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I have an old no name 10" chicken fryer that was my mom's.

It developed a crack on the bottom and a friend that's teaches welding offered to try to fix it for me so while cleaning it up today I got to looking at the few stamping's on it and thought I'd ask around to see if anyone could identify the maker.

It has "10 1/2 inch Chicken Fryer" stamped on the bottom as well as a small B below that and another small B at the base of the handle. The top of the handle has a larger (about 3/4" tall) 8 at the base.
The letters/numbers on the bottom appear to be stamped but the 8 is raised like it was part of the casting.

I have no idea how old it is but she had it at long as I can remember and I'm 67.

Any idea?

the 8 is a #8 sized utensil.
6 8 10 so on is how iron cookware is
sized, meaning what size eye it fits on
when used on a wood cookstove.

use a nickle rod to weld cast iron.
you may need to give it a good lye
bath first to get all the grease out
of it before welding.
good luck

Identifying the maker is going to be a tough one as there were a few dozen well known manufacturers and literally hundreds of lesser known foundries making ci cookware in the 19th & 20th centuries. Pics may help in id'ing the piece....

Thanks....that explains the sizing number....I always wondered about those sizing numbers.

I'm hoping someone recognizes the stamping on the bottom but I know it's a long shot.

As far as the welding goes..Lonny teaches welding at the college so I figure he'll know what he's doing as well as anyone.

Crappy pix but maybe someone will recognize these stamping's.

I did a google search of "10 1/2 inch chicken fryer" 8 cast iron

That brought up a lot of pages, but one in particular was the "cast iron guys". And people think gun guys are loonies.

Not sure if this link will work, but it looks sane as what they're calling an unmarked Wagner 1930-1950

https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...4381025685374.1073743368.415802828543198

Thanks Cheesy.....that sure looks like it right down to the stamp being a little light on the right side.

Funny you mention the CI fanatics. I've gone down that road before...those guys take obsession to a level I didn't want to revisit.

Mine even has the original lid...to bad it's cracked.
Not that i'd ever sell it but it's nice to know the history.

ETA.....after following the links on that convoluted web site I was able to find some better pictures. That's definitely it.
And a Wagoner no less. I'll be darned.

Thanks again

Wagner is one of the good brands. Cool you were able to get the history confirmed.

For your files;

http://www.castironcollector.com/unmarked.php

I would say unmarked Wagner as well. Nice piece of cast iron.

Silly me....I should have thought to ask you.

THanks Bob....I'll perouse that site later. I have a couple of mom's other skillets I'd love to identify.

you folks have me thinking now. I'll have to ask sister to send me a pic of the bottom of our old family pan. Perhaps we can find out who made that one.

I'm "only" 62, and mom had it all my life and said it was either her mothers or perhaps her grandma's. My sister still uses it all the time after I turned it over to her to pass down to one of her kids (I have none......that I know of )

FG, thanks for starting this one up.

Geno

Good luck Geno....

Kaywoodie's link is a good one. Using it I was able to identify one of her two other skillets.

It turned out to be another Wagner. It seems that Griswold took over Wagner in 1959 and added "Made In USA" to the stamping on the bottom. So the Chicken Fryer is pre 59 and the #8 Skillet is post 59.

I'll probably never know who made the third one. It has no stampings what so ever, just a raised ring around the bottom.

Two out of three ain't bad though.

My friend is going to do a little demo for his class with my Chicken Fryer when time allows. I'll post the results of the repair when it's done.

Heat the place you are going to weld with a torch first. Weld the spot, put torch heat back on it. Slowly take torch heat away. Do not quench in water. Some welders build a small wood fire. They heat, weld, then put cast iron in fire, let fire burn out. This stress relieves and it cools real slow. I have welded exhaust manifolds that way.

Is it safe to cook on afterward or does the Ni leach out of the weld?

I know the fumes and Ni dust are toxic.