Books on Enamelware

To learn more about Graniteware...

we recommend  highly (and when you click on the title you will go directly to Amazon.com where you can read more about the book and its price):

The Collector's Encyclopedeia of Granite Ware

by Helen Greguire 

and about European graniteware, click on the following title:

European Enameled Ware

by Pikul and Plante

Cleaning Enamelware

Cleaning your old enamelware:

We spray everything with Easy Off, the real stuff not the safe stuff. Everything you get from us has been scrubbed and cleaned to the best of our ability. If you buy other pieces and need to use Easy Off, do it OUTSIDE or use a ventilator. We know that some books recommend Whink or another rust remover to remove surface rust but bitter experience has taught us to be very careful with these products particularly on blue enamel which has a very high surface gloss which tends to get eaten away easily. Find a little out of the way spot, have water handy and test. Also do not use steel wool, if the gloss is thin and it is thin on most old pieces, the steel wool will deposit itself in the fine glaze cracks that you can't normally see.

Also, use much caution cleaning out lime deposits from coffee pots etc. I do use chemical products to do this, but am very very careful not to drip on the outside of the piece nor to wash off so that the chemical could touch the outside. Vinegar works alright, but takes longer.

Also would advise caution with hydrogen peroxide which is too strong for most enamel finishes.

We haven't tried bleach, so no advice there!

If you have any good advice for other collectors, please let us know and we will put it here to your credit of course.

Characteristics of Old Enamelware

Characteristics of old enamelware:

'Old' or vintage enamelware is prior to 1940. The item will have multiple coats of enamel. The enamel has a thick glossy feel to it. Look for glaze or age cracks, always quite wonderful fine little hairlines

. Old pieces are heavy and substantial when held. Most were made on a steel base, some on cast iron. Cast iron pieces are thick and extremely heavy. Burners for gas were often cast iron for example.

Many old pieces are marked very clearly. Look for GM or Kockums marks.

Very early pieces from before 1900 often have a Victorian feel to them, extra ornate swirls and fluting.

Look for rivets as opposed to soldering. The early pieces often had their handles riveted on, the rivets look like little bumps.

Keep in mind that these were using pieces and expect wear and little nicks under handles where items hung on a nail. If we write mint, we mean mint and that means like new from the factory, right out of the box perfect! Most of our pieces are in excellent condition to good condition.

And perhaps the most interesting clue is usage history. Don't ignore a piece because it is not familiar in your kitchen.The history lesson can be the greatest collecting joy of all.

How many of us today make soup from a whole chicken? This was common and you need a soup strainer to finish the job and remove the bits of bone and herbs from the broth. How many of us today use fatty meat. Not too long ago, you would need to skim fat off your soups or stews with a skimmer spoon, an essential item in every kitchen. And how about a big soup ladle for stews and soups. And don't forget the salt box on its hook near the stove. If you couldn't buy a nice can of something, you made it yourself and it would need salt for flavor.

And there are all the wonderful laundry items. Containers for washing soda, for sand, for scouring powder.

It pays to read a few books on kitchenware and ask your elderly neighbors what they used in their childhoods and what their parents and grandparents used and also ask what people ate at that time. A lot has happened in the last 50 years with our cooking habits.

Kockums History

So many of you have contacted us regarding Kockums enamelware in particular so I have found some Swedish internet sites and have done my best to translate the information. Here goes....

Kockums Emaljerverk which means Kockums Enamelware Factory was part of Kockums Ironwork (Kockums Jernverk AB) and the enamelware part was established in 1893.

The first colors made were white and granite. Then about 1920 they made 'karlblatt' which is a cobalt exterior with white inside and also a 'brunvitt' which I think is a gray. After this they brought red, green, blue, yellow and light blue into production.

In 1935, the first pieces in cream with green trim were made; it became a very popular color and by 1940 nearly all the production was in this color.

During the period of 1944-49 the enamelware production was changed and the factory started production of more complicated items. By 1950, because of import restrictions for various countries, it became very difficult to sell their wares and that reduced production even more. The company made their money mainly from exports to the entire world during 1900-1956, with a varied history and export issues during both World Wars. The devaluaton of the English pound in 1951 apparently ruined their business. Despite a brief resurgence of interest in 1963-66, the production of this ware ended in the beginning of the 1970's.

Books available...

Kockumverken vid Ronnebyan. En hundraarig industriell utveckling. Published 1951 By Artur Attman

Kockums Jernverksaktiebolag 1975 Anniversary edition published by KJAB in 1975.

Plant Managers....

1893 Rudolph Mangold

1894-1921 Albert Vollmer

1921-1941 Wilhelm Gieseke

1942-1968 Frans Gieseke

The marks used on Kockum ware...

I can't find any dates for these but my guess is that the one to the left is the earliest. KJAB would stand for Kockums Jernvaerk AB, AB means aktiebolag I believe which means company. KER probably means Kockums Emaljerverk Ronneby and the one to the right is self explanatory. If any one out there has any information to add, do email me!

There are lots of photos and technical details available on this internet page...

http://www.ronneby.se/fakta/emaljen.pdf

Glud & Marstrand History

G & M established itself about 1879 making cake tins, made itself famous with Madam Blå (Madam Blue) coffee pots in the 1930's and then oval cans for export hams! Tin smith Poul Glud and Hardware shop owner Troels Marstrand established their company in 1979 with production of metal ware for household use.

They were very successful and make pots and pans, oil lamps, stoves, and then tin toys as well.

This company is in existence today still making tin cans!