Refinishing a Sequoia cart

[HankB]

I started cleaning up my Sequoia today. I pulled the doors off of it so I could clean them up. I used Dawn and water and a scrub brush. I can see that there is already some kind of stain on the wood because some of it comes up when washed. I did try a little oven cleaner on some particularly stubborn spots and it seems to help w/out doing any damage. The top surface is dirtier and/or faded.

I'm curious about what others have done. Should I sand everything down? That could be a lot of work.

Once it's cleaned up, what stains/finishes have others used?

I have need of some repair as well. It looks like the edge of one door was bitten off by a rabid dog. (or a hungry picnicer. ) I wonder if I should just leave it be.

Some of the hinge and door pull screw holes are boogered up. I need to repair them. I did a quick google search and it seems that a popular method is to drill a hole and fit a plug. Then I'd need to stain the plug to match.

For reference hsre is how the cart looked when I started





Here's the left door from the picture above after cleaning with oven cleaner (a fer seconds) on the greasy spots. That seemed to leave it with some dark areas so I think I'll hit it again with some Dawn.



Here's a door that cleaned up pretty well with just Dawn



You can find more information in the master thread and other sub-threads.

[reillyranch]

That cleaned up nice with just the Dawn soap.  Are you thinking of restaining it or just sealing it?

[HankB]

That cleaned up nice with just the Dawn soap.  Are you thinking of restaining it or just sealing it?

I don't really know what my options are. I suppose after I get everything cleaned up, I'll have a better idea. I think that staining it is going to be in order.

I hit the lid with some oven cleaner today. My intent was to clean off the goop that was adhering to the inside. I usually give the vent cover a shot too to try to get the stuff under it. I noticed it took the paint off the vent cover so I hit the entire outside of the lid with it. The paint was there to cover some rather obvious chips but looked pretty crappy. After a cleaning, the color really pops!







IMO even with the chips, it looks better w/out the paint.

[Eastex]

I'm with you, it looks much better now.  Give me a few wrinkles any day over one of those cat faced plastic surgery disasters.

[1911Ron]

I think it looks better chips and all!

[Bbqmiller]

Nice job - looks good!

[Craig]

A redhead always looks prettier with freckles. The cleanup definitely makes it pop.  Nice looking Sequoia. I love the black spade H hinges and handle hardware on there. Those can easily still be found today at HD or Lowes if need be. Nice score indeed.

[Duke]

It looks like it's coming along nicely Hank! Here's the thread on the one I did.

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/red-imperial-sequoia-project-2710/msg25531/?topicseen#msg25531

[HankB]

It looks like it's coming along nicely Hank! Here's the thread on the one I did.

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/red-imperial-sequoia-project-2710/msg25531/?topicseen#msg25531

I took another look at that thread. You probably didn't see my questions at the end so I'll repeat them here.

...
The color match and patches aren't perfect, but you can't see them when the bowl is set in the cart. It's strong enough to last another fifty years though.

I have some questions about the patches you did.

Was there rust underneath and did you do anything to stop further rust?

High temp JB Weld? I was thinking about Blue Magic 18003 QuikSteel High Temperature Metal Repair as it boasts a higher temperature range. Do you think I could fill gouges in the bowl and chips in the lid? It would probably require painting as well.

Did you mask off the repairs and paint?

After cooking on it, did the repairs hold up?

thanks!

I'll also ask about the finish. Just to be clear, you did not stain but instead sanded and rubbed with Tung oil? How much sanding did it take?

I found that the back of the doors nearest the bowl had started to deteriorate from the heat (delignification) indicating that the cooker saw a lot of use. It was most noticeable on the upper cross piece which was closest to the bowl.

[Duke]

I used a rust stopping paint.

Yes you can fill patches with jb weld.

I did not  do any masking because I think it blends better.

I never cooked on it, but they have held up on my others.

[harris92]

I bought the Sequoia Duke restored.  He did an awesome job!

[Duke]

Oh does that look sweet!   

[Jeff]

Yeah Hank, you were right about that color really popping once you got that junkie overspray paint job off!

[G$]

I missed this thread.  Popping in to give a "thank you"!

[1buckie]

Yeah, even with the chips, that thing just sings !!!!!

Good job on this so far........


I'm concerned about the woodwork on mine, as it's pretty weathered, or looks weatherworn & needs to have doors built from scratch......will hope that I can get them to match......


Were you able to square the cabinet OK, or is that still to come?