Is this a simple casting flaw?

[Tom Connor]

I recently bought a Wagner Ware skillet which was made when the brand was owned by the General Housewares Corp. I am under no illusion that this is a "collectable" piece. But it has the smoothest interior finish of any of the few C.I. pieces that I own. There are a couple of bright spots on the bottom of the pan. They were clearly visible through the original seasoning, and are still there after cleaning via electrolysis. I allowed the pan to rust after cleaning and they didn't rust. Is this just some part of the stew that made up the casting material? Maybe a bit of cylinder head or crank shaft? I look forward to enjoying using this skillet, but have a lingering doubt that these may be some toxic metal pieces. Anyone out there that can explain what this might be?

 

[Doug D.]

Looks like what's known as a slag inclusion. Some bit of refractory material from the furnace or ladle that didn't get skimmed off. I have an old Griswold with what looks like a bit of aluminum embedded in it. If it's from the foundry, it shouldn't be anything like lead.

 

[Tom Connor]

Thanks for the timely reply