No, seriously. I went out into the garage today to put up a couple of things, and there was this bizarre odor. Well, bizarre for my garage. Normally it smells like paint, but today it just smelled weird. I couldn't figure it out. I would've called in the hubby to consult, but he has virtually no sense of smell. So I start wandering around the studio, trying to figure out what it is, when I notice something very alarming.
Yes, the alarming thing was the source of the odd and fairly noxious odor.
My pickle pot was not only still plugged in, but still on. Now, for those of you who are envisioning a pot of pickles, and wondering why I would feel the need to electrocute them, let me explain. Pickle is an acid used in jewelry making to clean oxidation off of non ferrous metals. Generally speaking it works better hot, so most jewelry studios contain a crock pot (or fancy schamnchy pickle pot). Any of you who have taken jewelry classes will immediately understand my horror when I realized it had been on since Wednesday.
See, it might be acid, but it's still liquid, which means it will boil away. Add to that the fact that I had my small parts dipper in there (a film canister on a wire with some holes drilled it in, so I didn't have to dig for itty bitty parts), and it was no wonder my garage smelled.
Behold! It looks like it's bubbling, but it's solid as a rock.
Not only had all the pickle boiled off, but my small parts dipper had melted. Those wires, connected to that little piece of plastic? Yeah, that's what was left. It's a bloody miracle my house didn't burn down. This brings us to the second subject for today: The awesomeness of crock pots.
The actual heating part of it took little to no damage. There's a little bit eaten away around the rim, and some drips down the side, but that's honestly from regular use (and poor cleaning habits).
The crock, on the other hand, well, I got most of it out.
This is after liberally hosing it down, scrubbing with bar keeper's friend, and using a Mr. Clean bathroom scrubber on it.
I don't think the crock will ever be safe to use again, mostly because of the crispy bits of plastic that appear to have melted into it. I might find a use for the heating part of it, though (I'm thinking melting wax for candle making). Still, it will totally hold water, with no apparent cracks. I think it's also worth sharing the chunks of plastic the hose loosened up.
The lid was murky, but usable. At the top it looks like my small container got cut off in the photo. Not really.
I think this is really a testament to the safety of a slow cooker. I was always a bit nervous about leaving them plugged in and then leaving the house, but this bad boy stayed plugged in for like three days--with melting plastic in it--and nothing happened. Of course, this is also an object lesson in why you should always unplug your pickle pot when you finish for the day.
The really terrifying thing, though, was that there was a pair of earrings in it when this happened (they were in the small parts thinggy). They're in that last picture. Guess which blob they are?
It was this one.
Definitely not what I'd planned on when I put them in there. I was hoping for shiny and white, not covered in brown sticky goo. Fortunately, a little bot of work and a new pair of hooks put them better than before.
I cannot do their shininess justice. But you could go blind.
My current plan is to sell them at the Spring Carnival at my husband's shop, but if no one buys them I may keep them for me.
So to recap: Avoid leaving your pickle pot on for extended periods of time. Don't leave plastic in it if you do. This ended well for me, but I could have blackened scorch marks on my garage wall right now (or worse) if it hadn't. Be safe, not stupid.
Also, crock pot makes astoundingly safe and sturdy products. If I had the patience and the scrubby pads, I bet I could get that thing usable for pickle again. They have my endorsement. (Not that I am encouraging you to use crock pots for purposes other than which they are designed. I would never take on the liability for that.)
Be safe, kids!
Next time: Linda's Suburban Guide To Cycling or Boobs! It depends on whether or not I can get pictures taken for my cycling guide.
I would totally buy those! Not just 'cause they're pretty, but they've had *adventures*...
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