Remove chrome?

[maria]

I remember reading something about someone removing the chrome finish on an iron pan, going back to the iron finish. How does one do that? Does it do anything bad to the pan?

I have a Wagner skillet that looks pretty ugggggly at the moment. I'd like to clean off the remains of the old finish and just go back to black iron.

[Steve_Stephens]

Maria,
I traded for a small TM No.3 skillet which had been stripped of its chrome.  I wanted a black iron skillet that  had been highly polished all over like the chrome plated ones.  When I began to clean up the pan from its freshly stripped dull grey color I discovered that it was nickel plated.  What I think happened is that the plater got off the chrome but not the underlying nickel.  A few small areas looked to be right down to the iron where a pan will normally get worn some.  The nickel shined up pretty nice but i didn't have the black iron pan I had hoped for.

Most Wagner pans are nickel plated and not chromed so let the de-platers know that when you are looking to have the plating removed.  I don't know if it's easy to not to remove nickel.  Chrome is easy to remove.

Steve

[maria]

Steve -- Thanks for the answer. So am I correct in surmising that this is not something I can do myself? (It's Wagner, so I guess nickel, not chrome - sorry about that.) I have another skillet and lid set that I'd like to strip too. But I don't want to send them out anywhere, I thought maybe it was something I could do myself.

[Paul Hummel]

Steve -- Thanks for the answer. So am I correct in surmising that this is not something I can do myself? (It's Wagner, so I guess nickel, not chrome - sorry about that.) I have another skillet and lid set that I'd like to strip too. But I don't want to send them out anywhere, I thought maybe it was something I could do myself.

                                                                                                                                                                               

Maria there was a post awhile back with a site that sold stripers of different kinds. I don't remember who put it up and or how long ago it was but I know it was posted here.

   

[Steve_Stephens]

Maria, I would think that is could be something you can do yourself as you seem to be very adept at doing new things.  But I don't know where to send you other than to do a Google search or find the post(s) that Paul mentioned.

Steve

[John Knapp]

I have seen a few skillets that have been de-plated and you can tell that the finish is not original, they never do lose that grey tinge...at least the stuff that I saw had not and the owner said he cured them 3-4 times.

[Bob Logan]

My experience has similar to Steve. The pieces I have had deplated for the most part just don't look right, although I have had several that actually turned out pretty darn good.
  
Bob