Does anyone have good research on the OEM leg cap color history?
Couple examples:
Right now, if you order replacement caps from weber you get black.
And, I think new OTGs for example are coming with black.
I know as recently as a couple years ago, they were white on a new OTS.
I think 80s vintages had white, but that is a guess.
Has anyone tried to figure out what years/eras/models had white vs. black.
My green "AA" OTG came with a black cap (black triangle & ash pan too). Three weeks ago I ordered a few new parts for my "K" redhead. I requested a white front cap to replace the original, and they didn't bat an eye. Im pretty sure they will send either color if you specify a preference.
For the most part, up until the mid 2000's, the leg caps were white. I think the black caps started when the black triangles and black ash cans (for OTG) came out. They have just stayed black even with the return to silver cans and triangles. Ace sells the exact ones in both black and white.
Thanks craig for the info. So you think in the 50s and 60s they used white and never black?
I never have trouble sourcing the caps, i use the leg tips from Ace. I was jst curious when trying to be period correct, whic color to use.
Heres some pics I have mostly white leg caps
1950s
(http://imageshack.us/a/img338/4427/1954weberkettle.jpg)
1956 "Custom" has a red cap it appears
(http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/9145/8a2f.jpg)
1960s
(http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/2161/cji1.jpg)
1970s
(http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/5859/wbj.jpg)
I wonder why Weber never came up with a better design. These plastic caps really are not very good and they never stay on. Only one of the kettles I bought actually had a plastic cap. It was sanded flat on one side. Weber could replace the plastic with rubber or a cap which actually fits in the leg with multiple flanges. All my caps are black rubber chair legs. They have much more grip on the concrete to prevent the kettle from rolling.
"It was sanded flat on one side."
We call those "Drag Queens"
.......yes, there actually is a name for this condition......
There was a leg cap they used to put on grills that were black and had an angle to them and slightly rounded on the bottom. I have an old picture somewhere. I'll look for it tomorrow.
All I know is that my 2002 kettle lost its white cap somewhere around the 2003-4 mark and I never saw it again. This, despite barely using nor moving the kettle.
I'd gladly take a hardware store furniture cap of some kind that stays on better without looking dorky. What size diameter, about 1 inch?
Ace sells a four pack called "leg tips" for about 2 bucks. Yes, you want the one inch tips.
I got the caps from Ace and put one on my '87. I bought black because that seemed to make sense with a black kettle and black wheels, but as soon as I put it on, it looked wrong. The Ace caps are also too long. The OE caps were only about 1/2" long which is why they fall off so easy. I think I'll stick with the longer black cap even if it is not period correct.
Hank, if you think the leg tips from Ace are too long (i don't) another very viable option is taking the caps from a 1 pound propane canister. They are much shorter and work very very well. My "weber parts" bucket contains weber originals, leg tips from Ace, and propane caps. All viable uptions depending on use. Oh, and rubber crutch tips for the shortie OTG used for camping.
Quote from: G$ on June 16, 2013, 07:04:27 AM
Hank, if you think the leg tips from Ace are too long (i don't) ...
Not too long, just not original. If anything, the factory caps are IMO too short.
I guess the ones I've found at Ace are pretty close.... At least close enough for me to not notice a difference. I think the black kettles look cool with the black caps.