18.5 Mastertouch

[Bbqmiller]

I picked this 18.5 one touch off of CL - wanted to do some mods to suit my liking. I have never drilled into a kettle, but I thought this would be a nice project since I wasn't risking much.

Followed the discussion on mounting a tel tru thermo with weber bezel. http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/lid-therm-mod-for-kettle/





Taped and drilled


Thermo done


Lid bale - I just eyeballed it but it came out fine.


Nice clean hole with no chipping


Added some of Brian's handles - it looks pretty decent






Lid bale works fine




It was a fun project. I have a set of craycorts to top it off.

[Idahawk]

Fantastic work , really cool mod !


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Hogsy]

That's pretty cool, is that the lid bale of a 22 ?

[Bbqmiller]

That's pretty cool, is that the lid bale of a 22 ?

No - it is for a 18.5 in OT platinum. It is a tad shorter than the 22 bale.

[indy82z]

Awesome job..I have been wanting to do this for quite a while....

[Hogsy]

Ah ok , I wondered where you got it from. Is this part still available?

[Bbqmiller]

Ah ok , I wondered where you got it from. Is this part still available?

Got it from here - http://www.ereplacementparts.com/stainless-steel-lid-hanger-wire-1834-p-1477308.html

[MacEggs]

This is a great mod, I must admit!   @pbe gummi bear did one not too long ago.

The one part that I'm not sure is still available is the lid bale support bar??  For the 18", that is.

[GregS]

very cool.  nice job. 

[1911Ron]

This is a great mod, I must admit!   @pbe gummi bear did one not too long ago.

The one part that I'm not sure is still available is the lid bale support bar??  For the 18", that is.

I just looked at the link and followed it to the 18" Platinum grill and the support bar is obsolete and no longer available

Cool mod it looks great!  I wonder if an older 22" lid bale would work? Would the lid stand up more, kind of like the new Performer?

[Hogsy]

^^^^ yes Ron exactly what I was thinking, who's got an old boneyard 18 they drill a couple holes in and test a 22 lid bale out with?

[Nate]

That's pretty cool. Nice mod.

[Bbqmiller]

^^^^ yes Ron exactly what I was thinking, who's got an old boneyard 18 they drill a couple holes in and test a 22 lid bale out with?

I have a 22 lid bale out in the garage. I held it up, and I do think with some tweaking it would work. It isn't all that much bigger, but the radius is a little off. It may actually push the lid out further like the newer 22 in ones.

[Bbqmiller]

^^^^ yes Ron exactly what I was thinking, who's got an old boneyard 18 they drill a couple holes in and test a 22 lid bale out with?

Well, I took a 22 lid bale and fit it into the holes I drilled for the 18. It was tight, but I did get it to fit.

Lid with 18 bale


Lid with 22 bale - as expected opened up a bit


Since the 22 bale is a little bigger, it sits low. I am sure if you adjusted the position of the bottom nut,  it would even things out.


The other thing I was concerned with, is I used a bracket for a 22 (the stainless steel strap that bolts underneath the kettle). I was worried this would interfere with the one touch system. Even though it sits lower, you are still able to fully open/close the one touch system.

Open


Closed


Hopes this helps some
Mike

[Hogsy]

Thanks Mike, for testing that out. Great to know it can fit. Just to clarify did you use the whole 22 lid bale assembly or just the SS round bar with the threads on the end?