Manning Bowman Twinover waffle iron restoration

[funktionalart]

Unlike most of the vintage appliances I have, this one has actually been in my family since new.
My grandmother got this Twinover circa 1940-41 as a wedding gift. I unearthed it from a long-forgotten box earlier this week...and got to thinking I would clean it all up properly and use it again. I've not had a waffle made in this since at least 1985, but it does still work.

Clearly, it has not ever been cleaned. Some would say "keep that seasoning"! But it's just way too unsanitary like this and I have to start fresh. Any ideas on the most efficient way of removing the baked on black? It's tedious work to scratch around all the nooks and crevices on the cooking surfaces...any recommendations on a stripping agent to speed this up? Cooking surfaces appear to be aluminum, despite this thing being heavy as hell. I thought it was iron until I got a bit of the grot off...

 

[funktionalart]

"you're soaking in it..."

I'm now channeling "Madge"...plates are soaking in Palmolive/water. And it is working. Decided to disassemble the entire thing--wise coz it's a bloody fire hazard inside--LOADS of caramelized grease just waiting to alight :/

 

[rp2813]

Wow, you weren't kidding about never having been cleaned.

 

I've had success using dry baking soda and a stiff brush, but it wasn't nearly as huge a job as what you're looking at.  You may need to use something stronger and then season really well afterward.  I would stop short of using oven cleaner, though. 

 

That baker is definitely worth cleaning up and using.  I've never seen one like it.  I really like the temperature gauge.  Usually it's just an indicator light that gives the signal to pour on the batter.

 

[funktionalart]

Ralph~

Seriously...can you believe the grot? It's worse than these pics show. I've gotten two of the plates out...the entire inside is caramelized with thick stuff. Really is a fire hazard. Guess I'm not going to have waffles today...this is looking like at least 20 hours of strip down and cleanup! Amazingly, the palmolive and water soak really helped and the bulk comes off the plate with a wet brass bristle "toothbrush" type scrubber.

Had thought about oven cleaner...but aluminum being what it is, I'm a bit cautious about any hard chemical methods. It's just going to have to be a bit of tedium and patience.

This is worth doing...despite my not really wanting to. It really does make some seriously perfect waffles!

 

[funktionalart]

Slow, slow progress...

Plates will actually clean up nice without any chemical involvement. But look at this caked up stuff all around the wires and heating coil area. Thank gawd I opened this up and looked inside....woulda set the house ablaze! Now you know what 75 years' worth of waffle debris actually looks like.

 

[turquoisedude]

Wow!  Allen you've worked wonders here!  I have sooooo many waffle irons that are 'crudded up' that I've almost given up on them.  Good to know that ordinary mortal cleaning products can still do the job!  

 

I've got a nifty Twinover that Jon (jetcone) sent me home with that I need to play with too... 

 

[funktionalart]

Paul~

Thanks--it is a VERY tedious process. I've actually decided to dismantle the entire thing and do it right. The good news with stuff like this is that you can make considerable headway just doing what I'm doing with the soak--once you get the bulk of the grot out, plain old Naptha/lighter fluid really does a great job at cutting the golden/caramel coloured greases. Used with some 0000 grade steel wool pads, it makes a fab restorer.

Unfortunately, I'm out of naphtha and too lazy to go buy any today...hence the lethargic progress...

Work on your Twinover! These are wonderful waffle makers and great eye-candy as well

 

[danemodsandy]

You Are Correct....

....That oven cleaner and paint stripper are not desirable agents to use in this restoration.

The reason is: Cast aluminum is porous, which is why an aluminum waffle iron can be seasoned; the fats absorb into the surface. That same quality means the pores will admit chemicals, with no guarantee that all the chemicals would be released.

 

[crevicetool]

I too was told to leave the "seasoning"

But there was no way. However, I tried the oven cleaner, scrubbing, diswasher, scrubbing route and I think I did more harm than good. I restored both of these units - and the round one was every bit as "dark" and cruddy (if not more so) than yours. The other not so much but would NOT release a waffle no matter what I did.

If yours is still disassembled, you may consider doing what I did....

 

[crevicetool]

...and have them sandblasted. It cost me $20.00 for all four and it took the guy about fifteen minutes. He used a very fine medium. One pass it was done. Then I scrubbed them up, steel wooled them and this was the result.

After re-seasoning.....perfect crisp waffles each and every time.

 

[funktionalart]

Rick,

I'm with you: no way on saving that "seasoning". After 75 years, it's time to start fresh. Sometimes it's just clearly not sanitary enough to bother keeping it. Yes--the Manning is fully apart so an unplanned full-rehab is now going to happen! There goes my Sunday....

Your machines look GORGEOUS. And I doubt you did any harm--this old equipment is pretty bulletproof...so if you're even 1/2 way gentle and detail oriented, things will be ok.

 

[funktionalart]

Sandblasting--

Was a thought I had this morning. Also, a lot of auto machine shops still use glass-beading equipment for carburetors...could be an option. DEFINITELY a time-saver and hand-saver.

 

[dynaflow]

what i have found

to clean old aluminum cookware take the handle off put in a bigger pot enough to cover it fill with water get a good boil going and add 1 cup borax make sure it dissolves boil for a few mins the cut the burner off let it sit till its cool the scrub with a SOS pad u will be suprised how easy that stuff comes off

 

[norgeway]

I will tell you what works also..

My friend who collects toasters and waffle irons, puts the grids in his self cleaning oven, he lets it run about 30 minutes...then a wire brush takes off the residue.

 

[funktionalart]

I think aluminum melts...

at around 1100-1200 degrees....I better check what my self cleaning oven temp maxes out at before I try that method!

 

[fester]

Bead blasting and solvent cleaning

Be sure the glass bead is kept very fine or use the fine powdery used media that is "worn out" and ready to discard. Too rough a finish will make food stick like JB weld! A ruined aluminum frying pan is how I know.

TKO orange clean and a scotchbrite pad is pretty good for removing grease and old burnt nasty too.

 

[danemodsandy]

Self-Cleaning Oven Method:

Pyrolytic self-cleaning takes place at around 900F, below the melting point of aluminum, which is around 1200F.

BUT - and there's always a but - there is this interesting little tidbit from the 1966 GE Range Use & Care Guide detailing the use of P*7 self-cleaning (underscore added):

"b. Aluminum reflector pans found under surface units. Wipe off boilovers not stuck to pans. Place pans upside down on shelf at Position C. Some kinds of soil may require more than 2 hours to remove. See cleaning chart in Care Section for other ways of cleaning reflector pans. Also see heat settings on Surface Cooking Chart to prevent boilovers. Aluminum reflector pans cleaned automatically may soften and change in color. Replacements can be purchased, if desired from your GE dealer."

The use of the word "softening" makes me think that some of the properties of aluminum change at such a high heat, even though it's not at the metal's melting point. Considering how unobtainium replacement grids would be for your Twinover, I'm not sure I'd risk it.

 

[funktionalart]

Sandy,

Definitely not going to risk it....I'm sure I recall my JennAir cleans at over 875....how much more, I don't recall. But still, this is high enough to potentially warp these things or cause some other change in properties...so I shall continue with tedious manual endeavours....

 

[mattl]

If you have a gas grill you might want to try placing them upside down in the grill, cover the entire top surface of the grill with foil, close the lid and run it on high for some time.  That seems to work wonders on the grates when the get really cruddy.  I don't think it gets anywhere near 1000 degrees, so it should be safe.