1963 Weber Plainsman Grail Find - Beware pic overload and a long read!

[Blacky924]

Amazing find and awesome cleanup mate. You've done well to remove the rust stains. Beautiful kettle and great story. I've got some original thumbscrews that she deserves if your keen I'm happy to post at no cost. Just message me


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[Pezdogs]

Amazing story and well done that is an unreal score

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[bladz]

Fantastic!  What a gem!  You had a great supporting cast right up to the final push nut was put on the triangle axle. Congratulations on your dream kettle.


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[SixZeroFour]

Thanks for the kind comments all - I will definitely be posting up some first cook pics as soon as possible!

Holy Shiznit Matt! You aced the cleanup.
Congratulations!!
If I may ask, why did you use tape around the bottom vents?
Great grill, nice luck, awesome parents.

Cheers rich! I had to get pretty aggressive with the vents on this one as there was heavy oxidization that the good old #0000 steel wool wouldn't even touch. I ended up very carefully and slowly wet sanding them so the tape was to avoid etching the surrounding areas. I like to clean/flush under the vents as much as possible so it also prevents circular scuffing around the vent edge as you work the old debris out by twisting.

Sounds like it took a Village to secure this "Cactus" Plainsman. I don't see anything strange about taking a Weber cleaning kit with you on vacation.  Great job on the clean up.  I agree with you that rust stains on porcelain are one of the more difficult restoration issues. Congratulations Matt.

Thanks Jim, and the "Cactus Plainsman" name is very fitting and might just stick!

Honestly the rust stains were an absolute nightmare on this one. I knew going in from the pics I was in for trouble especially considering the light color of the porcelain, so I assumed only about a 50/50 chance of being able to remove them. Of course once I had it in front of me the stain on the lid almost wiped off with nothing more than a quick shot of cleaner and #0000. For a second I thought I was in the clear and then I tried the bowl stains. Easily the worst staining I've had to tackle on a resto and I've seen a lot of neglected grills come thru the shop over the years! In the end the only thing that worked was a porcelain pumice stone. This is NOT for the feint of heart and honestly I'm not sure I even feel comfortable recommending it to anyone else without doing a lot more testing on other kettles. It literally sounds like you are grinding glass into the bowl (which I suppose technically you are!) but slowly and surely it pulled the rust marks out.  The process was painstaking but I was really impressed at how it finely polished back down to the original glossy finish without causing any scuffing whatsoever. Lots of water to keep the block lubricated is key and you almost make a paste with the bits that are wearing off of the stone and mixing with the water. I hope to make a tutorial on it but want to do some more testing at home first.   

All-in I went thru 3 pumice stones and have about 4.5 hours into the bowl handles alone

Amazing find and awesome cleanup mate. You've done well to remove the rust stains. Beautiful kettle and great story. I've got some original thumbscrews that she deserves if your keen I'm happy to post at no cost. Just message me


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Thank you for the offer Blacky924! You guys are amazing. Also welcome to the club!

[FlashHokie]

I love reading the stories and hearing about all the people who helped along the way! Thanks for sharing the pics and cleaning tips too. Congratulations on the kettle!

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[WNC]

So awesome Matt!
Congratulations!!!


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[TexasOnion]

Congrats

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[bgilbert44]

This restoration looks absolutely incredible! Congratulations man! BTW, quick question - what's your process on polishing the lid and bottom vents to get them shining again? I have multiple kettles (including one acquired earlier today lol) that I need to finish full cleanings/restorations on and me being the stickler I am, I want to try to get them to as clean and refreshed as possible. Also, I'm really intrigued on cleaning off the rust staining too, as I have a 1972 Statesman that has a small amount of staining below one of the handles on the bowl and I've been wondering how to get that off.

[Fat Tony]

Amazing score! Grate story! Awesome parents! Congrats!

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[Foster Dahlet]

That is a beautiful grill.  Great job on the restoration.  So glad it all worked out for you.

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[Darko]

Holy crap Matt!, that looks awesome. Congrats on getting a grail!

[Scott Zee]

Congrats again Matt. It's grate to have parents down for a road trip. Enjoy that grail more than we are, shes a beauty. 🍻

[MacEggs]

This is outstanding, Matt!!
Congrats on finding your grail. Patience is key, eh.
I look forward to seeing your first cook on it when it's north of the 49th.
Will probably be the only one in Canada.

[Jburns]

Absolutely beautiful Plainsman! Great job on the cleanup, and what an awesome story about acquiring it!