Vintage Copper Pans - How Can I Tell if It's Lined with Tin?

[rane008]

Title says it all, really. I'm looking at a set of pots on my local CL and wondering if they are tin-lined or SS. Attached is a picture of them.

[andiesenji]

Looks like tin to me. I have a bunch of the old tin-lined and they look exactly the same.

The SS lined ones are much shinier.

[rane008]

Thanks for the insight. Was thinking they were tin. Still want them (the set is $150), but I want to have more flexibility with the cooking temp, as well as no need to resurface.

[rotuts]

another way to tell: is the lining smooth? looking at the edge at the top, how thick is the lining?

tin is never as smooth as nickel or SS

look near the handles on the outside: there might be a stamp on who made them probably in France.

sorry missed that its a pic and not something you can actually see. maybe the owner will tell you?

Edited August 30, 2012 by rotuts (log)

[judiu]

Stainless steel is magnetic, nickel and tin are not.... just a thought...

[Keith_W]

I came across a set of tin lined copper cookware at a jumble sale last weekend. I did not buy because it looked as if the tin had worn down to the copper in a few places. Can you still find shops that will re-tin the cookware for you?

[DerekW]

Stainless steel is magnetic, nickel and tin are not.... just a thought...

Many varieties of 'stainless' are not magnetic. For example, the lining steel used in Falk copper cookware is not magnetic.

I came across a set of tin lined copper cookware at a jumble sale last weekend. I did not buy because it looked as if the tin had worn down to the copper in a few places. Can you still find shops that will re-tin the cookware for you?

Yes. Google is probably your friend there. For example. http://www.retinning.com/

Title says it all, really. I'm looking at a set of pots on my local CL and wondering if they are tin-lined or SS. Attached is a picture of them.

Hard to tell from the picture ['though they look tinned to me]. They may also be aluminum with a thin copper outer layer; I've seen 'faux copper' cookware made that way, too.

[weinoo]

They look tinned and the tin looks like it's in pretty good shape. They kinda look like older Mauviels. $150 would be a great deal.

There are a few places that do retinning:

East Coast Retinning

Metal Man Restoration

Rocky Mountain Retinning

Atlantic Retinning

and so on.

[andiesenji]

As long as you use wooden spoons or silicone utensils, the tin will last a long time. Don't let anyone else use them and do NOT put them in the dishwasher.

[Shel_B]

Stainless steel is magnetic, nickel and tin are not.... just a thought...

 

Not all stainless steel is magnetic. Found that out just a few months ago.

[paulraphael]

The 18-10 stainless used in laminated copper pans is not magnetic.

 

I'd assume those pans are lined with tin. The only caveat is that I once saw an ad for copper pans lined with nickel.

[dcarch]

BTW,

 

Nickel is magnetic.

 

Nickel magnets (Alnico permanent magnets) are used in many earphones and loudspeaker voice coils, and in some DC motors.

 

dcarch

[boilsover]

Hi, rane:

 

  This may be a rare instance of me disagreeing with Andie.  Based on what I see on my small laptop screen, I think these linings are probably stainless.

 

  I say this because the linings' reflections indicate to me that they've been wire-brushed by the maker.  If you see concentric rings of fine scratches and light reflects from a lining like twin beams from a lighthouse, you're either looking at copper-SS bimetal, or copper-plated aluminum.  In the latter case, the pans would feel absurdly light.

 

  New hand-wiped tin tends to look somewhat irregular and sworl-ey.  Electroplated tin (a la Baumalu) tends to show a brighter, smoother, more mirror-like finish. 

 

  A more complicated issue is distinguishing electroplated nickel and silver from tin linings.