New (to me) old cast iron skillet [View all]
I've been in the market for a used cast iron 12" skillet. In particular I've been looking or a Birmingham Stove and Range (BSR) size 10. There's a lot of them out there and you will typically pay far more for one in good shape than you will for a brand new Lodge, so it's really a matter of preference. The one I got was free from rust and warping and was completely free of seasoning, so someone must have either dipped it or did something else to clean it up. I paid $60 for it which included shipping.
Mine is from BSR's Century Series, made around 1960 give or take a few years. There's a lot of these pans out there so they aren't particularly valuable, but if you are looking for one that is going to cook well, these are the ones to get IMO.
The first order of business was to give it a good washing and seasoning. For seasoning, I applied 8 coats of food grade linseed oil. There's a lot out there about the merits of using linseed oil and once I tried it, I have never used anything else. If you want to know how to do this, it's quite simple once the pan has been stripped. The secret is applying the lightest coat possible and more of them rather than trying to apply one or two heavy coats. After wiping down the pan with the oil I go over it with a dry towel until the pan has a matte appearance. Then I bake at 500F (or the highest your oven will go) for an hour and allow the pan to cool in the oven for 2 hours between coats. The first two coats I applied to the entire pan, mainly for rust resistance. After that just the interior only.
This is the pan after a good washing with soap and water, before any seasoning:
This is the pan after 8 coats of linseed oil:
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