Cast Iron Skillets continued

M

munk

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Mar 22, 2002
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After the threads in the forum about cast iron I went to Lodge's site and checked them out at a sporting goods store. They were cruder and heavier than my worst skillet today. They may be the oldest, but they are no where near a Griswald or any of the other older makes. I've got some no-names better than Lodge. While at the store and several others, I noticed some Chinese cast iron. Some of it was about as good as Lodge, and some was down right horrible- grain so thick and deep you could sand a khuk handle on one!

Some of this cast iron is intended for an open camp fire- the dutch oven stuff with legs. How bad is rough grain? I'm thinking you can season it nearly out by filling it in with layers of baked oil. Also, you might polish it out before seasoning. And finally, if I'm going to put cook ware on a camp fire, do I really want to use my good Griswald?

Any feedback from you skillet lovers?


munk
 
Since my grandmother hugs me every time I leave her house its been impossible for me to slip one of her cast irons in my waistband ;) , and using a strangers cast iron kinda freaks me out a little (I can just picture them frying a big mess of worms...), so I use lodge exclusively more or less. The grains on some of them are huge and take a lot of work, but do eventually season and fill up. I have one 13" frying pan in particular that took a lot of work, but now is finally looking and feeling right. Some also show indentations (almost like a large hammer mark) in the surface of the pan that are hard to see until you get it partly seasoned and turn it to the light so you can see reflections. So I would say that the key is to go somewhere that sells lots of 'em and pick the best one. I use mine in camp fires and on the grill all the time and have had no problem, seems that most people when starting out tend to underestimate how hot the fire is under the pan and scorch the pan and the food all to hell. I tried one of the pre-seasoned tortilla pans, really didnt care for it at all, seemed like a weak base to work with so I removed it all and started from scratch.
 
One store had a Chinese produced "Lewis and Clark" memorial set. One huge grill, a large skillet, a 4" skillet, and rather shallow dutch oven. The grain made Lodge look sophisticated. All for 59.99

Ask your Grandma- she might surprise you.



munk
 
as for using a stranger's cast iron...what's the matter? You don't want to swap spit with Mr. and Mrs Inbred down the street?!!!

I'm betting Aids can't survive the heat. Besides, folks in the old days only worried bout TB and VD.




munk
 
The old stuff sometimes had a finer grain. But lots of use made the inside right.

If it looks too rough for you get one of those foam sanding pads and have fun. Lodge sands (machines) some of their stuff from the factory and the insides look great. A little more $$$ though and harder to find the right one.

Too bad you aren't near Tenn. Lodge has an "outlet" store down the street from the factory. Great deals, need to take the pick-up next time we go.
 
I have a massive Chinese(?) cast iron wok I got from Sportsman's guide. I love it. it was terribly rough but after using it at home to deep fry and taking it camping at numerous music festivals it is totally non stick. You could probably cook over a fire with it, but I never have. I always use it and my Coleman Peak 1 backpacking stove. The wok and a tea kettle are about the only things I need to cook. Makes killer sweet potato fries ;)

Pyrguy,

You have pyrs I assume?? I have 1 Pyr and 2 pyr maremma crosses that guard my milk goats. Great animals, NOTHING gets in the pasture.
 
naah not really worried about any contagion, should all die when the pan heats up, worried more about all the odd things people do with them. I've had friends that used them to heat up things like boot oil, glue sticks, and lead. All of which would probably make my eggs taste funny :D

I bought one set that came with a dutch oven, square grill pan, and a griddle. All work well, though I had to work on removing some of the spoils from the mold. They were however coated in what appeared to be parafin, though when heated it smelled like some sort of petroleum distillate. Had to go back and clean them up really good before seasoning them.
 
Yard sales are the way to go. I picked up my dutch oven for $5 at a yard sale. It was rusty and needed to be cleaned up and reseasoned, but it has served me well for years, both at home and on the campfire. I'm thinking that cast iron is pretty soft and should be fairly easy to sand down. I've definitely thought about getting some Lodge, but I just can't justify any more cast iron cookware right now.

--Josh
 
hollowdweller said:
Pyrguy,

You have pyrs I assume?? I have 1 Pyr and 2 pyr maremma crosses that guard my milk goats. Great animals, NOTHING gets in the pasture.
Click to expand...

We have 2, male and female, the girl guards the neighborhood and the guy guards the goats and house. Between the two dogs the coyotes, foxes, bobcats, etc stay away.

The neighbors are remodeling their house and are staying in a camper in the back field. The girl ran a pack of coyotes off and slept on their steps the rest of the night.

Great dogs. They had one litter, but ten 45 pound 10 week old puppies trying to be "first" was dangerous. :eek:
 
Munk, if you don't like the quality of the cast iron cookware you're seeing, you can always pour your own. Lindsay's Books has a bunch of stuff on making your own gas/electric/charcoal-powered furnace, and creating the molds. Sounds like a bunch of fun. Just ordered several of them, myself. As well as a book on making chainmail for my son.
 
From the looks of the iron I just saw I'd swear they were pouring into sand molds.

I have a little dutch oven from a surplus store- this one is obviously from China. But compared to the poor cast quality I saw yesterday it is smooth.

pour your own, huh? And what does one heat and hold liquid iron with? Steel I'd guess. Clay molds?



munk
 
Hey, if you have a wood stove, put the rusty, crusty, disgusty pan in it, light up a good, hot fire and the next day it should come out sanitized, carbonized, and everything but simonized.
 
Speaking of cast iron, anyone know how to repair a cracked frypan? Or if it is even possible? I was given a good looking WagnerWare #8 that has a crack in it about 6" long.
 
Don't know about cracks- but did want to say I like the Wagner handle very much and would gladly take one if I could find it.

I picked up a pair of Griswalds for 32 bucks. A little # 3 and a # 6

I compared Griswalds #8 to my own and frankly, though mine doesn't say 'Griswald' it is every bit as light and finely cast. It has an # 8, and the numbers 1003 A, whoever that is.
I've got this big #12 thats says A B & I
I have another number 8 I plan on shooting at.


munk
 
Brian in Chi said:
Hey, if you have a wood stove, put the rusty, crusty, disgusty pan in it, light up a good, hot fire and the next day it should come out sanitized, carbonized, and everything but simonized.
Click to expand...


When I was a young man our dutch ovens would lose their seasoning during the summers they were stored in the chuck boxes, Arkansas summers aren't know for their "dry heat".

That is exactly how we would clean them up. but we'd use a mop with vegetable oil on the redhot iron, watch out for the flame ups!
 
Hmm. Stick a wire brush into your drill and follow with one of Pen's buffers?
 
Josh Feltman said:
I'm thinking that cast iron is pretty soft and should be fairly easy to sand down.

--Josh
Click to expand...
Actually cast iron is pretty dayumed hard. The cast iron castings we used to machine was 4% to 5 % carbon!!!!
The carbon is extremely hard and also abrasive. The carbon in cast iron wears out good silicon carbide tools pretty dayumed quick!!!!.:eek:
The old timers had to burn and beat the carbon out of cast iron in order to make decent knives as the cast iron alone was too brittle.:eek: :D

So if you try to sand it down be sure and use silicon carbide paper. I would do like Rusty suggests and use a drill motor to drive a sanding pad, that is if you can get them in s/c.;)
 
hollowdweller said:
sweet potato fries ;)
Click to expand...
Now I know what I'm having for lunch.
I bake mine.


I've seen lots of old cast iron at
not only flea markets and garage sales,
but even 'antique' shops often have
good prices on such common old stuff.

Asian groceries often have good cooking utensils at good prices.
 
I've gotten some old/used pieces...took them to an auto body shop and had them sand blast them, then cooked the heck out of them scrubbing with sand between heatings, then seasoned normally. Either I was lucky or they hadn't had anything weird done in/to them.
 
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