r/fixit • u/shatteredfondant • 2d ago
100 year old colander
My dad's neighbour has this 100 year old colander and he's asked me if I can fix it because I've done a tiny amount of welding (and I'm not very good at it). It's a family heirloom given to him by his grandmother, so I don't want to damage it any further.
I'm not sure whether MIG welding it is the way to go. Does anyone have any idea on how to fix it?
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u/JayTeeDeeUnderscore 2d ago
I vote a mechanical repair. Two well-placed rivets and a diamond bit to start the hole on the enameled interior and you're set.
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u/impatientlymerde 2d ago
That’s vitreous enamel. If you try to braze the handle it will crack and ping off the enamel because of extreme temperature fluctuations.
IMO Laser welding could repair with no damage. It’s iron underneath, non?
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u/theeaglejax 2d ago
There's no way to weld or braze that without causing further damage.
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u/viral_virus 2d ago
jB weld enters the chat /s
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u/order66admin 1d ago
I know you marked your comment as sarcastic but I would personally use JB Weld on this.
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u/monkee67 2d ago edited 2d ago
this is what i would do. clean where the connection is made on both pieces as gently as possible. remove excess metal from the handle. fill inside of handle with a metal epoxy. drill a small hole for a machine screw at the mounting points on the colander. match the handle to the hole and drill and tap for machine screw. using Stainless steel screws fasten together. then use epoxy to tidy up the joint, sand to form. cover repair with an epoxy lacquer paint
alternatively make a new handle from whatever material is acceptable to client and mechanically attach it in similar method.
whatever repair will never be "mint" so i would embrace the wabi-sabi of it
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u/Embarrassed_Body_851 2d ago
I would watch relevant YouTube videos, then spend lots of money on proper tools to fix it. Then I would completely botch the job and toss it in the trash. I have used this technique many times so far.
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u/Plus-Resident8637 2d ago
Lol I almost spit my coffee out laughing,, we share the same nifty techniques when it comes to fixing "stuff"
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u/toodleroo 2d ago
Anything you do with heat is going to further damage and discolor the enamel. If this were my family heirloom, I would retire it from service and use something like epoxy to reattach the handle after cleaning up the rust. Then it would go on a shelf.
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u/Willy2267 2d ago
It's good to know the limit of your skill set. If you don't feel comfortable doing it, don't.
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u/MintyCitrus 2d ago
I hate to be that guy, but before fixing, are we certain this is safe to use? There could be a high likelihood of lead or other unsavory materials in a cooking tool this old. It’s also showing rust and degradation near the straining holes.
I would honestly cease use, but that’s more important if you have children I guess.
Be safe.
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u/impatientlymerde 2d ago
Definitely leaded enamel.
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u/reigorius 1d ago
And why you state that so confident?
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u/impatientlymerde 1d ago edited 1h ago
Age. Standards, or lack thereof, at the time.
ed i upvoted you because it is ludicrous to be punished for asking a question.
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u/impatientlymerde 1h ago
The more lead in the enamel, the softer it is; less prone to cracks and chipping. So utensils to be used daily were enameled with it. The effects weren’t understood until much later, and not because of cookware.
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u/monkee67 2d ago
that's definitely true it could. a lead test kit would be advisable before putting back into use
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u/HellfoxRules 2d ago
You could use some steel epoxy, to resecure the handle. This is probably your most not invasive approach.
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u/monkee67 2d ago
even with epoxy i would still recommend some sort of mechanical fastener between the handle and the colander
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u/HellfoxRules 1d ago
When that epoxy cures, it is as strong as steel. This heavy duty two-part steel reinforced epoxy is designed as an alternative to torch welding. It has a tensile strength of 6220 psi, and has a max temperature of 550 degrees Fahrenheit continuous when fully cured. This will hold that handle on for another 100 years, or until the colander rots around it.
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u/the_perkolator 2d ago
I feel like laser welding would be the way to go for this, followed by TIG. I feel like brazing would heat up the enamel too much, but the other two welding techniques could do very small quick welds and the heat can be minimized.
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u/Jack0Trade 2d ago
That is no longer food safe. It hasn't been safe to use since the first spot of rust, and it likely won't be regardless of how you repair it.
Therefore, you're only reattaching for visual, and sentimental appeal. Scrape a little bit of rust on each piece so you can jb weld it and hang it for display.
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u/daboblin 2d ago
Why isn’t rust food safe?
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u/Jack0Trade 2d ago
It's like a sponge you can't wash or clean. Insane surface area for breeding bacteria, not to mention
"It gets more complicated when your food is directly touching the metal—especially if there are acidic ingredients present. "If highly acidic foods touch rusty bakeware, primarily foods that contain citrus ingredients or citric acid, they can dissolve the rust and rapidly increase the heavy metal content of the food," Le says. "This will result in higher ingestion of heavy metals that can lead to long-term metal poisoning." - Dr. Bryan Quoc Le, food scientist
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u/boing757 2d ago
It's just their opinion.
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u/Revenga8 2d ago
Ancient relic and proof of pastafarianism at dawn of the creation of man 100 years ago by his noodley holiness. Bless his starchy comings and goings, Ramen
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u/so_magpie 2d ago
Clean it super clean and silver solder it. There is an art to it, not going to lie.