Seasoning a waffle iron w/ spring handles?

[livens]

My Keen Kutter Wi has the same type of handles as yours. I got mine off by twisting them, like a big screw. But be carefull, one of mine bent a little while putting it back on, twisted it too hard.

As for ruining the temper I dont think anything under 5-600° is going to hurt them. The bails on DO's are meant to be cooked with for hours in a hot oven, right?

[Scott_Stone]

Jeremy, being a noob I had figured these handles were welded on or something so imagine my surprise when the one on my mostly clean paddle unscrewed with a some effort on my part.

Putting that paddle back into the electro after I hit it with a scrubby. There's still some surface rust and stuck on seasoning clinging to the teeth(?) that needs to come off.

Thanks for all the great advice, everybody.

[Tom Meinke]

I know it would be a bad idea to run them through a self cleaning oven cycle. Maybe that's what Steve Stephens was talking about.

Thats exactly what I am talking about Chuck. Has anybody ever done that?

I have run a lot of DO handles and WI handles through the self clean cycle and have never been able to tell the difference, I would think to remove the tempering you would have to get the piece red hot.

[Jesse and Kim Dunfee]

If the handles are plated clean them with a scotch-brite pad. For the inside use that same pad just cut it to a size you can twist and twist up there. I use a bench grinder with fine wire wheels to clean the handles and don't season them. A wipe of oil and they won't rust. As with the temper of the metal. I have bought my fare share of irons with bent up handles from the temp they got. JMO but remove the handles and clean the as best as ypu can and don't season them.  I have a buffer that I can bring them back to real shiny also. But I know everyone don't have the tools to do these things.     Jesse

[Chuck Rogers]

I've found alot of these WI handles that were lead coated. When you heat them in the oven, the lead melts, and drips in the oven. If I see the lead on them before that, I do what Jesse suggested. A wire wheel mounted to a bench grinder. It takes some work to get the lead of, but they will season quite well after that. If the lead is thick enough, and I want it off, which I always do considering the health risk, I heat them in the oven, and let the lead dripp on an old cookie sheet. Then let them cool, and clean the rest of with the wire wheel on the bench grinder.

[Scott_Stone]

I think I'll err on the side of caution and skip seasoning the handles but the lead possibility does bother me..

I reasoned that chrome would be brittle, spring steel soft, and lead softer still so tonight I carefully scraped at a hidden bit of the spring handle's shiny surface with my knife and got some filings. As a contrast I gently scraped at some of the rust on the spring handle and got to metal that looks very much like the shiny material not covered by rust.

I'm not entirely sure what to think, so I guess I'll drop into the hardware store and see if I can pick up lead test strips.

Thanks everybody.

[Chuck Rogers]

My guess is that if you scraped at it, and it came off that easily, it's lead. I just got another WI with the lead dipped handles. I'll be "brushing" them soon, and will get them seasoned up. I've seen alot less nickel plated handles, than lead coated handles. And even fewer plain handles. I've only had one set of handles where the nickel plating was any good. All the other handles have been brushed, and seasoned.

[Mike Bohannon]

I believe the coating on most of these waffle iron handles is tin instead of lead.  I have a Wagner reprint that states "every waffle iron has a heavy tinned bail".  It doesn't say the that the handles were tinned.  I'm just guessing but would think that Griswold would likely use the same material.  In a search I found that tin melts at 449.49 degrees F and lead melts at 621.43 degrees F.  So tin would easily melt at the seasoning temps. that many of us use.  Mike

[Chuck Rogers]

Thank You Mike. I stand corrected then. I'll assume that tin is safe to leave on the handles then, assuming that it doesn't pose the same threat as lead.

[Mike Bohannon]

Thank You Mike. I stand corrected then. I'll assume that tin is safe to leave on the handles then, assuming that it doesn't pose the same threat as lead.

Chuck, I'm not aware of any issues with tin but I haven't really looked into it much.  I've had the same experiences as you, the 1st time I saw the coating dripping off of the handles in the oven I wondered what was going on.   Also like you if there is any coating left on the handles it's usually in pretty sad shape and I try to remove it and then just give them a light coating of seasoning with the rest of the wi.  Mike

[fume_happy]

Thanks!  I was getting near ready to season my WI, and I was wondering if the handles came off.  That picture showing how it is assembled is perfect.
~Fumey