My Sequoia rebuild - Master thread

[HankB]

I've started a few threads focusing on various aspects of my Sequoia refurb and pbe gummi bear (Lawrence) has suggested I collect them together in a master thread documenting the entire process. I can;t really collect all of the discussions in those threads in to a single thread so I'm going to try something else. I'll use this master thread to hit the highlights of the process and link to the detail threads. Anyone interested in the details can drill down into the linked threads for that. Feel free to reply to either the master thread or detail threads as you see fit.

This first post in the master thread will collect the various threads I've posted to date.

Another Sequoia in the fold

Here it is.



Ash catcher is missing but the support is there.



Pretty heavy damage to the bottom. I'm puzzled about what would cause this. Most impact chips are round. I wonder if this started as crazing due to excessive heat. The porcelain seems to be really thick.



This shows stair stepping of the top deck boards that demonstrates out of square. (Also the doors seem a little wonky.)



You can see more pictures at https://picasaweb.google.com/111317408295523264877/ImperialSequoia?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCILg9oqUwrumnQE&feat=directlink

Plans include:

For the bowl and lid -

 - Remove the bottom vent wheels and replace with a set of new. I might be able to save two bit the third is missing.
 - Hit it with fine steel wool to remove everything down to the porcelain. Do I hit the lid vent cover with steel wool too? I might use oven cleaner on the inside but I'm concerned about corroding the aluminum. For a degreaser I'll probably use Dawn.
 - Spray all exposed rust with Pam to seal it up. Hopefully that will prevent further deterioration.
 - Either sand down and finish the handle or see what Brian can do for me.
 - get a newer style aluminum pan to use as an ash catcher. I know it won't be correct, but it just needs to work.

Cart -
 - It needs a serious cleaning. Can I use Dawn for that too? Do I need to to refinish the wood or do anything else with it?
 - find a closer match for the door handle that has been replaced.
 - get magnetic door latches and get rid of those awful hook and eye closures.
 - find a closer match for the door hinge that is wrong.
 - find a reasonable facsimile for the missing towel holders.
 - square it up. Any suggestions on how to approach that are most welcome!
 - refasten any loose boards. I have an 18 ga. trim nailer that should be a good size for this application.

Next thread involves Refinishing a Sequoia cart

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.

The top is going to take a bit of work.



This thread also wandered into cleaning up the lid.





With a little oven cleaner to take off paint and other crud, the lid really pops! At this point I decided that this was more suitable for restoration as a scarred warrior rather than a museum piece.

Time to think about refinishing the cart Pondering a finish for my Sequoia refurb

Doors cleaned up nicely.



Top looks better as well.



Next post deals with some repairs of wooden parts. [img=http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/a-little-progress-on-my-sequoia/]http://A little progress on my Sequoia[/img]



Gluing some split boards with interior glue. 



Dealing with all of the wonkiness in the cart. Who put these things together?

Pulling the top into square (which it apparently never was from the factory)



to get rid of the stair stepping



Taking the bottom platform from this:



to this



by removing and reinstalling all of the boards.

[Duke]

That picture of the rotten bowl give me da chicken skin! You are doing an excellent job, but boy you have a serious rescue on your hands! It's almost as bad as mine was. The black band aid really makes a statement.

I presume the damage to the bowl was the same as mine, where it was just sitting there for a long time with ash and rain got  in the bowl creating ashmud and it to rotted out.

Keep posting those progress pictures along the way.

[Craig]

I presume the damage to the bowl was the same as mine, where it was just sitting there for a long time with ash and rain got  in the bowl creating ashmud and it to rotted out.

Not that I would leave an ashy bowl exposed to the elements, but that can really cause that? 

[HankB]

I presume the damage to the bowl was the same as mine, where it was just sitting there for a long time with ash and rain got  in the bowl creating ashmud and it to rotted out.

Not that I would leave an ashy bowl exposed to the elements, but that can really cause that? 

I think more likely the bowl was damaged by excessive heat. There was other evidence of that. The magnetic latches were melted off and the inside of the doors closest to the bowl were scorched. That coupled with the extra thick porcelain resulted in the damage. Of course there is lots of rust damage in addition to the damage to the porcelain.

[Duke]

They prolly used it as a firepit like they did mine. 

[HankB]

Time to paint! Details in Watching paint dry

Going on.



And partially dry.

[pbe gummi bear]

Bravo, Hank! Thanks for taking the time to do this.

[Jeff]

This is going to be a great thread when it all comes together.  I good "How to" for future Sequoia owners.

[MartyG]

Welcome back Jeff!

[Aawa]

Awesome pictures of the restore!

[HankB]

It's done!  Details in Wrapping up the refurb on my Sequoia and commissioning into service

This is the last installment in this thread which describes how I refurbed my Sequoia. It is now ready to cook. I started with this;



and got it to this



so I can do this



and get this.



Thanks for the help and suggestions along the way and thanks for following!