Help with cleaning Shredder Attachment... everythings SILVER

Hey all,
I just picked up a Shredder head for my 20qt. mixer… it’s looks like this:
http://www.equippers.com/images/inventory/370090.jpg?width=200
But it’s about 40 years old off an old A-200 Hobart. (it was free so I can’t complain).

There was lite rust on it so I used Bartender Friend and a variety soaps with a scratcha pad and got it all off… but now the big piece that the foods sit into (the piece that looks like the bottom jaw of a pelican), when you wipe it with your finger a lot of Silver comes off of it.

Am I not cleaning that piece with the correct type of cleaner or does it just need more scrubbing (till my hands bleed)?

Thanks all!

Re: Help with cleaning Shredder Attachment… everythings SI

That is aluminum residue. My ice-cream scoop does the same thing. According to an article I googled, it says the aluminum reacts with the air and forms a thin oxide layer.

I know if you leave an aluminum article soaking in water for an extended period of time, it will develop white “warts”… again, oxidation I believe.

Re: Help with cleaning Shredder Attachment… everythings SI

any idea on how to fix that? I’ve also got ice cream scoops with the white warts on it, i thought it was mold so I throw them out. :roll:

Re: Help with cleaning Shredder Attachment… everythings SI

Those pieces are normally anodized to prevent this from happening, and I’m guessing that you might have removed the anodizing when you did the scrubbing. Probably the cheapest thing that you could do is to see if you can find a shop that can apply a food safe, Teflon coating. By the way, it is always a good policy to remember to never soak any aluminum parts in soapy water. The soap is quite caustic and it will attack the soft aluminum, causing all kinds of damage. Better to dip the part in the hot, soapy water and immediately clean it with a pot brush, then rinse and sanitize, rather than letting it soak. I work around aluminum pieces all the time and I’ve seen more than my share of it damaged in the sink.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

Re: Help with cleaning Shredder Attachment… everythings SI

Is it possible to maybe apply a thin coat of oil and see if that will “re-season” things?

Just a thought.

Re: Help with cleaning Shredder Attachment… everythings SI

You bring up a good point. You might be able to wipe the part with a little salad oil and bake it in the oven at about 450F for maybe 20-minutes, and then repeat the process several times until the oiled part begins to take on a golden hue. Be sure that the part is then never allowed to soak in water as this will remove the seasoning, and you will be back at square one.
You get a gold star for a great idea!
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

Re: Help with cleaning Shredder Attachment… everythings SI

We’ve done the light oil rub too. Though I didn’t even bake it to get a true seasoning, an oily wipe took off the oxidation and prevented, for a time, the return of it daily. The oil kind of just coats the alum…

PS, we call that peice a “Pelican”…

Re: Help with cleaning Shredder Attachment… everythings SI

excellent, i’ll try out the oil and baking it… i’ll let you know how it all turns out over a couple of days

Thanks again!

Re: Help with cleaning Shredder Attachment… everythings SI

sorry for the delay but i’ve been down with some type of viri… (me, not the computer) :?

anyway, i took some of my Creamy Fryer Oil and wiped it over ever inch of every part and baked it in the oven for 20min at 450F (per your recom.) It did turn EVERYTHING a nice gold hue… but, as I did not reread this thread until now, I had the dishwasher scrub the crap out of everything to get that gold hue off… and guess what, still had the aluminum all over my hand.

This time, now that i’ve read this a couple more times and realive what to actualy do, i’ll just coat the inside of the shoot and cook it… then LEAVE THAT SWEET GOLD ON THERE!

thanks all, i’ll let you know how it turns out, again. :roll: