Cleaning plated, hammered skillet

[Shawn R]

We picked up this hammered skillet this weekend and we are ready to clean it up. I put it in the e-tank, plugged in the charger, and noticed that the gauge reading showed almost 100%. Normally with dirty pan and cleaned anodes, the gauge shows below 40%. I pulled it out and put another pan in, it looks to be working properly. Then it hit me, duh, the pan is plated. The cooking surface is shiny, but someone had used a power tool to start cleaning. I was thinking it was just polished and not plated.

Whats the best way to strip the black and get it back to the plated finish? Lye bath, oven cleaner?
Thanks

 

[Doug D.]

I doubt that particular pan was actually plated. Probably just burnished shiny from some ill-advised aggressive wire wheeling. Or, if not, it wasn't done by the foundry that made it.

 

[Shawn R]

I doubt that particular pan was actually plated. Probably just burnished shiny from some ill-advised aggressive wire wheeling. Or, if not, it wasn't done by the foundry that made it.

I believe you are correct on the burnished shiny. The cooking surface has swirl marks from some kind of tool. We started a lye bath yesterday. We put the hammered and a few other pieces in. We will see how they come out. I don't know why the e-tank didn't seam to be working properly with the hammered skillet. The little WWSO came out great.