issues removing handles during griswold waffle iron restoration

[Mike Zingler]

I recently picked up a griswold #8 waffle iron. I attempted to remove the handles before the oven cleaner step. While I could spin the handles and the rods, I couldn't remove them entirely. The spin about a quarter turn before stopping. I gave up for the time being and started the oven cleaner step. It'll be done tomorrow and I can give the handles another go.

I've read that there are 3 styles of the Alaska spring handles. I attached a pic of the set I have. Ill take pics of mine tomorrow after I rinse them off.

The rods appear to be normal right hand threaded. The springs seem to taper slightly and are threaded the opposite way, but aren't threaded into anything. I can't seem to spin the rods without spinning the springs as well.

Any suggestions on how to remove them???
Should I do the vinegar step to remove the rust before trying to remove the handles again?

[Cheryl Watson]

Hi Mike, and welcome to WAGS!

Once your paddles come out of the lye bath, I would scrub, and dry them and then treat around the inside of the lower, narrower part of the coils with WD 40, PB Blaster, or... my favorite go to... Kroil. I want the lubricant to flow down into the cast handle around the threads, so I usually prop the paddles upright with the hinge down and coil handles up.

Sometimes the upper part of the coil needs to be compressed a wee bit... but will wait for your next set of pictures.  Gentle touch with that technique,,, if necessary, I wrap the coil in leather before using pliers. Sometimes that end at widest part of the coil keeps hooking onto the pin loop....

If resistance is still encountered, sometimes others here have gently heated the paddle on a stove top burner...

Keep up posted with more pics, please. :)

[Mike Zingler]

Thank you very much!!!

For anyone else wondering...As long as the spring and rod can move 1/4 turn back and forth together, they are probably loose and ready to remove. You have to compress the spring quite a bit to allow the rod to turn past the end of the spring. Definitely better to have 2 pairs of hands. It took mine 10 turns, while compressing the spring, before I could turn the rod freely.

You can see a bit of flash rust on the base in one of the pics. Got distracted with the spring handle before putting everything into the vinegar bath.

The pic of the iron is after lye and vinegar and right before seasoning

[Mike Zingler]

One of the rods is a little bent. Has anyone had any luck straightening them? suggestions??

[Cheryl Watson]

Straightening must be done gently.. the warmer the metal the better... just not above 200 -300 degrees, as you don't want to start melting the plating off the pin... some may be tin plating with very low melt point.

I wrap in heavy leather and then place horizontally in my big boy Vice...  as I tighten, it is tweaked then turned, and tweaked again.... slow and easy is the way to go....

[Mike Zingler]

The first half came out pretty even and grey. The second half doesn't look so hot. I was never worried about evenness with skillets, since utensils scrape the bottom and its easy to re-season them.

Should I wire brush the splotchy one and re-season or will the coat even out with use? Should I season them a second time regardless?

[Russell Ware]

If you are going to make waffles in the iron, I would go ahead with a second coat. Then make some waffles. The seasoning will even out. If it is for display, I would not wire brush it. I would put it back in lye. It’s painful, but sometimes it’s just best to start from scratch by removing all seasoning. If you are having trouble removing enough oil prior to heating, try using cotton swabs when applying and removing oil for seasoning.

[Mike Zingler]

Went with a second coat...seasoning seamed to even just a little (I second the lye suggestion if it's for display) and made some waffles!

Random things I learned...
With the recipe I used, a little less than 3/4 cup seemed to nearly fill the waffle maker without having it over flow.
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/252220/multi-grain-waffles/
recipe was pretty good, if you're into whole wheat stuff

oven on medium heat (on my oven) pre-warming the iron on both sides seemed to work decently. 1 min or so on each side seemed to be enough. checking the waffle helped a lot, since I often found that one side cooked faster than the other and had to leave it on the cold side a little longer. (this was probably due to leaving it on one side while re-greasing it between waffles)

Butter didn't work :( the flash point is too low and it got burnt immediately. I ended up wiping it off and using the crisco I use to season to cook with. On the upside, I didn't have any sticking  ;D

Questions...
I like the taste of real butter is there anything else I can use to coat the iron that has a decent flash point? Id rather not use the crisco vegetable oil.

Would a silicone basting brush work to spread out oil? I used a natural bristle brush, but its too tough to keep clean

After using my skillets, I wipe clean and burn off the extra butter. If its needs cleaning, I clean it with hot water, put a little crisco on it and burn that off. Wiping with a paper towel during burn off helps keep the seasoning thin and even without build up. It was really though to do the same with the waffle iron! Any suggestions on a tool or something to help easily get in the creases and wipe the excess oil off while i burn it off?? doing it with a paper towel was time consuming and annoying

All in all it was pretty fun and the waffles were good. Thanks for the help so far!!

[Herman Gagne]

Yes, removing as much oil as you can before sticking it in the oven is important; I have used a paint brush, and paper towel with good results, albeit time consuming; I've also blown the excess oil with an air gun and a compressor, set at about 100 psi; did a pretty decent job in seconds.... ;)

[Russell Ware]

Try substituting melted butter for the canola oil in your recipe. I have used 14 cast iron waffle makers made by many different manufacturers, including both high and low base irons. Non-stick cooking spray in a can is the best thing to use when making cast iron waffles. If you can’t find a butter flavored spray, put it in the batter as stated.

[Mike Zingler]

sounds good! I think i can deal with the canola oil for taste. If I get a spray one, hopefully it'll be less oil to wipe off/burn off after cooking as well.

Thanks for the help everyone!  :)

[Cheryl Watson]

Have a great time cooking up those waffles!