Detecting Nickel Plate

D

Dan Farmer

Member
I have bought three or four skillets without realizing until after the lye bath that they were nickle plated (and in all cases, the plating has been in very poor condition). Any tricks to spotting them when they're all covered with grunge and grime?
 
Look for vestiges of nickel or chrome plating on the the handle and its underside. Both are areas least likely to have utensil wear and carbon build-up.
 
Doug D. said:
Look for vestiges of nickel or chrome plating on the the handle and its underside. Both are areas least likely to have utensil wear and carbon build-up.
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Good point. I also need to remember to take a flashlight with me in those dark, dusky antique stores.
 
There's another sure-fire way to tell if it's nickle. If it's only a dime to buy and you get short of breath, then it's nickle. Everyone knows that it'll Nickle and Dime you to Death. :D
 
Actually, I have one that I'm not even sure about. It is a smooth bottom, small logo Griswold scoop handle with (don't know if this means anything) an underlined "E" in the pattern number. It didn't look plated, but cleaned up so silvery that I was suspicious, and when seasoned, it comes out with that copper/bronze look to it.

I tested earlier, prior to seasoning, with a salt/bleach combination that I know will very quickly rust black iron, and it did rust. But... I don't know what that combination will do to nickle.
 
Boy Dan, I just don't know about that. I know that you can have rust under chrome and that chrome is just a top coat over nickle. I have a few nickle pans but none have turned brown with seasoning. Is it possible that your pan was sandblasted back to dull grey first and then seasoned so that when you cleaned it, it looked shiny without the nickle plate? I'm just guessing. We need a resident plater here to answer our questions.

Did you see the thread I started about removing the nickle plating? It's under $30 but still not a cheap test but it's a compound that mixes with water to dissolve nickle plate. Then you could clean and season your cast back to black. If you do find a answer, let us all know please. Thanks

Scott
 
Definitely not sandblasted.

Yeah, I did see your post about that plating remover. And I did some Google-Fu of my own and it seems to work well. But that $30 is pretty much of a deal breaker when I can get it de-plated for $10.

I'd post a picture, but doubt it would show what I'm talking about.
 
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