Sand casting ... Why?

[William J]

One of the best cast iron skillets that I have ever used was an unmarked piece that followed my father around when ever he went out of town fishing and was in the kitchen since I was a young boy when it wasn't traveling with dad. The entire interior of the skillet was machined, flat on the bottom leading to a radius corner and angled up the side. I suppose it would be considered a chicken fryer. I know there had been many ducks, pheasants, fish, rabbits, squirrels and even some venison over the years spending the required time in this old piece.

Given the fact that manufacturing processes have been known to change as advances in technology continue to amaze all of us, I cannot help but wonder why these foundries do not use the lost wax process of molding cast iron cookware. The want or need of the "finished" interior would be done in the casting process rather than needing machine work or leaving the sandpaper finish that is present with current manufacturers.

Anyone have any thoughts or inside information???

 

[Dan Farmer]

One of the best cast iron skillets that I have ever used was an unmarked piece that followed my father around when ever he went out of town fishing and was in the kitchen since I was a young boy when it wasn't traveling with dad. The entire interior of the skillet was machined, flat on the bottom leading to a radius corner and angled up the side. I suppose it would be considered a chicken fryer. I know there had been many ducks, pheasants, fish, rabbits, squirrels and even some venison over the years spending the required time in this old piece.

Given the fact that manufacturing processes have been known to change as advances in technology continue to amaze all of us, I cannot help but wonder why these foundries do not use the lost wax process of molding cast iron cookware. The want or need of the "finished" interior would be done in the casting process rather than needing machine work or leaving the sandpaper finish that is present with current manufacturers.

Anyone have any thoughts or inside information???

Lost was is a "one-up" process. You lose the pattern when you melt the wax to leave the cavity. Sand casting allows use of a reusable pattern.

The skillets that most of us are collecting are those that are machined on the cooking surface. That is one of the things that we love about them... the care and skill and pride that went into making them.