How do I clean the black oxidation from my KA beaters and keep it from returning?

Hi DENISE, by the symptoms you describe it appears that it’s time to adjust your mixer’s Beater to Bowl Clearance adjustment screw, or head locking mechanism (or a component) of it is worn or loosened due to normal wear and tear and needs to be readjusted (or repaired) to keep your mixer head stationery and level.
The instructions for adjusting your beater to bowl clearance are located in your Owners Manual. If you don’t have the original manual you can easily download a PDF version of your Owners Manual from the KA website: (http://www.kitchenaid.com/flash.cmd?/#/page/home).
Click on Customer Care>Locate Manuals& Guides> and enter the 6 character model number, in your case KSM150 and select the file listed for your model that appears under Owners Manuals (66) KSM150PSER1.pdf (732.33 KB) and save that file to your PC. Turn to Page 14 and you will find the instructions for adjusting the mixer head height.
But to save you some time, I have extracted the instructions below:
Beater to Bowl Clearance
Your mixer is adjusted at the factory so that the flat beater just clears the bottom of the bowl. If for any reason, the flat beater hits the bottom of the bowl or is too far away from the bowl, clearance
Tilt-Head models
• Unplug mixer.
• Lift motor head.

• Turn screw (A) SLIGHTLY counter clockwise (left) to raise flat beater or clockwise (right) to lower flat beater.
• Make adjustment with flat beater, so it just clears surface of bowl.
If you over adjust the screw, the bowl lock lever may not lock into place.
If the above doesn’t correct your problem, then you need to look at the Link & Lever Latch assembly. If you don’t have your parts list manual, select the file KSM150PSWH0.pdf (773.44 KB) listed under the Parts List Manual (61).
The manual provides an exploded view for the disassembly and reassembly of your mixer, along with all the part names and numbers. Turn to page5, titled: Base and Pedestal Unit. You’ll want to focus on Illus. #11, Link & Lever Latch assembly, and the related components, which locks the mixer head to the pedestal when you run the mixer. Check to see if something is just loose, exceedingly worn or broken. If something has broken, you can order replacement parts and install yourself.
Here are five potential vendors in no particular order: RepairClinic.com; mendingshed.com; searspartsdirect.com; partstore.com; and Grainger.com. Prices can vary widely between vendors, so do your comparison shopping.
Also, while your mixer is apart it would be ideal to check for any other unseemly wear and tear on the gears, etc. It can be messy but quite gratifying to diagnose and repair your KA mixer yourself.
Finally, here are some links to several excellent websites that detail the disassembling/reassembly of a KA Mixer.

• http://www.artisanbreadbaking.com/discussions/kitchen-aid.htm
• http://www.neilcrockett.com/mixer.htm
• http://www.foodonthefood.com/food_on_the_food/2009/04/how-to-repair-a-kitchenaid-mixer-yourself.html

Between these three websites and their excellent pictures and descriptions and your Parts List manual, you should now be able to completely disassemble, repair, and reassemble your mixer.
Finally, if you feel this is beyond your capabilities and will be too difficult to do by yourself you can take your mixer to a local small appliance repair shop and have them troubleshoot and fix your mixer. KA Customer Care can provide you with the name and phone # of the closest authorized KA repair shop in your area or you can do a Online web search, but be sure to get at least three estimates before deciding to commit to one repair shop.
Good luck. I hope this helps. Howard, Burke, VA
If this solution has helped you, please rate it, thanks! – hslincoln

Hi, LAHR, by the symptoms you describe it appears that it’s time to adjust your mixer’s "Beater to Bowl Clearance" adjustment screw, which should be a pretty easy to do by yourself.
The instructions for adjusting your beater to bowl clearance are located in your Owners Manual. If you don’t have the original manual you can easily download a PDF version of it from the KA website: (http://www.kitchenaid.com/flash.cmd?/#/page/home).
Click on Customer Care>Locate Manuals& Guides> and enter the 6 character model number, in your case KSM150 and select the file listed for your model that appears under Owners Manuals (66) KSM150PSER1.pdf (732.33 KB) and save that file to your PC. Turn to Page 14 and you will find the instructions for adjusting the mixer head height.
But to save you some time, I have extracted the instructions below:
Beater to Bowl Clearance
Your mixer is adjusted at the factory so that the flat beater just clears the bottom of the bowl. If for any reason, the flat beater hits the bottom of the bowl or is too far away from the bowl, clearance
Tilt-Head models
• Unplug mixer.
• Lift motor head.

• Turn screw (A) SLIGHTLY counter clockwise (left) to raise flat beater or clockwise (right) to lower flat beater.
• Make adjustment with flat beater, so it just clears surface of bowl.
If you over adjust the screw, the bowl lock lever may not lock into place.
I hope this helps! – Howard, Burke, VA
If this solution has helped you, please rate it, thanks! - hslincoln

Hi VBPROSANDY, When you say beater, I assume you mean your flat beater. Are you having the same problem with your Wire Whip beater and dough hook? If you are not, then the first thing I’d do is look inside the flat beater’s attachment well, to see that there is nothing; i.e. hardened food, dough or batter, in the bottom of it that would prevent the agitator shaft and groove pin from seating properly. The flat beater has two drain holes at the bottom for drainage, but if these get plugged it may prevent accumulated ‘gunk’ at the bottom from escaping, and over time the buildup may prevent the beater from seating properly.
If you find the beater attachment well is clean, then from the KA Instruction manual, to attach the flat beater...
1. Slide speed control to OFF and unplug.
2. Slip flat beater on beater shaft.
3. Turn beater to left, hooking beater over the pin on shaft.
Finally, check the groove pin on the agitator shaft to make sure it hasn’t become bent so that it doesn’t fit the beater properly. Pins shouldn’t bend, but sometimes they do.
The beater attachment process should not require any effort as the agitator shaft should easily fit into the beater’s attachment well and easily turn to the left. Your planetary should not move during this process and if it does move it will take some effort on your part to turn it. The fact that you’re turning the planetary means you’ve turned the beater as far to the left as it should go to ‘lock’ it. When you get this far, let go and the beater should fall into place on the groove pin.
Good luck. I hope this helps. Howard, Burke, VA
If this solution has been helpful, please rate it, thanks! - hslincoln

Hi TH1754, you don?t mention your KA mixer model, but you can easily download a PDF version of your Owners Manual from the KA website: (http://www.kitchenaid.com/flash.cmd?/#/page/home). Click on Customer Care>Locate Manuals& Guides> and enter the 6 character model number (for this example, I?ve used a KSM90P mixer) and select the last file listed that appears under Owners Manuals: KSM90PSWW0.pdf (2930.74 KB) and save that file to your PC. You?ll need to have Adobe Reader to be able to open it. Turn to Page 11 and you will find the instructions for adjusting the mixer head height. I have extracted the instructions below: Beater to Bowl Clearance Your mixer is adjusted at the factory so that the flat beater just clears the bottom of the bowl. If for any reason, the flat beater hits the bottom of the bowl or is too far away from the bowl, clearance Tilt-Head models ? Unplug mixer. ? Lift motor head. ? Turn screw (A) SLIGHTLY counter clockwise (left) to raise flat beater or clockwise (right) to lower flat beater. ? Make adjustment with flat beater, so it just clears surface of bowl. If you over adjust the screw, the bowl lock lever may not lock into place. I hope this helps! ?Howard, Burke, VA If this solution has helped you, please rate it, thanks! - hslincoln

JOE:You don’t say if you have a ‘tilt-head’or a ‘bowl-lift' mixer, but you can easily download a PDF version of your Owners Manual from the KA website (http://www.kitchenaid.com/flash.cmd?/#/page/home).Click on Customer Care>Locate Manuals& Guides> and enter the 6 character model number (in your case, use KSM90P)and select the last file listed that appear under Owners Manuals:KSM90PSWW0.pdf (2930.74 KB)and save that file to your PC.You’ll need to have Adobe Reader to be able to open it. Turn to Page 11 and you will find the instructions for adjusting the mixer head height.I have extracted the instructions below:
Beater to Bowl Clearance
Your mixer is adjusted at the factory so that the flat beaterjust clears the bottom of the bowl. If for any reason, the flat beater hits thebottom of the bowl or is too far away from the bowl, clearance

Tilt-Head models
• Unplug mixer.
• Lift motor head.

• Turn screw (A) SLIGHTLY counter clockwise (left) to raise flat beater or clockwise (right) to lower flat beater.
• Make adjustment with flat beater, so it just clears surface of bowl.
If you over adjust the screw, the bowl lock lever may not lock into place.


Bowl-Lift models
• Unplug mixer.
• Place bowl lift handle in down position.

• Turn screw (B) SLIGHTLY counter clockwise (left) to raise flat beater and clockwise (right) to lower flat beater.
•Make adjustments with flat beater, so it just clears surface of bowl.

I hope this helps! –Howard, Burke, VA
If this solution has helped you, please rate it, thanks!.hslincoln

This sounds like an issue of beater to bowl adjustment, which can come out of alignment naturally over time and with use of the machine.

If the flat beater is striking the bottom of your bowl, this may cause the locking mechanism to loosen and may cause the mixing head to "bounce" during use.

Your Use and Care Guide will cover the "beater to bowl adjustment," which you can do at home in a few minutes with a flathead screwdriver.

This sounds like an issue of beater to bowl adjustment, which can come out of alignment naturally over time and with use of the machine.

If the flat beater is striking the bottom of your bowl, this may cause the locking mechanism to loosen and may cause the mixing head to "bounce" during use.

Your Use and Care Guide will cover the "beater to bowl adjustment," which you can do at home in a few minutes with a flathead screwdriver.

Aluminum tends to oxide when its washed under harsh dishwasher detergents. I use Palmolive oxy dish soap (blue bottle) just by trial and error. Put some on a sponge/ (non-metal) scouring pad, and scrub the attachment, it will take off the majority of the gunk that's rubbing off and after a few times of cleaning it, it'll get back to its aluminum luster. Easy remedy to clean your dough hook -- or any other aluminum item.

If it's just the wire beater attachment, then it's possible it's oxidation from the metal/aluminum. Did you put it in the dishwasher? The manual says not to put the wire beater in the dishwasher. Hope that helps.

the problem is where the pin on the beater shaft locks into the hook may be wearing down or the hook itself.when you put the hook on see if you get alot of play in the hook (wiggle it and if it feels really loose its worn).its still safe to use but eventually (and this may be quite sometime) the pin may break off the beater shaft.you would then have to replace the pin and hook.