This lid is driving me crazy

[Bob Sleigh]

I have a very nice #8 lid that seems to have water scale (?) on the inside. Noticed it after the lye bath. After 6 hours in the electro, 3 two hour runs, very little of it has come off. Tried SS scrubbie and SS wire brush. It is in a vinegar bath for another try right now, although the first run there didn't do anything. Any suggestions? CLR maybe? About ready to just sell it off as is. Ugh

[Russell Ware]

Bob, Griswold actually coated the underside of some of their lids. I would say you have one of those lids, and what you see is similar to crazing on well used porcelain coated cast iron. Don't expect it to come off.

[Bob Sleigh]

TYVM Russell, good to know. I assume seasoning the inside would not be necessary? Also, does the coating affect the value in any way?

[Russell Ware]

If the crazing cracks down to bare metal, you can eventually get rust. Crazing is not a factory finish; so yes, it affects value, from my point. Some people have reported that soaking items like yours in a lye bath dulls or puts a haze on the porcelain coating. Others have reported no effect of their lye bath on coatings. FYI. Be careful with coated pieces.

[Mark Zizzi]

So what's going on with the top of that lid... looks kind of splotchy....was it plated or something?

[Bob Sleigh]

Gotcha and thanks again. Now what to do with it, probably going to become a display piece. I'll be taking a much closer look at lids from now on.

[Bob Sleigh]

So what's going on with the top of that lid... looks kind of splotchy....was it plated or something?

Its wet and unseasoned, just came out of electro. Hasn't been scrubbed, flash rust already starting. The top cleans up fine.