Restoring a Tarnished 1940's Flour Sifter

Описание: This Bromwell 3 cup flour sifter design was patented in 1930. This particular sifter was likely produced in the 1930’s or 1940’s. It belonged to my girlfriend’s grandmother. It still worked for its intended purpose, but the metal was severely tarnished, the wooden knob heavily faded from decades of use, and the metal sifting screen was starting to rust.

Sometimes they still make them exactly like they used to though! Bromwell has been making flour sifters and other utensils for over 150 years, and the design for their sifter has remained largely unchanged to this day.

Following this video to restore your own flour sifter? Here’s a few notes and tips:

Skip the flour/salt/vinegar cleaning and just go straight to removing the tarnish with a fine, soft Scotch-Brite pad (I used a gray one) and elbow grease (warm water or any metal polish compound). After removing the tarnish, you can polish/buff to a mirror shine with brown and blue polishing compound on a buffing wheel or just use any metal polish compound and soft cloth and polish it by hand. This particular model sifter is made of tin, which is a soft metal and easy to polish (but also easy to re-scratch). The sifting screen should pop out with a little push and you can clean that separately. I nickel plated the sifting screen to prevent it from rusting again (nickel does not rust). A simple tutorial to get you started on nickel plating:    • Electroplating - Easy DIY Nickel, Copper, ...  . Unfortunately, the manufacturing process of the arm/agitators does not let you remove them without severely bending them or cutting them out. I was worried about them breaking, even with heating them with a torch, so I opted to leave them in and clean around them as best I could. To repaint the wooden handle knob, be sure to use a non-toxic water-based paint so it will be food safe. I used a basic craft store acrylic paint. Then, seal it with dishwasher safe Mod Podge. Do not use a polyurethane, as it is not food safe. Some waxes are food safe but be sure to read all labels. Also note that Mod Podge requires 30 days to fully cure. Finally, reassemble and thoroughly rinse and dry everything with acetone and then warm, soapy water to remove any residue from polishing and buffing. Enjoy your like-new sifter!

Video timestamps:
0:00 – 1:04 Before/overview
1:05 – 3:00 Flour, salt, vinegar cleaning
3:01 – 4:14 Removing tarnish
4:15 – 4:53 Rust removal on mesh screen
4:54 – 6:05 Removing more tarnish
6:06 – 8:00 Prepping, painting, and sealing wood handle
8:01 – 9:46 Cleaning and nickel-plating mesh screen
9:47 – 9:55 Final polish
9:56 – 10:33 Before/After reveal
10:34 – 11:24 Testing
11:25 – 11:44 Thank you and subscribe!

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