First Restoration, *pics* first RRR complete....

[bcmillerkcco15]

First resto I have ever tackled, after doing some research I believe I have a 1993 (dome lid stamped P) Performer SS. Today I disassembled and started cleaning the dome lid, following advice from the WKC awesome tutorial. While cleaning the lid I found some spots that can't be removed, they almost look like circular light discolorations in the porcelain enamel. Is this damage to the enamel?  Can it be repaired?  What's the best course of action?




Also the top dome lid and kettle bottom appear to be different shades of red, any help is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.
Chive On!

[crumbsnatcher]

Have you tried using the razor blade method?


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[bcmillerkcco15]

crumbsnatcher, that's the method I've been using all day. Been using simple green, razor blade scraper, and 0000 steel wool.

[Shoestringshop]

@bcmillerkcco15 "Razor Blade Method" way to go I did one not long ago and turned out wonderful for my aunt and uncle. It was black but same "RRR" idea. This is the link to my "RRR"

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/my-rescue-restore-respect/

[Harleysmoker]

Spray some oven cleaner on it and let it work for several minutes. Then take some steel wool and scrub the spots good. Make sure you wear gloves. I cleaned one up without gloves and the tips of 3 fingers were raw when I was done. Will never do that again.

If that don't take it off, just rinse it good, dry and start cooking. The new grease/smoke/ash will cover it up soon enough.

[bcmillerkcco15]

@Shoestringshop, that is a fantastic RRR, at this rate I will never get my lid that clean....thanks for sharing the link, looks like lots of helpful hints in there.

[LightningBoldtz]

I would do the razorblade method, it works great and WAY better environmentally than oven clean, that crap is soooo bad......

[WNC]

Welcome to the club @bcmillerkcco15! That's a sweet red ss performer!
I'm not sure about inside the lid there maybe someone else can comment on that.

As far as the two different colors, what it looks like to me, is you have a "two-tone" or "fade" paint job there. (If I'm wrong here, please someone step in)That's how it came from the factory and each kettle painted like that is slightly different from the next. Some have larger more pronounced fades than others.

A lot of people here really like the two tones, there are also reds that are just solid even colored. What's great about the Reds though is when you fire them up, they shift colors to a darker shade, it's awesome!

Good luck on the restore, and don't forget to post pics when your done, and when you fire it up!

[1911Ron]

That is not damage just grease and sometimes it doesn't all come clean.  The lid has what is called a mist or a darker band of Red, some colored kettles will have the mist on the lid and bowl and some just on the lid check here http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/the-red-gang/

[bcmillerkcco15]

That is not damage just grease and sometimes it doesn't all come clean.  The lid has what is called a mist or a darker band of Red, some colored kettles will have the mist on the lid and bowl and some just on the lid check here http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/the-red-gang/

Thanks, @1911Ron I was worried that someone had tried to repaint the dome. After seeing your fleet I'm thrilled to add this "Red Band" to my go to 22" red premium.

[bcmillerkcco15]

@WNC Thanks for the input!  I've got a red 22" premium that looks awesome when brought up to temp!  I'm glad to know the paint on this performer is not a spray paint cover up.

[SixZeroFour]

Sweet looking Red SS and great job so far!

That's some nasty buildup in the lid! With gunk that bad you literally dull a new razor blade after just 1/4 of the interior... it will continue to work but its not sharp Swap in a new blade and hold the scraper at a fairly sharp angle when attacking those bits and it should come right off.

And yeah skip the oven cleaner - that stuff is really nasty! Stick to the razor blade

Keep us posted on the progress

[Shoestringshop]

@bcmillerkcco15 it took me about 1.5 weeks to get it done but only used "Dollar Store Mean Green", "Razorblade Method" and "0000 Steel Wool" to clean also some soap and water to rinse out. Looking at yours its in much better shape then mine was. Don't rush and yours will look Fantastic! .

Also be very careful with the "Steel Wool" you can really do some damage with it @MrHoss did a write up on this a bit ago. I had a similar issue with a blue, but didn't do a write up. 

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/when-steel-wool-goes-wrong/

[Santo]

Everyone else covered the basics already so just remember to be patient, you're doing great so far.

[bcmillerkcco15]

Slowly making progress.....lots of razor blades and simple green.
Gave the dome lid a good cleaning, I'm really excited with the "Red Band" tone so far. It will look fantastic when the bottom is cleaned. Of course, knowing how much time I've spent cleaning the lid, the thought of tackling the kettle bottom makes me cringe...it appears to be a 10-12 beer project.
Anyway, wanted to share my progress and as always thanks for all the help and advice.
Also wanted to throw in some findings, although I'm sure they are tucked away in the forums already..
All hardware inside dome lid (lid handle attachment) is standard 3/8"
All hardware holding kettle bottom in the performer frame and all hardware that holds the LPG assembly inside the bottom kettle is standard 7/16"
Mine were so thickly covered in gunk it took some trial and error to peg the sizes...