'twas the Day After Christmas....

C

CDLaine

Member
Tired of watching telly ... thought I'd drop by GW and see if anything of
interest appeared . Slim pickings... but , did find a Wagner Ware Magnalite
roaster. Looks to have been well used... they were asking $10 .00 but "senior
discount day" ..$7.48. Now for the clean-up . (if you look thru the photo spread
you can see how rudimentary work on the clean up indicates luster lies beneath).
This is my first piece of this type of alloy.... on line searches indicates a fan base
and that I bought at reasonable price point. ;). I am looking forward to cooking in
this (after cleanup) :glutton:.

Charles

https://imgur.com/a/4l9tH
 
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Looks to be in rough shape now, but for the little money it costed you, you found a real good deal in my opinion. I also found a Wagner Ware Roaster at GW here in PA, it was in pretty good shape to start with. I use it fairly often. My trivet is different than yours, but the roaster looks the same. Great find!!!!
 
Thanks Sean.... I saw yours from an earlier posting... twins ! (except mine
is the ugly one ) :chuckle:... I have no doubt that by the time I finish this rehab
I will have used up the remainder of the "bargain" and then some. I went in to
this knowing it would be labor intensive but will take my time and try to make it
more visually pleasing. The only part I'm really worried about is the interior shell
walls and bottom... will require much sweat equity. I'm betting my enthusiasm for
this project ends before the work load does ! :grin:

BTW... the trivet in mine is unlabeled, but, an on line search found the roaster and
the trivet (identical) from a Lady that got hers as a "wedding present" in 1955. Don't
know if internet mythology or fact .... just something I read. Also notice my base does
not have a letter designation after the 4265.

Charles
 
Just thought I'd update the rehab of the roaster...

Not as nice as some, not as bad as others. Looks
like I may have staved off the trip to the aluminum
re-cycle plant. I'm pretty sure this will reside in the
RV (weight & propane) vs at home (induction cook
top). This represents my first sojourn with the
Aluminum alloy cookware.

Not sure I would go all-in on a collection but this
was a cool project. This roaster has led a rough life...
lots of blemishes that would turn many off to ownership
but it remains functional. If I had a do - over I'd pick
one in a lot better condition (they are readily available
at a very inexpensive price point). It took a lot of
"armstrong" to get to this point... probably better to
let someone else do the prep work ! (but I enjoy these
little projects). :icon_thumbsup:

Charles
https://imgur.com/a/KAuVA
 
What all did you use to clean the bottom? I have an Iron Mountain chicken fryer in cast aluminium that has a bottom that is grimy.
 
GTurner ,

Most likely frowned upon by some here, ... I tried all varieties of cleaning
agents, scrubbers, sand paper, etc. the crud would not budge (it was
burrowed down in the linear grooves). Prior to giving up I resorted to
wire brush. Stayed parallel to the grooves... attempted to salvage as
much original aluminum as possible. Not sure if I removed any sealant
type material(s). As this cast aluminum is not exactly collector grade or
heirloom quality I justified my approach. I like the results. Your mileage
may vary. :icon_thumbsup:

Charles

---------- Post added at 05:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:40 PM ----------

Thanks Jeffrey !

It's photo op turned out nice...:icon_rofl: If you don't look
too closely and can see past the pits and scuffs it has a
a little cosmetic appeal. I'm glad I took the time to try and
resuscitate this piece.

Charles
 
WOW! I would have to say you did an amazing job! Considering that itll be used in your RV, its very nice for sure ( better than mine ), I'm glad you took the time to save it! Mine has a letter P after the numbers, may be the difference in trivets?

---------- Post added at 08:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:54 PM ----------

Thanks for the link Doug!
 
Thanks Sean...

I think it better if you use Doug's link techniques. I only resorted to mine as
a last resort before re-donating to GW. Your roaster is in much better shape
going in to the process. I am looking forward to cooking with mine.

Charles
 
Doug D. said:
Cast aluminum ware restoration tutorial: http://www.castironcollector.com/aluminum.php
Click to expand...

I have looked at and used several methods. None completely worked. I will probably try the wire brush method on the bottom of my pan.

The bottom of my pan, chicken fryer, looked like that of a cast iron piece that was not cared for. I had an 1/8"of crud to remove. So much so that all markings were not visible.

I used a method that I DO NOT recommend for the faint hearted. I used dishwasher liquid to removed most of the carbon along with the side of a steak knife. Very little marks were created, but I was VERY careful considering I doubt I will find another like this. It is an Iron Mountain Chicken Pan with lid.
 
I re donate all the time too....must be a bug that you catch? But glad you are gonna keep it, seeing as how you put all the work into it. Thatgs the labor of love we all have in us! Happy Hunting out there in the heat, I'm freezing right now, its 5 degrees outside!
 
Charles,

Thanks for this post. Sitting in my basement for about 12 years is this piece I inherited from my father and have only used once.

https://imgur.com/a/j7DVn

Have no idea where the trivet is. Just glad your post caused me to go find it, look it over and perhaps start using it. Since the temps in NJ are presently preventing me from using the lye spa and electro tank, may try to polish this up some.
 
Wally,

You are welcome. Obviously yours is in great "vintage" condition.
I don't believe it will take much to get that show room ready !
Your Dad had good taste. Follow the polishing instructions on this
forum and you will have no regrets. I'm thinking the trivet may
take some track down time but will be worth it. Good luck.

Charles
 
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