The Perin & Gaff Mfg. Co. Cast Iron Chain Pulley
A Cincinnati hardware manufacturer's working pulley survives with full foundry markings — the second Perin & Gaff piece in the SSC collection, expanding the documentation from the laundry room to the barn loft.
The Kenton Brand Cast Iron Combination Safe Bank
In 1893, a struggling lock company in Kenton, Ohio cast its first toy: a bank. That decision launched the Kenton Hardware Company on a path to becoming one of the world's largest cast iron toy factories — makers of horse-drawn fire trucks, toy automobiles, and the Gene Autry cap pistol that sold two million units in eighteen months. This combination safe still bank, marked "KENTON BRAND" on the base, is the product category that started it all. Ornate Victorian scrollwork, combination knob, coin slot, and hinged rear panel. Pieces held by the Smithsonian. Ohio Historical Society marker at the factory site. Acquired from eBay seller jpnkoi, March 2026
The Century Machine Co. Cast Iron Maker’s Plaque
Not every piece in the SSC collection comes from a kitchen. This ornate cast iron maker's plaque was bolted onto commercial bakery equipment manufactured by The Century Machine Company of Cincinnati, Ohio. Century built ovens and bread-making machines for wholesale bakers, developed portable field bakeries that fed American soldiers in every theater of World War II, earned the Army-Navy "E" Award for wartime production excellence — and was liquidated in 1955 when its market disappeared. This plaque may be among the last tangible artifacts of the company's existence. Acquired from eBay seller gerardg55, March 2026.
The A.C. Williams Co. Sad Iron
Before the cast iron banks. Before the toy automobiles and airplanes sold through Woolworth's and Kresge's. Before A.C. Williams became the largest manufacturer of cast iron toys in the world — there was a heavy, solid sad iron with a detachable wooden handle. This one is marked "WILLIAMS CO." and "RAVENNA, OHIO" and dates to the transitional period when miniature models of this very product, made for traveling salesmen, caught a buyer's eye and launched one of Ohio's most celebrated foundries into the toy business. Acquired from Etsy seller stoneridgeattic, March 2026.
The Ney Mfg. Co. No. 403 Barn Hay Pulley
Before the hay baler. Before the tractor. There was a rope, a pulley, and a man with a pitchfork. The Ney Manufacturing Company of Canton, Ohio built its business on the hardware that moved hay from wagon to loft — and this No. 403 barn pulley carries Jacob Ney's original 1879 patent date, the invention that launched the company.
Dover Manufacturing Co. No. 4 Asbestos Sad Iron
Every woman in America ironed clothes. Dover Manufacturing Company of Canal Dover, Ohio built its entire business on solving one part of that problem: the hot handle. This No. 4 asbestos sad iron — with its patented detachable hood, asbestos lining, and cool wooden handle — represents the SSC collection's first piece from Tuscarawas County.
Unknown Wapakoneta Foundry No. 258 Camp Waffle Iron
Before Wapak Hollow Ware. Before Ahrens and Arnold. Before the Indian Head logo. In 1858, an unnamed foundry in Wapakoneta, Ohio cast this diamond-pattern camp waffle iron — pushing the town's documented cast iron heritage back forty-five years before the foundry that put "Wapak" on the collecting map.
Wapak Hollow Ware Company — No. 9 Cast Iron Flat-Bottom Kettle
The Wapak Hollow Ware Company of Wapakoneta, Ohio existed for just 23 years — from 1903 to 1926 — but in that span produced some of the finest lightweight cast iron in American manufacturing history. This No. 9 flat-bottom kettle, marked "WAPAK" in block letters, represents the company's workhorse product line: deep, straight-sided, flat-bottomed vessels built for daily stovetop use in early 20th-century Ohio kitchens. Professionally restored. Acquired from eBay seller golden_treats, January 2026.
Vitantonio Manufacturing Company — No. 5 Cast Iron Pizzelle Iron
Angelo Vitantonio founded his manufacturing company in 1906, bringing centuries of Italian baking tradition to Ohio. This No. 5 stovetop pizzelle iron — marked "VITANTONIO MFG CO / WILLOUGHBY, OHIO" — features a traditional four-quadrant Italian scroll pattern on one plate and a sunburst design on the other, with a field of tiny cast stars covering both exterior faces. Three generations of the Vitantonio family operated the company from Lake County, Ohio. Acquired from eBay seller ctryf26, November 2025.
Adamson Manufacturing Company — Cast Iron Tire Tube Vulcanizer
In the first decades of the automobile age, a flat tire was not an inconvenience — it was a certainty. This cast iron vulcanizer by the Adamson Manufacturing Company of East Palestine, Ohio, patented April 1913, allowed motorists and mechanics to permanently repair punctured inner tubes by heat-bonding raw rubber patches at the molecular level. Marked "ADAMSON MFG. CO. / PATENTED / APR 1913 / E. PALESTINE, O." Original patina preserved. Acquired from eBay seller funmoneyfromselling, March 2026.
Ober Manufacturing Company — Cast Iron Trivet / Sadiron Stand
A cast iron trivet from an 80-year Ohio village foundry. Ober Manufacturing Company of Chagrin Falls produced sadirons, trivets, and woodworking machinery from the 1870s onward. Marked "OBER / CHAGRIN FALLS • OHIO" — the founder's home now houses the local historical society.
The Taylor & Boggis Foundry Co. — No. 0 Hand Torch
A cast iron hand torch from Cleveland's oldest foundry. The Taylor & Boggis Foundry Co., founded 1864, produced this No. 0 Hand Torch with original cap and wick intact. Full maker's mark identifies Cleveland, Ohio — a signature piece for the Cleveland's Forgotten Foundries collection.
Newman Brothers Inc. — The Last Supper Cast Iron Relief Plaque
A cast iron Last Supper relief plaque from one of Ohio's oldest foundries. Newman Brothers Inc. of Cincinnati has been casting metal since 1882. This high-relief devotional plaque carries the "NEWMAN BROS INC" maker's mark and extends the SSC's documentation into Cincinnati's decorative metalwork tradition.
Oneta No. 9 Cast Iron Skillet
If you couldn't afford Wagner, you bought Wapak. If you couldn't afford Wapak, you bought Oneta. Made in Wapakoneta — the town between Sidney and Piqua, Neil Armstrong's hometown — this budget skillet is now harder to find than the premium brands it once undercut. The cheap things get used up. The survivors are scarce.
Buckeye Iron & Brass Works 2” Fig. 671 Cleanout Cap
This cast iron cleanout cap was produced by Buckeye Iron & Brass Works of Dayton — the foundry the Wright Brothers walked into when they needed an aluminum crankcase for the engine that would fly at Kitty Hawk. Some of the best stories in American cast iron are not on skillets. They are on the workpieces that built the infrastructure.
The Madison Foundry Co. Enameled Mini Skillet Ashtray
Madison Foundry didn't make skillets. They made manhole covers. This mini skillet ashtray was their calling card — a promotional piece that sat on a city engineer's desk, catching ashes and advertising the Cleveland foundry that cast the iron beneath the city's streets. Five Cleveland foundries now in the SSC collection.
Superior Foundry Inc. Cast Iron Melting Scoop
Finding one piece from Superior Foundry is hard. Finding two is what happens when you know what to look for. This melting scoop carries the same Cleveland mark as the miniature bowl — and its original working patina tells the story of a tool that actually melted metal in a Cleveland workshop.
The Cleveland Foundry Co. Star & Sunburst Sad Iron Trivet
In 1888 they were casting trivets. By 1921 they were Perfection Stove Company. This star and sunburst trivet — patented 1891, just three years after the Cleveland Foundry Co.'s founding — is where one of America's great heating appliance brands began. Twelve dollars and fifty cents.
Superior Foundry Inc. Miniature Cast Iron Melting Bowl
Superior Foundry of Cleveland was no minor operation — two of its executives served as president of the American Foundry Society. Yet today its products are described as "very difficult to find." This miniature melting bowl keeps the record.
Akron Brass Mfg. No. 10 Hydrant Spanner Wrench
The firefighter's Swiss Army knife. This 1925 No. 10 spanner wrench from Akron Brass in Wooster, Ohio opened hydrants, tightened hose couplings, and started a century-long legacy — from B.F. Goodrich employees to the company that rushed equipment to Ground Zero.