Oval Logo with bird? (pictures added)

[Mary_Beth]

I picked up a spider skillet yesterday. I believe a spider is one of those skillets with a handle and legs? I'm  too new at this cast iron stuff  :-[!
It says 8 inch on lid and bottom and has gate marks on lid and bottom. The lid is one of those that is recessed for charcoal.
It has spent quite a few hours in the electro but it is either the best I can get it or the many years of crud is being very stubborn and will take longer.

There is also a logo/emblem on the bottom that is a raised oval with what looks like a bird in it - eagle, swan, goose? As soon as I get it cleaner I will post pictures. Right now it looks like bubble gum with wings. Hopefully the detail isn't lost and will be easier to see when cleaner.
Has anyone seen an emblem like this? I am a little impatient in wanting to find out more about this spider.
Is there any danger in leaving this in the electro too long? Can I damage what is left of the marks?

[Roger Barfield]

The electro won't hurt it.  You can leave it in there as long as you like.  I'd like to see some pics of it when you get it out.

[Mary_Beth]

Here are a couple pictures of the bottom and oval.
It is not cleaning well. The crud may have to be blasted off. The electro has run at 15 amps for over 24 hours and the bottom is still hanging onto the crud. These pictures are the best I can do at this stage.

OK Steve, now you can mention something about my seeing a shape in the clouds that looks like a bird. Perhaps that is it? I wonder :-[

[Mary_Beth]

Closeup:

[Steve_Stephens]

That's one that's not recognizable to me.  Certainly a very old piece however.

Steve

[Mary_Beth]

Maybe more pictures would help? Maybe some similarities with a known foundry (other than Flying Topps)

How old do you think it might be?

[Mary_Beth]

[Steve_Stephens]

Nothing recognizable to me Mary Beth.  I'd estimate c.1860.
Pots got some very nice detailing.  There were so many foundries in the early days and no good way to identify.  Catalogs from that time only had illustrations which were often not close that what was being made or sold.
Steve

[Troy_Hockensmith]

I don't recognize it either.  I don't want to bust the bubble here but IMO there is a better than good chance the lid is a marriage. WHile I believe it is also old the fit looks suspect. Just a guess though.

[Mary_Beth]

I think it is fun to find/have something that old! I can't imagine collecting gated items when so little is known.
Steve, maybe you should write a book :) so I can learn more about the early cast iron. Or at least a section on this forum - "Ancient Mysteries from the Dark Side".

[Mary_Beth]

Troy, I think the lid is original. It fits well but granted does not seal tightly. I haven't cleaned it yet and there is some crud on the rim of the lid where it fits down. They both are marked "8 inch" and both have very similar gate marks - same length and thickness. If they didn't both have identical marks then perhaps they could be suspect. What are the chances someone had this skillet and then found a separate lid to match years later? I think it is amazing the two pieces stayed together.
There is a dot/period after the inch mark. On the skillet it is high and on the lid it is low. I wonder what that was all about?

[Tom Neitzel]

The bird image makes me think of a stylized eagle.  Here's a link to the flags over Texas.  Look at Texas under Mexico to get an idea of what I mean.

http://www.lsjunction.com/facts/6flags.htm

You see it on some Civil War patriotic items, also see birds (sometimes double-headed) like this on some European countries (Serbia, Albania in example) and Russia.

http://fotw.fivestarflags.com/ru).html

Tom

[Mary_Beth]

Tom,
The Mexican flag eagle in your link has a very similar pose but in reverse. I did find this 30 miles north of Gonzales, Tx the birthplace of Texas Independence, or so they claim. I wish there was more detail on the skillet. I know I haven't cleaned it completely since it still rubs black on my finger. On the other hand the pitting may have damaged it too much. There isn't much rust, just lots of thick black baked in crud.

[fatfutures]

Mary Beth, I've encountered some pieces that have this uber crud that seems to be resistant to electro. When I looked closer, it had a weird almost bubbly texture. Not you typical alligator hide found on many pieces. Then it dawned on me... someone painted the piece. Painted it right over the crud!

Perhaps that's what you're up against.

[Mary_Beth]

I hear you Michelle! Most pieces I have done I have just left alone in the electro and great big chunks of black would separate from the cast iron and float to the surface. This isn't doing that. I was thinking along the lines of stove black that might have been baked in. The look of the surface is more like the pitting of a hammered piece but I don't believe it was hammered just subject to who knows what for a long time. I haven't even started to clean the top yet.
I had a kettle that was painted and and the electro took the paint right off but then I discovered stainless steel ::)
So when you encountered the stubborn stuff/paint did you find a method to remove it? Did the electro eventualy yield success?

[Tom Neitzel]

Mary, I wouldn't be too concerned about the eagle being reversed, I was just using the links as examples.  From the looks of the pan and lid, I don't think it's going to clean up any better - I think the detail has been taken by the pitting.  The only hope would be for someone to have a similar marking in good condition.

Tom

[Mary_Beth]

No biggie if I can't get it any cleaner. The inside is pretty nice and the sides cleaned up well and I still need to do the lid. I am about ready to hang it up anyway with the bottom. I need to catch up with the things I should be doing instead of playing with cast iron. :) :
Thanks all!

[Chris Stairs]

From the looks of the pan and lid, I don't think it's going to clean up any better - I think the detail has been taken by the pitting.  The only hope would be for someone to have a similar marking in good condition.

Tom

Tom,

  I just came across this old thread today, and I'm sure I've seen this mark. Here is a thread with some excellent pictures.
Sorry visitors, this link works for members only.
I can't post the pictures here because they are not mine. Only the person who originally posted them can move them out here. I'll leave that for him to decide.

http://www.griswoldandwagner.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1238984167

Chris

[Tom Neitzel]

Chris, thanks for posting this.  That was a long time ago and I've learned a lot since.  Looking at the original pictures I was going to suggest the Phoenix Works for the pot anyway.  The pictures in your link confirm that.

[Tom Neitzel]

The lid might be correct too, but that's just wishful thinking that the letters spell out the proper foundry.  But the clear differences in condition seem to indicate they lived most of their life apart.  Since it seems to fit nicely, it's a good sign. :)