How to Get Black Discolor Out of Club Aluminum Pots

Club Aluminum manufactured aluminum pots and pans at its Cleveland, Ohio plant for 50 years between the 1930s and the 1980s. Some of the pots and pans produced during that time are still around today and are even sold as vintage items in online auctions and through antique stores. Aluminum becomes discolored due to oxidization and the stains are challenging to remove. One collector actually resorted to "walnut blasting" his 280 cornstick pan, presumably by using walnut shells in a sandblaster rather than sand.

Baking soda
Cream of tartar
Vinegar
Steel wool (optional)
Sandpaper (optional)
Polishing cream (optional)
Wax (optional)
Dry cloth

Instructions

- 1
  Mix four tablespoons of baking soda in one quart of hot water. There is some disagreement about whether or not baking soda might itself discolor aluminum due to its alkalinity, but it's an effective natural abrasive for removing particles.
- 2
  Fill your pan with water to the level of the stain and bring the water to a boil. Add two teaspoons of cream of tartar or two tablespoons of vinegar to the water and boil for 10 minutes. If the discoloration doesn't go away, try increasing the cream of tartar to a maximum of two tablespoons.
- 3
  Use steel wool to remove a really stubborn discoloration, then use fine sandpaper to polish out the scratches created by the steel wool. An alternative is to try silver polish.
- 4
  Polish your pan with a polishing cream and a dry cloth. Apply a thin coat of wax to prevent future discoloration.

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