Aluminium, Pot/Pans - cooking

[Chili Wolf]

Howdy
  What:  Aluminium pre-formed "pots/pans".
  Why:  For cooking over an open fire, (like as with iron pots of the time).
  When:  1870 to 1883.
  Where:  Open-range.
Note: These cooking pots and pans might somewhat resemble our current 20th, 21st century "commercial" cookware.

  Although my research is not the best at times, it is believed that these pots/pans did exist, though not necessarily used on the open-range.
  Question:  Has anyone found/seen pictures of such, open-range and or restaurant?  ALL references welcomed.  Much appreciated.
 


 

[Trap]

   Aluminum was very expensive to refine until the Late 80s, I believe 1887, by the 90s it was cheap and common. Before that it was "the metal of kings" there fore not used by common folks.             jt

[Delmonico]

Charles Hall Developed his process in 1887, but the patent came through in 1889 when he formed the company that became ALCOA, so early 90's is when the aluminumware really started to be mass produced and distributed.

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[James Hunt]

I know nothing of this subject, which of course will not exclude me from commenting .

It did peak my interest, a bunch of trail weary drovers having made 12 miles through the Texas panhandle now sitting around the fire popping a Miller Lite and discussing with amusement such nonsense as women's suffrage, while cookie broke out the aluminum pots and pans.

I did a quick google on aluminium and came up with several sources, a starting point being this summary: http://www.world-aluminium.org/history/index.html

Following the CW it appears that aluminum was still considered with near precious metal status, and I believe that by the mid 1880's only about 15 tons was made worldwide, it was about then that a reasonable manufacturing process was being discovered.

I also found that one of the first companies to be successful was the Illinois Pure Aluminum Company of the late 19th century and that site reports cookware first becoming available in the 1890's. Of course this is the world wide web so take it for what it is worth, which at times is not much.

I doubt that much would have been available on the frontier and if it was, you'd be sitting there with your 92 Winchester and smokeless powder - it would have just made our time period, just.

As an aside I have a beautiful saddle circa early 1920's, heavily tooled, brass horn, high back and early swell forks. On it are tooled aluminum conchos! Further, the original headstall that went with the saddle has similar aluminum concho's!! And, the bit is tooled Aluminum!!! At first I thought what idiot would put a beer can on this beautiful piece of work? A little research indicated that in the spur and saddle industry aluminum was refered to as aircraft metal and was prior to WWII regarded well for its lightness, worth enough to be tooled. Indeed I have an old pair of Crockett spurs, tooled aluminum.

The idea of cookie picking up a cheap set of aluminum cooking utensils seems unlikely until well into the 20th century but that supposition needs to be supported. I await knowledgeable REFERENCED  input on this subject. Very interesting, good question, good post.

[Fox Creek Kid]

As a side note, O. Winchester brought back a large block of aluminum from England in the late 1860's and many speculate that he had an idea for this as a firearm frame. This is mentioned in the Houze book on the history on Winchester. The cap of the Washington Monument, finished in 1884, is made of aluminum. As has been pointed out, it was considered a precious metal at the time.

[Delmonico]

James, that is most likely Duraluminum a alloy of aluminum, most often 4.4% copper, 1.5% magnesium and 0.6% manganese, the rest aluminum, an early but now obsolete alloy used in early aircraft including Zepplins.  When heated and quenched it got harder over several days.  I've seen several sets of those old spurs made of it.  They were often sold as "aircraft metal."

[James Hunt]

Delmonico: very interesting, how in the world did you find that obscure information? Below is an example of such use. The bit is unmarked and from the early 1920's per the family that gave it to me. The spurs are by Crocket and date from late 1930's to late 1940's. By the late 50's you cease to see much famous maker marked aluminum tack such as this - I guess that is about when you start to see aluminum beer cans. As far as I know from looking thru a couple of Beurman and N&J catalogs there was never stuff such as this in our period.




I did not mean to steal Chili Wolf's original post. We should get back to that as it is an interesting question.

[Delmonico]

From a book on spurmakers we carry sometimes at work.  I was shown a pair of those by a friend of my wifes that are Crocketts so I looked it up.  They belonged to his grandfather and he has them on the mantle of his fire place.  I have had some cutomers bring a pair in from time to time to show me.  BTW WWII and the shortages of aluminum stopped the making of them and they don't seem to have appeared again after the war.

[Chili Wolf]

THANK YOU "ALL" for the input and reference(s).  If I recall correctly, I had found that, before the period I was working with in my original POST, that some flateware had been produced.  Though I believe that was custom one of a kind.

This is great stuff from you all, and of more diversity than I had hoped for.
  Looking forward to more iput.

Thanks again

  _cw

[Delmonico]

It is said the little short guy from France had some made for fancy state dinners but only the honored guests got to use it, the rest had to do with silver.

[Mick Archer]

  Howdy Pards!

  IMHO, a key to increase in production was someone inventing electricity to smelt the ore...       

  Mick Archer

[Delmonico]

Not inventing it, inventing the methods to produce lots of it, and of course the big power plant at Niagra came on line at the right time with surplus electricity.  But by this time period most towns of any size had electricity and telaphones. 

BTW was watching a show last night on the Geographic Channel on flashlights, they were being produced by the middle 1890's, but the batteries were so short lived the switches were a push button you had to hold down and use the light in short flashes, hence the name "flashlight."   Saw another show this week that said "mustard gas"  and several other posionous gases was invented in Germany in the 1880's and armies were stock piling it in the late 1880's, it just didn't get used till WWI. 

[Mick Archer]

  Howdy Pards!

  The British call flashlights "torches," because after the early batteries went bad, you stuck the flashlight end in a fire and made a torch out of it.

  Just a-funnin', and it is getting late...     

   Faux Cowchild
   Mick Archer's Evil Twin Brother

[Steel Horse Bailey]

All this is very interesting.

It all goes along with what my friend, an HVAC expert and part time metallurgist has said.  The power required to smelt and form aluminum was the key to its mass production.  Aluminum comes from bauxite which is one of, if not the most abundant substances on earth. 

James, wouldn't the sheet iron skillets (thanks again, Books  ) be the most common in a Buffalo camp or cowboy camp?  I'm sure that there were plenty of cast iron skillets and pots used, but the sheet iron would certainly make sense due to their size & weight.  I'd think that the cattle drive cosie, with more room on his wagon would more likely have the cast equipment, but I've read that many or most Buff hunters also had a wagon or wagons.  I doubt there'd be any aluminum cookware, 'tho. 

[Dr. Bob]

James,

I have a plethora of sheet iron skillets in several sizes.  If you decide to go this was, I can bring what you need to Hooten.  Well if Books will let me put them in the trailer!

[James Hunt]

Dr. Bob: In our camp Brass will be in charge of camp cooking at Hooten, I will be responsible for seeing that hostiles don't make off with the stock . Brass comes armed with a considerable field kitchen. However, I would be interested in making a purchase from you of a sheet iron skillet for my own use, I'd appreciate that. Threaten Books if you need to, I'll cover your back.

Steel Horse: Indeed the stand hunters all had wagons to get hides out, I doubt that they worried much about the weight of their camp equipment. Period literature has them describing their camp and cooking accouterments rather well (Miles Gilbert - Getting a Stand).

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Cool.

I'm looking forward to seeing his (Brass') kitchen.

[Ottawa Creek Bill]

James.....
Can't wait to see Monterey's set up... I plan on taking a bunch of photos of the National shoot (or should I say my wife will) to make into a slide show to post on the Cas Tube. Looking forward to seeing a period correct buffalo cook camp...

Bill