Griswold Hammered Skillet with Hinged Lid

R

RichVogt

New member
Hi all. First post here. I've enjoyed reading a lot of your posts and learning about cast iron. I've got newer lodge skillet and flat round griddle.

I was helping clean up my parents place and found this old Griswold. Based on what I've learned here, I got a 20 gal. trash can and some lye and it is in a 1 lb lye/5 gal water bath right now.

I'm looking forward to seeing how well it cleans up. Any idea how long I'll need to leave this in the lye bath? It's got pretty significant build up.

Thanks in advance!

https://imgur.com/a/Klt0Opl
 
Based on the photos, several days. Some rust has insinuated itself in a few areas and the lye won't help with it, but other methods should take care of that. It's possible there will be some residual dark spots the lye won't affect; lye works best on build-up with some grease content left in it.
 
Doug D. said:
Based on the photos, several days. Some rust has insinuated itself in a few areas and the lye won't help with it, but other methods should take care of that. It's possible there will be some residual dark spots the lye won't affect; lye works best on build-up with some grease content left in it.
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I put it into lye yesterday and plan on a week before I check it.

I'm planning on electrolysis after the lye bath for the rust. I've used that several times for vintage tools and see here that it is great for cast iron as well. Beyond that, is a wire wheel and steel wool reasonable if needed?

Thanks for your help.
 
Definitely no wire wheel or power tools of any kind. The lye tank, followed by the etank will work perfectly. Very nice piece, especially since it was from family.
 
Wire wheeling is frowned upon as it has the potential to permanently alter original surfaces, thus destroying collectible value. Steel wool and stainless steel Chore Boy pads are fine. See Restoration section links at bottom of page for best practices.
 
Doug D. said:
Wire wheeling is frowned upon as it has the potential to permanently alter original surfaces, thus destroying collectible value. Steel wool and stainless steel Chore Boy pads are fine. See Restoration section links at bottom of page for best practices.
Click to expand...

Will do. Thanks!

---------- Post added at 07:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:32 PM ----------
Jody M said:
Definitely no wire wheel or power tools of any kind. The lye tank, followed by the etank will work perfectly. Very nice piece, especially since it was from family.
Click to expand...

Yes. It was my Grandmother's. I am very excited to put it back into use. My Mom has had it for probably 50 years but never really cared for it correctly as is evidenced by the condition. I'm guessing she had no clue how to care for it.
 
Very nice piece for sure. I sometimes wonder how cast iron becomes encrusted bad like this one? I mean....didnt they ever clean them back then? I use mine daily, and I clean them everytime....they look new.
 
I took a peek yesterday and most of the crud is gone. I was very excited to see the hammered sides of the skillet for the first time in decades.

I'm going to give it a few more days in the lye before moving it to electrolysis. I'll post some pictures between.
 
My skillet was in the lye for 8 days. It is already amazing! I left one picture before the scrub with the chore boy. The rest are after a good scrub.

There is a bit of discoloration but nothing terrible and nothing that I don't think will come out with electrolysis and some final vinegar/steel wool.

I'm thrilled so far and cannot wait to use it.

https://imgur.com/a/bHOF6Bh
 
Good News: The skillet is seasoned and it is beautiful! I pulled from electrolysis and scrubbed with 0000 steel wool and vinegar. Then I seasoned following the recommended process on the seasoning page here. I may season a second time to get it a bit darker. What do you think?

Bad News: I found a crack. I went back and looked at some of the lye pics and it was there then so I didn't do it seasoning. I understand that it kills any resale value (which means nothing to me since it's a family piece). Can I still use it to cook?

I've included a picture of the crack and of the finished product.

https://imgur.com/a/HqIj36P
 
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