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Vintage Revere Ware: Cleaning and Restoration

My Everyday Revere Ware - rescued and restored to useMy Everyday Revere Ware - rescued and restored to useWhat's a good way to restore the shine to vintage stainless steel and copper-bottomed Mid-Century cookware?  

 

On a quest to find the best of the best ideas and resources for maintaining your own collection of pre-1968 Revere Ware?  

 

Here are my suggestions based on my own experimentation over the last year of various cleaners and methods as I've bought, restored and sold Revere Ware on eBay.

 

 

Best Commercial Powder Cleaner

Bar Keeper's Friend?  Well, yes, of course.  But there is something much better - especially for Revere Ware's copper-bottoms: Bar Keeper's Friend Cookware Cleanser and Polish Powder  

  • A little goes a long way
  • Safe to use on high shine stainless and copper
  • Removes food stains and carbon build up
  • Restores oxidized copper to a gleaming finish with the lightest effort

Best Home Remedy for New and Recent Oil Burns and Persistant Stains

Here's a surprise: Cream of Tartar 

  • Stains vanish under your dampened thumb dipped in Cream of Tartar
  • Removes melted plastic bag from stainless steel
  • Baked on fat melts away using little to no pressure

Best Commercial Sponge Scrubber

Stay away from those yellow sponges with the green pads.  They'll ruin destroy your Revere Ware for life.  And forget about those wiry "Brillo Pads" altogether.  If you're serious about taking care of your Vintage Revere Ware, keep a good supply of Sponge Daddy Scratch Free Supersoft Absorbant Sponges on hand.

  • The "Resofoam" sponge is super absorbant, and the bonded "Flextexture" layer powers away oily baked on grime without damaging the integrity of the stainless steel and copper layers
  • The "Flextexture" softens under hot water, and hardens under cold water, allowing you control in tackling the hardest cleaning jobs

Best Commercial Drying and Shining Cloths

Don't let water stains and streaks spoil your hard work.  For a streak-free shine and gleaming copper-bottoms, keep a supply of Zwipes Microfiber Weave Kitchen Dish Towels on hand.

  • These super absorbant towels are big enough to handle the largest piece of Revere Ware
  • The microfiber leaves a highly-polished, streak-free shine on your stainless steel

Well, that's all I have for now.  I'm hoping other Revere Ware enthusiasts will share their own tested remedies, or perhaps you might share how your pots, pans and kettles turned out using the merthods I've shared.  You can see the fruit of my restoration labors here.

 

 

 

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Vintage Revere Ware: Cleaning and Restoration

Thank you for the information about restoring (and maintaining) copper-bottomed Revere Ware. I "inherited" my grandmother's Bakelite-handled pots & pans and have always used it to cook with and have sung its praises to anyone who would listen. The Bakelite hasn't held up well on a couple of pieces but it doesn't matter to me. Very well-researched and written article. 🙂 

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Vintage Revere Ware: Cleaning and Restoration


@daintydorothydoll wrote:

Thank you for the information about restoring (and maintaining) copper-bottomed Revere Ware. I "inherited" my grandmother's Bakelite-handled pots & pans and have always used it to cook with and have sung its praises to anyone who would listen. The Bakelite hasn't held up well on a couple of pieces but it doesn't matter to me. Very well-researched and written article. 🙂 


 

IMG_1288.JPG

 

Thanks daintydorothydoll!  There really is nothing better than a well-loved set of Revere Ware in the kitchen.   You mention the Bakelite hasn't "held up well" on some of your pieces.  Here are my thoughts and suggestions on restoring, maintaining and replacing Revere Ware Bakelite:

 

  • There's no way around it: Dishwashers destroy Mid-Century Bakelite.  The solution?  Hand wash your Revere Ware pieces, or remove the Bakelite before placing in the Dishwsher.


  • If the Bakelite is intact and performing well, try this method for restoring the appearance of the Bakelite:
    • Remove the Bakelite and give it a good long soak in soapy warm water.
    • Use a toothbrush to gently scrub the build up of grime and fat away.
    • Rinse and allow to dry
    • Apply a thin coat of Briwax or Murray's Black on the thirsty Bakelite and buff to a shine as if you were polishing a shoe.
  • If the Bakelite is chipped, fractured or missing, buy an inexpensive replacement from
    Revere Ware Parts for a perfect fit.
    • Resell any useful Bakelite pieces - including the screws, rings and nuts - on Ebay.
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Vintage Revere Ware: Cleaning and Restoration

Thank you SO much for that info! One of the handles is half-missing but I understand now how to get a replacemnt part. It NEVER occurred to me to look on eBay because I figured I was the only one still cooking with my "old" stuff and appreciating it. I am excited to get my Revere Ware all shined up! That stuff was made to last.  

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Vintage Revere Ware: Cleaning and Restoration

P.S. My Revere Ware is pre-WWII. 🙂

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Vintage Revere Ware: Cleaning and Restoration

Best wishes for a good restoration, daintydorothydoll!
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Vintage Revere Ware: Cleaning and Restoration

Thank you for all your help.

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Vintage Revere Ware: Cleaning and Restoration

What do you think the following method would do to vintage Revere Ware?

- use 180 grit sand paper, then 360 grit paper, then final shine with steel wool -

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Vintage Revere Ware: Cleaning and Restoration

As a general method, I think 180 grit sand paper, then 360 grit sand paper might be too aggressive and may result in accelerated copper loss and / or damage to the Revere Ware hallmark. Perhaps 1000 grit to 1,500 wet dry sand paper might work, but only if you worked under a constant stream of water. I'd test this out on a damaged pot before working on a beloved pot. Best of luck, and please let me know your findings!
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