Progress (or lack thereof) pictures on my nickel plated LBL #8

[Spurgeon Hendrick]

Hey guys,
I was thinking about stripping the plating off of this (see earlier thread) but thought I would give it my best college try on shining it, to see if there was enough here to save.

Here are a couple of pictures after the lye bath.

[Spurgeon Hendrick]

After the lye bath, I soaked it in Dawn Power Remover for 10-15 mins. Scrubbed it with a #0000 wool pad. Dried it. Sprayed it with liquid BarKeepers Friend. More scrubbing with wool pad. Now I’m polishing it with Mother’s Mag & Aluminum polish.

Take a look at these before and after pictures of a couple of spots. ... am I wasting my time? It seems like the dark patches are lighter. Is that oxidation on the nickel? Should I keep scrubbing with BKF to remove the dark patches? Would EvapoRust remove it?

I’m really hoping to get the sides shiny ... and then season the inside and the bottom. (Can you do that?

[Spurgeon Hendrick]

Here’s the top of the handle, fresh out of the lye and after polishing.

[Cheryl Watson]

Once the plating is worn, or missing, there isn't much you can do.....

I rarely buy any plated pieces, unless in perfect/excellent condition....

I won't use worn plated pieces to cook in either....
I'm just not comfortable with what might find its way into my food.... :-?


De-plating a piece sometimes works, sometimes not so good... ''

I finally arrived at learning to walk away, unless it is a Rare or Highly Uncommon item.   :)

[Spurgeon Hendrick]

Yep, this is getting frustrating. The top of the handle gave me hope. There were spots on it that looked like it was worn to bare metal, but then the nickel was revealed after applying a little elbow grease. It made me think, if I scrubbed enough, or used the right chemical, I would magically possess a beautiful, fully plated, skillet.

[Valerie Johnson]

I read somewhere that plated pieces are often polished/finished before plating to give a smoother surface, Don't know if that is the case with cooking iron.