Remove Copper Plating?

[jyl]

My wife bought a somewhat pricey copper plated "Chantal" teakettle two years ago.

Unfortunately, the quality of the plating didn't match the price, and the underlying polished steel is showing through in large places. If I can't get the company to replace it, I want to get the remaining copper off and just have a shiny stainless steel teakettle.

If there an easy (low effort, non-poisonous) way to remove a very thin layer of copper plating?

I'm going to look into having it re-plated locally too, but I think that'll cost a bit much. I dunno, how about a cadmium-plated teakettle?

[Hugh R]

Try 10% ammonia, the stuff at the grocery store is only 5%. Go to a blueprint shop and see if you can get some of the good stuff. Use it outside. IIRC, copper doesn't plate to stainless steel, probably nickel plating underneath. Ixnay on the cadium.

[jyl]

Cool, I can dig a nickel teakettle. Thanks.

[jyl]

Postscript.

I emailed photos of the kettle to Chantal customer service, and they sent me a new copper-plated kettle. Very nice of them. Spending $150 for a new kettle wasn't going to end my world, I'm more pleased about finding a company that stands behind its product and that I can buy from in the future.

So I guess the old kettle, after it's stripped to nickel, becomes the nicest camping kettle around.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Nickel can shine up really nice too. Sounds like a neat project or at least the potential for one.