cracked, my cast iron skillet

[BeyGon]

My Wagner 10 1/2" skillet has developed a crack. I have no idea how, age?
Anyway, are they now mostly the same, I see Wagner still makes them, go with them or something else?
Yes, I know there have been threads on these but I didn't pay attention then, I didn't need one.

[Zeke]

Used is always better if in decent shape. Our old CI stuff is so slick with carbon that it looks like Teflon. If I had a new CI pan I would have to massage on it in the shop until it was ready to season.

[craigster59]

Hit up garage /estate sales for Wagners and Griswolds. Lodge is good for new or you can bite the bullet and buy vintage... https://thepan-handler.com/product-category/newlistings/

[vash]

No to the new Wagner. The name was sold long ago.

I would find a new vintage pan or buy one of the newer pans made by companies using the old techniques. Neither option is super cheap.

Sorry for the loss; that would suck.

[Scott Douglas]

Here ya go....

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/search/ata?query=cast+iron+skillet

[Zeke]

Can it be welded with nickel rod?

[BeyGon]

Looks like I better start hitting up the second hand stores, I have seen them but like I say, never cared before. I don't even know when I got this one, I just always had it.

[BeyGon]

don't know about the welding but I thought about it. Welding Cast Iron, the crack goes all the way across.

[drew1]

There used to be a cast iron acetylene rod that was square, about 1/4 square from memory. It was made for repair of old cast iron pots. Maybe it still exists.

Dill a hole at the end of the crack to keep it from growing, preheat the whole area and then weld to the hole.

[sammyg2]

Welding cast with ni-resist rod is not a molecular bond, just a physical bond. Won't stand up to heat cycles and you probably couldn't get the base metal clean enough anywho.
Go down to wally-mart and plop down a $20 spot and get a brand new 12" skillet, pre-seasoned.
You won't notice the difference after a few uses.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lodge-Logic-12-Skillet-Seasoned-Cast-Iron-L10SK3-with-assist-handle/5969633

Product highlights

The Lodge Cast Iron 12-inch Skillet is a multi-functional cookware that works wonders with slow-cooking recipes and all your favorite foods. Fry up a mess of catfish, roast a chicken, or bake an apple crisp in this generous 12-inch pan that features two handles for heavy lifting and two subtle side lips for pouring. Cast iron loves a campfire, a stovetop, or an oven, and can slow-cook foods without scorching. It retains heat well so you can sear meat at higher temperatures and will keep your delicious meals warm for a long time. Whether used in a kitchen or camp, theses virtually indestructible cookware should last for generations. Made of cast iron, this Skillet evenly distributes heat from the bottom through the sidewalls. Sporting a stylish black color, the cast iron Skillet looks good in most kitchens and it doubles up as an excellent source of nutritional iron. Cast Iron, like your grandmother used, still ranks as one of the best cooking utensils ever made. It gives you a nearly non-stick surface, without the possible harmful fumes generated by preheating chemically treated nonstick cookware. The American-based company, Lodge, has been fine-tuning its construction of rugged, cast-iron cookware for more than a century. Now let's eat!

[911_Dude]

Go to estate sales. They always have a few cast iron skillets. Usually for very cheap.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by 911_Dude

Go to estate sales. They always have a few cast iron skillets. Usually for very cheap.

Not around here.

[tabs]

I have a couple of really old pans made in the USA that are no name that I got in South Carolina. When I got em they were really crusty, i burned em to clean. Now they need seasoning. One is 10 and the other is 8 inches.

Let me know and I will take pictures. 20 each plus ship. To Cali from here apx 10 for one. It's the weight that gets ya..

[tabs]

The old pans are smooth inside The new ones are rough and grainy.

Or you could buy Le Creuset...i recently found a perfect 12 inch blue one for $8. As a matter of fact i have been finding quite a few Le Creusets recently. A 7.5 qt French oven, a 12 inch Au Gratin and a 10 inch Grill pan.

[vash]

oh boy! buy that one from TABS.

my favorite cast iron is a 10" no-name. it's great. i bought it from some hoarder that had thousands of vintage pans.

[tabs]

I also have an extra Wagner 8 inch...

[ben parrish]

I cracked one a few years back...too hot and put in a cooler pork chop. I heard it snap and thought it was done. I have continued to use it to this day with no real issues

[john70t]

Originally Posted by tabs

The old pans are smooth inside The new ones are rough and grainy.

That is what random orbitals are made for.

(rough on the bottom might help absorb more heat. IDK.)

[911_Dude]

I have a new Lodge with the rough surface, and a really old smooth Wagener. They both work great. People bad mouth the Lodge brand/type, but its been non-stick from pretty much day one. I love it. Its just a hunk of heavy metal. I think people way over think it.

[BeyGon]

Originally Posted by ben parrish

I cracked one a few years back...too hot and put in a cooler pork chop. I heard it snap and thought it was done. I have continued to use it to this day with no real issues

The way I found this crack was when I put a table spoon of oil in it to cook something it seeps through the crack into the burner. If I was just cooking pancakes I doubt I would notice it.