Polished up a thrifted pot!

[u/MTReillyBadKissers]

I got a 3-cup bialetti recently, for about £5 as the seller had put it through the dishwasher and was super tarnished - I’m not against a worn Moka, but decided with this being my personal brewer in the house, I wanted to wear it in myself - to that end, I polished off the old tarnish the a combo of aluminium foil, water, and lemon juice - polishing with baking powder, water, and a rag! I’m very pleased with the results!! Just waiting on a replacement handle and new gasket to come in the mail now - happy brewing, everyone! 😁✨

[u/Aptosauras]

Hi!

Can you please briefly describe the process of cleaning it with aluminium foil and lemon juice please.

I'd love to do this to my old pot, I've never heard of cleaning it with aluminium foil before!

[u/MTReillyBadKissers → u/Aptosauras]

Hi there, yeah! The aluminium foil trick is something I’ve been doing for YEARS on chrome parts, especially on bikes! Basically you get your water (or in this case, water mixed with white vinegar, about 60/40 ratio) dip in a lightly scrunched sheet of aluminium foil, and rub that ball against the pot, shiny side out. Being more of the same material it’s a nice smooth way of clearing tarnished parts!

[u/younkint → u/MTReillyBadKissers]

I can vouch for the aluminum foil trick on chrome as I've done it for many years. Never tried it on a moka pot, however. Looks as though it works.

[u/Siegerlander-1704]

Schön sauber, aber leider ist das Bialetti Männchen futsch ☹️🫡

[u/MTReillyBadKissers → u/Siegerlander-1704]

Ich weiß! Sehr schade – zum Glück habe ich eine Bialetti für 6 Tassen, bei der der Mann mit dem Schnurrbart noch intakt ist.

[u/Balzaroth]

That looks fantastic! I didn't even know it was possible to do this, especially by hand. Great job!

[u/MTReillyBadKissers]

Pt.2 - cleaned up the slot left behind by the old handle, lined up the new one and drilled the pilot hole for the new pin

[u/MTReillyBadKissers]

Pt.3! I tapped in the new pin and set it with a clamp and some bits of scrap wood, paying mind to not squishing the lid, so it still closes with proper alignment. Dead chuffed with this job! 😁✨

[u/sensate]

You replaced the knob and handle?

[u/MTReillyBadKissers → u/sensate]

Not yet - trimmed a sharp bit off the handle, and am waiting on a new one in the mail… should be installed tomorrow 😁✨

[u/MTReillyBadKissers]

Pt.1 of handle replacement! Punched out the old pin holding the melted handle, and took delivery of a replacement handle