Was given three cast iron skillets, need help on identifying and restoring!

[Jesse McCane]

Here's an album of the three pans in question. I was recently given these, and I'm trying to:

1. Identify the brand and rough age of each skillet

2. Determine whether or not the skillet is worth trying to restore

3. If the skillet is worth restoring, how much work needs to be done (i.e. just washing with soap and re-seasoning, or fully sanding down lye-cleaning and re-seasoning)
 
Pan 1: Looks to be a Birmingham Stove & Range. "Made in USA", "NO. 10", and "12 7/16 IN" written on bottom. Heat ring present, nice and heavy, very smooth cooking surface. Probably a late 1960's/early 1970's model based on presence of "Made in USA". I'm thinking this one just needs to be washed well with soap and water (maybe steel wool?) and re-seasoned.

Pan 2: I think this is an unmarked Wagner. "10 1/4(?) INCH SKILLET" written on bottom with a "K" on the bottom of the handle. "8" on the top of the handle. Heavy; cooking surface nice and smooth. I think this one is in good enough shape that I might get away with soap and water followed by re-seasoning?

Pan 3: Wapak, "10" on bottom. Amazing how light it is; from what I read that's just how Wapaks were made. I'm not sure if this one is worth restoring, if even possible. The only issue with the cooking surface is a bit of rust. The bottom has a lot of pitting/corrosion though, which I think would not be great on my flat top electric stove. But if this one *can* be restored, I could use it as a lightweight camp skillet for use on gas/campfire.

Thanks for any help anyone can provide!

[Stuart Lowery]

Jesse,

  The pics are a bit blurred, but they all look good to me. You mentioned "fully sanding down"... don't do it, just a soak in a lye bath (or the easy-off and trash bag method) and a scrub with a stainless scrubbie and they'll be ready to season.
  Even on the Wapak I see very little pitting, just some crud that the lye will take care of. Looks like you got 3 good ones in a good size, #10's are my favorite :)

[Jesse McCane]

Jesse,

  The pics are a bit blurred, but they all look good to me. You mentioned "fully sanding down"... don't do it, just a soak in a lye bath (or the easy-off and trash bag method) and a scrub with a stainless scrubbie and they'll be ready to season.
  Even on the Wapak I see very little pitting, just some crud that the lye will take care of. Looks like you got 3 good ones in a good size, #10's are my favorite :)

Thanks for the reply! Sorry about the poor quality photos, if you want better quality pics of any of the three let me know and I'll try to get better ones. I got the same feedback on some other forums about not sanding ANYTHING, so I definitely won't do that! After reading a few articles, I think I'd like to go full restoration on these by using the oven cleaner lye spray + trash bag soak for 2-3 days, followed by a quick vinegar soak, and then a few rounds of peanut oil + 400F oven to re-season them. If sanding is no good, is steel wool still safe to use for scrubbing after the oven-cleaner treatment?

[Cheryl Watson]

Hi Jesse!  Please feel free to visit our Cleaning and Restoration Board.  The posts at the top of the Board (sticky's) have tons of helpful information, including where to find the supplies you need. :)

Most all of us use Stainless Steel Scrubbies at each scrubbing step.  They do not mark or polish the iron, and they are reusable which makes them much cheaper than steel wool/ or steel wool scouring pads.  I think that SOS pads leave a film on the iron that is really hard to wash off.

[Mark Zizzi]

Agree with Stuart, not seeing bad pitting on any of them, and the rust is pretty minor too.  You've got 3 great users there, Jesse. That Wapak will clean up just fine for your stove if there is no bad warpage or wobble to it. I would NOT use it on a campfire though. Pick up a heavier modern Lodge skillet for camping. Much easier (and cheaper) to replace and less likely to warp on a campfire. They don't make them like that Wapak anymore...or the other two either.   ;)

[Duke Gilleland]

Have a Wapak #11 and its' bottom looks about like yours. I think that was the "nature of the beast" when it came to Wapak. It's my pick of the bunch [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

[Claudia Killebrew]

I like the Wapak best too. Wapak were notorious for casting flaws on the bottoms, which looks like what you have there. The insides were fine, and the weight is very light. A real keeper.

[Larry Pesek]

Jesse,  they are awesome!  I've never handled a WAPAK, but it looks good to me!
  the BSR is a killer skillet too!  Taken care of, it will serve the family well for many generations...

[Jesse McCane]

Thanks for the replies everyone! Really looking forward to restoring these. I'll head on over to the cleaning and restoration board with some additional questions.