Ham Boiler? Large pot- whatisit?

[Misstoast]

Hi all, longtime lurker here with some questions. My folks moved onto my late great grandparents' farm and are finding all sorts of odd things. This pot was found in the milkhouse- covered in mud daubers. I brushed off what I could and found the initials "HY" on the base. So here are my questions:

*Is it a ham boiler? The few i've came across have been described as "salesman samples"- this one measures 25" handle to handle, 13" wide and 10" deep. Also could it be missing a lid?

*Are the two long lines on the bottom "gate" marks?

*How would I go about cleaning it up? Wash, remove rust and then lightly oil?

and finally (a bit off topic) there is a forge at the farm. Was casting iron feasable for anyone with a forge or is it more complicated than I think? Thanks in advance for any information, it is greatly appreciated.

[C. B. Williams]

AN OPINION: you have several questions. 1)Ham Boiler?== Yes 2)salesman's sample= no, salesman's samples are small versions of the real thing. this is the real thing 3)lid? I don't know, probably not 4)gate marks? yes 5) cleaning, probably a big lye bath is the best, you can read about it here. 6) forge? some larger farms had forges that replaced a trip to the blacksmith sometime, for the small jobs. I doubt they had molds and other equipment for casting. There may be other opinions. C B

[Steve_Stephens]

Welcome Lisa,
I agree pretty much with what CB says but for using lye to clean.  The lye will remove any animal grease but won't touch the rust.  My methods of removing rust (power wire wheel) will work on your piece but it really is too large to effectively and easily clean that way.  I recommend against sandblasting as it will change the surface texture.  "Navel Jelly" should work but there may be better ways to remove the rust.  A light oiling (solid Crisco) after cleaning should help preserve and keep rust from forming unless you live in  a humid locality.  I use sever ham boilers like yours for wood and kindling next to my wood stoves.

I don't know what the initials on the bottom stand for; whether maker's marks or initials of the original owner who might have ordered the boiler cast for her.  I've heard that such initials were put on for the customer but find that hard to believe.

A forge is for POUNDING red hot iron.  A foundry is required to CAST molten iron.  So a forge and foundry have almost nothing in common.  Local casting of iron was possible but the extremely high temperatures of molten iron and the resulting dangers probably precluded almost anyone from having a backyard foundry for iron.

Hopefully someone will answer with a good way to clean the rust from your boiler.

Steve

[C. B. Williams]

If something is too big to dip, soaking towels or something similar in a vinegar and water solution is a good rust treatment. apply these soaked "rags" to the surface, they will keep moist for some time. I forgot that rust was the main problem on my first post. Always rinse well after the vinegar. I like the navel jelly also.

[Steve_Stephens]

I've found out that small back yard iron foundries may not be all that hard to make.  Are there any WAGS members interested in doing this?

http://www.rockisland.com/~marshall/foundry.html

Steve

[Greg Stahl]

Oh, if I only had the space, I'd have to have one of these small cupolas

[Misstoast]

Thanks everyone! I didn't think I'd get so many replies so quickly.

As far as cleaning it goes I have an endless supply of naval jelly. Could I get away with putting it in the oven for the cleaning cycle? The inside surface (where there isnt rust or mud) is perfectly smooth and I don't want to mess it up. After the cleaning is there an alternate method to the crisco? It's so humid here during the summer it's just like a jungle.

Also are ham boilers common? Any guesstimate of a value or age?

Thanks for pointing out the difference between a forge and a foundry. My great gf had many odd hobbies and I wondered if that (casting) might have been one of them. In it's heyday it was one of the more prominent farms in the area but I know there wasn't a foundry. The link to the cupola furnaces though, that looks like something he would've done. I'll have a lot of snooping around to do next time I visit my parents.

I read the thread about the initials of the owner being cast into pieces- I doubt it as well. I couldn't see many people going though the trouble (and paying extra) for personalized pots and pans. Again, the responses and comments are appreciated!

[Steve_Stephens]

Lisa,
Where are you and your grandfather's farm located?  Your intended usage after cleaning might dictate what you put on the boiler to keep it from further rusting.  I have no experience in humid locations so can't recommend what you should do.

Do you have an oven large enough to put the whole pot into?  If so you sure can use the self cleaning cycle to clean it of oils.  The rust will still remain.

There was one ham boiler on ebay recently that, I think, went over $100 and another very nice one locally priced well over $100.  I think they are worth more like $50 to 80 in good condition.  They are not rare but don't show up all that often either.  It might depend on where you are how often they show up.

Age might be late 1800's I would guess but could be up into the 19 teens or later?  It's very hard to date unmarked pieces from unknown makers.  I have seen tin covers for ham boilers pictured in catalogs.  Most came without covers but  one company did make ham boilers with a cast iron cover that was hinged and separated in the center so that only half of it would open at a time.  I've never seen one but it is in a catalog I have.

Steve

[C. B. Williams]

Lisa: About seasoning your cast iron piece. First you say you live in high humidity, well, I live in Mississippi and it's about as hot and humid here as anywhere in the U.S. Crisco works fine, so why do you want something else? The only secret is a very thin coat at a time, don't overheat during seasoning, and I repeat this about 3 or 4 times.

[C. B. Williams]

I want to say something about the names of various pieces of cast iron. Griswold made a thing called a "popover" pan, I will make a bet that 1000 cornbread muffins were cooked in these for every popover. My point is that just because a piece had a name like "ham boiler" doesn't mean that it was only used for that purpose. It's just a big pot that will hold a ham and could be used for many other things as well. When this was made people didn't spend the money to buy a large cast iron cooker just for one purpose.

[moosejaw]

CB,

You make a good point about "named" pieces being used for other stuff.  I do make popovers in my popover pan, but also make muffins.  

I am curious about your statement "don't overheat during seasoning."  I season my pieces at 500* for an hour, then turn the oven off and let cool.  Some pieces I season twice.  I have never had a problem with this high temperature.  In fact, I think the pieces season better at a high temp.  

[C. B. Williams]

I had some problems with seasoning several years ago. I cut down the amount of "crisco" and the temp. and everything worked good after that. So, I kept it very thin and about 350. After what you say, I guess it was the amount of crisco only. I also agree in a statement I saw from Steve, which was nothing works like actually cooking in the pan. I can get a really good looking seasoning and cornbread will still stick in a spot or two sometimes until a couple of cookings, then no more.