Restoring Nickel Plated Cast Iron? Best 173 Answer

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Using a well-seasoned cast iron skillet can be even better than a non-stick skillet. If you have old rusty pans lying around, this method of stripping and seasoning a cast iron skillet will restore them to their original shine in three easy steps. Strip, season, bake! You’ll be slipping eggs out of the pan in no time.

So you’ve got a cast iron skillet, but maybe it’s not in top shape… don’t worry, it’s likely still salvageable! If you’ve learned from us how to choose the best cast iron cookware (new or used), then honing and researing will restore your cast iron to its former glory.

How to Strip a Cast Iron Skillet (2 Ways)

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Using a fire pit or wood stove to strip cast iron

The first step in restoring a rusty, neglected cast iron skillet is to disassemble it so all (or most) of the spices are gone. We have found a very simple solution for this that will not pollute your whole house.

Build a nice campfire in an outdoor fire pit (or use a wood stove) and get some nice coals going. Once the coals have burned down leaving hot ash behind, you will bury your cast iron skillet face down in the ash and leave it overnight.

The next day, take it out of the ashes and bring it in to be washed with hot, soapy water and, if necessary, some steel wool to remove any remaining spice, rust or flakes.

Using a self-cleaning furnace to strip cast iron

If you don’t have access to a fire pit or wood stove, using a self-cleaning stove will work. Just be forewarned that this will make your house stink, so it’s nice if you can do it on a day when you can open all the windows.

To degrease your cast iron pans in the oven, place them upside down on the middle rack, close the door and run the self-cleaning stage.

Allow your pans to cool in the oven, then remove and wash with hot, soapy water and, if necessary, some steel wool to remove any remaining seasoning, rust or flakes.

Do I need to season a pre-seasoned pan?

Most new cast iron pans these days are already seasoned. Unfortunately, the oils used are not always my first choice for seasoning and can even leave a rancid layer on the cooking surface.

Even if I’ve just bought a brand new piece of cast iron, I like to give it a good fresh coat of seasoning before using it. I’ve just received this brand new modern Stargazer smooth cast iron skillet, made in the USA, and it’s the first time I’ve received a new skillet that I didn’t think needed an extra layer before using .

I am absolutely in love with her and she is quickly moving to the top of my most accomplished cast iron skillet! It’s so light (just over 6 pounds) and I also love that you can buy an unseasoned cast iron skillet at Stargazer. So if you want to season them yourself, you don’t have to disassemble them first.

How to season a cast iron skillet

Scrub the pan with hot, soapy water and a scouring pad or steel wool to remove any rust and old spices. Dry it thoroughly by placing it in a 200 degree oven for 5-10 minutes. Spread a thin layer of extra virgin coconut oil or flaxseed oil on all sides of the pan (including the handle and the bottom of the pan). Wipe off excess oil with a paper towel. Place the pan upside down on a rack in a 375 degree oven. Bake 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes, turn off the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes (or until safe to handle). Repeat steps 3 to 6 two to four times.

And that’s it! Easy right? OK, maybe it’s quite time consuming, but it’s definitely not a difficult task.

What oil can I use to season cast iron?

*If using canola or sunflower cooking oil, consider cranking your oven to 475 degrees during the seasoning steps. This is because the oil has to get just above the smoke point to actually bake on the cast iron and bond to the metal, creating a protective coating. This makes cooking in cast iron MUCH easier.

Cast iron seasoning tips

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Polished nickel gives off a yellow or gold hue in the sun. This gives nickel a more regal appearance than many other types of metal. However, with age and exposure, your nickel item will tarnish and often diminish in value and appearance. There are several ways to remove tarnish from nickel using common household products.

Polished Nickel Care Image Credit: VladK213/iStock/GettyImages

Polished nickel is a popular finish for bathroom fixtures, as well as drawer and cabinet handles. It gives the room a specular shine and a beautiful accent. It needs to be clean to retain its luster, and thankfully, maintaining polished nickel is easy.

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Over polished nickel finish

Polished nickel surfaces are untreated, which gives them their shiny surface. They are resistant to tarnishing and retain their metallic appearance. Satin nickel, on the other hand, has a more matte finish. This is typically accomplished with a varnish. Brushed nickel is not as bright as polished nickel, but it is not quite as matte as satin nickel. As the name suggests, the shiny surface is removed with a brush.

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The nickel is plated over another metal, usually brass. Brass is preferred as it does not rust like other metals. Polished nickel is generally corrosion resistant. The care and cleaning of all nickel surfaces is basically the same. For additional tips and recommendations, see the product manual that came with your lights or hardware.

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Polished nickel care

Wash your polished nickel with a soft cloth and soap and water. Make sure you remove toothpaste or shaving foam from the holder immediately. Allowing these substances to remain on the nickel can, over time, damage the surface and change the appearance of the nickel. Rinse all soap off the nickel and dry with a soft cloth. Immediate drying of the surface avoids water stains.

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In most cases, this is all the polished nickel maintenance that you need to do. However, should mineral deposits form on polished nickel fittings, you can clean them with a mixture of 50 percent household vinegar and 50 percent water. Spray the diluted vinegar on the faucet, then wipe clean with a soft cloth. Vinegar can damage the finish if you let it sit on the metal, so wipe it clean immediately.

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Avoid harsh cleaners or scouring pads which can scratch the surface of your polished nickel. You can use glass cleaner as long as you don’t let the cleaner soak into the polished nickel.

Nickel care tips and considerations

Nickel can tarnish over time, deepening color and appearance, although some polished nickel finishes resist tarnishing. Luckily, it’s easy to restore the metal’s metallic shine with a good chrome polish like Autosol or Silvo metal polishes. You can also apply Flitz wax to your polished nickel every week to protect the finish. Just follow the application instructions on the label.

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This step is especially important if you have polished nickel outdoors, e.g. B. on an outdoor washbasin or as fittings on windows or doors. Regular outdoor polished nickel cleaning is important to remove dirt, rain debris and salt from the air. These materials can attack the finish. Be sure to dump nickel faucets and bring nickel-plated faucets and hardware indoors when temperatures freeze.

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Which cookware is nickel free?

Material Nickel Market share Stainless steel (18/10) 10% 80% Aluminum (Teflon-coated) 0% 16% Steel (enamel-coated) <1% 3% Cast iron 0.1-1% <1% Ceramic 0% <1% Steel (unalloyed) 0% <1% aluminum 0% <1% copper (tinned) 0% <1% brass 0% <1% glass 0% <1% stainless steel (18/0) 0.1-0.75% <1% ▲ When does your cookware release nickel? Should I throw out my stainless steel cookware if I'm allergic to nickel? Kettle and nickel allergy Heating element Nickel released to water [μg/l] Nickel coating 10-500 Stainless steel plate 0-30 Aluminum with teflon coating 0 ▲ Do your research when buying a nickel-free kettle! When buying a nickel-free kettle, make sure that it is made of 100% glass or 18/0 stainless steel. Kettles with a glass container also almost exclusively use a stainless steel base plate, which will contain nickel. Unfortunately, there are more than a few unscrupulous manufacturers eager to give you false information and charge you a hefty price for what appears to be a nickel-free kettle. Keep in mind that completely nickel-free kettles are not widely available at this time. roosters Conclusion ▲ ▲ Our apps can help you on a low nickel diet Eating healthy! share article Food Intolerances with Nutrition Extension (iOS & Android)Natural Food Guide (iOS)Eat healthy! A nickel allergy is primarily triggered by the direct contact of nickel-containing objects such as jewellery, buttons or door handles with the skin. In severe cases, the symptoms can also be caused by an excess of nickel in the diet. Many common kitchen utensils contain nickel and the potential consumer hazard is an important question about nickel for both those allergic and non-allergic. We analyzed the impact of three types of kitchenware on your exposure to nickel: cookware (pots and pans), kettles and faucets. Cooking pots and pans can be made from a variety of materials. The widely used types of stainless steel contain the highest concentration of nickel, while the nickel levels in most other cookware materials are comparatively low (see Table 1). Nickel Content and Market Share of the Most Popular Cookware The stainless steel used in cookware sets is an alloy of iron, chromium and nickel. You can determine the levels of each of these elements by the type of steel at the bottom of your pot or pan: 18/10 stainless steel contains 18% chromium and 10% nickel, with iron making up the rest. The presence of nickel makes the alloy more malleable and corrosion resistant, producing a smooth, shiny surface. 18/10 stainless steel (aka Type 304) is therefore the most popular type of cookware currently on the market, accounting for four out of every five pots or pans bought over the counter. Nickel-free 18/0 stainless steel, on the other hand, still has to convince consumers. There are several studies looking at the release of nickel from cooking appliances and a common theme emerges from their findings: albeit relatively small amounts of nickel are released during the cooking process when using stainless steel pots and pans. According to a study by Flint (1997), the release of nickel from stainless steel pots and pans into various foods (e.g. potatoes or a fruit compote) ranges from 0–64 μg/kg. That might seem like a high number, but compared to the actual serving size eaten, the result is a comparatively meager 0–10 μg. Nevertheless, there are isolated cases in which an increased release of nickel can be detected. However, the many studies on the subject have found that when using brand new cookware, a higher amount of nickel is released - up to 200 μg/l - which falls to low levels after a few uses. The reason for this increase could be the manufacturing process. Polishing a stainless steel pan can leave a fine residue of oxidized steel shavings which can result in a higher concentration of nickel being released from the pot or pan in the first few uses. After these first applications, however, this effect noticeably wears off. Organic acids, found in large quantities in many fruits and vegetables, are corrosive to pots and pans due to the release of iron, chromium and nickel atoms from the metal during cooking. For example, cooking tomato sauce or a vegetable compote in a stainless steel pot results in a higher release of nickel compared to potatoes or pasta, which have a more neutral pH. For this reason, it is best to cook acidic foods in a different type of pot, such as a pot. B. Teflon to cook. When using stainless steel pots and pans there will always be some additional amount of nickel in our food. A particularly common form of this is nickel ions, which are found on the inside of a pot or pan and are released by acids in food during the cooking process. Nevertheless, the nickel exposure from cookware is significantly lower than that which we simply ingest through food. Much of the nickel released when cooking potatoes or pasta, for example, is often removed simply by draining the water. And since the actual amount consumed per serving is relatively small, there is little reason to do without stainless steel pots altogether. Even if the contents of the pot are only heated and not boiled for a long time, the release of nickel is negligible. The levels of nickel to which non-allergy sufferers, and indeed most allergy sufferers, are exposed are often safe. Nevertheless, it is important to prevent sensitization to the substance and thus probably an increase in allergy sufferers in the population. It is therefore desirable that as little nickel as possible enters our diet. Nickel-free stainless steel has not yet become a popular consumer product, although the technology for its development is certainly available. However, there are now plenty of alternatives that are completely nickel-free and can minimize our nickel intake (see Table 1). Kettles also contain materials that contain nickel, some of which is released when water is boiled. In general, there are two types of devices: Kettles with a heated stainless steel base plate and a water tank made of stainless steel, plastic or glass; and kettles with exposed heating coils or incandescent coils (these are often found in cheaper models). The exposed coil releases significantly more nickel into the water than a stainless steel base plate, since the heating coil is usually coated with nickel (see Table 2). Nickel released from various kettle heating wires Consumers should note that newer kettle models release the highest concentrations of nickel and the level can occasionally be critical. It should also be noted that if kettles are regularly decalcified with vinegar, the aggressive effect of the acids in the vinegar drastically increases the release of nickel when the kettle is later used. Only after about 6-10 applications does the nickel content drop back to a relatively low value. For this reason, it's a good idea to descale your kettle as little as possible, ensuring that fresh water is boiled immediately afterwards and then discarded before using again. Time leads to increased levels of nickel over time. Here, too, it is advisable to pour away the stale water and refill the kettle. The nickel contained in kettles also has a high bioavailability, especially if you drink a cup of tea on an empty stomach, for example. Instead, drink this cup of tea with a hearty breakfast, as eating significantly impedes the absorption of nickel into your body. Chrome-plated faucets can also lead to nickel leaching into water, and in Germany the Federal Environment Agency has responded by regulating this by requiring that faucets be allowed to release a maximum of 20 μg/l of water three months after installation. If there is hot water at a tap for a longer period of time (e.g. overnight), this limit can easily be exceeded. So it's a good idea to run the faucet for a few seconds to flush away any residual water. Alternatively, you can use bottled drinking water, which usually contains very little nickel. Several household appliances have the potential to release nickel into your food (see Figure 1). Nickel Release from Various Household Appliances Here are two scenarios that better illustrate the proportion of your daily nickel intake from nickel-containing household items (see Figure 2): Scenario 1 illustrates a low-nickel diet and recommended use of nickel-containing kitchen appliances. Scenario 2 illustrates a nickel-rich diet and the discouraged use of nickel-containing kitchenware, e.g. stale tap water, freshly descaled kettle with an open heating coil, new stainless steel pots and pans. Even disregarding all of the above precautions, the daily limit of 500 μg of nickel per day is exceeded only in exceptional cases, which is considered critical. A naturally nickel-rich diet can also help, and for some allergy sufferers, excessive nickel consumption can lead to a flare-up of symptoms despite not making direct contact with the skin (which, as mentioned above, is the main cause of nickel allergy). However, following a few simple rules without unduly restricting your daily life will ensure that nickel exposure from kitchen appliances has little impact on your daily intake. And when it comes time to buy a new kitchen appliance, instead of overpaying for a 'specialty product', consider the best value product. References:G. Flint et al., Purity of foods cooked in stainless steel cookware, Food Additives & Contaminants 14:2 (1997), 115-126H. Lampel et al., Systemic Contact Dermatitis: Current Challenges and Emerging Treatments, Current Treatment Options in Allergy 1 (2014), 348-357T. Berg et al., The release of nickel and other trace elements from kettles and coffee machines, Food Additives and Contaminants 17:3 (2000), 189-196test 08/2006, Hot goods, 64-69J. Kuligowski et al., Stainless steel cookware as a significant source of nickel, chromium and iron, Arch. Environment. Cont. Toxic. 23 (1992), 211-215M. Tuchman et al., Nickel contact dermatitis in children, Clinics for Dermatology 33 (2015), 320-326 Rapp et al., Nickel coatings on products that come into contact with drinking water, Wasser-Praxis 02/2010, 16-17 Notice of the Federal Environment Agency, Nickel, Bundesgesundhbl - Health Research - Health Protection 44 (2001) 12, 1243-1248

Europe

EU Regulation No. 1935/2004 sets out the harmonized legal framework and general principles and mandatory requirements to ensure all FCM are safe. Similar, harmonized, mandatory rules exist for other FCMs such as plastics and ceramics.

There are no harmonized EU measures for metals and alloys. However, at national level, some countries, including Belgium, France, Finland, Italy and the Netherlands, have their own specific legislation.

In an effort to harmonize the rules, Council of Europe member states have adopted resolutions and technical guidelines on FCM. The guidelines for metals and alloys used in FCMs provide an important reference for regulators, manufacturers and companies in the FCM value chain. These recommend specific release limits (SRLs) for metals, specify test conditions and establish a methodology designed to support compliance with the EU Framework Regulation on FCM.

The current guidelines of the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines (EDQM) recommend an SRL of 0.14 mg/kg for nickel. This is based on the WHO Tolerable Daily Intake of 0.012 mg/kg body weight/day (0.7 mg/day). The SRL is intended to protect against contact dermatitis in people sensitive to nickel.

Nickel Revival of Brass

Posted by Brendan Doughty Central Wisconsin on Thursday, May 19, 2016 – 6:35 p.m.:

Is there a good way to remove the nickel plating from brass valve stem covers?

Posted by Ken Kopsky, Lytle TX on Thursday, May 19, 2016 – 7:16 pm:

Define “good”.

Best: Use a nickel stripper for copper containing metals. Available from Caswell.

Cheap: Polish off the nickel. Use white blush and a buff.

Posted by Jon Crane on Thursday, May 19, 2016 – 9:49 p.m.:

Soak it in hydrochloric acid for a short time (an hour or two) and it will peel off immediately. Buff and you have shiny brass. Already done many times.

Acid is available at any bricklaying store and also at Home Depot

Posted by Frank Harris of Long Beach, CA on Friday, May 20, 2016 – 1:18 p.m.:

Paint them with a coat of varnish and no one will ever know.

Posted by Ken Kopsky, Lytle TX on Friday, May 20, 2016 – 2:00 p.m.:

Hydrochloric/muriatic acid (HCL) will dissolve nickel if given enough time. Evidence of this would be the solution turning a blue-green color. You can also add about 10% hydrogen peroxide to speed up dissolution. The problem is that HCL severely attacks brass and leaches out the zinc, leaving a very porous copper surface. It takes a lot of polishing to get down to a fresh layer of brass.

I suspect Jon’s experience of the nickel “flaking” is the result of the dissolution of the brass underneath, not the nickel. I would not use this method on thin brass or sheet metal parts like the valve stem covers.

JMHO, with experience.

Posted by Ken Kopsky, Lytle TX on Friday May 20, 2016 – 2:10 PM:

Forgot to mention: you’ll also lose a lot of detail if you have to come up with “new brass” using the acid method.

Posted by Les Schubert on Friday, May 20, 2016 – 2:35 p.m.:

I’ve heard a plater will do this for you, and possibly for free since they reclaim the nickel. I believe they can make it electric in about 5 minutes. I haven’t actually had it done, but I understand that this is the first step in bumper repairs (removing the old coating and they recover chrome and nickel).

Posted by Ken Kopsky, Lytle TX on Friday, May 20, 2016 – 3:16 pm:

I have used both the stripper and electrical methods and neither is a 5 minute job for Nickel. The stripper takes about an hour and the reverse coating takes almost as long. (Unless you don’t save the nickel and burn the anodes.)

Chrome can be removed in about 10 seconds. Nickel takes a lot longer because it’s thicker – about 1000 times thicker.

The good thing about the nickel stripper is that it does not attack the base metal. I used it exclusively back when I was doing plating.

Posted by mike_black SC/FL on Friday May 20, 2016 – 4:09pm:

ken,

Where is Caswells? Can the nickel scraper be used on a nickel-plated brass radiator?

Posted by Roger Karlsson, Southern Sweden on Friday, May 20, 2016 – 4:15 p.m.:

Mike: http://www.caswellplating.com/electropplating-anodizing/metal-strippers/metalx-b-929-nickel-stripper-2-5lb.html

Posted by Erik Johnson on Friday, May 20, 2016 – 4:26 pm:

The nickel plating on a typical dust cover is very thin, so it shouldn’t take long with muriatic acid, aka muriatic acid. Maybe twenty minutes or less – not an hour or two.

You can also buy a bottle of The Works toilet cleaner at Dollar Store, Walmart, Target, etc. It contains 20% hydrochloric acid.

Posted by Ken Kopsky, Lytle TX on Friday May 20, 2016 – 4:32 pm:

Roger beat me to it. (Thanks for looking it up.)

Mike – Yes, but it takes a lot (volume) to submerge the entire cooler. Not to mention the cost. And the solution needs to be heated and stirred. It’s probably better to hand that over to a plate manufacturer with big tanks.

Posted by mike_black SC/FL on Friday May 20, 2016 – 4:44 PM:

Thank you Roger

Posted by Ken Kopsky, Lytle TX on Friday, May 20, 2016 – 4:49 pm:

“Very thin” has no meaning in plating. A typical bright nickel plating for items exposed to handling or the environment should be 0.00075 to 0.001 inch thick. That’s “THICK” in reference to the coating. Something like a chrome plate is only a few atoms thick. I still disagree with using acid brass. The zinc dissolves in seconds and you have a layer of red copper. It’s just more work. But the choice is yours.

Posted by Jerry Brancato, Burbank CA on Friday, May 20, 2016 – 8:21 pm:

I know there have been endless comments on this in many other threads, but is muriatic acid a good way to make brass shine without having to deal with removing brass residue from cracks and crevices?

By Ed Archer Hayward, CA. on Saturday, May 21, 2016 – 6:12 p.m.:

Conclusion: The nickel plating is correct for all valve stem covers. They were never made of brass. Just for info.

Ed aka #4

Posted by Royce in Dallas TX on Saturday May 21, 2016 – 10:37pm:

Glass beads remove the nickel easily. Then sand with 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit. Polish the brass with a sewn sisal wheel and some green blush. Finish with Prism Polish.

Posted by Brendan Doughty Central Wisconsin on Monday, May 23, 2016 – 2:23 PM:

Royce The bead blasting worked very well.

Posted by Ray Syverson on Monday, May 23, 2016 – 5:33 p.m.:

The later nickel-plated valve covers lay nicely on the metal valve stems that come on the hoses currently available. So if you can remove the nickel plating from the brass you can get valve stem covers that look more like the right ones for a brass car and at a bargain price. It’s a shame that you still have to thread them in.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow contributor Eric McClure. Eric McClure is an editor at wikiHow, where he has been editing, researching, and creating content since 2019. A former educator and poet, his work has appeared in Carcinogenic Poetry, Shot Glass Journal, Prairie Margins and The Rusty Nail. His digital folk book The Internet was also published in TL;DR Magazine. In 2014 he won the Paul Carroll Award for Excellence in Creative Writing and in 2015 he was a key reader of the Poetry Foundation’s Open Door Reading Series. Eric has a BA in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an MEd in Secondary Education from DePaul University. This article has been viewed 22,773 times.

I’ve been researching for best practices for cleaning nickel plated parts. From what I’ve found (cited below), the recommended method is a lye bath and steel scrubber.

Can anyone provide additional tips or details on the best way to use this method to clean effectively without damaging the coating? Maybe something you would do differently with Nickel than regular CI? Beyond what is quoted below?

Thanks very much!

Quote from main page:

“Plated parts can be safely cleaned with lye and even very fine steel wool. Self-cleaning oven treatment can permanently stain the plating. Electrolytic cleaning should be avoided as it can actually remove the plating, especially if its adhesion is already compromised.”

Quoting from a post by Doug in September 2013:

“You can safely use caustic on plated material and steel wool and even stainless steel scrubbers do not seem to affect the plating unless used aggressively. I would clean and dry it, heat it up, and then just put a little cooking oil on the areas where the coating has worn off, and then [mostly] wipe it off.”

American manufacturer of cast iron kitchenware

Griswold Manufacturing ( )[1] was an American manufacturer of cast iron kitchenware, incorporated in Erie, Pennsylvania, in business from 1865 to 1957. For many years the company had a worldwide reputation for quality cast iron cookware. Today, Griswold pieces are collectible.

Early years[edit]

The Seldon-Griswold Manufacturing Company was founded in 1865 in Erie, Pennsylvania by Matthew Griswold (born June 6, 1833) and his cousins, the brothers J.C. and Samuel Selden.

The company manufactured separable hinges and other lightweight hardware products in a building called the “Butt Factory” next to the Erie Extension Canal. Other products were stovepipe dampers, thimbles and other stove furniture.

Growth [ edit ]

Griswold “Erie” cast iron pan with “Erie” logo before the “Griswold” logo was used.

In the 1870s, Griswold began making skillets, saucepans, grinders and waffle irons. The company was renamed the Selden & Griswold Manufacturing Company in 1873. In 1884 Matthew Griswold bought out the Selden family shares. The next year there was a fire and the factory had to be rebuilt. In 1887 the company was reorganized and chartered as the Griswold Manufacturing Company.

Matthew Griswold was twice elected to Congress as a Republican, from March 1891 to March 1893 and from March 1895 to 1897. He died May 19, 1919. His son, Matthew Griswold Junior, served as President from 1905 to 1914.

Griswold Plaza in Erie is named for his efforts to develop downtown Erie with a post office and train station. Matthew Junior’s brother Marvin was president from 1914 until his death in 1926, during a period of rapid growth.

Griswold began manufacturing tobacco cutters in 1883. In 1884, Matthew Griswold patented and manufactured a spittoon with wheels. In the years that followed, the company added products such as kettles, Dutch Ovens, roasters, a wire rack and other miscellaneous pots and pans. Cast iron waffle makers were one of the company’s earliest and most successful products, and continued to be produced until the 1930s.

The company gained a solid reputation for quality cast iron products, particularly cookware, which were sold worldwide. The first aluminum cookware was a tea kettle made around 1893. In 1903 the company moved to new premises at 12th and Raspberry Streets. In the 1920s Griswold began producing enameled items and by the 1930s Griswold had added electrical items to its product line. Griswold acquired many patents over the years.

Miss Etta Moses worked for Griswold for over 50 years. She was given the task of handling letters asking for advice on using the company’s products. In the 1920s she began publishing recipes and advice on cooking with cast iron under the pseudonym “Tante Ellen”.

“Aunt Ellen” was the author of Griswold’s “Booklet on Waterless Cooking” which was made available free of charge to buyers of the Tite-Top Dutch Oven. Her picture appeared in advertisements for the saucepan in magazines such as Good Housekeeping.

A 1928 advertisement in Good Housekeeping described the Griswold Electric Waffle Baker and urged readers to write to Aunt Ellen for details on how the waffle cream cake was made. Every day she processed a large correspondence from housewives asking for advice. She died in 1948.

resolution [edit]

In the 1940s, the company ran into financial difficulties, faced competition from manufacturers of more modern products, and struggled with internal labor disputes and declining quality. Family members owned and operated the company until 1946, when Ely Griswold sold it to a New York investment group and retired. In March 1957, McGraw-Edison of Chicago, Illinois acquired Griswold Manufacturing. Later that year, the Griswold brand and housewares division were sold to the Wagner Manufacturing Company of Sidney, Ohio. The Erie, Pennsylvania plant closed in December 1957. When the plant closed, 60 employees were laid off.

Randall Corporation, which had owned Wagner since 1952, sold both companies to Textron in 1959. Textron sold them to General Housewares Corporation in 1969. General Housewares manufactured products under the Griswold and Wagner brands until 1999 when it closed and manufacturing and brands were acquired by American Culinary Corporation of Willoughby, Ohio. [12] Classic cast-iron Griswold cookware is prized by collectors today. The main reason the items are collectible is that they have distinctive branding. Collectors should be wary of reproductions, which generally have a grainy finish and uneven and blurred lettering. : “Today one is considered lucky if one of these iron implements happens to be passed on from the second to the third generation. These wonderful cast-iron utensils bring back fond memories of the rich, juicy steaks and chops your grandmother used to serve up.” – Aunt Ellen

Variations[edit]

Griswold “Slant Logo” cast iron skillet, made circa 1915

Griswold “small logo” cast iron skillet, manufactured between 1940 and 1957

Cast iron pots and pans, frying pans, Dutch ovens and other Griswold kitchenware had a reputation for high quality and are well known to antique collectors and dealers. The easily recognizable “cross” logo seen on Griswold products from 1910 to 1960 has been modified several times over the years. Historians and collectors record these modifications and use them to date these pieces to get more accurate estimates of their age and approximate date of manufacture.

The “Griswold Cross” logo was first used by the manufacturer in the 1910s. For several years until the early 1920s, these pans had a slanted, slightly italicized name “Griswold” in the center of the cross. The age and quality of these pans make them some of the most desirable for collectors and as a result are often sold at high prices in antique shops and county fairs.

The logo was changed to block letters in the 1920s–1930s. This version of the Griswold logo is the most popular and well-known of the several variations, and images of this logo are often considered the standard for depicting antique cast iron cookware collections in general.

In the early 1940s, Griswold changed its logo to a much smaller image, commonly known as “small logo” Griswold. The company produced pans with this logo until it was acquired by Randall Corporation in 1957.

Following Randall’s acquisition in 1957, the Griswold foundry and manufacturing facility in Erie, Pennsylvania was closed. Other cookware was manufactured at the Wagner foundry in Sydney, Ohio. Pans were made with the Griswold logo from 1957 through the mid-1960s, although these pans did not include the “ERIE PA”. Mark. In the early to mid 1960s a series of pans were produced with two logos featuring the images of Griswold and Wagner. The Griswold logo was phased out in the late 1960s, and more General Housewares cast iron was marked with the Wagner Ware logo.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

quotes

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