[size=12]I realize that grinders and stovepipe dampers aren't necessarily everyone's cup of tea, but I collect both, along with the skillets, griddles, kettles, etc. that most people on this forum are also interested in. I'd like to use this one post to ask about three items (or types of items,) all of which I believe to be of Griswold origin, although none of them actually say "Griswold" or "Erie" anywhere on them. I'll try to attach pictures of all three, which boils down to two different grinders and a line of stovepipe dampers.
The first item is a grinder that is marked "Wizard No. 40." I've seen these for sale on e-bay, too, and I own this one. It's hard to make out the pattern numbers, but they appear to be 227 for the body and 222 for the scroll. The crank has a very distinct pattern no. of 2470. I've never seen other sizes of this type of grinder that say "Wizard." I believe it to be a Griswold piece because:
- a) although the crank has no writing on its outer side, 2470 is the pattern number of the crank used on several Griswold or Griswold/Puritan size 2 or 3 grinders.
- b) it's a dead ringer for the oldest Griswold grinders with the small spout cast underneath the bore. One of these type of Griswold grinders is pictured in the red book, and Matthew Griswold's patent drawing for them is pictured in the blue book.
The second item is a grinder marked "Larkin," but it is otherwise an exact copy of a Griswold 110 grinder (not the 1110, which was a later design.) I don't own a 110 to compare it to, but I do own the next size up, a 111, which I've photographed side-by-side with the Larkin 110 for comparison's sake. The casting of both of these grinders is a little rough -- I would expect this if the Larkin was cast using a Griswold as a pattern. Since the Griswold-marked 111 is as rough to the touch as the Larkin-marked 110, however, I'm not as convinced that the Larkin grinder was in fact cast by a second party. The 110 is the only size of Larkin-marked Griswold-style grinder that I've ever seen, although I've seen many other grinders that say "Larkin," but don't have Griswold p/ns or styling. I also believe this to be a Griswold piece because:
- a) it's identical in all ways, save for the Griswold name and logo
- b) part numbers for (body, crank, scroll, ring) for the Larkin 110 are (2300, 2458, 2301, 2302) while for the Griswold 111 they are (2297, 2470, 2298, 2299.) These part numbers seem to run together.
- c) There is a circular ghost mark on the Larkin 110 where the Griswold logo appears on the Griswold 111. In addition to that, there is the ghost of a standard-head screw in the center of the cross logo on the Griswold 111, making me speculate that the logo was screwed fast to the pattern to make Griswold-marked grinders and then unscrewed to make non-Griswold-marked grinders.
The third item, or series of items, are stovepipe dampers marked "Rex," but otherwise unmarked save for size and the usual "REVERSIBLE, STEEL SPINDLE." The two that I've shown are marked with part nos. 1877 and 1878, whereas the comparison Griswold marked size 8 damper is a p/n 1548. I know that a size 9 Rex damper with p/n 1879 also exists, but I don't own a specimen. I'll post a better picture of one of the Rex dampers in a later posting. I know that several stove companies copied Griswold's style of damper, and I know that there was a Rex stove company, but the fact that these dampers have a unique pattern number in the same position as the Griswold pattern number makes me wonder if Griswold actually cast them for Rex, instead of Rex casting them off of Griswold dampers. There aren't any Griswold ghosts on these dampers, either, which I would expect if they were cast by a second party from Griswold originals.
Pictures follow. Does anybody know anything about any of these pieces? Specifically, what are people's opinions of whether or not they are Griswold-cast rather than second-pary copies?
Thank you.
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