Saving history one piece at a time. Wood Bishop & Co.

J

Jeffrey R.

Well-known member
Wood Bishop & Co. Bangor ME 1851 In 1867 they bought the foundry belonging to Eastes & Whittier. I am not sure if Eastes & Whittier were makers of skillets and kettles as Wood Bishop & Co became known for, but there stoves and tinware were there best sellers. My question is this first skillet has two gate marks as you see. I am lead to believe that Wood Bishop & Co used someones skillet as a pattern for this skillet mold, was it Eastes & Whittier?
Clearly marked Wood Bishop & Co. Bangor M.E. The top gate mark is the one that was made in the pouring of this skillet as it is sharp. The second gate mark has been smoothed over from the patterned skillet. The skillet is a #8 single pour spout. Very nice feel to it.

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The second skillet is marked Wood Bishop & Co. Bangor M.E., with the #12 upside down, also with the date 1889, with only a single gate mark. I am lead to believe that this might be there second skillet style, but not 100% sure. Also this skillet has 2 pour spouts, and is a #7. Very nice feel to it. Something has to be said for the early skillets.

Any info that you want to share, please do add. Thank you

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One would think that Wood & Bishop iron would be easy to find here in Maine, but the few skillets I've seen for sale are either cracked or warped. Roll pans are a bit more common, I've managed to acquire a pair.
Your W&B's look great, Jeff
 
CharlieK said:
One would think that Wood & Bishop iron would be easy to find here in Maine, but the few skillets I've seen for sale are either cracked or warped. Roll pans are a bit more common, I've managed to acquire a pair.
Your W&B's look great, Jeff
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I feel your pain. I live less than an hour from Sheboygan, WI. Home of Vollrath. I'd love to own a piece of local history but I have yet to see an actual piece of Vollrath CI at any of the nearby antique malls, consignment stores, or flea markets. It's not for a lack of trying. They just don't have any.
 
Jeffrey R., Show off....!!!! While I'm out here finding unmarked smooth bottom Wagner pieces, & three notch Lodges'. You're out there finding the cool stuff.

Nice work cleaning these up. Any before shots??

I can however say, that I wore shorts and a t-shirt today and I was comfortably warm.
 
Once again Jeff, some great finds!

Yours are the first 7 and dated W&Bs that I've seen. The most common by far are double spouted 8s. They're all just lovely, but as CharlieK noted, quite often found with cracks, being so light. Or maybe it's how they were handled through the ages by those of us living in the dark forests of Maine. Of the four I have, three have cracks, but all were in active use by their owners when I got them.

I can't speak as to the gate mark question, but I know there's a lot of variations. Unlike Jeff's, most I've seen have separations in the lettering. You'll see a variety of breaks in the Wood & Bishop Co (or Wood Bishop & Co) and generally, it's BAN GOR and M E. Always wondered why.

Here's the first 11 I've seen, that I cleaned for a neighbor. I know you shouldn't covet your neighbor's iron, but I can't help myself...
 

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A p.s. here. The picture I posted isn't the size 11, looked all through the file for it, couldn't find it and used up the allotted time to edit my post. I should probably leave these things to the professionals.
 
CharlieK said:
One would think that Wood & Bishop iron would be easy to find here in Maine, but the few skillets I've seen for sale are either cracked or warped. Roll pans are a bit more common, I've managed to acquire a pair.
Your W&B's look great, Jeff
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Hi CharlieK, Hate to tell you this but both of these skillets came from ME. I have had a few of the roll pans, but let them go to new homes, but the skillets are going to stay here. Care to put up a photo of yours? Eye candy

---------- Post added at 04:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:15 PM ----------
RickC said:
Jeffrey R., Show off....!!!! While I'm out here finding unmarked smooth bottom Wagner pieces, & three notch Lodges'. You're out there finding the cool stuff.

Nice work cleaning these up. Any before shots??

I can however say, that I wore shorts and a t-shirt today and I was comfortably warm.
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Price of diesel is down to $2.15 per gal. turn on the heat and start out early. Only miles to find some iron.

---------- Post added at 04:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:20 PM ----------
MikeZ said:
A p.s. here. The picture I posted isn't the size 11, looked all through the file for it, couldn't find it and used up the allotted time to edit my post. I should probably leave these things to the professionals.
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Interesting that your skillet has the name at the handle end. What size is your skillet? I am going to agree with both Bonnie Scott and RickC wrote, We love pictures. Good place to put all W&B photos with information, so MikeZ, get a photo of your neighbor if you would not mind.
 
Jeffrey R. said:
Price of diesel is down to $2.15 per gal. turn on the heat and start out early. Only miles to find some iron.
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Oh, I didn't know they had Ferraris' that ran on Diesel...

I'm consistently jealous when I see photos of other people's great finds. My last two finds were a No.5 3-Notch Lodge with a 2" crack (I didn't buy it) and a Le Creuset enameled grill pan for $5. Not doing too bad, but not as good as I'm used to.
 
Jeffrey R. said:
Hi CharlieK, Hate to tell you this but both of these skillets came from ME. I have had a few of the roll pans, but let them go to new homes, but the skillets are going to stay here. Care to put up a photo of yours? Eye candy
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Of course those skillets came from Maine, says so right on them! LOL, between you sneaking over here from the Northeast Kingdom to poach iron & Mike Zubik befriending every antiques dealer & pawn shop owner in the entire State of Maine, I don't stand a chance on finding wholesale ci! :'-(
But somehow, like a blind squirrel, once in a while I find an acorn :-)

I'll take & post a pic of my 2 W&B roll pans when I get home from work tonight. Now that we're in the dark days of winter, l'll also get busy uploading pix of unidentified ci that I've managed to gather since I was bitten with the ci bug last Spring. Been meaning to do this sooner but was very busy all Summer & Fall, working on my camp.
 
CharlieK, I am now wearing my coffee because of you, LMAO. We need photos of what I missed. Guess you will never know what I am driving when I come sneaking over here from the Northeast Kingdom to poach iron. I guess I now have a Ferraris', How do you put all the iron in one. I was thinking a 1 ton dually would help clean up ME, NH, and VT.
Bonnie, I had the same one but let it go to someone else wanted to add it to there ME iron collection, before I started mine. Never though that I would land 2 W&B skillets in the same week and start my ME collection. One never knows what we will find in the wild.

I do have the same roll pan, but the handle is broken off on one end. So we do not count that one.
 
Jeffrey R. said:
CharlieK, I am now wearing my coffee because of you, LMAO. We need photos of what I missed. Guess you will never know what I am driving when I come sneaking over here from the Northeast Kingdom to poach iron. I guess I now have a Ferraris', How do you put all the iron in one. I was thinking a 1 ton dually would help clean up ME, NH, and VT.
Bonnie, I had the same one but let it go to someone else wanted to add it to there ME iron collection, before I started mine. Never though that I would land 2 W&B skillets in the same week and start my ME collection. One never knows what we will find in the wild.

I do have the same roll pan, but the handle is broken off on one end. So we do not count that one.
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LOL, you're slaying me here! I'm glad you got me motivated because when I bought my 2nd roll pan, I took it to the garage to put in the e tank I think it may be painted and wanted to save it for last)and never had the two side by side. Turns out they're different sizes! One is 7-5/8"x13-1/4", the other is 7-9/16"x12-5/16" I'm thinking that the smaller one must be the ultra rare variety as the logo on the bigger pan is very similar to Bonnie's. Do they match in size as well, Bonnie?

Be advised Jeffrey R that I have friends in law enforcement here who are in favor of preserving the integrity of our native iron. Might have to post a weigh wagon to keep an eye put for a 1 ton dually with green license plates! :twisted:



 
CharlieK said:
LOL, you're slaying me here! I'm glad you got me motivated because when I bought my 2nd roll pan, I took it to the garage to put in the e tank I think it may be painted and wanted to save it for last)and never had the two side by side. Turns out they're different sizes! One is 7-5/8"x13-1/4", the other is 7-9/16"x12-5/16" I'm thinking that the smaller one must be the ultra rare variety as the logo on the bigger pan is very similar to Bonnie's. Do they match in size as well, Bonnie?

Be advised Jeffrey R that I have friends in law enforcement here who are in favor of preserving the integrity of our native iron. Might have to post a weigh wagon to keep an eye put for a 1 ton dually with green license plates! :twisted:
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Keep this up and I am going to have to put my drink down before I read you post.

Be advised law enforcement in ME likes VT Maple Syrup, I do travel with some. I get the drive on through sir. :big grin:

Very interested in your muffins pans, Thank you. MikeZ did say that he had seen W B & Co lettering show different layout on skillets. Maybe your black pan was a Monday morning piece.
 
Jeffrey R. said:
Keep this up and I am going to have to put my drink down before I read you post.

Be advised law enforcement in ME likes VT Maple Syrup, I do travel with some. I get the drive on through sir. :big grin:

Very interested in your muffins pans, Thank you. MikeZ did say that he had seen W B & Co lettering show different layout on skillets. Maybe your black pan was a Monday morning piece.
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:lol:Love it!

WB Skillets are very cool...I like the uniquely shaped pour spouts they feature...sharp, sharp, sharp!
 
Okay, I finally went to my neighbor's and took some pictures of his 11 W&B skillet. I think it's an early one, as: it has a single spout and a very plain one compared to most we see, it has no heat ring and the gate mark has been ground down so far as to to make it a hollow, so the pan sits flat without the ring.
The picture of a No 8 I mistakenly posted is unique in that, as JeffR noted, the wording is below the handle instead of at 6:00 and the size is on the cooking surface instead of the usual place, in the hollow of where the handle joins the pan.

On the W&B French Roll pan note, I have several and they're looking for good homes.
 

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