Picked this pan up at an estate sale this morning. It has a fire ring with out any notches and a gate mark bottom. The handle is has some design to it and a 7 on it. Couldnt pass it up for $8.50.

not much info on those , the gate mark bottom typically puts if pre 1891

I found an example with that marking on the handle but even the guy with the video didn't identify it farther than 19th century

maybe someone else will have more info

I think that may be an early made, no notch, Lodge number 7.

Keith

Thanks guys, I was pretty sure the gate mark put it 1900 or earlier. Have to get it cleaned up and seasoned. The cooking surface looks like it will clean up nice and smooth.

I've seen similar reffered to as Unkown Southern Skillets.

I have a griddled that has the same type handle and a gate mark on the bottom. It is a number 9. I have never seen anyone identify CI with that type handle.

here is a pic of what I think is your pan 2nd one down in the stack , the issue is no one seems to know the maker on these

https://www.reddit.com/r/castiron/c...te_old_gatemarked_skillets_the/#lightbox

here is one to look at

HF co
https://blogger.googleusercontent.c...pSVziNKcZHOWY9sKiWqL3/s1600/CIMG0482.JPG

the structure of the handle is the same , this could be the fancy version of your plane version , yours has very similar shape

since this is a cast iron thread. Is there anyone on here good at seasoning cast iron. I have done 2 coats in the oven 1 at 450 for an hour and 1 at 500 for an hour, but for some reason my cast iron looks very weird

Highland foundry was known for gate marked fancy handle skillets

https://www.castironcollector.com/forum/threads/help-skillet-identity-please.8094/

check out this pic

zacy can you post pic.

It ain't rocket science! Just use it.

picutures would be good

I do the grill around 375-425 15-20 minutes at a time
if you stripped , it takes 4+ coats to start looking black

it is ok if it is just darker with your first few coats

mostly just keep wiping it down with oil and cooking with it that is the most useful way to get a good season

Heat pan up for one minute on the stove top...on low...then remove from heat

Then put a 1/2 teaspoon of crisco in the pan....then spread it around with a paper towel.

Then take a clean paper towel and wipe all the crisco out.

Then take another paper towel and wipe it out again

Then take another clean and wipe it out again.

Then take another clean paper towel and wipe it like it's the hood of your 67 GTO

You picking up...what iam putting down ??????

You want that pan free and clear of nothing but 1mil of a coating of crisco.

Then stick the pan in the oven..upside down...then put a cookie sheet on the rack

Directly under the pan ...should be a 2 inch gap ...between pan and cookie sheet

Then turn your oven on to 450...set timer for one hour.

After pan cooks in the oven for one hour ..turn oven off...BUT DO NOT OPEN OVEN for at least 3 hours.

Then repeat this whole process 3 more times

I just use the wood stove top for oil changes.

Thank you, thats more than I had turned up so far online.

listen to nessie, whatever grease, oil you use, wipe it almost dry then heat, and repeat...
Lard works good too, or high smoke temp oils...

Yup, it is the exact same chemical process of polymerization as the oil finish applied to gunstocks or fine furniture. Build it up from several THIN coats rather than a puddle of oil that never fully dries. And it won't acheive that all over black slick look until the many coats covers the high/low porous spots.

On some pieces I've even had to borrow the woodworkers light sanding between coats by lightly scouring with a mild scouring pad between coats.

Making it waaaay too hard.

Run that sucker through the dishwasher, once it dries, hit er with a rattlecan. Gloss Black Hi Temp. Done.

When I clean cast iron down to bare metal I heat it on the stove top after a thorough cleaning and wipe all surfaces down with whatever oil I have handy, usually olive oil. Then I cook with it. It might take longer than all the other methods but eventually it turns a nice shiny black. I do heat and re-oil the first couple of times I use it.

I have found that to break in an iron pot, i just fry up a 1/4 pork loin 2 at a time. It will get a nice "skin" on it.

so to preface this, i bought this on ebay i believe and it came to me with those spots and the entire thing was very sticky, i tried to clean it up i finaly gave it a very soapy bath using some steal wool, this looked like this when it came to me except extremely sticky. i used avacodo oil and put some on and rubbed the (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) out of it. except after an hour i did take it directly out of the oven and left it on the stove to cool. one of my questions i guess is that crispy looking stuff on the side should i just get like a wire brush and scrape this all down to base metal?

Put the pan in the oven on the cleaning cycle. It will turn all the old stuff into ash. Don't take out of oven leave pan in to completely cool down. Then you can start the seasoning process. Little oil bake at 500° for 1 hour cool down and repeat till you like the finish. I do at least 4 coats of oil.

Wow ! I hope I never inherit a bunch of cast iron. Lol

That actually looks pretty decent. You went the right track scrubbing the sticky off and going from there. The sticky is excessive oil that isnt fully polymerized.

Personally on all new to me iron I prefer to completely strip off all the old unknown and start from scratch on bare grey iron. I do that by a good soak in lye. Scrub if needed, but once bare I wash it down good and start the seasoning by heating in a 450 oven. Once warm I rub on a thin coat of grapeseed oil, any high smoke point food grade pil will do, give it good wipe down with a dry towel and upside down back in the oven for an hour. Let it completely cool in the oven before repeating twice more.

BTW, due to the time involved I prefer to do new to me iron in batches so I can do several pieces at a time. And it's perfectly fine to stack pieces in the oven as long as the cooking surfaces don't touch.

I've got a pretty decent sized pile sitting a waiting on me, lol.

honestly getting em set up is awesome but they are some of the best pans to cook in when done properly

That's reassuring to know.

ok Thank you. this is the first time i have ever had one this old. so i wanted to do it right

if they liked you enough to leave you a good collection it would have all come seasoned and ready to use.

also it doesn't have to be that hard , the easiest thing is to just start frying fish in it , you will have a good season in no time ,

Nessy is a perfectionist when it comes to finish.

okay i gotta ask how many pieces of cast iron do you have. my wife says i have 2 many. i have 3 skillets and 2 dutch ovens

and i kinda figured thats what that crusty stuff was. but whats with the weird spot in the middle, to me is looks like who ever seasoned it seasoned some to much and left the middle bare

I ran out of fingers and toes and I hadn't gotten to Dutch ovens or camping stuff yet. or some other stuff.

this seems a lot like guns , just don't count so you can tell her your not exactly sure. also the formula is the same N+1

then there is whatever I found , cleaned up , seasoned and gave away.

to the kids or other people

3 ..#10's

1 ..#9

1..#8

1..#6

1 ..#5

1 ..#9 griddle

1..#14 dutch oven

2 ..cast iron enameled dutch ovens

Griswolds ..Wagner's .. Vollrath...nothing newer than 1950

Oldest pan I own is dated 1915 wagner

My air grinder ...and a Norton Fiber Disc...cleans the nasty ..

okay at first i thought i was looking at stainless steel... May i ask does that ever get back to the black beautiful look?

The more you use them ...the better they get.

okay when can i send my pieces to you?

i watch all the time on youtube people cooking eggs on theirs and it slides around i can't wait until mine are good enough to do that

Some people don't have the patience to learn how to cook with cast iron.

But its worth the effort .

Extra thick 1 1/2 inch chops....season up a pan also

Sear meat on med high heat..for 2 minutes per side .

Then throw the pan in a 350 degree oven for 28 minutes.

Then make a gravy in the skillet with the pan dripping..

Doesn't get any Bettah !!!

At 2.89 lb...you can't beat it

Putting them in the cleaning oven cycle turns the cast iron blue.The baked on oil makes them look black. We use pure flax seed oil. Once done the pan will look like you sealed it with linseed oil. And it last way longer than cooking oil or crisco. There are all kinds of videos on how to do this on YouTube. Watch Kent Rollins cast iron videos.

I've used flax and really like it for it's hard finish. The missus don't care for the house smelling like an old basketball gym floor on a hot summer day, lol. I kind of like it myself, smells like the old school houses of my childhood.

The new Kent Rolling said flax seed oil taste funny.

Stay away from seed oils .

Stick with crisco ...beef tallow...maybe Avocado oil

Bacon grease too

Once the pure flax seed oil is baked on the pan at 500 ° there is no taste. Been doing it this way for 10 years. And you'll never have a sticky skillet.

Whatever you do, DON'T let the wife near it when she's washing dishes!

unless yall are kosher or something , Lard

https://www.walmart.com/ip/John-Morrell-Snow-Cap-Lard-4-lb/23803935?classType=REGULAR

had pork tenderloins bacon wrapped tonight for supper in my #8 unmarked BSR

bought 5 packages of them tonight at the grocery , 6 steaks 6.99 as reduced meat , ate the first package and I am freezing them 2 to a package and have 12 meals of steak

Use it if you want....

i watch all the time on youtube people cooking eggs on theirs and it slides around i can't wait until mine are good enough to do that


that took care of the baked on hard stuff. ty