Rayburn cleaning

[JoceAndChris]

Just been without heating or hot water for a few days - brrr! Anyway it's now fixed by the Rayburn man who's been coming here for 20 yrs, and he always says gruffly "sooted up", and spends about 2 hours cleaning it all up and getting it sorted. But he never cleans the outside. I've spent time on it over the years, but never achieved a good result. The top, which I suppose is black enamel (?) , has a lot of burnt on deposits, which don't really shift using the specialist Rayburn cleaner. The front, which is red, is very streaked from where I've sprayed a Mr Muscle bleachy kitchen spray, actually ruining its appearance. It's getting on for 30 yrs old but is there any way I can get it looking nice? Any cleaners I could use? Will take some piccies.

Many thanks for any ideas.

 

[angrybird]

Joce I have a black Rayburn and I use this its gentle and non smearing x
oh! another thought ... for the stubborn spills I use Astonish its in a blue tub its really cheap and cheerful but its marvelous at removing stubborn marks

 

[LadyArowana]

"Burnt on deposits" now we are talking about something I am quite familiar with. I had a Le Costly frypan that got black over most of the underside because a Thai person used it to cook goodness knows what over a period of about 3 years :evil: I started with a very old very blunt fruit paring knife and slid that very carefully over the surface like a scraper, working from the least black part to the dirtiest, and then I used a lot of those tough green scouring pads with just ordinary fairy liquid. It took quite a few sessions ( I would attack an edge every time I had to wash the thing ) and ruined a few fingernails, but it's fine now.

 

[CliffordPope]

Try letting paraffin soak in first.

 

[DJH]

Thin smear of Vaseline on the shiny surface after you've cleaned it. That' what we (the boss and I) used to recommend when we serviced Agas and Rayburns years ago. I expect there's something more modern nowadays.

Diug

 

[jocelyn plummer]

It is difficult with an elderly Rayburn or Aga, some cleaning materials may have been used that are very abrasive, and the enamel surface has become 'damaged' therefore splashes etc sink in rather than stay on top. The modern enamel cleaning agents mentioned, work well on a newer surface, and the parrafin tip is worth a try. If you do manage to get a reasonable surface then beeswax is good-- I used that on my Stanley cooker years ago, and it did form a good barrier. I always keep a damp eco mitt handy to mop up the surface of my dreaded Esse , straight away, likewise, when I had the euphoric joys of Aga cooking ( oh how I miss it). The only other way, Joce, wuld be to look into having the Rayburn re coated, probably a costa lotta and then you could compare that cost with getting a second hand AGA from the classy cooker website!!!!!!! Go on, you never know till you try!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[JoceAndChris]

Oh,thanks so much for all the helpful replies! That's just what's needed. I'll try the paraffin on the worst bits, and realised that I have the Rayburn chrome cleaner but not the Rayburn enamel cleaner, so that's probably where I'm going wrong. The blunt knife is a great idea, I've always found that to work well for paint chips etc. And I never knew they got presented with a cosmetic finish like Vaseline or wax, how interesting! I can just imagine that would really bring out a gleam on them. Vaseline is a very precious commodity here as it's used for so much chickeneering (don't even ask) but I've lots of wax kicking around so will try that if I get a good finish.

Anybody reading this know the price of re enamelling?

Envy Joss with the Aga experience, this Rayburn isn't any good for cooking at all. The poor thing has to do 9 big radiators miles away and all our hot water and can't manage a hot oven on top of that. It can cope with a stew but I'm not an organised stew type person.

I'd love a new Aga but when the time comes I'll need advice on what the best heating and cooking system is for the cottage, it's under heated with 9 rads, and the oil just devours useful money that could be spent elsewhere. I don't know what the answer is , I really don't. I'd like to be able to take a shower without needing the Rayburn to be on, for it all not to be so interlinked so maybe we need a good boiler and a cooking Aga?

A few pics so you see what I'm up against. Thanks again for taking the time to post.

I wouldn't have chosen to heat the house in this way or have chosen the horrid brown tiles that all went up in the 80s but it is an improvement on what was there in the 70s!

 

[DJH]

A bit of vinegar might work around the hinges Joce but notwithstanding what else you use your Vaseline for :roll: I'd go for that before wax. Anyway, if the chickens have Vaseline on them it'll save finding a cloth to apply it. :lol: :lol:
Cluck cluck squawk :roll: :roll:

Doug

PS We've got a one-eyed hen called Rosemary who is coming up for six years old now. She's broody for about 3 months at a time and when she's finished has no feathers around her backside so she wouldn't be any good for applying Vaseline to anything.........

 

[skier-hughes]

We have solar DHW for the spring summer autumn months and fire with back boiler for winter, this supplies both hot water and heating.
The Rayburn I have drained of water as couldn't get it to work properly with a very hot tank, so it is turned on in the winter to warm the kitchen, dry the clothes, do cooking and keep Abi happy

 

[jocelyn plummer]

I would go for a three oven electric Aga that just does the cooking for you and keeps the area around a very pleasant ambient warmth--but obviously that must remain a dream for a while Joce--grim isn't it!

 

[DJH]

Hmm. Joce, how do you get to have 6 pictures in your posting. I'm only allowed 3. :?

Doug

 

[PeterI]

Hmm. Joce, how do you get to have 6 pictures in your posting. I'm only allowed 3. :?

Doug

Joce is using photobucket to host the pictures rather than uploading as attachments I think.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Yes, that's right. Never figured out the clever uploading of attachments.

Right, Vaseline then, that's what I want for Christmas, a barrel full. ( I use it mainly to smother mites in cracks) Rosemary sounds like a top bird, wish they wouldn't sit like that though. Sukey lost a toe to mites last summer in her broody period.

Thanks to Graham and Joss for ideas on heating, that all sounds good. Yes, a dream right now with no pot of money to spend, and Chris losing his job too. We'll have to see if the house that he inherited ( which has just been vacated by the brother, after 5 yrs!! ) really is sold next year, and what can be afforded from that. But I do wonder if every year the oil fee wouldn't go substantially towards a cheaper form of heating. Wood is free for us.

 

[DJH]

Photo bucket?? I've got a coal bucket, a well bucket,some more buckets but no photo bucket.

How does that work then?

Doug

 

[LadyArowana]

Photo bucket?? I've got a coal bucket, a well bucket,some more buckets but no photo bucket.

How does that work then?

Doug

I don't use it myself....

http://beta.photobucket.com/

 

[DJH]

Ah ha. Like Picassa then? Got that but don't use it any more since I got over my Blogging fad.