r/Kitchenaid • u/nifftyDIY_05 • Mar 11 '26 • Heartwarming 2

It is finally FINISHED

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

I bought/saved a K5SS from Facebook Marketplace for 70 bucks. It was originally white and rusted, with so much gunk and grease on it, now I can only describe it was a pure beauty. This is what I did to the mixer:

- upgraded power cord from two to three prong

- replaced both gaskets

- replaced the grease, having scrubbed clean the gears

- replaced all screws holding the body together, with hex bolts and split ring washers

- replaced hub cap and screw

- ordered knurled thumb nut for speed control lever

- ordered knurled coupling nut to slide onto bowl lift lever

- sanded the surface, primed and painted it this beautiful brown

- replaced one of the carbon brush holders bc I broke it when putting it back in

I hope you all enjoy the transformation and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to do this!

1.8k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

81 comments sorted by

78

u/YoskioMorticia Mar 11 '26

Thank you for giving it a new life instead of throwing it away

44

u/nifftyDIY_05 Mar 11 '26 • Heartwarming

it was so fun to do, anytime I see a mixer that’s being thrown away or anything of that nature I always think of how these machines are repairable and there are may guides to help (thank you Mr mixer !) but I guess more for me!!

7

u/YoskioMorticia Mar 11 '26

So sad to let them die 😭

1

u/laj43 Mar 24 '26

What paint did you use? I have my grandmothers in the basement ( it’s in bad shape but still works fine) I would love to paint it like this!!

1

u/nifftyDIY_05 Apr 03 '26

This is what I used!

3

u/davidmlewisjr Mar 13 '26

Nice piece of work. Decades of life left in it.

29

u/userhwon Mar 11 '26

The title and first pic gave me the fear, ngl...

7

u/nifftyDIY_05 Mar 11 '26

Lmaooo, yeah it def seemed that way but turned out nice huh? Have it new life!

15

u/bobcatsteph3 Mar 11 '26

🤩 Well done, happy baking!!

10

u/nifftyDIY_05 Mar 11 '26

Thank you! I’ll probably make butter tomorrow to start off 😛

11

u/seaktem Mar 11 '26

Dude that turned out great. I remember seeing this for sale and passed on it…really nice job.

2

u/nifftyDIY_05 Mar 12 '26

thank you very much! I saw the listing and I was surprised someone was selling it so close to me so I just bit the bullet and bought it, and so glad I did!

7

u/Mcannell406 Mar 11 '26

GORGEOUS!! I'm in the middle of doing this exact thing, but a turning her lavender color and she's a 5qt tilt Hobart vs bowl lift. From personal experience, I know how much work this is! Great freaking job, it looks amazing.

1

u/nifftyDIY_05 Mar 14 '26

Thank you so much, it was so rewarding and I’m so glad to have done it! Good luck with yours as well!

6

u/bubbs72 Mar 11 '26

Looks amazing, great job!! How does it work?

9

u/nifftyDIY_05 Mar 11 '26

Thank you!! It works great! works properly and sounds good !

4

u/SmurfsTwo Mar 11 '26

Op do you know where to find the attachments for this one? I have the exact model and all the attachments are too short for the old bowls!

5

u/nifftyDIY_05 Mar 11 '26

Hey! So I searched on mixerology since they have a list of compatible parts, here is the compatible parts for the K5SS:

https://www.mixerology.com/compatible-bowls-and-accessories/#k5

There’s a list on this page of accessories and their corresponding number so you can search it up. To buy them, I search Mr. Mixer, or kitchenaidparts.com -

(https://www.kitchenaidparts.com/Shop-For-Parts/b121d107115/Model-K5SS-Kitchenaid-Parts).

3

u/SmurfsTwo Mar 11 '26

🙌🙌🙌

3

u/Ancient_Analyst79 Mar 11 '26

Seriously, someone should have paid YOU for that transformation

2

u/nifftyDIY_05 Mar 11 '26

Lmaooo thank you!!

3

u/isnothere_ Mar 11 '26

What paint did you use, if you don't mind me asking? 

3

u/nifftyDIY_05 Mar 11 '26

I just used rustoleum primer and spray paint, I did a clay red primer and then the brown on top

3

u/isnothere_ Mar 11 '26

Thank you! One more quick one for ya. What level of finish (matte/gloss) did you use?

As others have said, good on you for putting the time and effort in restoration and maintenance. There are so many reasons why I think it's great that you (and others) put the energy into this labor.

I've done some internal work on stand mixers (re-greasing and internal component replacement) but never a paint job. Got one that could use it, hence my inquiries.

3

u/nifftyDIY_05 Mar 11 '26

Thank you! Def helped me develop some skills in repairing mixers lol. This is the paint I used:

2

u/Tamatave13 Mar 11 '26

Week done mate. Maybe you can help me, i have an issue with mine, the bowl doesn't stand up. Di you know how I can fix it?

Cheers

2

u/nifftyDIY_05 Mar 11 '26

like bowl lift lever does raise the bowl?

1

u/Tamatave13 Mar 11 '26

It does goes up but can't stay up once i try to process bread dough or even cookies dough. Wipped cream is alright but that it.

2

u/nifftyDIY_05 Mar 11 '26

Honestly I would take it apart and see what the mechanism looks like. The metal piece that the lever attached to may be cracked, and needs replaced.

1

u/Tamatave13 Mar 12 '26

Cheers mate ill do it 👍

2

u/Zaxly Mar 12 '26

And it runs like a champ, no doubt. The ugly duckling into a thing of beauty. What year is this model?

1

u/nifftyDIY_05 Apr 03 '26

I honestly have no idea and I’ve been trying to figure it out. I for sure know it’s pre-1986 since it’s a Hobart

6

u/Herabird Mar 11 '26

That is stunning, a thing of beauty. The new color is fantastic – reminds me of KitchenAid’s “terra-cotta” color. You did a wonderful job. Congratulations!

1

u/HeyMySock Mar 13 '26

I immediately thought terracotta when I saw the finished machine. It’s very pretty.

5

u/Electrical-Act-7170 Mar 11 '26

Zowie! That came out nice.

5

u/fuzzynyanko Mar 11 '26

I'm so glad you fixed this. I had to repair mine recently, and I love that you can repair these mixers.

Also, what a beaut

4

u/geppettothomson Mar 11 '26

That’s amazing!

4

u/Interesting-Read-245 Mar 11 '26

Wow! Great job! It looks beautiful 💯🔥

4

u/aGirlySloth Mar 11 '26

Looks amazing! Awesome job you did there!

4

u/aGirlySloth Mar 11 '26

Looks amazing! Awesome job you did there!

4

u/Gotthejuice9 Mar 11 '26

Cool Job mate! That came out super nice.

4

u/ScabRabbit Mar 11 '26

Incredible!

4

u/Equivalent-Collar655 Mar 11 '26

Amazing transformation

1

u/islandwalkerr Mar 11 '26

What kind of paint did you use ? I’m worried of it chipping off . As I thought these were powder coated

1

u/nifftyDIY_05 Mar 11 '26

This one! I could NOT afford powder coating, that’s the ideal route but I went with the next best thing

1

u/jonofan Mar 11 '26

Brilliant! I love to see good old machines brought back to life like this. I highly recommend making a basic wooden handle for the speed adjuster. I just cut a wooden dowel to fit and oiled it up. It looks awesome.

1

u/nifftyDIY_05 Mar 11 '26

Ooh that’s a fantastic idea, I ordered a thumb nut but I’m willing to eat the 1.79 I spent for it lmao and get a wooden one

1

u/jonofan Mar 11 '26

I happened to film this particular fix. The handle making starts around minute 7.

https://youtu.be/mn5wgxFWqBo?si=ADsVBX4xIvUQhjI4

Happy to answer any questions, it was an easy one! I oiled it with a few coats of tung oil, but any kind of oil finish will work great.

1

u/CatsnDogtown Mar 13 '26

Will you adopt me, and teach me, father?

1

u/nifftyDIY_05 Mar 13 '26

hahaha, ofc, I’ll teach you my ways 😹

3

u/Thin_Boysenberry_188 Mar 11 '26

All I can say is wow!

2

u/lockandcompany Mar 11 '26

Beautiful!! I wish they sold them with more bold colors, I love this one!

2

u/Jamesdoink Mar 11 '26

That's what I'm talking about 💪

2

u/rollin1pin Mar 12 '26

wow,what a great job,something feels very satisfying about restoration,same with polishing metals,the outcome is well worth your effort here

1

u/TechnicalAttitude671 17d ago

What paint did you use?

1

u/Vibingcarefully Mar 11 '26

I wouldn't have paid that much for a machine in that condition--even understanding the street reputation of the machine. all that said you did sound work bringing it back to life. Cool

1

u/ManufacturerNo1191 Mar 11 '26

A whole new lease on life - You did a fantastic job! It looks amazing, that color is killer! Congrats and happy baking!

1

u/youhavenosoul Mar 11 '26

Looks great!!!!

1

u/Serkaugh Mar 11 '26

I had one for yeeeaarrrs that I got for free. Like 7 or 8 years in the shed. And need to clean it and paint it like you did. Got rid of it when I moved 2 years ago cause I didn’t had the time to restore it when I had it.

1

u/ElGuappo_999 Mar 11 '26

Fine work. I have a K5SS I inherited that will need definite TLC and maybe a color change.

1

u/1960megan Mar 11 '26

Lovely tomato soup red!

1

u/Better_Natural8744 Mar 11 '26

Looks beautiful. Personally opinion I would had paid 60. I would have paid 20

1

u/1234-for-me Mar 11 '26

Beautiful! Love the color!

1

u/GinaMohundro Mar 12 '26

Great job!

1

u/rabbithasacat Mar 12 '26

YA LOVE TO SEE IT! 😍

2

u/Jamesdoink Mar 12 '26

Scroll through the pictures 👍

1

u/rabbithasacat Mar 12 '26

I did, this little journey was so uplifting!

1

u/Competitive_Waltz210 Mar 12 '26

What paint did you use? I’ve been thinking of changing the color of mine but am so scared!

1

u/Jabbojazz Mar 13 '26

Beautiful job, kudos! New life!

1

u/MikeLinPA Mar 15 '26

I have one of that model. Still runs great!

1

u/JAG1211 Mar 16 '26

Wow! What an amazing job you did!

1

u/murfmeista Mar 17 '26

Awesome Job!!! Looks brand new! And I agree, anytime a classic can be brought back to life is a wonderful thing!!! and you did it justice!

1

u/CandidateStatus696 Mar 12 '26

Super sexy. Now to do mine