Weber Kettle Club Forums
Grill Talk => Weber Grill Forum (Grills, Accessories) => Topic started by: Rub on October 12, 2018, 07:40:29 AM
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I'm curious as to people's opinions on vintage kettles, and restoration. When you watch most antique shows on TV they refer to patina and the desire to leave old things in the state you find them. Yet with Weber kettles most of us try to clean things up and even get them to look better than new (example: shiny polished vents and legs).
And what about areas of lost porcelain? For red kettles there is a high heat paint that matches up very nicely, I've used it on cookers. And to me the touched up areas on a red kettle are so much better looking than the blackish pock marks. But does that diminish the value of a kettle, if the porcelain loss areas have been touched up with color matching paint? Does that negate it's historical significance? Would you pay as much for an original buoy kettle that was tastefully touched up on the rim and leg sockets with black paint, as you would for the same kettle not touched up?
Just my random Friday thoughts...
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So, having painted one kettle (my ranch) I wouldn't do it again...ever. The ranch was in such rough condition and had so much exterior rust that I thought it was necessary...and it does look better, but in retrospect, I wish I wouldn't have done it. Also, having restored kettles that have been painted, and all the cursing that I've done while restoring those, I would never want to put someone else through the paint removal process. Finally, as long as there aren't TOO many areas of missing porcelain, I don't mind the odd blemish...it gives them character.
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I have never touched up a kettle with paint. That being said, I'm now struggling with the thought of touching up the tiny bit of rim rash on my Ambassador. The kettle is pristine other than those nicks but stand out more than on any color kettle I have seen. A high end automotive paint shop by me has a device that can analyze and mix paint to exactly match. I used them for sourcing touch up paint on classics and exotic cars in my prior hobby of restoring cars. They can even match faded paint on 50+ year old vehicles.
(http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/images/2018/01/17/DSC05642.md.jpg)
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I'm in the same boat here with @crowderjd for a few reasons. One being time. With a 3 year old and 1 year old I just don't have the time to polish legs, triangles, hardware, lid vents....you get the idea. If I have something that is more of a looker and it will be out of the cooking rotation for a long time I will razor scrape the lid and bowl, clean with Dawn and steel wool and put it away clean. I've recently been into sanding the handles and using Tung Oil to protect them and make them pop. Outside of all that, if the grill cooks, rolls across the patio with ease, and ins't falling apart I won't do the "full restore' on them.
Does it devalue the kettle? I'm not sure anyone can really answer that as my standard response is "a kettle is always worth what someone is willing to pay". I'm personally not going to pay more for one that has been painted because I'd rather see the character in the grill and leave it as it was found.
Same goes with my shaving gear. I and a traditional shaver with a mug and brush. I shave with vintage razors. I currently have some Gillette NEW long comb and short comb razors from both the 1920's and 1930's. I have not polished them and I probably won't. I like the patina and weathered look. I do clean them with a tooth brush and give them a soak in some Barbicide solution once I get them and periodically thereafter.
One exception to this would be if I found a flawless lid and bowl with shitty legs, wheels, and triangle then I'd spend time cleaning those parts up or paint them.
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To be clear I’m not talking about painting over good porcelain. Just filling in areas of no porcelain to make a vintage kettle more aesthetically pleasing. Your Ambassador is a perfect example. Would it be less collectible or valuable if you touch up the edges? It would look much better. To me it doesn’t diminish it.
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I think that Ambassador looks great and I wouldn't do a thing to it.
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The weber kettle will never be on the same level as a collectable statue or painting. It's utilitarian and that puts it on the same level as collectable cars so a kettle that has been RRR'ed I value the most because the oxidization, rust and dents have been taken care of.
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Your kettle, your choice. That being said, I touch up kettles that have luster left. I personally find it much more aesthetically appealing. WW, or kettles with an awesome history, I’ll leave like they are though.
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I never repainted any lost porcelain areas. I scrape and wash the inside and outside of them over the winter. I season the lost porcelain areas and that’s it. I love them just the way they are. My opinion...painting diminishes the value. To me it seems as if you’re trying to hide something. Just my thoughts.
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I spend about 2-3 hours cleaning and straightening out old kettles. I try to bring them back to like new condition without removing the "patina" of the age.
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Your kettle, your choice. That being said, I touch up kettles that have luster left. I personally find it much more aesthetically appealing. WW, or kettles with an awesome history, I’ll leave like they are though.
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Agreed, at the end of the day it's the owner's choice. I personally would only touch-up in the most extreme of circumstances. Most people who have painted an entire kettle have regretted it. Those that have touched-up small portions can't say the same.
@Cellar2ful...Jim, please don't touch-up that Ambassador. It's not NIB. It's been loved; and is exceptional.
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I never repainted any lost porcelain areas. I scrape and wash the inside and outside of them over the winter. I season the lost porcelain areas and that’s it. I love them just the way they are. My opinion...painting diminishes the value. To me it seems as if you’re trying to hide something. Just my thoughts.
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How do you season the lost porceline areas? Sand rust off and then oil?
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I never repainted any lost porcelain areas. I scrape and wash the inside and outside of them over the winter. I season the lost porcelain areas and that’s it. I love them just the way they are. My opinion...painting diminishes the value. To me it seems as if you’re trying to hide something. Just my thoughts.
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How do you season the lost porceline areas? Sand rust off and then oil?
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I dont sand i just oil inside and out
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I never repainted any lost porcelain areas. I scrape and wash the inside and outside of them over the winter. I season the lost porcelain areas and that’s it. I love them just the way they are. My opinion...painting diminishes the value. To me it seems as if you’re trying to hide something. Just my thoughts.
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How do you season the lost porceline areas? Sand rust off and then oil?
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I heat the grill up first. [emoji106]🏻
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Come on, folks. We are talking about outdoor kettles. Not exotic cars or airplanes. I would rather have one that is blemish free, even if that means a paint touch up.
New ones can be bought pretty cheap.
My 1979 Happy Hooker Weber Cooker has had a face lift, using paint. It looks brand new. And I like it!
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Come on, folks. We are talking about outdoor kettles. Not exotic cars or airplanes. I would rather have one that is blemish free, even if that means a paint touch up.
New ones can be bought pretty cheap.
My 1979 Happy Hooker Weber Cooker has had a face lift, using paint. It looks brand new. And I like it!
@TXFlyGuy I think you're missing the point. "New ones can be bought pretty cheap" isn't the point. For some or most of the vintage grills in this club you can't find many other examples of. Like mentioned earlier, your grill your choice.
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I have never used paint on any of my kettles... not because I'm a purist, because I cook with all of them. They're gonna get road rash along the way. They are not museum pieces. They're well used, kept clean, IMHO, that's all they need. New grates now and then, but that's it. Nothing against the purists here, I honor your ways. Been an antique car guy for many years... I know the feeling. But my Webers are my tools and are treated as such... with love and respect.
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Come on, folks. We are talking about outdoor kettles. Not exotic cars or airplanes. I would rather have one that is blemish free, even if that means a paint touch up.
New ones can be bought pretty cheap.
My 1979 Happy Hooker Weber Cooker has had a face lift, using paint. It looks brand new. And I like it!
but in a way, these old grills are a lot like exotic cars and airplanes.
they're limited and old.
"why restore that 55 Chevy when you can go out and buy a new Prius"
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Nothing against restorations. I like old stuff. That’s why my ‘79 kettle gets used weekly, and both of my new Weber’s sit in storage.
My nature is a bit freaky, and blemishes bother me. Now...where is my spray paint?
BTW...my old kettle has a gorgeous satin finish that I actually like better than the high gloss look. But that’s just me.
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There is a member who said we are stewards of these grills, that resonated with me and I will hold on to that saying to my end. Now I'm not going to save every grill on Craigslist but the few grills in my posession will get full RRR and nothing less.
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I wouldn't touch the paint. Full resto would be stripping and refinishing porcillin and baking in 1600f oven IMO anything less is a Rube Goldberg attempt to hide flaws(character marks) IMO.
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As a new member, and longtime kettle fan, I believe that it's ok to get the metal round , polish legs, and make a grill look as good as it can , except to apply paint. One of my other hobbies is old bikes where the value goes down when the spray can comes out, But I never bought a kettle to fix it up and sell it . The big difference between an old bike and an old kettle is that a kettle is porcelain not paint. These things are as old as I am, and even the really clean ones have small battle scars and stories to tell. If your lucky enough to have one that you kept for a long time ,you know what I'm talking about.
You can always touch it up with paint, but once you do ,you can't unring that bell
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This^^. Oh, and welcome.
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You can always touch it up with paint, but once you do ,you can't unring that bell
Actually, you can unring the “touch up paint” bell. Lacquer Thinner & steel wool can remove paint w/o affecting porcelain. Die grinder w/ wire wheel can, but you need to run slow enough to not affect porcelain (bristles heat up, then start scuffing).
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Some good discussion and good points being made above. It just goes to show that we collect kettles for different reasons.
I likely wouldn't have kept this little Yachtsman if I didn't touch up the abuse it showed. It's too distracting for me and I don't enjoy looking at that. The touchup isn't perfect, but now when I look at it I'm not reminded of how abused it looked. My eyes don't focus on the paint, I see a good looking yellow kettle. And she's a great little cooker. I touch up purely for my own pleasure.
(http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/images/2018/03/29/IMG_7192.md.jpg) (http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/image/fNZ)
(http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/images/2018/03/29/IMG_7075.md.jpg) (http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/image/fNB)
(http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/images/2018/03/29/IMG_7211.md.jpg) (http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/image/fNR)
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I had a WSM cerakoted blue for my own personal amusement. It has never been used, and I have no plans to use it. It essentially lives in my office as a Looker and offers a glimpse of what colored WSMs would look like if Weber ever went that route. (Yes, I know there are some one-off colored WSMs floating around out there, this isn’t one of them). I do wish Weber would’ve made colored WSMs for the masses. Could you imagine a red WSM getting hot?!
Besides that exception, I have never painted any of my vintage or rare kettles during restoration. I like the character flaws and I like thinking about the generation of grillfellas before us that used and, in some cases, abused these kettles. To paint over the flaws diminishes that sentiment.
To that end, I personally don’t think touch-up paint increases value.
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I had a WSM cerakoted blue for my own personal amusement. It has never been used, and I have no plans to use it. It essentially lives in my office as a Looker and offers a glimpse of what colored WSMs would look like if Weber ever went that route. (Yes, I know there are some one-off colored WSMs floating around out there, this isn’t one of them). I do wish Weber would’ve made colored WSMs for the masses. Could you imagine a red WSM getting hot?!
Besides that exception, I have never painted any of my vintage or rare kettles during restoration. I like the character flaws and I like thinking about the generation of grillfellas before us that used and, in some cases, abused these kettles. To paint over the flaws diminishes that sentiment.
To that end, I personally don’t think touch-up paint increases value.
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Man that’s gorgeous. I wonder what that would cost me around here
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