Color contrast

[Old Savage]

Carbon steel frying pan, layers of oil burned on in cooking. Silver/gray when they come but change color with seasoning and use.

[Ysabel Kid]

So, is that how the Italians do the ones without true bone-charcoal color-case hardening?

[Blaine]

In my experience, those thin pot metal pans get hot spots that heat up unevenly, stick, and burn stuff. No substitute for quality cast iron.

[Old No7]

So, is that how the Italians do the ones without true bone-charcoal color-case hardening?

Hi Jay, I've read that they use some type of acid wash to get that effect.

Just drop one of yours in vinegar (a mild acid), swish it around, and show us how it comes out.

Old No7

[gcs]

The good carbon steel pans are thicker and heavier then the thin restaurant pans, yes they do heat up faster but hot spots aren't as noticeable, and they do season to a point like cast, and are much easier to handle then cast iron with this broke down body...

[Griff]

So, is that how the Italians do the ones without true bone-charcoal color-case hardening?

Hi Jay, I've read that they use some type of acid wash to get that effect.
Just drop one of yours in vinegar (a mild acid), swish it around, and show us how it comes out.
Old No7

IIRC the chemical color case is done with arsenic.

[Old Savage]

I put cold blue on my Pietta 1860 Army and it blued it.

I had a Colt 44 Soecial SAA where the opening for the loading gate was a touch too small to let fured cases eject. I opened it up with a round ceramic sharpening rod which left it silver. The CCH is only a surface effect. I put cold blue on that and the CCH pattern returned.