Made before automation casting of the early 1950's, this skillet is light and smooth. That is, light for a BS&R skillet. The "5" seen is the size designation and the "H" is a mold marker that identifies which mold this particular skillet came from. In this way if a skillet had unexceptable casting flaws it could be determined which mold it came from.
The skillet is so black that the camera needed the full flash during bright daylight hours in order to get a photograph where the surface could be seen more readily.
These photographs were taken outside when pollen and dust seemed heavier than usual. The small scratches are from 400 grit sandpaper used to smooth out the seasoning. This works out great to get an ultra smooth surface that will resist chipping and flaking.
It is difficult to season a skillet perfectly and be able to keep it that way. For this reason, wet sanding with water and 100-200 grit sandpaper is gently done to level out the really rough spots, 300-400 grit for mild high points and 600-800 grit to finish up.
This one doesn't show any factory polishing marks on the side as would be expected. Must have been a really precise, high quality cast. Most certainly it was manually made.
1947 Birmingham Stove and Range Size 5 Skillet
Weight : 2 lbs. 10.3 oz.
A collection of images from a very old size 5 skillet. Typically, the Birmingham Stove and Range (BS&R) skillets are easy to identify. The underside of the handle has a ridge that is sharp and reaches all the way to the side of the skillet wall. The underside of the handle is scalloped all the way around the teardrop shape that makes the loop. This is unique to most BS&R skillets. This particular skillet was hand poured and has the designation of "Red Mountain" series made before the early 1950's automation era.
The flash from the camera makes the skillet look brighter than it normally does. You can zoom in on the images if you mouse over them. During autoplay zoom is disabled. Shrinking the browser window will shrink its contents possibly making it easier to view the gallery.
Valued in the range of $20 - $30.