Cast iron, marble collections 'just followed me home'

The collected items in the basement of the Delmar Kinser residence have just, as he says, “followed me home.”

From the first piece of cast- iron cookware found in his in-laws’ home to the more than 180 pieces he has collected since, Kinser has been hooked on collecting the cookware.

About 15 years ago, Kinser brought home his first piece of cast-iron cookware because it was a family heirloom from his wife’s parents — a popover pan.

The piece was patented on April 5, 1859, to “N. Waterman, Boston.”

“The single piece looked lonely hanging on the wall,” Kinser said. “The collection went from there.”

Most of the cast iron Kinser has found at auctions or antique stores.

His most unique piece is a cornbread pan with a wheat head pattern.

Finding more brands and styles is part of what makes the collecting interesting for Kinser.

“The most collectable brand names are Griswold and Wagner; however, there are lots of brands made by various manufacturing companies,” he said. “In my collecting, my goal is to get as many types of castings while getting as many brand names as possible. This gives me a lot of room to expand my collection.

“The largest number of pieces in my collection is Griswold and Wagner,” Kinser said. “Other brands in my collection are W. Waterman, R and E Manufacturing Co. with a patent date of April 5, 1858, Benjamin and Medwin, Wardway, Renfro Ware, American Cookware, Wards Cast Iron, Alford Anderson, Lodge, Favorite, Vollrath, Crescent Foundry Co., Martin Stove and Range, Wapak, Erie, Buck and Wright, and Chicago Hdwe. Fdry Co.

In later years, more companies made their bid “to make a better mouse trap.” Even Martha Stewart has her wares for sale at K-Mart.”

While there may have been hundreds of manufacturers of cast iron cookware, the process remained similar throughout.

While the basic technique of making cast iron hasn’t changed over time, the quality has varied, he said.

The basic technique has changed little over time — pour molten iron into a mold created in sand to create a shape. One creates a mold by packing sand around a pattern, which when removed from the sand produces the void space into which the iron will flow. The 2500-degree metal is simply poured into the void and allowed to cool.

Minor changes in the casting process allow for the approximate dating of pieces that were produced, Kinser said. The oldest pieces will have a circular mark called a “spruce” on the bottom side. This technique was used until the mid-to late 1700s. The spruce is the point where the maker poured the molten metal into the mold.

“Even today a pour point can be found where the iron was ground to smooth the cast piece,” he said.

The next generation of cast iron has a “gate” mark, which will look like a long thin line on the bottom of the piece, he said. This was used until the late 1800s. Around 1875 to the present time the iron entered the mold from the sides, sometimes in two places. This created a smooth bottom. Most pieces will have grind markings where the excess iron was ground off.

Between 1875 and 1940, cast iron cookware manufactures periodically refined their casting techniques to produce extremely well made pieces, Kinser said. Early pieces from 1875-1900 were thinner than those produced later. However. this created another problem of warping and cracking when used.

Pieces made between 1900 and 1940 were slightly thicker and more finished in their appearance, and the quality of manufacturing reached its height between 1920 and 1940.

During this time, the manufacturing included a series of polishing steps that made a very smooth finish. One process was to roll a piece of cookware in a drum of small metal scrapes to smooth the surface. Sometimes round pieces were turned on a lath to create a smooth cooking surface.

“About 1940, the quality of workmanship declined and thicker heavier castings were made,” he said. “Even today you will find some pieces that are rough and grainy that are reproductions. Collectors frown on theses pieces in general.

“The most collectable brand names are Griswold and Wagner, however, there are a lot of brands made by various manufacturing companies. In my collecting, my goal is to get as many types of castings while getting as many brand names as possible; this gives me a lot of room to expand my collection.”

Some terms used to describe cast iron cookware are skillet, muffin pan, gem pan, ebelskever, plett pan, griddle, waffle iron, breakfast skillet, roll pan, bread pan, bread stick pan, Vienna roll pan, French roll pan, popover pan, corn stick pan, and wheat stick pan.

“Cleaning of cast iron can be done in a number of ways, depending on the future use of the item being cleaned,” Kinser said. “If the food and grease is too thick, I choose to put it in the propane grill for two hours, and it comes out very clean but will then need to be seasoned. To season a pan, apply Crisco and heat in a oven for 30 minutes at 225 degrees, then wipe off the excess and continue for another 30 minutes. Let the pan cool in the oven. The patina or finish needs to be protected when cleaning; no soap or metal scratchier should be used. If a piece of cookware is seasoned properly, it will provide a near no-stick surface.”

Kinser also has a number of patent sample or salesman’s showpieces that were made to make selling a new product easier. The stoves and cookware are the size of toys for small children.

“I have seen small cast-iron cook stoves for sale from $95 to $165,” he said.

Along with the miniature pieces, he also has a small laundry stove and toy-sized skillets used by businesses as a means of advertising.

“Most of the skillets —about 3.5 inches across —were made as advertising ashtrays and given away to advertise a product or store,” Kinser said. “My favorite in this group reads, ‘Bill Whitten Rambler Ensley, Ala.’ There are about 60 of these in my collection.”

In about the last six months, he also began collecting marbles and has close to 7,000 in his collection. Most look like ordinary marbles, but some of them have logos such as Pepsi and John Deere.

Kinser also has a marble with a picture of Cal Ripken in the middle.