Archive | Parts

Replacement plastic lids for Revere Ware stainless steel mixing bowls

By RevereWareParts on January 15, 2018 in Parts

Over the years, we’ve regularly been asked if we can supply new lids for the Revere Ware stainless steel mixing bowls.

Over time, the plastic lids wear out as the plastic ages, and they crack. Unfortunately, we don’t have a line on replacement lids of this type.

However, we recently came across an Indiegogo campaign for a new type of lids that is made to fit different sizes; The Unlid.

While we don’t have a set of the mixing bowls we might try the lids out on, they sure look like they will work. The lids are rubber and stretch to fit many different sizes snugly.

The only downside is that they aren’t expected to ship until May 2018.

Update

We’ve had an number of people ask us whether these will fit the Revere mixing bowls and how they can get them.

In answer to the first question, we don’t know for sure if they will fit. They look like they will from reading the specifications. We will only know once they ship and someone tries them out.

In term of timing, we originally reported that these were expected to be available in May 2018. As of April, the latest update from them doesn’t make a May delivery date likely, but perhaps later this year sometime. Please check the updates page on the campaign for the latest news.

In terms of how to get them, the only way we are aware presently is to sign up for one of the perks on the campaign.

Update 10/2/18

These have started shipping as of July and it appears you can still purchase them here (I just did). Just click on one of the perks to expand it and then select Get This Perk.

Determining which size 2-screw style replacement handle you need

By RevereWareParts on December 4, 2017 in Parts, Tips

In an attempt to make it easier to determine the proper sized replacement handle of the 2-screw variety, we’ve expanded the detail in all our 2-screw handle product listings. This seems to give people a lot of difficulty, so it is worth pontificating on it here.

We sell small, medium, large, and x-large size of the 2-screw style handle. It is fairly straight-forward to determine the proper size handle based on the height of the metal spline (the metal part the two handle halves go around) , the distance between the centers of the two holes, and the overall length of the Bakelite part of the handle. If you check your measurements and cant’ find a match, please contact us to ask for help before purchasing.

Size	Metal spline height	Distance between hole centers	Overall Bakelite length
Small	3/8″	2.75″	4.5″
Medium	5/8″	2.6″	4.6″
Large	3/4″	3.1″	5.25″
X-Large	3/4″	3.7″	5.7″

If you aren’t sure what the quote (“) means to the right of the numbers in the above table, it is shorthand for inches.

If you aren’t sure what the spline is, or how to measure the height, here is a graphic that should help.

It should be noted that cookware requiring the small handle is very rare in the wild. If you think you need the small handle, make sure. This is our most frequently returned part.

Guide to finding the correct size sauce pan or skillet handle

By RevereWareParts on October 23, 2017 in Parts, Tips

We sell two different sauce pan and skillet handles.

Single screw style

The single screw handle was made post 1968. It has a single screw, or, more likely, rivet through the metal part of the handle that holds the handle to the pot. Any size of these handles will fit any pot, so you really can’t go wrong unless you put a small handle on a very large pot or vice versa. The best wy to size this handle is just to measure the overall length of the Bakelite part of the handle.

5.4 in long Bakelite – X-Large
4.8 in long – Large
4.3 in long – Medium
4.1 in long – Small

Two-screw style

These were made before 1968 and have a screw at either end of the handle. Note that very early ones has two screws near the front, and another around the hanging hook in the back. If you have one of those, there is no exact replacement.

There are two ways to size these up. The easiest way is to start with the spline height.

3/8 in – Small
5/8 in – Medium
3/4 in -Large or X-Large

If you have a 3/4 in spline, then check the distance between the centers of the holes to determine which handle you have. Alternately, you can just start with that measurement.

3.7 in – X-Large

3.1 in – Large

2.6 in – Medium

2.75 in (and with a 3/8 in spline) Small

Measuring the value of our parts, part 2

By RevereWareParts on October 3, 2017 in Ebay, Parts, Trends & statistics

We’ve discussed the economics of small batch manufacturing and the comparative pricing of other similar mass-manufactured parts. By that measure, what we sell might look expensive (but is justified given how much it costs to manufacture in smaller quantities).

There is also another way to comparatively view the cost of our products against what they might cost if we didn’t provide them. Consider this eBay auction for 21 new-old-stock (NOS) replacement parts:

They are asking a starting bid price of $199 + $12.65 shipping for all these parts. And with few such new parts available, they would probably sell in the $300-$400 range. On our site, the equivalent parts would cost $149.79 (and shipping would be free), a 29% discount over the starting bid of that auction, and probably less than 50% of what they would sell for.

The alternative of scarcity and the pricing pressure it puts on whatever stock of something in relatively high demand remains, is something to consider when you are looking to replace something in the vintage category.

On the other hand, I do often notice that people listing items on eBay think that just by adding the word “rare” to the auction title, they can demand a higher price. Demand is the other part of this equation; without demand, rarity along doesn’t justify value.

Revere Ware tea kettle replacement lid spring installation tip

By RevereWareParts on July 21, 2017 in Parts, Tips

A few customers have had difficulty installing the spring when replacing the tea kettle cap and trigger. To help, we created this handy graphic that shows the orientation o the spring and how to tension it. You can also find the full installation instructions and our cleaning tips on the Tea Kettle page.

Finding old-style 2-screw pan handles

By RevereWareParts on July 8, 2017 in DIY, Parts

Our 2-screw handles fit Revere Ware cookware made since the early 1940’s. However, from 1939 to the early 1940’s Revere Ware briefly used a type of handle that was somewhat different, but looked very similar. These handles had 2 screw holes near the pan side of the handle, and another screw that went through the hold where the hanging hook goes. They look like this:

Unfortunately, because of the limited number of pieces that have this type of handle, we don’t sell a replacement. However, from time to time (like the ones above) they do appear on eBay.

The key is to save a search on eBay like “Revere Ware handle) such that it will email you new matches.

For the less patient, we have a guide to adapting our handles to this style of cookware.

For the more ambitions, you could grind down the metal spline to get a perfect fit.

What to do when your new pressure cooker gasket leaks

By RevereWareParts on July 5, 2017 in Parts, Tips

We sell quite a few of the Revere Ware vintage pressure cooker gaskets.

Occasionally, we get complaints that the gaskets don’t seal properly. Here is a checklist of things to try before you consider returning the gasket to us.

Is the gasket installed correctly

Due to how they are manufactures, the gaskets come to us inside out, and that is how we ship them. Inside out means the notched side, which matches up with the lip in the lid, is on the inside (but needs to be on the outside). So the first step is to make sure the gasket is right-side out.

It is essential that the notch in the gasket site below the lip of the lid. Here are some useful graphics:

(Note that if you are having trouble getting the gasket installed, and it seems almost too big, try soaking it in some hot water to make it more pliable.)

Is the pressure cooker warped

If your pressure cooker is warped, the top can be out of round. This will cause steam to escape in certain spots around the rim of the lid.

Use a ruler or tape measure to measure across the top of the pressure cooker pot as close to across the center as you can. Measure in a few different spots. Each measurement should be exactly the same. If it is off, even by as little as 1/8 of an inch, your pressure cooker is warped and likely won’t seal well.

Note that as silicone ages, it swells. Old gaskets can sometimes work on a warped pressure cooker while a new one won’t. Your old gasket might be hiding the problem that isn’t apparent until you try a new gasket.

Is the gasket defective

Closely inspect the parts of the gasket that come into contact with the lid. Are there some injection molding artifacts hanging off of it? If so, try to gently pull them off. Are there any divots in the gasket? If so, this is a defect and could cause leaking. Let us know and we will replace it.

Has the latch metal bent?

The lid has a metal hook piece at the front underside of the handle. If this metal has gotten bent outward, it won’t apply enough downward pressure on the lid and thus the gasket. This could cause leaking. These pictures show this latch metal:

If you press the two handles together and the leak stops, this could be the problem. We’ve never tried it, but presumably you can try to bend it back down so the lid sits tighter when latched.

None of the above is true but it still leaks

If it is correctly positioned, your pressure cooker is not warped, and the gasket is not defective, there are still a couple of things you can try.

The first is to apply a thin coat of vegetable oil to the gasket before you put it in the lid. Oil will cause the gasket to swell slightly.

Second, you can try some silicone lubricant, like this type from Amazon.com.

The product listing does seem to indicate that this lubricant is food grade.

Fake web store?

By RevereWareParts on June 14, 2017 in Amazon, Ebay, Parts, RevereWareParts.com, Small business

Plenty of our parts are available on eBay, as we recently mentioned. Most appear to be parts that were likely obtained through us, or through our store front on Amazon.com, and are simply being resold (at a higher price). So we aren’t totally shocked that other people are selling our parts.

But we recently found a site that lists all our parts, at substantially higher prices

They list a lot of other kitchen related items as well.

Given that we don’t currently sell wholesale, and those are clearly our stock pictures, it seems unlikely that they are fulfilling from inventory. That leaves a couple of options.

Our first thought is that it is a completely fake store and they will just harvest your credit card number and keep your money.

Our second thought is that, it is just a storefront sitting on top of Amazon.com fulfillment. If they simply order the parts through Amazon and have it directly shipped to the end-customer, they don’t have to carry inventory for any of the items they are listing. So far, we haven’t been brave enough to try purchasing something to see if it arrives in an Amazon box. But if someone is willing to try, we’ve love to see what happens.

The store looks pretty fake, as do the reviews. It all looks as if someone tried to make it look like a legitimate store, but didn’t quite succeed.

Their contact page lists a German address and an emails: [email protected]. When I go to the tsc-retail page, it is a fancy presentation with text overlay talking about bringing the world closer together through retail … and the video shorts are of Seattle. Hmm.

In any event, just a word of caution: We are the only folks that make these Revere Ware replacement parts presently. We sell them through this site, and on Amazon.com. The items we’ve seen for sale on eBay appear to be legitimate second market items. But I would stay away form any other outlets (and the prices are much higher anyways).

Our parts on eBay

By RevereWareParts on May 31, 2017 in Ebay, Parts

It amazes us how many of our new parts make it on to eBay for resale, complete with all of our stock pictures and our product description verbatim from our website. Since we don’t sell wholesale to others, we assume these are just parts that people have purchased and decided they no longer needed. This must mean we are in the mainstream now.