Help ID #30 Turk Head Gem Pan

[ysageev]

I've had this pan for a while and have no idea who makes it and when it was made.  I've searched through Haussler, Red and Blue and can find no info.  It says only  "2" on the back.

[ysageev]

back

[Steve_Stephens]

Lodge or reproduction Lodge.  I've seen a number of these at flea markets and I think they are newer mostly.  But an old c.1930's Lodge catalog plainly shows the same pan with the raised 30 on the handle and it's catalog No.30  Lodge measurements are stated as 6-7/8" x 10" so you can check yours and may be able to tell if it's a repro or original that matches the dimensions.

Steve

[ysageev]

Dimensions are 6 5/8 x 9 5/8

Is this the only way to tell if it is a repro?  I didn't know there were any lodge repros -- none are listed in the repro page (although I imagine the list isn't exhaustive).

[Steve_Stephens]

Your pan looks grainy enough to be a reproduction or copy.  The dimensions seem too small to have been cast from an original.

Steve

[Greg Stahl]

I have a small one like this too.

[Clark Rader]

If it is a Lodge how can it be a repo?
If it is a Lodge how can it be a copy?
If it is a Lodge it could be the newer casting systen that has more grain and ends up just a little smaller.
If it is a Lodge piece made in Tenn. ( can't spell that one ) than how can it be a copy or a repo?
What is a copy and what is a repo?
Do these two words cover averthing?
What is a Griswold made in Sidney?
What is a Wagner made in China at the China factory that ones Wagner?
 :-/ clark

[Ed Allspaugh]

Clark one question at a time. LOL. Steve are you reading the right catalog come on a 1930s Lodge catalog, raised 30 on the handle, and the catalog is No. 30.  ;)  Looks more like a take off of the WW "C" gem pan p. 256 4th edition blue book. Lodge pans don't have that much swirl in the cup judging from the pics in the red book. Just my observations, and I don't have a 1930s Lodge catalog to compare swirls too.

[Steve_Stephens]

Yes, reading the right stuff.  Wagner made style T and U which correlate to the Lodge pans shown in red book p.234-35.  Wagner also made their C turk head pan which is like Lodges No.30 pan, both of which have quite swirled patterns.  Lodge 30 is not shown in the red book and was discontinued before the Nos. 19 and 20 Lodge turk head pans shown in the red book.

Steve

[moosejaw]

And so, the conclusion is?????  Is this a repro or Lodge? When I look at the top view of this piece, the #30 seems very precise......too precise to be a Chinese repro.  Yair, what is the casting like?  Rough, smooth, in between?

[ysageev]

I dunno, Marty... The casting seems ok.  Finish is less rough than some modern skillets but not a silky smooth finish either.  Lines are straight and not crude looking.  It has a matte silver finish of some sort that feels and looks like aluminum on top of iron, if there is such a thing.  The numbers are clean and not smudged or distorted, as you point out.  I feel fairly confident that if it is a copy it isn't wasn't cast using an existing pan as the pattern, although I'm getting a bit beyond my level on that.

The closest thing I could find to it in the books is a nearly-identical-looking Wagner #20 pan, which presents a minor problem, this being a #30 pan and all....

Is there a PDF here of the Lodge catalog that I can look at?

[moosejaw]

Hmmmm...wonder if this is plated?  This could remain in the "unknown maker" category.  It looks like a nice piece.  You have done the magnet test on it to make sure it is cast iron, eh?

[Greg Stahl]

These pans are MUCH smaller than any other turk head pans that LODGE, WW or Griswold made, so it can't be a repro, recast, etc.  Look at the dimensions that Yair posted.  Mine is VERY small, just like this one and the casting is not Griswold, but it isn't 'far east' either.

[ysageev]

Hmmmm...wonder if this is plated?  This could remain in the "unknown maker" category.  It looks like a nice piece.  You have done the magnet test on it to make sure it is cast iron, eh?

Uh, hold on.....

Yep, passes the magnet test.  ;)

[Steve_Stephens]

The closest thing I could find to it in the books is a nearly-identical-looking Wagner #20 pan...

Is there a PDF here of the Lodge catalog that I can look at?

Yair, the 20 pan would be an old Lodge.  Wagner's pan was a "T" pan; they made all their gem pans with letters, no numbers.  The 20 and T pans are way different than your 30 which would be close to a Wagner "C" or Griswold No.20 pan.  Oh, that's what you must have meant, a GRISWOLD 20 pan.  

PDF of the Lodge catalog?  No. But when I learn to use my new scanner I can scan the catalog or page and send it to the PDF maker.
I might need some coaxing as I am playing "flashlights" these days and spending all my time on the computer reading about them.
Ever seen a flashlight made of damascus metal?
http://flashlight-forums.com/index.php?topic=2280.0;topicseen   (scroll down some)

Steve

[ysageev]

So is there any resolution on this gem pan, or will it remain forever anonymous?  :'(