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The search function on this site is your best friend. There is an informative thread on Jan 21. I searched "griddle polishing" with success.
I've seen the ammonia trick mentioned several times - I believe as a routine maintenance procedure.
Best of luck!
Just for clarification, are we talking about the griddle (cast aluminum) or the griddle cover (looks like a flat stamped piece of corrugated and laminated steel)?
I have a griddle cover that is rusting in places. I like the look of the griddle itself so probably won't use the cover.
We are going to Harbor Freight today to purchase a blasting cabinet. There are several pieces from my Chambers that I want to bead blast. The griddle and broiler pan are at the top of that list. I've also got several "new" pieces of cast iron cookware that I plan on blasting the bejeezus (also known as rust) out of em!
Bead blasting is a great way to get those surfaces back to a like new appearance. Without HOURS of cleaning. My griddle is hideous... I tried to clean in and it just wore me out. And, I'm quite a strong woman! You can get this done locally, I am sure. We decided to get the cabinet since we have so many pieces that need to be done.
Here's a before picture. I'll post the after when I'm done.
http://static.flickr.com/38/11759618...0a5620.jpg?v=0
OooopS! Griddle COVER.... oh well.
Have you tried the hot-brillo treatment on that griddle? I've found it works wonders. Heat up the griddle then get medieval on it with a brillo pad.
Tried it. Got medieval, got cro-magnon, sweat alot, begged, pleaded and cried, the dogs didn't want to be around me. I finally got p***** and decided getting it blasted was the way to go.
I would try that bead blasting on other aluminum pieces first before attempting this on your Chambers pieces. I was told that blasting isn't good for aluminum because it's such a soft metal. I had inquired of a place that specializes in restoring vintage cast-iron cookware - I had wanted to have an old aluminum stove-top griddle blasted and that's what they told me.
Supposedly, using glass beads is quite "gentle". But, OF COURSE, I will be testing non-Chambers pieces first!
Think happy thoughts!
How about an angle-grinder with a wire brush? Seems like that would do the trick.
I tried the angle-grinder. Even the softest of wire brushes left too many scratches. Which, can't be good for a cooking surface.
Harbor Freight has a blasting cabinet on sale for $125. With all of the pieces for the stove plus various parts for the T-bucket and my "new" cast iron pieces, I think it will pay for itself.
i have a 1952 pastel blue 90-c.the griddle cover is aluminum.is there something or some way to polish it without ruining it.thanks jim
I was at Harbour Freight in Shawnee, KS just today, and bought the $10 angle grinder to work on my various projects. (amazing how many other things you pick up when you're there)
Man, that is one seriously blackened griddle. You are usin' that sucka...
I respect your desire for a blasting cabinet. Many uses for many parts of Chambers and other devices.
But, $4.95 buys a can of Easy Off low fume. Spray it on, throw it in a plastic bag over night, the grunge should come off easy with a 3M green scrubber thingamadoodle, or a stiff brush.
But I gotta admit, I would love to have a blasting cabinet.
Joe
Fat futures,
That's one nasty griddle. I will admit back when we were cleaning Big Bertha up I did use, Easy Off to get rid of the black burnt on gunk.I sprayed it on and let it sit in the sun all day long and the black stuff did come off. However, it can ruin aluminum. I use Cameo or Barkeepers Friend with lots of elbow grease and SOS pads. Another product I use for spot treating is Dawn Power Disolver.
Roll your sleeves up and start scrubbing!!
Berlyn
ok now, berlyn from texas says bake it in the sun and joe from chicago says let is sit in a plastic bag....is this a mason dixon line or a continental divide disticntion ? i'm thinking about putting my griddle in a bag in the sun....
My broiler pan looked like that in places. I used steel wool and cameo, then used a fine wire brush in the drill for the tight spots that the steel wool wouldn't reach. I went over the wire brush areas with steel wool afterwards to smooth 'em back out. Fine (400 up to 1000) grit sandpaper would do the smoothing-out trick too, I'm sure.
obviously, i have too much time on my hands and spent a bit of it today using 0004 steel wool and elbow grease [for me it's difficult, had a broken elbow, four pieces and now have screws, plates and wires] but wow, that griddle is amazingly shiny, brilliant is what i would call it ! never forget the virtues of steelwool !
The blasting worked WONDERS! Now all I need is some 1000 grit sandpaper or steel wool to polish it up! The blasting cabinet was also quite spiffy for cleaning the hardcore funk off the burner brackets!
As soon as I get it polished I'll post pics!
where does one get Cameo?
That's a topic that has been discussed many times. You just have to hunt around. Some grocery stores carry it, some WalMarts (not all) etc...
I have used both Cameo and Barkeepers Friend. I found Cameo @ Drug Emporeum in Texas, next to Comet & Ajax. I think they are both equavilent to the final result. I do use a SOS pad or plain steel wool and lots of scrubbing. I do let it "sit" for about 30 minutes.
Asfan we've have upper 70/80's weather, so I use a "solar heat" method of placing it out in the sun. Up north the bag would work radiating heat.
Another thing I did with the drip pans and other parts to remove the gunk without much elbow grease. Put Amonia in a spray bottle and get a roll of paper towels.
Spray your item generously with amonia, wrap in paper towels and spray them till they are soaked & dripping wet. Put in a garabage bag and close it and let sit over night. The gunk comes of so easy. I do this to the grills on the Bar-B -Que pit. Be sure to do this outside as the fumes are so strong!!
Berlyn
Getting back to the griddle cover, what is the material on the back of it?
berlyn, if you keep teasing me with your warm weather, i'm gonna pack my bag and come down to stay with you for a few....years. i'll have steak, please. you know how i love amonia, it will clean almost anything with little work, almost as good as coca cola which will clean anything. for the griddle and an amazing shine, use the 0004 steelwool, works beautifully !
aren't the griddle covers asbestos backed ?
Asfan,
Come on Down...............
We'll see if you can handle South Texas in July, August and September. Those are our hottest months.
oh berlyn, i'm sorry, i wasn't clear...i'll be coming down to stay with you next november through march....time to start stocking up on those steaks...
Now wait a minute. We need to share. I need some help in redoing my house. Can't you stay with us for a few months? I'm in Central Texas near Austin, so the temps won't be quite as high. Of course, we did have 113 on Labor Day a few years ago.
Maryopal,
They have them now for right at $100. You have to buy the glass bead seperately. That was a little pricey. $60 for a 50lb box. That was the only size they had in stock when we purchased ours. You can, most likley get smaller quantities elsewhere if necessary.
Locations:
RICHARDSON,TX 1704 BELT LINE ROAD 972-231-1872 (this is just east of RIchardson Square Mall)
IRVING,TX 1735 N. STORY RD. #136 972-871-2533
One other thing, you have to have an air-compressor. If you don't already own one, you might want to have the blasting done at a shop. You need a decent size air-compressor to run the blasting cabinet for any length of time. We already had an air-compressor so, I didn't have to lay out that cost.
For us the buying the blasting cabinet was the way to go. We have already used it on several other things. My hubby is using it on car parts for his t-bucket. I've found it useful also. It made getting the gunk off other Charbers pieces a breeze!
I wish my stove was hooked up so that I could test out my griddle. I've done the blasting, there is actually a silver surface under all that gunk! But, now I need to decide if I want to polish the surface or, leave it the way it is. The blasting left it with a clean, matte surface. Almost like a VERY fine cast iron pan. I'd like to be able to see how this surface works before I polish.
Great thread guys
FatFutures - how much is a bead blaster, and where is Harbour Freight in Dallas? I had read about bead blasting before on the Griswold site, but don't know much more about it. Glad to hear that it worked well.
and don't overlook the virtues of 0004 steelwool and elbow grease for a truly beautiful shine after you've cleaned off the gunk and bits and pieces. i use the steel wool as a basic maintenace tool, works beautifully.
Hi guys, Jim S. (the one who started this thread) emailed me this a while back - I don't know if he is still with us but as it dosen't seem to be posted I thought I'd share - I guess he cleaned his griddle without a problem!
thanks phoebe,i answered my own question about polishing the griddlewhen i found
a product called flitz.1-800-558-8611 is customer service and www.flitz.com is the
site. p.s. this stuff works great! jim s
Before:
http://static.flickr.com/38/11759618...0a5620.jpg?v=0
After:
http://static.flickr.com/54/12794611...3a49d8.jpg?v=0
Now I am working on the broiler pan:
http://static.flickr.com/55/12794611...35286e.jpg?v=0
Before:
http://static.flickr.com/38/11759618...0a5620.jpg?v=0
After:
http://static.flickr.com/54/12794611...3a49d8.jpg?v=0
Now I am working on the broiler pan:
http://static.flickr.com/55/12794611...35286e.jpg?v=0
<font color="#FFFFFF" size="1">[ April 13, 2006 04:57 PM: Message edited by: FatFutures ]</font>
Dang that sure looks clean. Post those pictures again, I want to have another look!
[img]cool.gif[/img]
may i send my broiler pan and griddle for blasting ? you can have a whole new business maintaining our aluminum bits and pieces ... gorgeous job !!!
Hehehe
Sure thing, Mark! I'll post 'em again right now!
Sorry for the double post kiddies! The site locked up while I was uploading (this site needs fiber or something!)
Robert, I was thinking the same thing! I've got to try out the finish on my griddle first. I didn't do a high shine polish on it. Just blasted it and finished with that steel wool you've been touting. It's not shiny... at all. It is very smooth though.
I'm tempted to try it on my POS Non-Chambers stove. But, it wouldn't be a fair trial, with the heating elements being so different. Yeah well, I'll probably try it anyway.
Seriously, would you consider doing some of our pieces? (for fair market value, that is - not asking for favors). It could probably pay for your investment and then some.
Seriously, yes I would! But, before I TOUCH anyone else's griddle, I've got to test mine out. I'm working on that right now. Trying to hook up with another local owner to see if I can "borrow" their stove to test 'er out.
I don't know know what the finish on the griddle is supposed to be. The results I came up with are like an extremely fine cast iron. Which, I think would be excellent. I would think that a super shiny surface would stick. Oh heck, I don't know! I just want to try it before I inflict my treatment on others!
I'd love to offer this service to other members! Fair-market value? I have no idea what that might be but, we can work something out!
Michelle
Very shiny. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but once you start cooking on these, they'll turn brown again. And you'll go blind from eating off aluminum cookware. [img]cool.gif[/img]
That explains the shades???
I figured they were probably shiny. "Were" being the key word in that phrase! How shiny are they now?
Either way, it's not a problem, I can produce a shine. Perhaps not a chrome quality but, pretty **** close. I have all the tools require at my disposal (in my garage).
I still want to test. I am all for authenticity but, if a change in griddle finish produces better results, would that be a sin? Yeah yeah, I know... YES! Maybe? Didn't Chambers sell a shiny, bright griddle cover? Hmmm... wonder why?
Tell me people, how smooth is your griddle? Do you polish it? If so, how well does it perform afterwards? Is the polish merely cosmetic or preformance?