Crack in pan

C

CJ Lucas

Member
Yesterday I was cleaning a #5 Favorite in my e-tank and when I took it out, I noticed a crack in the side wall that I had not seen before. Someone in another post (many months ago) told of boiling salt water in the pan to detect cracks. Can someone explain how that works?

Also, is the pan still usable?
 
I have not done it , but I would say boiling salt water in the pan would cause a very small amount of the salty water to come through the crack which would then evaporate from the heat , leaving the white salt residue . Showing where the crack is .

As for still be usable , if the crack is tight and not right to the bottom of the pan it's certainly still usable . Just be careful to never put cool or cold water in the pan when it's hot (which you should NEVER do anyway) or I would think that crack would get worse .
 
Finding a crack on any but an already stripped pan is typically impossible. Boiling saltwater won't come through years of build-up. That's why buying unrestored pans is mostly a crapshoot. On stripped pans, good, bright light and close inspection should be all that's necessary. What to look for and how is described here:

http://www.castironcollector.com/damage.php#damage
 
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