Graphene because of its inert and impermeable nature holds a great promise as a protective coating against corrosion and oxidation. It is envisioned that graphene coated metals will be increasingly used in metal and electronic industries. To date, mainly expensive chemical vapor deposition methods are being employed for its synthesis over large area involving hydrogen at high reaction temperatures. Here we report, a simple and rapid method of Joule heating a Ni foil coated with naphthalene in rotary vacuum to produce graphene without hydrogen gas. The graphene thus grown protects the Ni surface against corrosion and oxidation even at elevated temperatures. This synthetic approach has a great potential for widespread use as it is low cost and adaptable to metal surfaces of complex curvatures. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.