Every so often I encounter someone with a really old machine that needs repair, or even just long-overdue maintenance. The owner is very reluctant to let the machine out of their sight, because it was a treasured gift, or handed down from a loved relative. I totally get it — you never know what can go wrong if you let it leave the house. But really, it’ll be OK. As long as you send your machine to me. In “You… more →Family Heirloom
“Rusty” was another Goodwill find, a Hobart-era K5SS (bowl-lift, solid state speed control, 5qt bowl). This classic needed almost as much work as I’ve ever put into a mixer. Most of the time spent was just on getting through the layers of crud so that I could disassemble it and perform the necessary service. (I also learned a valuable lesson along the way, but that’s a story for another time.) On top of the wear consistent with many years of… more →Hard Luck Cases
This is about Rosie. She’s a 4C, one of the final iterations of the design before Hobart went to the now-familiar K4 silhouette and internal architecture. We got this one cheap on eBay, and it came with the glass “beehive” bowl and combo beater/whisk. (The 4C did not support a flat beater or dough hook.) Just getting one with a glass bowl is quite a coup. She arrived in pretty sad shape; lots of ancient batter residue caked here and… more →We Can Do It!