Painted Waffle Iron

[KarenW]

I just got this waffle iron and it's painted black. I knew I was going to have to deal with cleaning/seasoning once I got it because of the decoration, but I didn't expect that the whole thing was painted. Is this a good candidate for putting it on a shelf to only view, or can I actually season it? And, how do you get the wood handles off. Is this something I need to do with lye oven cleaner and keep it off the handles? I'm not very experienced with this, so I'm a bit at a loss as to what I need to do.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk8q7gx4

Hopefully the link works.

 

[Doug D.]

On Wagners, the wood handles unscrew. Just proceed carefully, but those look to be in very good shape. Try a little penetrating oil if they seem unwilling to turn easily. Then you can do whatever is necessary-- lye, electro, oven cleaner on the paddles and base.