Can thermostatic control probes for small cooking appliances

[maytagbear]

be recalibrated?

I just got a terrific 1960s GE electric saucepan (with lid!) at the rummage sale supporting the animal shelter where I met Rosa del Gata. A steal at 6 bucks. Good condition, lid included. Works pretty well, up to a point. About 4 quarts in capacity, and no Teflon. I'm not militantly against Teflon.....but I just like metal cookware better.

The probe is the cute little oddly shaped GE one, and it's off by a mile and a half. When on the lowest marked setting, 150F, it is a fast simmer, more like 190 or 200F.

I realize that none of these are exactly precision instruments, but....!

Can these be recalibrated, and more to the point... has anyone actually done it?

Thank you in advance,

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[polkanut]

Lawrence,

does the control have an ejector tab on it? I might have one around here if it has that little tab. Mine is white IIRC.

 

[polkanut]

Sorry for getting your hopes up, but my wife must have chucked the control when the pan bit the dust a few years back.

 

[maytagbear]

Thanks, but that isn't it

Tim-

No, that was the second design. This has a vertical dial, not a horizontal one.

Anyone?

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[rp2813]

If you have my kind of luck with this sort of thing, you'd only make things worse if you took it apart.

 

[lordkenmore]

"If you have my kind of luck with this sort of thing, you'd only make things worse if you took it apart."

I know that feeling!

If I were in this position, I'd just learn how much deviation there is (at several points on the dial), and set it accordingly. Not a real repair, but it's fast and won't make things worse.

 

[maytagbear]

A friend is going to show me how to post pictures

and I have found a picture of the control in question. I'm hoping that one of you might have a spare, or run across one at a flea market, rummage sale, swap meet or even NOS.

Do you ever dream of finding an independent hardware store frozen in time, and you can find all sorts of NOS in it? I know I do!

I also dream of finding a NOS Parker 51 fountain pen, maroon, with fine nib.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[turquoisedude]

Lawrence, I will rummage through my small appliance parts on the long weekend - I swear that I have the exact same electric saucepan that you just scored AND I do believe that I have a spare control cord! I won't be able to get back to you about this until Tuesday, but I will let you know what I find.
I used two electric saucepans frequently when we first moved to Ogden 'cause the built-in Jenn Air range had just two surface units and they were kinda iffy... They are superb for long, slow simmering!!

 

[turquoisedude]

Oh and yes...

recalibrating can be done! Some controls are a heck of a lot easier to work on than others. Early Sunbeam controls (around 1957) are pretty difficult, but Presto,Dormeyer, and Universals are a snap!

 

[rp2813]

YES! Post a picture. I see these types of things hanging in clear plastic bags at Savers all the time, and recently bought one to harvest the heavy-ish duty cord off of it for my Vortalex fan.