Reproduction Revolutionary War Skillets

Finally my technology expert walked me back thru the process of uploading photos to my blog. Thanks. Of course the goofy thing didn't do all the things I accused it of,so I guess I have to figure that the problem was the loose nut behind the mouse!

I have therefore enclosed some photos of the skillets I mentioned the other day. Each skillet measures about 6 inches in diameter and 2 to 2 1/4 inches deep. I start with a flat sheet of steel about 10 inches in diameter and using heat, sink the center of the skillet blank into a die I made many years ago for that purpose, when you do that you are asking the edges of the sheet to "shrink" which the flat plate is reluctant to do, as a result it shrinks and thickens a little each heat before wrinkiling to get away from the stress of the process, all the wrinkles are subsequently hammered out in a suitable form which in this case is my Swage Block.( The swage block was cast in the 1870's and was used in the engineering program at Rocky Mountain College starting in 1878!) The process of heating, sinking, and hammering out the wrinkles continues many time until the pan is forged about like you see in the photos. After the rough forging has cooled, I use a divider to mark out the top edge so it is equidistant from the bottom, and thereby level with the bottom. Next I take the cold forging and planish it using hundreds of hammer blows to cold forge, and refine the shape. This process brings a subtle texture to the skillet and makes it indistinguishable from one forged before the Revolutionary War!

Next the folding or fixed handle is forged out and the hinge joint is made in the folding handled model. The handles are riveted in place and the whole thing is polished, and pre seasoned with Bear Lard the I render from the Bears I have shot over the years. Bear Lard makes the best seasoning for iron cookware be it cast iron or forged iron.

I have carried one of these skillets for years in the backcountry hunting and use it as a cooking utensil and plate, so I can tell you it is certainly a handy item for the backcountry traveler irreguardless of what century you happen to be living thru!