CLOSE-UP DETAIL OF ESTELLA, OUR RELIABLE DOUGH MIXER.
Just when I was gearing up for another great week at Random Acts of Breadness, I arrived at the bakery on Wednesday to the smell of something burning (and it wasn't bread in the oven!).
I asked Rhys (our Dough Master) what was up and he said something was wrong with Estella (well... he didn't really say Estella; he said "the mixer," but she's Estella to me; that's the brand on the nameplate).
Something wrong, indeed! Only problem, Estella weighs 275 pounds and hasn't been moved since she was installed in May of 2021! But after finishing the dough mixing for the day (as we crossed our fingers and danced a jig to appease the dough-mixing gods), I called Gerard, one of our amazing customers who also happens to be a BIG EQUIPMENT troubleshooter.
Bless his heart, he came over about an hour later and took some electrical readings from the top of Estella (after I had removed her top cover; don't worry, she was covered in gears, belts and chains, all of which appeared to be in working order). Nothing burnt. We couldn't do much more until we could find a way to move Estella away from her corner in the mixing room to be able to access her rear panel which shielded the powerful motor.
Gerard had to go so progress stopped for the night. I had to find a way to move Estella (mixer stand an all).
The next day, I got ready with a long piece of lumber to use as leverage and had it ready for my return from dropping off some Breadness boxes at UPS for delivery to our clients. But when I came back, Rhys told me he moved it all himself (apparently he has superpowers I was not aware of!).
With Estella in a more accessible position, it was now up to me to remove the backplate and investigate. Unfortunately, no signs of burnt anything. This is one of those problems that's not going to jump out and say "It's my ___; fix me!"
Finding a service manual for Estella was also no easy feat. But persistence paid off and I now have that to hand.
So now, I'm waiting to connect with Gerard again so we can dig deeper. With service manual in hand (or on screen, more precisely), and full access to Estella's mysterious inner workings, there is a possibility we could isolate the problem and order the parts needed to make her right again.
But even if we find the problem, we still need to locate the parts and have them shipped overnight, in time to have Estella ready for her next assignment come Tuesday.
Will Chef Randall and Gerard find what's ailing Estella? Will Estella reveal her innermost secrets to Randall and Gerard? Will we be able to mix the dough on Tuesday?
Stay tuned for the next exciting episode of... "As Estella Turns..."
Breadness Booth at Lake Balboa today!
