Cast Iron

skeets

Well-known member

Equipment
BX 2360 /B2601
Oct 2, 2009
14,558
3,309
113
SW Pa
Anybody collect or know anything about cast iron cook wear? Mom gave me all her old cast iron stuff. and I know most all of them but one. I think it was make by Lodge most likely before 1960, and has the logo of a meat processor ( KAHN Meats) cast in the bottom. I doubt its worth anything Lodge has been less than help full saying they have no records of what they have produced, which I think is BS, and KAHN meats has been bought and sold a couple times so they were no help.
And the internet hasnt turned up much but an EBay add, something but not the information I am looking for
 

pendoreille

Member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
B2620, fel, RB1560, Piranha Tooth Bar
Jan 2, 2015
476
13
18
Newport, WA
Skeets,
I have a lot of cast iron but no Kahn. I can tell you this though I use the heck out of them. I don't do eggs or fried potatoes but pan cakes, stews, soups. Anything that needs to be baked like corn bread goulash etc. oh yes and my dutch oven.
 

skeets

Well-known member

Equipment
BX 2360 /B2601
Oct 2, 2009
14,558
3,309
113
SW Pa
Yepper I use the snot out of mine too,, years ago camping, in the GWN I found a 10 inch griddle, and it was ,,was,, well it was bad!!! But I tossed it in the truck and brought it home and got the battery charger out and a bucket of water and washing soda,,, Hooked it up and let it cook for about 8 hours,, It cleaned right up and the cooking surface is as smooth as glass. There is no manufacturing info on it, but I use it camping and on the stove for almost anything that dont splatter. Guess those old timers really did know good stuff:D
 

sawmill

Active member

Equipment
bx24 backhoe/fel, 48" Bush mower
Nov 16, 2014
567
125
43
ione, washington
Skeets,
We have a lot of cast iron. Several skillets, Dutch ovens, griddles, etc. All of ours was given to my wife by her grandmother (my wife is 72) so they're pretty old. We have......Erie...Wagoner....Taylor & Sons and Griswold. We use ours all the time.
My wife said she has heard of Lodge but doesn't know anything about them, except they're old.
 

CaveCreekRay

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L3800 HST, KingKutter box scraper, KingKutter 66" rake, County Pride Subsoiler
Jul 11, 2014
2,631
100
48
Cave Creek, AZ
What oils do you guys recommend when using cast iron? Lard? Olive oil?

We used a lot of garlic flavored olive oil for frying and baking. Then, I bought one of the new-fangled ceramic pans and found stuff stuck in olive oil. I then happened to find the directions and they specifically mentioned DO NOT USE olive oil because it leaves a sticky goo when it gets hot that makes everything stick. They recommended butter and you barely use maybe a 1/4 pad for a whole 14" fry pan. Works awesome now. Amazing difference. Trying to figure out now what to do with the olive oil supply we have.
 
Last edited:

D2Cat

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L305DT, B7100HST, TG1860, TG1860D, L4240
Mar 27, 2014
13,827
5,569
113
40 miles south of Kansas City
Ray, burn it in your tractor!! Oh wait, you have one of those new fangled tractors that probably wouldn't work too good.:D
 

skeets

Well-known member

Equipment
BX 2360 /B2601
Oct 2, 2009
14,558
3,309
113
SW Pa
Ray I use olive oil when I fry stuff in the iron ware,, never had a problem,, just when you wash it out use a vegetable oil to re-season it you dont want to reseason it with to much oil it gets all sticky and yucky.. and always heat them when you wash them to dry the water off and apply the oil while its still real warm
 

Ike

New member

Equipment
Kubota L 3301, Farmall Cub. JD B. Ferguson TE 20
Jul 18, 2015
324
1
0
Mich
I have one big pan that was my great grand mothers. I have no idea how old it is but my grandmother was 93 when she gave it to me. We use it all the time. I looked today and there isn't a name on it
 

8upbowhunter

Active member

Equipment
L4701 FEL, Cutter, Discs and Land Plane
Dec 15, 2016
397
59
28
S/E Louisiana
I've used olive oil, vegetable oil and peanut oil with no issues. As Skeets said, dry it on the stove and wipe it down lightly with vegatable oil after. What you do not want to do is leave it wet with oil when not in use. Wipe it down with oil then wipe all excess oil out until it is dry inside. If left wet, the oil will get rancid and sticky and it's tuff to get it out when that happens.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 

RCW

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
BX2360, FEL, MMM, BX2750D snowblower. 1953 Minneapolis Moline ZAU
Apr 28, 2013
9,155
5,237
113
Chenango County, NY
I've had no issues with various types of oil. As others have said, wet or damp is the problem.

Skeets- tell me about the battery charger/ washing soda (?) thing?

New thing to me, and interested.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Daren Todd

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
Massey Ferguson 1825E, Kubota Z121S, Box blade, Rotary Cutter
May 18, 2014
10,156
6,584
113
Vilonia, Arkansas

RCW

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
BX2360, FEL, MMM, BX2750D snowblower. 1953 Minneapolis Moline ZAU
Apr 28, 2013
9,155
5,237
113
Chenango County, NY
Daren and Bill - thanks for the links.

I didn't equate Daren's project to cast iron kitchen pans - call me stupid. :eek:

I was interested in Daren's thread back then, and thought about it when I wrote that to Skeets.

Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees....and I'm a forester for cryin' out loud.....:eek::eek:
 
Last edited:

skeets

Well-known member

Equipment
BX 2360 /B2601
Oct 2, 2009
14,558
3,309
113
SW Pa
This is one of the better ones, to watch,he is chatty but shows the basics

https://youtu.be/0XlsNucmbiE?t=2

I found a 24 volt DC power supply out of an old copying machine years ago and it works really well,, you can also use salt or even baking soda. The Arm & Hammer washing soda seems to work the best, use junk steel or even iron for the anode,,I may take a couple hours or even over night and the gunk that comes up on top of the water is nothing more than the gunk thats on the iron. ALSO do not let the piece being cleaned touch the anode .
 

skeets

Well-known member

Equipment
BX 2360 /B2601
Oct 2, 2009
14,558
3,309
113
SW Pa
Thank you, I thought it might have been by the fire ring and the notches in the edge, now if I could find out when it was made and how it was disrupted the mystery will be solved :D
 

CaveCreekRay

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L3800 HST, KingKutter box scraper, KingKutter 66" rake, County Pride Subsoiler
Jul 11, 2014
2,631
100
48
Cave Creek, AZ
A buddy in New Hampshire used this process on some big iron railway spikes he found buried on his property. He thinks it had been in the ground for over 100 years. Amazingly, it restored them to amazing condition after a night in the brine.

He used an old laptop power supply he found at a garage sale.

I have an ancient Estwing framing hammer someone left outside for a decade or more and I want to try this process on that.
 

RCW

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
BX2360, FEL, MMM, BX2750D snowblower. 1953 Minneapolis Moline ZAU
Apr 28, 2013
9,155
5,237
113
Chenango County, NY
I have an ancient Estwing framing hammer someone left outside for a decade or more and I want to try this process on that.

Off topic, but this was my grandfather's Estwing, leather handle. Only 12 oz. rip hammer. He was born in 1911, and passed in 1988.

That thing has driven thousands of fence staples. You can see the wear in the leather handle. My father always hated that hammer - too light, and the rip hammer claw....I ended up with it. I still own rip hammers exclusively.

Still remember fixing fence with him......He had a favorite pair of fencing pliers; don't know where they went....

....



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:

skeets

Well-known member

Equipment
BX 2360 /B2601
Oct 2, 2009
14,558
3,309
113
SW Pa
Ya know east wing might be interested in that little beast and the history behind it,, who knows they might want it for their museum