Restoring a vintage fruit and lard press

[maddy14110]

I bought an unmarked fruit and lard press that looks almost exactly like a Griswold No 2 model. I assumed the whole thing was cast iron so I put it into my electrolysis tank for a few minutes. I quickly noticed a milky white substance coming off the metal and pulled it out. The part that was submerged turned a strange gray color and now feels like galvanized steel. My tank was not deep enough for the whole unit so the contrast between the two sections is very obvious. I am now reading that these pieces might have been tinned or galvanized rather than bare iron. But I am having a hard time finding solid facts on how to handle this specific finish.

 

[Dj Jimmy]

It seems the electrolysis stripped the coating and that gray color is normal when the metal was tinned or galvanized. You might want to focus on cleaning by hand rather than trying to restore it.

 

[checkm8]

@Dj Jimmy is right! Retinning or regalvanizing is not something you can do at home. If you want to use it for food it is worth looking into food safe coatings or liners.