On the way home, I picked up an unmarked Wagner

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SpurgeonH

Active member
I just got home and figured I would share ...

There is a small antique store not far from my house. As I drove by, I noticed they had a "20% off everything" banner across the front. So, I stopped and went in.

I saw this skillet in there a few weeks ago and passed. Unmarked Wagners are not on my wish list ... and they were asking $22.95 for it. Today, the tag showed where they had previously reduced the price to $7.95, trying to get rid of it. Because of the 20% off sale, the price was now $6.36. I figured for six bucks it was worth the fun of cleaning it up. Ha! It sits flat, but that may change when the thick crud comes off. It's in the lye bucket now. ... But the dang handle is sticking an inch out of the liquid. I guess I'll have to do one end and then flip it upside down to get the other.

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Any cast that is not cracked or broken is worth the amount you paid. One day there will be so few cast pieces that people will take whatever they can get.
 
If it sits flat, isn't cracked, and isn't pitted on the cooking surface then you have the perfect skillet to clean up and give to a friend or extended family member that might have an interest in cooking with CI. I've given away a half dozen or so pieces like that after restoring and using them for a while.
 
Do you think, if I stop here and season it, anybody will be able to tell that part of the pan wasn't totally submerged in the lye?

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Haha! I have put it back in the lye. Upside down this time.

The bottom still has a layer of crud. It wouldn't budge with the Chore Boy. I was able to pop some loose with a metal spatula, but I have to give it another day in the lye due to the handle issue. I'll wait until tomorrow night and see how it looks before I really put the muscle to it. Maybe a few days in the e-tank will help.
 
Spurgeon -- sometimes with heavy build up like this its best to be patient. I recently went through a similar clean up effort and it took much longer than 2 days in my lye bath. I removed the pan every few days and agitated the crud with a quick scrub of steel wool, then back it went into the tank. Every time I removed the pan I saw small progress, so I just kept plugging away.

No e-tank was needed.

Before pics:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/139658521@N07/shares/Z26454

After pics:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/139658521@N07/shares/6U9H2S
 
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Handsome pans, guys! Persistence is a virtue with cleaning CI, for sure. I am really partial to Wagner items, and these pans show why.
 
I agree , those are nice pans . Always amazing how you can bring back a pan that looks so rough lol .

Mike , I have the very same old Wagner pan . It's even a 9 B like yours . I found a nice #7 to match it a while back . Love those old pans .
 
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