If you give Karen a KitchenAid...

My mom gave me her old, almond KitchenAid a couple years ago when she got a new, bigger, red one. I anticipated having to replace a gear in it right away but it has run like a champ until it recently started making a noticeable noise. We ordered the worm gear and some replacement grease, studied tutorials online for changing the gear and were confident we could do it. And yes, I use the term "we" very loosely.

But, if you give me an almond KitchenAid, which needs a gear replaced, I am going to decide that it shouldn't remain almond, but should be painted while it is taken apart. Even though my husband said if I didn't like the color, maybe I should be shopping for one in a color I prefer. Nah. That'd be too easy, don't you think?

And if I'm going to paint it, I'm going to start dreaming of a custom paint job. Think of the color possibilities if the bump shop painted it for me. Imagine metallic candy apple red. Wouldn't that be beautiful? I called to ask about it. I had to carry it in for them to look at in order to give me a quote, so I did. Their guess was $100, just for the paint, with labor tacking on a bit more. Adding that to the price of the gear, grease, and shipping, Clarence's idea of buying new was starting to make more sense. The guy at the bump shop told me he was sure the appliance paint I was also considering, while nowhere near as durable as the paint job he could do, would be quite adequate for the usage the mixer would see. For $5 or so a can, I decided it was worth a try.

I washed each piece thoroughly, sanded with fine grit sandpaper to rough up the finish (and also to smooth out a chip or two), washed it again and made sure it was absolutely dry.



My ever-patient husband rigged up something to hold the top and suggested foam ear plugs to plug the holes in the sides when I wondered aloud how I would possibly tape them effectively. He also mentioned using aluminum foil to cover the back of the motor, so I used it for that and a couple other areas I couldn't just tape.

An old pegboard and a picket fence section worked to keep other pieces lifted off the table for easier painting.

Once I got it painted, Clarence reassembled it. It didn't work at first but he was able to troubleshoot the problems and resolve them (the biggest problem being that I reinserted the things on the side of the motor incorrectly. Sigh. I was just trying to help by doing what I could. Next time, I'll leave it to the expert).

Here it is!

It was a time consuming process, with some very frustrating moments, especially for Clarence, but it is possible to not only repair a KitchenAid yourself but also to give it a fresh paint job.