Restore or pitch? Single-gatemarked footed-deep-kettle, without crack

[Lewis Downey]

What is this? Is it worth restoring?

It is marked 8M on the bottom. The feet barely keep the bottom off of a flat surface. It looks like it holds 2 to 3 gallons.

I paid a total of about $3 dollars for this and the other kettle (the future planter, with a crack). Did I overpay?

Thanks again!

[C. Perry Rapier]

Hello Lewis. Yes, that piece is definitely worth saving.  :)

[Lewis Downey]

Perry, thank you. What is it?

[C. Perry Rapier]

Perry, thank you. What is it?

Its a cooking kettle. You take the stove eye out and set that in the open eye and so the kettle is directly above the fire. And so it cooks good because the fire is going directly on the bottom of the kettle. As opposed to a kettle just sitting on top of the stove. Remember the old cook stoves were hot everywhere on top so you could cook anywhere on them and after using them awhile the cook knew where the hot and cold spots were on the stove. And the legs on the bottom, after you got the ingredients cooked you lifted it out of the eye and set it on the stove. So the bottom is up off the stove. So that keeps it warm but does not cook it but not letting it get too hot. Thats my opinion. And a lot of old pieces of cast iron cookware were made to be used the way I describe here. That is by opening the stove eye and setting the piece into the open eye. Waffle irons were made to do the same thing.

[Lewis Downey]

Perry that is fantastic information. Thank you! It makes me want a wood stove :-)

Did it originally have a bail or did the cook use some kind of special hooks for lifting it?  Filled with hot stew it probably weighs 25 to 35 pounds. I wouldn't want to spill that.

[C. Perry Rapier]

Yes Lewis. It definitely had a bale on it at one time.