Sometimes, handles that have been in use for years can be very difficult to get off so you can replace them with new ones. Frequently, screws and nuts will rust together, making them impossible to get apart (the nut simply spins). Take this one for example. Years of grease make even the handles reluctant to separate.
Unfortunately, in this case I had to break apart the handle to expose the screws so I could twist them apart, and the screws themselves broke off rather than unscrew.
In this case, I used a screwdriver to pry the handle halves apart until one of them broke off. I tried prying the rest of the Bakelite off, but the handle spline started to deform. So I placed the handle against a hard surface (concrete) and repeatedly hit it with a hammer until all the Bakelite was off. Then I used two pairs of pliers to try to unscrew the screws, which broke off.
Sometimes it simply isn’t possible to save the old handle or hardware when removing them.
Ive been restoring pre-1968 revere ware so i can have a set of amazing cookware, without spending thousands of dollars. I have been using a few tricks to get seized handle screws out, without destroying the handles completely.
#1. Use heat. I use a stick type soldering iron, tinned so you get good heat transfer to the nut and bolt sections of the handle hardware. The solder wont stick to the hardware because its not fluxed, but it will heat it up and boil any grease holding the hardware together. Also if metallic corrosion is present it will expand the hardware to hopefully free it up.
#2. While hot, use a precision flat tip screwdriver (similar to eye glasses screwdriver) to wedge between the ‘head’ of the nut hardware part and the handle hole it sits in, and lightly turn the precision screwdriver to hold the nut section, while using a standard size screwdriver to turn the bolt section of the hardware and seperate the two.
If done correctly, you can save the handle without damaging it, and be able to inspect and clean the ‘tang’ (the metal that the handle bolts to). Be warned though, ive removed handles that appeared good on the outside, only to find the inside was overheated and dishwashered numerous times and the bakelite was brittle and cracked on the inside. If that’s the case, buy new handles from reverewareparts.
Great tips Phil, thanks!