Why use older cast iron cookware? Why not use new cast iron cookware? Isn't newer cast iron better than the old stuff? Shouldn't the older cast iron cookware just be collected and used for decorations?
Older cast iron cookware is better than the new modern stuff. The older cast iron such as Griswold, Wagner Ware, Favorite Piqua, Wapak and many others was cast smoother than the newer cast iron. The smoother casting is a result of using a higher grade iron ore than is available today. The older pieces were cast by hand not machine which resulted in finer casting because a finer grain sand can be used in molds when hand casting versus machine casting.
The older cast iron cookware is actually lighter than the modern cast iron cookware which would seem to be counter intuitive. An example of the lighter older cast iron is a #10 Griswold slant logo skillet versus a #10 Lodge skillet both of which I have available to weigh. The Griswold weighs in at 4 1/4 pounds versus the Lodge weighing 7 1/2 pounds, quite a significant difference! The side wall is approximately 1/8 of an inch thick on the Griswold versus approximately 3/16 of an inch thick on the Lodge. I wish I could find my micrometer.
If you look at the two pans you can see that the Lodge is noticeably rougher. This roughness translates into the cast iron not being able to hold its seasoning as well and not being as nonstick as the much smoother Griswold. Lodge stopped finishing (making them smooth) their pans in the 90's in order to compete with foreign competitors.
As for collecting old cast iron and not using it, I'm for whatever you might want to do. If it is your personal preference not to use the older cast iron and just stick it up on your wall so be it. They make wonderful decorations but they were meant to be used and cooked with. I currently have one Griswold skillet that I use and one Wagner Ware which I will feature in another post.
Most of the cast iron I use everyday is actually Lodge (see earlier post Why Cast Iron Cookware?). I was given a Lodge loaf pan that I love and as a present I was given a Lodge long handled wok. Woks were not make by the other manufacturers and this wok and the loaf pan while not terribly old are much smoother than the current Lodge pans.
This is the Griswold Slant Logo and it is for sale in my store at Etsy. Although photographed smaller you can still see that it is nice and smooth!
This is the Lodge pan from 2002 and you can plainly see that it is much rougher than the Griswold pan.
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