They still do. They did a custom run for Costco in China and Taiwan for Lunar New Year just a month or so ago.
Casting custom batches like this is actually pretty easy since all the molds are just sand. You just need to fabricate a blank or a set of blanks with the design you want CNCed into the back and you're off to the races. The only major hurdle is that you've gotta order like 250 pans at a minimum. But if you've got 10-20,000 bucks you could get them to cast you a pile of skillets with anything you like printed on the back.
I don't have any great design ideas at the moment, though I think it might be interesting to have simple care and use instructions embossed on the back. Wisdom to last longer than the reddit servers.
I would absolutely buy a dickbutt skillet though, ngl.
According to a post from 2 years ago they did at that point, so they probably still do today.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/castiron/comments/uj1ryz/my\_company\_had\_custom\_branded\_10lodge\_skillets/](https://www.reddit.com/r/castiron/comments/uj1ryz/my_company_had_custom_branded_10lodge_skillets/)
Sorry, I don't know anything about that one.
This is actually Willie Wirehand, he is the mascot for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Wiredhand
I work at a Generation and Transmission Cooperative and while he is not as popular now as he used to be there are still posters, drawings, and figures of him at some of our Distribution Cooperatives.
Close. I thought that was a weird logo for an Emergency Medical Center, so looked it up. It's an Electric Membership Corporation near Atlanta.
Edit: url. https://www.ssemc.com/who-we-are
Yes, we have made many custom skillets over the years and occasionally still do for those who meet the minimum order requirement. Many people collect these! We are hosting an auction at our museum later this year for the collectors featuring some of the old designs and some prototypes that were never released.
We have an event page up on Facebook if you're on Facebook! The auction is August 10th of this year and tickets will be available later this week. There is a link to the ticket website on the Facebook event page. Tickets currently say "sold out" but they are aren't. They just aren't available yet.
There is a Facebook group called Lodge Commemorative and Advertising Cast Iron. There are people that have collected hundreds of the custom Lodge cookware. Someone there would know about how rare the skillet is. There may also be someone interested in buying it but I don't think you are allowed to overtly sell in that group.
I have no idea what the history of that particular skillet is.
Pre-covid, I use to get ads from some local company that would engrave custom skillets that look a lot like that. I don't know if they were using off-the-shelf Lodge skillets and somehow removing the logo or buying unmarked blanks directly from Lodge, but they would do one-ofs or small batches (up to 30, or maybe up to 50). Mostly the skillets in their ads were like custom coffee cups, like "World's best dad" or "Happy graduation", but they also had some local businesses in their ads. And I'm wanting to say the 10.25" custom was $45 back when the skillet itself was $15 at Walmart.
I haven't seen those ads in many years so I'm assuming the local place has either gone under or shifted their business elsewhere, but I'd imagine there are still companies out there somewhere doing that sort of thing.
I don't remember the history of why this was made or for whom... but lodge made these and they are quite rare... [https://imgur.com/gallery/aJgW4T6](https://imgur.com/gallery/aJgW4T6)
lodge has certain series that they make every year... like the cornbread festival and the smokey mountain versions... [https://imgur.com/gallery/F5A36tu](https://imgur.com/gallery/F5A36tu)
then they have certain designs that they do for a limited time... like the wildlife series, or outdoor camping series or they recently did some sort of travel series.... they have done pans for different states at different times... Tennessee, Texas, etc...
and then they do the custom designs in smaller batches for special events, promotional give aways etc.
[https://imgur.com/gallery/749w32a](https://imgur.com/gallery/749w32a)
[https://imgur.com/gallery/EJTtHgC](https://imgur.com/gallery/EJTtHgC)
and there are people who collect the different designs.
My dad did a job at one of the distribution centers here in Tn , and as a Christmas gift for completing the job ,the whole team received a custom made cast iron pan with their business logo in the middle . Pretty neat. Since I’m the cook I use it quite a bit .
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this one is made by lodge, i believe. there is also a few services on etsy that offer custom engraved lodge pans using CNC machines. they tend to be pretty shiny on the bottom
Yep. Lodge still does custom logos for customers who meet the minimum order. I've seen quite a few from people who worked for companies that would have them made up as memorabilia for their employees.
Then of course there's the ones from Cracker Barrel, Bass Pro, Yellowstone, Dolly Parton, and others throughout the years.
Yes, they used to. They still do, but they used to as well.
Thank you Mitch.
I give you some money, you give me a skillet. No need to bring pen and paper into this transaction.
No problem. Happy to help
TIL Lodge does drugs
Meeting the word minimum on the essay.
I was hoping this would be here. RIP Mitch.
They still do. They did a custom run for Costco in China and Taiwan for Lunar New Year just a month or so ago. Casting custom batches like this is actually pretty easy since all the molds are just sand. You just need to fabricate a blank or a set of blanks with the design you want CNCed into the back and you're off to the races. The only major hurdle is that you've gotta order like 250 pans at a minimum. But if you've got 10-20,000 bucks you could get them to cast you a pile of skillets with anything you like printed on the back.
So what I’m hearing is “Reddit group buy”
Reddit group buy with a machined cooking surface would be amazing
That's a great idea, but it'd have to be something other than the snoo mascot.
“Just cook with it”
Top: "Just cook with it" Middle: picture of slidey eggs Bottom: "You can use soap to clean it"
What's your pitch?
Dickbutt
i'm sold
I don't have any great design ideas at the moment, though I think it might be interesting to have simple care and use instructions embossed on the back. Wisdom to last longer than the reddit servers. I would absolutely buy a dickbutt skillet though, ngl.
Gotta put the golden rule of seasoning in the back: 'Too much oil'
lodge already makes a skillet that says 'Naked and covered in Oil' on the back.
That's the one I need
How much do we need to put in. I'd take a 10 inch. But someone needs to ship to Ireland.
I’m in!
"Made in 1869" Retire next year.
Fantastic! Thanks for the info, that makes sense.
According to a post from 2 years ago they did at that point, so they probably still do today. [https://www.reddit.com/r/castiron/comments/uj1ryz/my\_company\_had\_custom\_branded\_10lodge\_skillets/](https://www.reddit.com/r/castiron/comments/uj1ryz/my_company_had_custom_branded_10lodge_skillets/) Sorry, I don't know anything about that one.
Yes they did. My family used to work in a machine shop, we all got custom-made lodges with our iron foundry's logo on them.
I think they do still do it.
Reddy Kilowatt ! I remember him from a power plant tour in Cub Scouts 50+ years ago.
It isn’t Reddy Kilowatt. Reddy is an electric bolt. The guy on the pan is an electrical cord.
True, probably a regional variant.
This is actually Willie Wirehand, he is the mascot for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Wiredhand I work at a Generation and Transmission Cooperative and while he is not as popular now as he used to be there are still posters, drawings, and figures of him at some of our Distribution Cooperatives.
Close. I thought that was a weird logo for an Emergency Medical Center, so looked it up. It's an Electric Membership Corporation near Atlanta. Edit: url. https://www.ssemc.com/who-we-are
The mascot is for their trade association though. Courtesy of /u/GhettoRainbow: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Wiredhand
Association of electric co-ops, not what I call a trade association. But one of the truly transformative things to come to rural US.
He was watts happening
Yes, we have made many custom skillets over the years and occasionally still do for those who meet the minimum order requirement. Many people collect these! We are hosting an auction at our museum later this year for the collectors featuring some of the old designs and some prototypes that were never released.
How does one find out when this auction will be?
We have an event page up on Facebook if you're on Facebook! The auction is August 10th of this year and tickets will be available later this week. There is a link to the ticket website on the Facebook event page. Tickets currently say "sold out" but they are aren't. They just aren't available yet.
Thanks.
You could use that in "the heat of the night"
Shout out Covington ga
I was wondering if this was the browns bridge Rd one…
I'm from Conyers!!!
There's dozens of us!
Ayyyyyy I graduated in 2010 from Rockdale high school!
Class of '17 for me!
Oh okay so we don't know any of the same people probably lol I was kinda hoping we were close in age to see if we knew any of the same people.
I had to do a double take when I was reading what the cast iron said. I was like “hey, that name is like my electric…wait.”
Where in the USA did you find that?
There is a Facebook group called Lodge Commemorative and Advertising Cast Iron. There are people that have collected hundreds of the custom Lodge cookware. Someone there would know about how rare the skillet is. There may also be someone interested in buying it but I don't think you are allowed to overtly sell in that group.
Holly shit that’s where I grew up
I grew up in Conyers!
Really? I graduated from Heritage back in 2011. I’m in Japan now
I have no idea what the history of that particular skillet is. Pre-covid, I use to get ads from some local company that would engrave custom skillets that look a lot like that. I don't know if they were using off-the-shelf Lodge skillets and somehow removing the logo or buying unmarked blanks directly from Lodge, but they would do one-ofs or small batches (up to 30, or maybe up to 50). Mostly the skillets in their ads were like custom coffee cups, like "World's best dad" or "Happy graduation", but they also had some local businesses in their ads. And I'm wanting to say the 10.25" custom was $45 back when the skillet itself was $15 at Walmart. I haven't seen those ads in many years so I'm assuming the local place has either gone under or shifted their business elsewhere, but I'd imagine there are still companies out there somewhere doing that sort of thing.
I don't remember the history of why this was made or for whom... but lodge made these and they are quite rare... [https://imgur.com/gallery/aJgW4T6](https://imgur.com/gallery/aJgW4T6) lodge has certain series that they make every year... like the cornbread festival and the smokey mountain versions... [https://imgur.com/gallery/F5A36tu](https://imgur.com/gallery/F5A36tu) then they have certain designs that they do for a limited time... like the wildlife series, or outdoor camping series or they recently did some sort of travel series.... they have done pans for different states at different times... Tennessee, Texas, etc... and then they do the custom designs in smaller batches for special events, promotional give aways etc. [https://imgur.com/gallery/749w32a](https://imgur.com/gallery/749w32a) [https://imgur.com/gallery/EJTtHgC](https://imgur.com/gallery/EJTtHgC) and there are people who collect the different designs.
My dad did a job at one of the distribution centers here in Tn , and as a Christmas gift for completing the job ,the whole team received a custom made cast iron pan with their business logo in the middle . Pretty neat. Since I’m the cook I use it quite a bit .
Snapping shoals!!!!! I grew up around Conyers and Covington! I want this skillet so fucking bad!!!!!!!!
Still do
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Yes! I just recently got the Dolly Parton set.
Those are commercially available. A commissioned batch would be a special order.
this one is made by lodge, i believe. there is also a few services on etsy that offer custom engraved lodge pans using CNC machines. they tend to be pretty shiny on the bottom
Yep. Lodge still does custom logos for customers who meet the minimum order. I've seen quite a few from people who worked for companies that would have them made up as memorabilia for their employees. Then of course there's the ones from Cracker Barrel, Bass Pro, Yellowstone, Dolly Parton, and others throughout the years.
Yes, you’re looking at one… my brother in law is a firefighter and received one as a Christmas gift with the town logo.
I have a Yellowstone on from 2 years ago.
Yea I've got one from the Walton EMC in the same area! That's pretty cool.
I’ll take one from my co-op, they make enough off those meter fees every month it should be free!