Morning, everyone. I have a dutch oven with the flat lid. On the lid it has a raised 12, and on the bottom, an incised 12, with an "L" on top. Between these markings and the handle style and what I've seen of pictures here on the forum, I'm guessing it's a Lodge, but am not sure. Also, what vintage is it, do you think? Paid $30 for it - if it's not cracked, is that an ok price? I'm going to use it hard :) Pictures below. I haven't cleaned it yet (obviously).
You'll see a strong line on the bottom. At first I thought it might be a crack, but now I believe it's just goo - I'll know for sure after I clean it. Which leads me to the mroe important, general question: how do you know for sure when an item is cracked? This one looks great on the inside of the pan, it still rings (though not super bell-like). More importantly, I thought, it sounds exactly the same wherever you tap it on the pan - no variation in tone. With all the goo on some of these older ones, it's befuddling to me how I'm going to be able to know for certain. Any tricks out there? Thanks! Carla
