My First WI's some thoughts/advice welcomed!

[Alex McKenna]

Anyone have experience with these or similary types of WI's?
Pic link is below
1) Puritan 8 (think made by Favorite?)
Wood handle has pins I'd love to take off to clean lye/ possibly sco etc. Can/should I bang out pins?

2) Good health - Do these type of coil handles come off and how? Love try to remove polish them up and not have them join the seasoning process.

Lastly- both come with bailed style base. On my coil electric stove they slide around quite a bit, I can see why the handle version might be more useful when flipping the iron....and they do not sit too well with burner drip rings in place. Anyone have some tips to share?  I was thinking  a few strong magnets between them and the stove top would work wonders but not sure magnets would hold up to heat.  Thanks!

Pics:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B8_C1PMVKebORzZfLXRLeGZrczA&usp=sharing

[Mark Zizzi]

Hello Alex, Are you saying you don't have a small enough burner to fit inside the base? A pic of the base sitting on your burner would help. Not sure about removing those handles...seems like you should be able to drive those pins out. Someone will come along that knows, I'm sure.

[Alex McKenna]

Thanks Mark.  The burners (both sizes) fit comfortablly within the base, yet it slides around on the stove top  (not the burner). When I go to flip the waffles, lift the top etc.The inside of the base will hit the burner, the outside into other things: back of the stove, front lip of the stove, fridge on the left etc depending on what burner we are talking about and how the base is positioned   Further, I expect the base would wear down/damage the white stove top finish.   If it was a handle base I could more easily hold that to secure the base while flipping the waffle irons, which is kind of tough with bail.  This is with the drip pan removed.  With my drip pan the base sits on this and not very level or flat at that. Hope that makes sense.

[Cheryl Watson]

The Puritan is a Favorite made WI, and those rivets holding the handles in place are peened, and very difficult to remove without damaging the iron.  When cleaning Favorite Waffle Irons I do not attempt to remove the wooden handles.  I know one person who has removed them, but I just did not want to risk damage.

So, I rigged a special lye bath, and sleeved the wood handles using nitrile gloves , and filled the lye bath to just cover the Cast Iron, and not touch the wooden handles....

Then I customized the hangers to hang them in the Electro, once again sleeving the wooden handles to protect from Moisture.

The Good Health paddles, I believe they will screw off, however I have not done any paddles with those style coils, so maybe someone else can chime in also.... Removing coil handles usually requires treating the area with Liquid Wrench, Seafoam Deep Creep, or Kroil. 

[Mark Zizzi]

I see, Alex. My only WI has a high base, so easy to rotate the paddles. Well, I kinda like your magnet idea. Except instead of putting them between the base and stove, maybe try centering your base and put a few around the perimeter of the base, sticking the magnets to the stove and that might keep it from moving around...plus the magnets shouldn't get that hot. You'll need good magnets tho..not the cheap little refrigerator ones.

[Alex McKenna]

Mark - Brilliant, much better idea! ..and I was planning on the heavy ones.  Cheryl, not what I wanted to hear ;) on the wooden handles. I imagine I could get them off, but figured the pins would likely get trashed in the process.  I am sure I could find something to replace them or perhaps even a wood screw, but  really do not want to mess with the original parts either.  Thanks and really hoping I can get the Good Heath ones off at least.  I have some PB blaster ready!

[Tom Neitzel]

The Good Health ones should come off fairly easily.  The look to just be screwed onto big threads in the casting.  If you try to unscrew them by grabbing on and turning counter-clockwise, they will just tighten up (like a Chinese finger trap).  You might take a pin punch (3/16" or 1/4") and tap the end of flat end of the handle (that's the end you see screwed all the way on).  Just a light tap or two should get it moving easily.  You might have to tap go 1/2 turn or a little more, but it should come right off.  Going on is easy, you don't have to force them at all as the direction of turn tends to loosen the coil until you stop.  I think the later, ball hinge Victor iron has the same handles and I've had them off easily.

Tom

[Alex McKenna]

Thanks for the pointers. I will try getting the good health ones off with some tapping first.  I do not believe you are saying they come off with clockwise rotation but just that  they may tighten up by turning if not loosened up a bit first? 

I assume I am ok to put bail hand and coil handles in lye bath?

On the Puritan- If I choose to leave the wood handles on, I figure I could not season the in oven (at least at higher heat)?  If so I think I will attempt to take them off and if I cannot get pin back in correctly, fill handle holes and use two small black screws for each paddle. Thx