My First #4

K

Kyle S.

Member
Picked up this baby today. Unfortunately it is plated. I figured for 10 bucks who cares. Just goes to show you never give up the hunt. I almost counted this place out and then boom!!! #4 slant logo.Does anyone know if this is nickel or chrome? It sits flat. The surface is smooth and pitless, overall I am happy. I know a guy that has an automotive place that chromes auto parts and he said he could take off the plating easy. Has anyone ever done that? Thoughts and comments are welcome.
 

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Griswold used nickel and, later, chrome. This one looks like it may be nickel, but can't say for sure until it's cleaned up. Chromed pieces were polished before plating, so a chromed piece after stripping will not be the same as a bare iron one.
 
The Lye Bath is the only solution for this right Doug? Can I use steel wool and really scrub or should I be careful? This is my first major score in terms of value so I want to do this one right.
Kyle
 
Although 000 or 0000 steel wool shouldn't hurt, it makes more sense to just let the lye do it. Doesn't look like it will take too long.
 
Here are the results. For some reason I didn't take a pic of the inside. It is pretty free of nickel just looks like a CI skillet. I think it is nickel but would appreciate input. Let me know your thoughts and let me know what you think I should do to get it in its best condition.
Any thoughts on value? I checked EBAY but didn't see another plated ERIE piece, I keep a log of what I buy and what I think it is worth just in case i croak unexpectedly and my wife has to sell my collection. Thanks,
Kyle
 

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I'm guessing that is nickel but hold it next to a known metal (nickel or chrome) to be sure that it's not just an artifact of your photo. Nickel looks more "yellow" than chrome.

If your friend has a chrome shop he can definitely strip it for you, and then you can make the choice to either use it as normal CI or re-plate it - nickel plating is actually the first step of a chrome or gold plate job, the chromium or gold is actually just a thin layer over nickel plating. Sometimes copper plating is used under the nickel to provide a smooth surface as the copper is less expensive than a thicker nickel layer and it works just as well.

How's the inside of it? It looks pretty good to me as is and I might be tempted to leave it alone.
 
The inside is in really great shape. Really smooth, no pits. It has a few utensil marks but nothing to major. Its a great little pan. I have chosen to leave it be for now. Thanks for the reply Nate!
 
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