p/n

[Greg Stahl]

Has anyone seen the p/n 3365 on a Griswold item?

[Harry Riva]

The Blue book's pattern list shows that as a # 8 aluminum handled griddle but I don't know if I have it. Someday I'll get all the pattern numbers on my collection data base.
Harry

PS I just noticed that BB page 50 bottom right shows the griddle with this pattern number.

[Greg Stahl]

Interesting, because the piece I found today is an ERIE handled griddle, #8 in cast iron.

[Steve_Stephens]

I haven't seen that one Greg.  It is pretty close to the ERIE No.5 skillets that are marked 3348.  That, too, is an oddball but several have shown up.  Does your griddle have a ghost pattern number which is the same as you would find on most Erie No.8 handle griddles?  Some of the 3348 skillets have a 724 ghost, that's why I ask.  Nice find.  Perhaps Griswold decided to redo some or their pattern numbers but then changed their mind?  Or maybe the p/n's were for aluminum pieces but Griswold made some in iron?
Steve

[Greg Stahl]

LEt me put this in the Electro bath and then I'll put up a pix.  No ghosting that I can tell, but the strange thing is that the writing does not appear to be in the "correct" position, but off slightly.  A pix will explain better.

[Greg Stahl]

Harry and Steve,

If you look at the BB, page 50 bottom right hand pix, the #8 ERIE ALUMINUM handle griddle is exactly like my cast iron one, except that the ALUMINUM is not there.  The ERIE on mine is exactly in the same position.  I guess one could assume that the same pattern was used and the ALUMUNIUM was filled in, perhaps?  I'll put this in the ELECTRO bath tonight as soon as I get home and see if I can't clean the bottom enough to look for the ghosting of the ALUMINUM, as it must be there.

[Steve_Stephens]

Most unusual.  The cooking surface looks to be ground, too.  Is it typical of Griswold's grinding?  How about the other grinding marks?
Now you need to find an aluminum one to add to your collection.  I had one years ago but all gone now.
Steve

[Harry Riva]

Looks like a great piece to me. I've never seen this griddle in either aluminum or iron.
Harry

[moosejaw]

Nice piece, Boss!  A first view for me also.  Where did you find it?  

[Greg Stahl]

Nice piece, Boss!  A first view for me also.  Where did you find it?  

You're not going to believe this, but my twins wanted to go to a new bakery in our town, so we went for a walk and when we got there it was closed.  On the way back to our house there was a new antiques store that just opened.  We went in and nailed up on the door entering into the shop were 4 pieces of iron and this griddle.  I didn't have any money, except for a credit card, but I wanted to pay cash and get the discount for paying cash, so I left it there.  I went back the next day and bought it for $20.

The shop is just two blocks from my house and the lady that owns it is a really nice lady and says she has some more iron and that she's bringing them into the shop for me to look at and buy, if I want.  She says she has a Griswold lid lifter for $5!!  I've never seen one, so if it is marked Griswold, it will be mine for sure, as that is cheap.  Most of the items in her shop are cheap (i.e., slightly used videos for $5 and my girls got the original Snow White and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer for $5 each).

My question about this piece is which came first the aluminum or the cast iron version.  It sure seems strange that the ERIE is not centered and in the same location as the aluminum version, which makes me think the aluminum one came first.  But why the p/n 3365 for an aluminum piece and iron, unless the same pattern was reworked for this griddle.

I sent this link to David Smith to see what he thinks about this one, as it sure is a strange bird.

[Troy_Hockensmith]

My shoot from the hip answer is it's an ERIE piece. It was sometime after they went to logo's when they started making aluminum. (or when it became affordable). I would guess that this is the ERIE iron version and the pattern was later modified for alum. from this original ERIE pattern.  Does that make sense?

[Steve_Stephens]

Griswold was one of the first US companies, if not the first, to make or sell cast aluminum cookware.  According to the book THE HOUSEWARES STORY (p.164-65) the Pittsburg Reduction Co. (later renamed Aluminum Company of America or Alcoa) persuaded Griswold to consider making an aluminum tea kettle and brought one of the Griswold molders to Pittsberg to cast an aluminum tea kettle.  The year isn't given but Pittsburg Reduction was formed in 1888.  Griswold, instead of giving an order for aluminum gave, instead, an order for 2000 tea kettles for Pittsburg Reduction to make.  

Thus, it is possible that the first aluminum products from Griswold were actually made or cast by Alcoa.     I think the pieces marked ERIE ALUMINUM are the first aluminum cookware from Griswold whether they or Pittsburg Reduction cast the pieces.   These are early pieces judging from the style and I would guess date to the mid-1890's and well before the Griswold TM was in use c.1910.

Your griddle Greg, was almost certainly made from a modified pattern for the ERIE ALUMINUM handle griddle.  I have no idea of why it would have been cast in iron unless Griswold suddenly needed an extra pattern to turn out more giddles.  Perhaps they had a large order or the existing pattern for iron griddles had gotten damaged or lost??

Griswold made ERIE handle griddles well before pattern numbers started to be used c.1891.  They are listed on a Selden & Griswold catalog from 1883 in sizes 7-10.

Steve

[Troy_Hockensmith]

.  


Your griddle Greg, was almost certainly made from a modified pattern for the ERIE ALUMINUM handle griddle.  I have no idea of why it would have been cast in iron unless Griswold suddenly needed an extra pattern to turn out more giddles.  Perhaps they had a large order or the existing pattern for iron griddles had gotten damaged or lost??

Steve

Steve,
Thanks for the dates, I sure never remember them and rarely have time to get into the notes. I hadn't heard of Alcoa making anything but tea kettles but it is possible/likely that they might have made a few other things in Alum for Griswold.
I don't understand your comment above. First you say it was made from a modified pattern. Modified from what? I would assume a pattern that was originally used for iron. THen you say I don't know why they were made in iron.
My assumption or guess in my post above is that the alum. one was made from a modified pattern that was originally used to make the iron ones. To say it another way, I am assuming the iron one is older and the alum one is a modified pattern from the iron one. Of course this is relative and the variables are many i.e. both in production at the same time could make an alum older than an iron etc. I'm just generaly speaking.

[Steve_Stephens]

Troy,
I would say that Greg's griddle was made from a pattern originally made for making aluminum griddles and it was modified by filling in the word ALUMINUM after ERIE.  If the pattern had originally been made for an iron griddle it would seem that the ERIE would have been centered.

Another possibility is that the ERIE ALUMINUM pattern had been modified from an earlier ERIE pattern used to make iron griddles.  In any case, Griswold was making iron handle griddles of near or exact pattern (style) much earlier than the aluminum ones.

What I meant about "why was Greg's pan even made in iron" was that I was surprised that Griswold (if it was Griswold) made his griddle in iron from what looks to me to be a pattern made for aluminum pieces when Griswold already had patterns for their iron griddles.  In other words; why such an oddball practice?

I'm not automatically assuming that Griswold made Greg's griddle but it sure looks like it is a factory job just from looking at his photos.  I don't have the exact answer for this piece as there could have been several possibilities.

Steve

[Troy_Hockensmith]

See what you did Greg! LOL.  The one thing about this hobby is there are always more questions than answers and most of it requires speculation and all you can do is best guess.

[Greg Stahl]

I'll have to bring this one to ERIE for the convention, LOL, as another oddbal item that I've found.

The quality of this is most likely Griswold, as it is super smooth and the maching marks are still there on the cooking surface.  If this was filled in (ALUMINUM), which I suspect it is, it was a SUPER job, for as much as I have tried, I can not see that it is filled in.  Sure is a strange bird.

Got to love this hobby!!

[Will Person]

Ok,  correct me if I am wrong.   Isn't all aluminum griddles wood handled?   Was this made from a aluminum pattern?  Then wouldn't it have a wood handle?   Sorry to throw more questions into the pot. LOL.


Will P. [smiley=smoking.gif]

[Steve_Stephens]

Will,
I had the exact griddle that Greg now has but it was in aluminum and marked ERIE ALUMINUM.   Handle same as Greg's pan.  It must have gotten hot and all later aluminum skillets and griddles had wood handles as far as I know.  There was a No.12? bailed handle ERIE ALUMINUM griddle on ebay not too long ago.  I think any of the ERIE ALUMINUM pieces are rare and pre-1900 or close to that.

I do think that fabric was much lighter than aluminum for early aeroplanes  I don't know when the first aluminum skinned airplane was made.  Aluminum was used on very early autos from the turn of the century for crankcases and transmission housings among other uses.  It wasn't until 1886 that a process for making aluminum inexpensively was discovered in Oberlin, Ohio by Çharles Martin Hall.  Hall was one of the men who organized the Pittsburg Reduction Co. I wrote about several posts up.  Aluminum was priced at $545 per lb. in 1852.  By 1890 it was as little as $2.25 per lb.

Steve

[Greg Stahl]

 There was a No.12? bailed handle ERIE ALUMINUM griddle on ebay not too long ago.

I got that one too, as it was "strange".  Dave Smith never saw one that that one either.  I'll bring both to the ERIE convention.  Man, my truck is going to be FULL.