kenwood food mixer repair/restoration

[MiataMark]

If you're following my MX5 thread you'll be aware that I've been having a few car (non MX5) woes recently and added to that our food mixer gave up the ghost which has seriously affected the supply of cakes!

Some history I gave the mixer, a Kenwood chef, to my wife for Christmas before we got married so it's about 35 years old. Yes a sexist guift but that's what she wanted, I did buy her some other things but they could be considered even more sexist...

It's given sterling service over the years but over the last few years it has started running slow, getting hot and smoking etc. Finally a couple of weeks ago it stopped completely. My wife has been wanting to buy a newer version, at ~£300 compared to the £75 I paid all those years ago, but the money for it keeps getting spent on car repairs. So I did a bit of online research and saw that there were some common problems and repair kits were available, so not much to lose lets see if I can repair it.

Ordered a repair kit, motor brushes, control board components (capacitors, resistor and Triac as they blow up). Took a look at the control board and it's obvious that the capacitors have blown.

The mixer



Motor removed



That will be one reason it's not working, not much of the brushes left



Everything inside the motor housing is covered in black carbon residue, had to resort to wearing gloves.

Then onto the motor board, which is difficult to get at the back. I un-soldered the main switch and in doing so melted it. The repair kit supplier said that it's not necessary.






I got engrossed with soldering etc, even dug out my old de-soldering tool and forgot to take pictures.

With new components, capacitors, resistor and triac (I even put thermal paste on the Triac)...



Quick bench test with switch bypassed (I have video but it's not uploaded anywhere).

The switch I need a replacement for, they are available on eBay.



More when I get the switch and reassemble.

[pegwie]

Lower it on some nice wheels and you'll be away! Will shift when the motor is sorted out

[Rasc]

Did the more sexist gifts last as long as the Kenwood?

[07lilredwagon]

save it!

old mixers, or any appliance worth its salt are hard to find....nothing lasts anymore!

I would imagine it was the brushes that caused all this. (sorry, I didnt read the beginning of the story in the other thread)

good save

JP

[MiataMark]

Feb 3, 2018 13:51:35 GMT Rasc said:

Did the more sexist gifts last as long as the Kenwood?

No unfortunately.

[MiataMark]

Feb 3, 2018 14:05:40 GMT 07lilredwagon said:

save it!

old mixers, or any appliance worth its salt are hard to find....nothing lasts anymore!

I would imagine it was the brushes that caused all this. (sorry, I didnt read the beginning of the story in the other thread)

good save

JP

I try not to throw things out, note the 40 year old NAD 3020 in the background still being used.

[stevieclj]

Had 3, yes three, of these.

One blew up, so we utilised it for parts to keep the other 2 going. Fantastic mixers, well worth their money and with the range of attachments available from mincers to dough hooks and almost everything in between, how can any kitchen be without one?

[igor]

We have a Kenwood mixer that my wife's parents had for several decades. It has a few issues so hasn't been used for a while but I'm sure it could be repaired if we could get the parts.
We also have a McAlpine Prestcold fridge from the 1950s that is still in good working order.
I doubt that today's new appliances will last even half as long as these old dinosaurs have.

[MiataMark]

Feb 4, 2018 0:10:16 GMT igor said:

We have a Kenwood mixer that my wife's parents had for several decades. It has a few issues so hasn't been used for a while but I'm sure it could be repaired if we could get the parts.

There are loads of places selling repair kits, I got mine from here;

stores.ebay.co.uk/Lanas-Kenwood-Spares?_trksid=p2047675.l2563

[igor]

Think the issues our one has are mostly mechanical rather than electrical. Could perhaps be worth a look still I suppose.

[MiataMark]

I'm sure you've all been waiting for an update, I've certainly been waiting for cake making to resume...

After melting the switch I had to wait for another one to arrive, seen here next to the motor;




I didn't want to get a soldering iron any where near it so decided to use crimp connectors (I also added some heat-shrink over the wires), this image is during bench testing stage.



35 years of cake making gunge...



The motor gearbox with new belt



and in use, the bit that stops the top hinging up is temperamental hence hand, if it's all OK after a few weeks I'll do some further repairs.



Now to convince the wife that the £300 I've saved from having to buy a new one can be spent on the MX5

Especially for georgeb note the Hello Kitty calculator.

[ivangt6]

Theres one very similar to this for sale near me
www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1981919438714350

[shampooefficient]

Looks like something you'd see in the background of London's Burning... or my grandma's kitchen. Brilliant work!

[comfortablynumb]

Do you happen to know if its possible to modify these to a slower start?
Whenever I'm making something the start is so violent it throws half the ingredients out of the bowl.

I can't believe I'm talking about modifying mixers!

[shampooefficient]

Feb 13, 2018 17:52:37 GMT comfortablynumb said:

Do you happen to know if its possible to modify these to a slower start?
Whenever I'm making something the start is so violent it throws half the ingredients out of the bowl.

I can't believe I'm talking about modifying mixers!

Put a turbo on it. The lag will give you the desired effect.

[MiataMark]

Feb 13, 2018 17:52:37 GMT comfortablynumb said:

Do you happen to know if its possible to modify these to a slower start?
Whenever I'm making something the start is so violent it throws half the ingredients out of the bowl.

I can't believe I'm talking about modifying mixers!

No idea but that might be a symptom of the control board starting to go bad.

[dodgerover]

Feb 13, 2018 17:52:37 GMT comfortablynumb said:

Do you happen to know if its possible to modify these to a slower start?
Whenever I'm making something the start is so violent it throws half the ingredients out of the bowl.

I can't believe I'm talking about modifying mixers!

As standard they have a very low speed start, something amiss with yours.

[melle]

Designed by Sir Kenneth Grange, the greatest living British designer if you ask me. Great you keep it going.

[comfortablynumb]

Feb 13, 2018 22:06:02 GMT dodgerover said:

Feb 13, 2018 17:52:37 GMT comfortablynumb said:

Do you happen to know if its possible to modify these to a slower start?
Whenever I'm making something the start is so violent it throws half the ingredients out of the bowl.

I can't believe I'm talking about modifying mixers!

As standard they have a very low speed start, something amiss with yours.

I know the newer ones do, but this is quite an old model, and deals in either off or fairly rapid! I've even started turning it on whilst the top is raised, so i can slowly lower it into said cake mix!

[merryck]

Ah perfect, got one of these at the restaurant that went pop, been meaning to fix it!

Reckon it needs some airbrush work done on it, maybe some flames.