> Our Custom 14 FP has been a reliable workhorse for about 5
> years. A little over a year ago, the original metal blade
> developed cracks that eventually caused it to lose grip on the
> shaft. I picked up a new blade and away we went again. The
> shaft doesn't appear excessively worn, and when you put the
> blade on and rock it back and forth quickly there isn't a lot
> of excess slop to the fit; it feels pretty much like it always
> has, I believe.
>
> It has worked perfectly until a couple of months ago. Now,
> after mixing up a batch of dough or something else where the
> bowl is fairly full, it is literally impossible to remove the
> bowl up off the unit. This is under normal mix time usage; no
> overheating going on here. Now I have to unload it with a
> spoon or some such, until mostly empty, and then if I pulse
> the blade a few times, it "lets go" and allows me to remove
> the bowl. Even grabbing the blade's plastic collar and
> pulling up will not get it off, nor will forcing the bowl up
> with palms slid under each edge below. It almost seems that
> it becomes slightly wedged onto the shaft, even though there
> doesn't appear to be anywhere near the slop in the fit that I
> would think would be required for this to be happening.
>
> I've been avoiding the dishwasher for the blade, thinking the
> heat was probably the cause of the original blade's
> cracking... but even running it through the dishwasher again,
> thinking perhaps it wasn't clean and was sticking somehow,
> makes no difference. I've filled the blade shaft area with
> rubbing alcohol and scrubbed all around in there to be certain
> there was no foreign material possibly causing the problem.
> And since the blade is only about a year old, I guess it has
> to be something going on with the shaft but I understand there
> are no parts available for these things, so I'm hoping someone
> out there has an "oh, yeah" on this. If not, it's probably
> down to the Kitchen Aid store for a more dependable unit, much
> as I hate to abandon the old trusty thing.
>
> Ideas?