At last year's convention swap meet, I took home a beautiful #8 Wagner Drip Drop Roaster, complete with lid, trivet, and intact bail handle (A great deal, too, from Stuart!) [smiley=dankk2.gif]
Now, I'm getting ready to clean the roaster and give it to a friend. I want to do a first-class job on it, and I need some advice, particularly about how to treat the bail handle.
I've cleaned three DO's in the past. Two had a bail handle, and back then I didn't have an electro set up. I used lye and seasoned them in the oven. The handles held up ok, but turned kind of dark.
With this DO, I thought at first I'd remove the handle, but it's on there tight. The loop that secures the bail to the DO bottom is tight, and seems bonded to itself. I'm not even sure I could bend it loose without breaking some sort of bond. Were these soldered in some way? The handle is perfect--smooth and unbent, though definitely darkened. I don't want to nick it or bend it.
What do the rest of you do in this situation? Do you just run it through lye/electro/oven with the bail on there? Or do you remove it?
Also, any tips that you have on cleaning the raised numbers on top of the lid would be a real help. I usually use very fine steel wool (Grade #0000) for delicate scrubbing on cast iron. Would this work, or are there other methods I should try?
Thanks for your expertise!
Corey
