than 1 or 2 pans at a time unless you want your house smoked out and your wife and kids SUUUUUPER pisssed off.  I learned this last night when I did 4 at once

[Angry Perch]

Protip:  DO NOT do this method on more than 1 or 2 pans at a time unless you want your house smoked out and your wife and kids SUUUUUPER pisssed off.  I learned this last night when I did 4 at once

Jeez, wifes can be so sensitive about that stuff! Like when I spray painted a bunch of project lawn tractor parts in the basement when my wife was a couple months pregnant. So the house smells a little bit... 

[b0bbyg]

OK whoever started this thread thank you. I know have a new project of cleaning up some stuff and making sure the girls each get some cast iron in the hope chest!

I was tagging along in the thread just because I have always liked cooking with Cast iron. This thread made me go look at what we have. In the house the daily/weekly use ones I found wagnor, lodge, Griswold and some unmarked ones.

In the garage around 12 pans, a dutch oven and a few flat pieces. all these were found under a house we cleaned out. Many are lodge, wagner and 3 notch. Some so dirty who knows.

I never knew some of these had value, something new to find and sell on Ebay 

[DoubleJ]

OK whoever started this thread thank you. I know have a new project of cleaning up some stuff and making sure the girls each get some cast iron in the hope chest!

I was tagging along in the thread just because I have always liked cooking with Cast iron. This thread made me go look at what we have. In the house the daily/weekly use ones I found wagnor, lodge, Griswold and some unmarked ones.

In the garage around 12 pans, a dutch oven and a few flat pieces. all these were found under a house we cleaned out. Many are lodge, wagner and 3 notch. Some so dirty who knows.

I never knew some of these had value, something new to find and sell on Ebay 

3 notch are Lodge pans.

http://www.castironcollector.com/unmarked.php

Yes, they have value!!!  Not thousands of dollars but, depending on what you have laying around, someone could buy a new gun by selling old cast iron.

I'm currently trying to pick up small emblem Griswolds.  I have 2 #8's and a #9.  I want 2ea of #8, #9, #10 eventually.  All of the other ones I have I'm selling to co-workers.  I now have a handful of Wagners and Lodge and one #12 Vollrath that I'm keeping.  I can fry a whole chicken in that one

[quadrafire]

I have the Finex 12 in and the grill pan. They are awesome. I have a 12 in lodge and a 10 in that i'm not sure of maker. Use them daily.
My wife is not as keen on the cast iron as it is heavy and i bitch too much with her using it. LOL

[slavenoid]

You guys have inspired me to finally get some cast iron. All of my Grandparents used cast iron, but never thought to snag any of the years. Is it best to look for the older stuff? Or is the newer lodge good enough? It's priced lower than I would have thought so I assume it's not as heavy.

[quadrafire]

You guys have inspired me to finally get some cast iron. All of my Grandparents used cast iron, but never thought to snag any of the years. Is it best to look for the older stuff? Or is the newer lodge good enough? It's priced lower than I would have thought so I assume it's not as heavy.

It's the quality of the finish not the weight necessarily. The older stuff is sometimes thinner but more refined in the finish. Lodge is grainy/rough

[Special T]

Now is the wrong time for garage sales, but you could do some scouting at second hand stores. I have a newer lodge stuff with the exception of a smaller one from my grandma. Cast seems to fall out of favor with some, so right after Christmas might be a good time to hit the goodwill!

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