Possum
Master Shaver
Cast Iron Marsupial
Look out you "Fuzzy" wabbit!
Posts: 1,274
|
Post by Possum on Oct 14, 2012 10:13:26 GMT -6
The wife and I spent the weekend in Canton, OH, at the Annual Convention of Cast Iron Cookware Collectors Club to which we belong.
At dinner on Friday a fellow from St Louis MO was at our table and he started a conversation about a funny looking and working razor his mother in law had given him. She told him it was his late father in laws.
After dinner he went to his room and brought the razor to the hospitality room where I discovered it was a Rolls Razor. It was in decent condition with a strop in good condition and the hone had no cracks. So after looking at it I took it out of the case, assembled it so I could hone and strop it a bit. Then I put the thing into shaving mode and took a couple passes along my left forearm. Took off some hair and I had to explain that in the not too distant past I had plenty of "hairless" spots on my fore arms from trying out vintage razors.
Guy was amazed as were the others at the table and they all thanked me for the demo and the info.
The guy also told me he was thinking about getting into traditional wet shaving. So I directed him to TOSToo and SMF. Will be in touch with him a bit more to discuss not just vintage cast iron cookware but also vintage shaving equipment.
Oh, yes, I did buy a cast iron skillet that I was looking for from him. It was lighter one that my wife can handle easier than most of the ones we have.
|
|
|
Post by willyb on Oct 14, 2012 10:20:16 GMT -6
Great story! Thanks for sharing that.
|
|
|
Post by stljeff on Oct 14, 2012 10:45:02 GMT -6
At dinner on Friday a fellow from St Louis MO was at our table and he started a conversation about a funny looking and working razor his mother in law had given him. She told him it was his late father in laws. Guys from St. Louis - always interesting chaps!
|
|
|
Post by johna2231 on Oct 14, 2012 11:11:58 GMT -6
Hey that's interesting! I was also interested in the cast iron cookware thread there. I've picked up about 5 pans now and antique stores etc. since reading it. My wife wants a pan slightly larger than the 8" we are currently using. Would going up to a 12" be too much? Any sources you'd care to mention?
Thanks,
John
|
|
Possum
Master Shaver
Cast Iron Marsupial
Look out you "Fuzzy" wabbit!
Posts: 1,274
|
Post by Possum on Oct 14, 2012 18:43:48 GMT -6
Hey that's interesting! I was also interested in the cast iron cookware thread there. I've picked up about 5 pans now and antique stores etc. since reading it. My wife wants a pan slightly larger than the 8" we are currently using. Would going up to a 12" be too much? Any sources you'd care to mention? Thanks, John John, Glad to hear the your are venturing into the world of vintage cast iron cookware. It goes well with vintage SE razor collecting. Would be interested to hear what you already have. Can you give me some details. Like who made them and what size. Don't measure the inches, there should be a # on the handle or on the bottom. Your 8" skillet sounds like it is a #5 size skillet. What I would recommend for a family of two is a #8 size. It is considered to be a 10" skillet and is the most common size for most vintage cast iron skillets. If you want more info I suggest going to the Wagner and Griswold Society page. Click on the Forum link and look around. Folks go by there real names there and it will be obvious who I am as I am the only Bryce on the Forum. The folks there are all very helpful and friendly, even more so than folks at the shave forums, except for TOS2! ;D You may send me PMs if you have any questions about Cast Iron or WAGS.
|
|
Possum
Master Shaver
Cast Iron Marsupial
Look out you "Fuzzy" wabbit!
Posts: 1,274
|
Post by Possum on Oct 14, 2012 18:47:56 GMT -6
Want to say that I got a call earlier this evening from one of the gentlemen that I know from the Cast Iron Convention and who is aware of my razor collecting.
He is from CA and will be spending about 10 days touring the mid western part of the country before returning home. While at an antique store looking for some "iron" he came upon a Kriss Kross blade sharpener. He called me to see if it was something I might be interested in. I had to tell him No since that razor took a proprietary blade that was no longer available. I thanked him and he said if he ran across anything else shaving related he would give me a call. Nice guy I must say.
|
|
ShadowsDad
Gem Star
None boring shaver!!
"It's not the bow, it's the Indian"
Posts: 4,534
|
Post by ShadowsDad on Oct 14, 2012 20:49:07 GMT -6
John, not vintage, made in chian in fact, but the problem I have with most CI fry pans is the wall is too high for frying eggs and such. The edge gets in the way. OK, I have a flat CI griddle that works fine, but for one person it's a PITA to get out etc.
Anyway, this "pan" has maybe 1" sides, is maybe 12" round and has plenty of room for a ham steak and a few eggs all at the same time. The thing I hate the most about it is that it isn't flat, but I'm getting accustomed to working with it even with it being out of flat. It cost $18. If you want the maker I can get the name.
|
|
Possum
Master Shaver
Cast Iron Marsupial
Look out you "Fuzzy" wabbit!
Posts: 1,274
|
Post by Possum on Oct 15, 2012 2:20:27 GMT -6
Brian,
Your problem is that you are working with "junk" when you use the foreign made CI cookware. You only get what you pay for.
If you don't want vintage try Lodge CI. It is American made and has a long history of being very good CI cookware. The newer Lodge stuff is not a nice aesthetically as the vintage pieces but it does the job and is absolutely flat.
Also with the Chinese CI you have no idea where the iron used to make it comes from. Who know what it was originally used for. You can expect that the Chinese will take any short cut they can to turn a buck and that calls for using a lot of scrap iron. While Lodge still uses some scrap iron it comes from dependable American sources and is suitable for making cookware.
By the way, vintage CI cookware to be used as "users" in not all that expensive and you get a quality product produce in America.
|
|
ShadowsDad
Gem Star
None boring shaver!!
"It's not the bow, it's the Indian"
Posts: 4,534
|
Post by ShadowsDad on Oct 15, 2012 15:40:49 GMT -6
I have Lodge and other CI cookware, but nowhere have I seen the low walled thing that I found. If Griswold or Lodge made one I'd have it. If they do I've never seen it. Enlighten me.
I do have an American made griddle. But it's too much for one persons breakfast.
Oh, I'm not going to write all of that again. Thanks for the input.
|
|
Possum
Master Shaver
Cast Iron Marsupial
Look out you "Fuzzy" wabbit!
Posts: 1,274
|
Post by Possum on Oct 15, 2012 16:40:59 GMT -6
I have Lodge and other CI cookware, but nowhere have I seen the low walled thing that I found. If Griswold or Lodge made one I'd have it. If they do I've never seen it. Enlighten me. I do have an American made griddle. But it's too much for one persons breakfast. Oh, I'm not going to write all of that again. Thanks for the input. You are just not looking in the right places. Griswold shallow skillets aka skillet griddles are out of production long, long ago. Only place you will find them is at flea markets, antique stores, auctions, on eBay. In any case you most likely will pay through the nose for one. But if it is in good shape meaning it sits flat, has no cracks, pitting then you will have a piece of cookware that will out live you. As for Lodge, you will find vintage Lodge stuff at the same places you will find the Griswold pieces. New Lodge grill pans can be found HERE. This is not the quality in finish as the vintage stuff but it is much better than the Chinese and Korean made junk.
|
|
|
Post by sleddog on Oct 15, 2012 19:26:19 GMT -6
Interesting thread...thats cool how you demo'ed the Rolls razor. I also have a few pieces of iron cookware that I have picked up...theres nothing that cooks like cast iron
|
|
Possum
Master Shaver
Cast Iron Marsupial
Look out you "Fuzzy" wabbit!
Posts: 1,274
|
Post by Possum on Oct 16, 2012 2:03:58 GMT -6
Interesting thread...thats cool how you demo'ed the Rolls razor. I also have a few pieces of iron cookware that I have picked up...theres nothing that cooks like cast iron Thanks, I will always tout the benefits of traditional wet shaving be it with an SE or DE. As for cooking in CI, well the wife and I do about 90% of our cooking with CI. Even make our pizza in CI skillets.
|
|
|
Post by stljeff on Oct 16, 2012 15:02:06 GMT -6
As for cooking in CI, well the wife and I do about 90% of our cooking with CI. Even make our pizza in CI skillets. We do most of our cooking in CI also. We just got a vintage Wagner skillet that had belonged to my great-grandmother (born in 1860, although I'm certain she got the skillet as a middle-aged housewife - around the time my grandmother was born). That skillet is absolutely awesome!
|
|
savagejoerude
SE Super Freak
The Jemi warrior
Blah. Blah, Blah !!!!
Posts: 22
|
Post by savagejoerude on Mar 7, 2013 20:07:29 GMT -6
Hello Gents, Yes as I troll your site I find a thread with fellas talking Cast Iron. I Have been a Certified Chef in a past life and I LOVE my cast Iron. I have 5 skillets of differing sizes, a griddle, and a Dutch oven. I also have the old cornbread pan with the ears of corn impression. All of it is well seasoned and used.... For eggs I have an 8 in. restaurant quality saute pan (Not CI) that is well seasoned. It has never touched water. No one in the house is allowed to even touch it...lol.I can add a 1/4 tsp of bacon drippings and fry up and flip a 3 egg omelet. No Problemo... No stickie...
|
|
|
Post by Alan on Mar 8, 2013 4:53:17 GMT -6
Just going to chime in here in regards to CI stuff. I've always used it for camping and after a cheapo Dutch Oven blew out on me I was in the market for another. Possum gided me on what to look for and how to find it. He has been involved with CI for many years and is extremely knowledgable on the subject. It's one of his passions. If you have questions he is a great resource.
Alan
(Now, if we could only teach him how to use a fine piece of precision equipment.)
|
|