Author Topic: Griswold tite top #10 (Read 10999 times)

Raymond Lusk · « **on:** May 04, 2003, 08:49:31 PM »

Recently acquired a Griswold Dutch Oven that has a #10 stamped on the lid and the number 320 stamped on the dutch. It has block type printing and 3 legs. The first griswold that I have seen with this. Any and all information will be appreciated.

Steve_Stephens · « **Reply #1 on:** May 05, 2003, 02:42:01 AM »

Troy is our resident 3-legged person. Between him and Joel (our one legged person) they know a lot. Troy, give him your knowledge on this pot. I think the pattern number on your pot is 310? Am I right Ray?
Steve

Troy_Hockensmith · « **Reply #2 on:** May 05, 2003, 08:14:13 AM »

I agree it should be 310. If so the lid should have a slant logo or Trade mark and won't have ERIE on it. Can you get some pictures. Or if you got it off E-bay let me have the item # or URL so I can look at the pictures there. Also does it have Made in USA or any other marks on it? Is this gonna be a user? I got some extra tips if so. A picture would really help.

If it is in fact a 310. I suspect but can't confirm that it is a Wagner made product. I've seen many varients from just the block Griswold T/M to both the wagner and Griswold to just wagner markings to no logo at all with the rest of the writing present. The lids vary as well. Every one I have ever seen has a slant logo except the #11 in the red book. (I'd like to have that one) Anyway, IMO the older ones (that go on the PN180's) have ERIE and all the markings on them. The ones for the 310's are normally marked with the logo and the #10 with no ERIE. The really later ones just have #10 and some have Made in USA. There was one I saw on e-bay recently that had ghost marks of ERIE on it that I had never seen before. (note the bottom of the oven had no logo) These are just general rules for which lids go with which DO's. I think some came from the factories with what ever they had available at that moment. Also I believe there have been marrages over the years that would break the rules as well. i.e. someone had an old oven and a lid became available and they matched them up. This stuff is not documented anywhere but after tons of phone calls and e-mails and touching and feeling everyone I can get my fingers on I am gathering as much info as I can and trying to make educated guesses. Seems the more I learn the more questions I have. I used to have a rule that all the older 180's had skinney legs and all the 310's had fat legs. Well I now own a fat legged #180. Again that rule still applies for the most part but there are exceptions that might be a transition piece. Hope this helps and would love to see a picture.
Oh, and I have never seen a 310 with ERIE on the DO. Don't know if there out there but I have personally never seen one. That's what leads me to believe they were made by Wagner but, that's just my personal specuation.
Troy

Steve_Stephens · « **Reply #3 on:** May 05, 2003, 11:55:20 AM »

Yes, just what I thought. It takes a 3-legged person to gather all that information. More than I could have given you.

Troy, are you saying the the 310's don't have ERIE, PA, U.S.A. on the bottom of the pot or saying that the cover doesn't have ERIE on it? You said "pot" so I am wondering as I thought the 310's were marked with the EPU on the bottom of the pot.
Steve

Troy_Hockensmith · « **Reply #4 on:** May 05, 2003, 12:13:23 PM »

I'm saying I have never seen a 310 with ERIE on the lid. Every one I have ever seen had the Slant Griswold logo with 10 and no ERIE. I was trying to say that is how I find them matched up and it leads me to believe that it should be one of those rules of thumb. I imagine there are exceptions to the rules with poeple marrying them up and maybe a few getting out of the factory but I have never seen one. The oven bottoms do have ERIE if I remember right. I would have noticed if they didn't. Also I've never seen a 310 that the lid had the PN of 843 on it. So I assume when the ERIE left the lid the PN of 843 did as well. I have never seen one to disprove that but they might be out there. I'm learning nothing is ever fact. Just general rules of thumb.
About the time I say they all had bails I would be proved wrong.

Troy_Hockensmith · « **Reply #5 on:** May 05, 2003, 02:39:51 PM »

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=976&item=3221621400&rd=1
Talk about exceptions. It never fails. I would guess this is a marrage but can't confirm it. Also note there is no EPU on the DO. (the pot itself)

Steve_Stephens · « **Reply #6 on:** May 05, 2003, 11:25:14 PM »

Troy,
Do all the 180 pots have the EPU? Do most of the 310's have the EPU or do none of them have it?

I also think that pot and cover might be a marriage. Would like to know if the 310 was made in Erie or only in Sidney.

Did you get the 3 leg oven from the Griswold convention? It was a friend who had it for sale I found out yesterday.
Steve

Ray Lusk · « **Reply #7 on:** May 06, 2003, 01:21:10 AM »

???

I do not have access to a digital camera but I will give you all the information I can about the Dutch Oven.

The Lid

It has the slant Griswold Logo with a 10

The Oven

The Griswold Mfg Co.
Cast iron
Tite Top Dutch Oven
Logo Griswold-straight lettering
310
pat d Mar 16 20

THis is all there is on the D.O. I do plan to use it, Thank you for all of your help.

Ray

Troy_Hockensmith · « **Reply #8 on:** May 06, 2003, 09:42:33 AM »

Steve,
I have to take a hard look at that. My slant #9 has EPU and I have saved a bunch of pictures from E-bay as well as the ovens I own. I will look at that EPU thing. The slant doesn't have the
The Griswold Mfg Co.
Cast iron
Tite Top Dutch Oven
Writing on it and I really can't remember the writing on the 310's and 180's. I will look tonight.

No, I didn't get the oven from the convention. We found out it had a pretty bad 4" crack on the lid and I lowered my top price. It went for $375 if I remember right. I think it went to Oregon for it's new home. John Knapp was there and said it was a work of art. I kinda regret not getting it but I couldn't bring myself to go any higher on a cracked piece.

Ray,
I think you have a great user there and I also believe the lid is correct for the oven. I agree with Steve. I wish I could find something definitive on where the 310's were made. This EPU thing might narrow it down some. If I figure anything out I'll be sure to post. I believe the only way to ensure you have a true griswold is to get a PN180. Once you get to the 310 it's hard to determine if it's Wagner or Griswold or if was made in ERIE or Sidney.

The two biggest things about using the Griswold model (IMO) are the bails and handles. Lodge has my vote as the best and easiest ovens to cook in. The Griswolds have a problem that the clearance between the bail and the lid is very little and if the bail gets bent at all it tends to unseat the lid when you lift it. They are hard to get straight once they've been bent. The second is they don't stack so if you have more than one and you want to stack for cooking or display or storage. You can't put one on top the other. I've turned the lids upsidedown to stack them but the lip hits the ears and it doesn't lay perfectly flat. I do stack them 3 high this way but it is somewhat of a balancing act. Lastly I would say the metal is not as thick as some others and the heat transfer is a little different. Not much to talk about but it is different.

Paul Beer · « **Reply #9 on:** May 06, 2003, 06:13:41 PM »

I agree with Troy on the relative merits of the Griswold oven vs the Lodge ovens, particularly the earlier ones..I cooked them all against each other and it was apparent that the thinner iron in the Griswold did not conduct the heat as even as the lodges..and the bails are a real pain when you try to check the cooking without getting ashes in the food...Paul

Troy_Hockensmith · « **Reply #10 on:** May 06, 2003, 09:59:19 PM »

After looking at all the ovens I have, looking at all the pictures I have and comparing to what Paul has it is clear that all the 180's do infact have ERIE Pa USA including the fat legged one that is characteristic of the 310. All the 310's do not. So we could assume but not confirm the 310's were made in Sidney and the 180's were made in ERIE. I've always heard that the griswold pieces made in sidney didn't have ERIE and assume the same applies here. I can't believe I never noticed that. I must be slipping. Way to go Steve! I guess I was lid blind and not paying attention to the bottoms.

Steve_Stephens · « **Reply #11 on:** May 06, 2003, 10:10:32 PM »

Troy,
Great research and answer. I didn't recall if I even knew that the 310 do's weren't marked EPU. Now I would like to know if ANYTHING made in the Wagner foundry was marked ERIE or EPU.

If everyone thinks carefully maybe we can come up with SOMETHING. I have the feeling that Wagner removed all reference to Erie on the patterns when they took them over. What is interesting is (from what I have been told) that Griswold and Wagner operated from offices on other sides of the hallway at the Wagner plant. Why would they not have combined the two companies so as to have only one company instead of separate divisions or whatever it was that they had?

Wagner patterns modified to have Griswold type TM's and Griswold patterns modified to remove the Erie and/or Griswold from them. What a mess. Fortunately it is pretty easy to tell a REAL piece of Griswold from the non-Erie made pieces.

Steve

Ray Lusk · « **Reply #12 on:** May 06, 2003, 10:21:16 PM »

;D

Thanks guys,

One final thing is that the lid is flat. My dutch is currently at the beauty palor (sand blaster) and the just called to tell me that it was done. The only reason that I took it in was because they knew what a Dutch Oven was and they had done them before with great results.

Again thanks

Steve_Stephens · « **Reply #13 on:** May 06, 2003, 10:41:24 PM »

Quote

;D
My dutch is currently at the beauty palor (sand blaster) and the just called to tell me that it was done.

I would STRONGLY caution everyone to NOT sandblast iron cookware unless YOU like it the way it comes out. Collectors mostly avoid sandblasted pieces like the plague. Why? The process changes the surface texture and color of the iron and it can't be reversed. Blasting with other mediums than sand can work fine. Glass beads, walnut shells and maybe other mediums are useful if it is done properly and with not too much pressure.

Harry Riva · « **Reply #14 on:** May 06, 2003, 10:58:43 PM »

A thought on why there were Wagner and Griswold offices after the Griswold sale. I spent my working life with several large industrial companies, one of which bought the company I had worked for most of my career. Over the years I saw several large companies absorbed by the company I worked for and keeping the sales force intact, at least short term, which could be years, was always done. It is just too tough to keep the business channels, customer contacts, pricing agreements, etc, in place if you only have the acquiring company trying to do it and you throw away the all of the market insight from the company acquired. I would theorize that the sales, customer, market issues made keeping two structures in place the right thing to do.
Harry

Steve_Stephens · « **Reply #15 on:** May 06, 2003, 11:10:24 PM »

I never thought of that Harry but it makes perfect sense.
steve

Troy_Hockensmith · « **Reply #16 on:** May 07, 2003, 04:21:19 PM »

Quote

;D

Thanks guys,

One final thing is that the lid is flat.

Ray,
Not sure what you mean by flat. The camp oven lids are somewhat flat compaired to a regular DO but they are a little concave.
Troy

Ray Lusk · « **Reply #17 on:** May 07, 2003, 10:24:01 PM »

:)

Just got the Dutch Oven and since this is going to be a user I was very happy with the results. The company that I used has done this before with good results. Their name is Master Blaster and are located in Spokane, WA.

Thanks again everyone.

Ray

Troy_Hockensmith · « **Reply #18 on:** September 08, 2003, 04:40:08 PM »

Quote

Troy,
Great research and answer. I didn't recall if I even knew that the 310 do's weren't marked EPU. Now I would like to know if ANYTHING made in the Wagner foundry was marked ERIE or EPU.

If everyone thinks carefully maybe we can come up with SOMETHING. I have the feeling that Wagner removed all reference to Erie on the patterns when they took them over. What is interesting is (from what I have been told) that Griswold and Wagner operated from offices on other sides of the hallway at the Wagner plant. Why would they not have combined the two companies so as to have only one company instead of separate divisions or whatever it was that they had?

Wagner patterns modified to have Griswold type TM's and Griswold patterns modified to remove the Erie and/or Griswold from them. What a mess. Fortunately it is pretty easy to tell a REAL piece of Griswold from the non-Erie made pieces.

Steve

Actually Steve my question would be what pieces were made in ERIE that don't have ERIE on them. The N.E. Griddle comes to mind but what other pieces are not marked ERIE that are confirmed ERIE pieces? It seems to me that list would be easier to manage. The rule of thumb could be changed to all pieces without ERIE were made in the Wagner plant except.........

Steve_Stephens · « **Reply #19 on:** September 08, 2003, 10:31:40 PM »

Troy,
I can add the 108 skillet griddle with smooth bottom and block TM. I can almost see the earlier pieces lacking the ERIE but the 108 is a strange one. WHY?? The earlier 108 with heat ring had all the writing and most everything else with the block TM does too.

Can anyone else come up with an Erie made piece from the 20th century (that will eliminate most or all of the unmarked gem pans) that is not marked ERIE or ERIE PA, or ERIE PA USA?
Steve

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Author Topic: Griswold tite top #10 (Read 10999 times)

Raymond Lusk

Steve_Stephens

Troy_Hockensmith

Steve_Stephens

Troy_Hockensmith

Troy_Hockensmith

Steve_Stephens

Ray Lusk

Troy_Hockensmith

Troy_Hockensmith

Steve_Stephens

Ray Lusk

Steve_Stephens

Steve_Stephens

Troy_Hockensmith

Ray Lusk

Troy_Hockensmith

Steve_Stephens