Need Help, Advice & Guidance with this Red 18 (FINISHED)

[MacEggs]

I think I will proceed with the JB weld idea, as the holes are not huge.
I only want to apply paint to the bad areas, not to the entire bowl ... hopefully retaining the original red as much as possible.

Would the stainless "H" style be a good fit for a 20 yr old kettle?

[Craig]

Nice pickup, Mac! The H style 18 sweepers should fit fine. As for converting it to a Gold, ereplacentparts.com has the ring and bucket for the 18.5 kettles. It might take a while to ship but its worth the wait if your really wanting to make it a Gold. If you don't want to Dremel or drill into the kettle, the hose clamp method will work great for securing the ring to the sockets.

 
http://www.ereplacementparts.com/ash-catcher-assembly-18534-p-1477296.html

[MacEggs]

Nice pickup, Mac! The H style 18 sweepers should fit fine. As for converting it to a Gold, ereplacentparts.com has the ring and bucket for the 18.5 kettles. It might take a while to ship but its worth the wait if your really wanting to make it a Gold. If you don't want to Dremel or drill into the kettle, the hose clamp method will work great for securing the ring to the sockets.

 
http://www.ereplacementparts.com/ash-catcher-assembly-18534-p-1477296.html

Thanks, Craig! I made a huge effort getting this - about 140 mile round trip. It's my first, and probably my last 18.
So, I might as well make an effort and do it up the way I want. I don't mind waiting for stuff ... I am a very patient man. 

I am not adverse to drilling. However, the hose clamp method may worth considering. Thanks. 

[1buckie]

"It's my first, and probably my last 18."


Uh-huh..............

I've got five or six of 'em floatin' around back there....used pretty often.......

[MacEggs]

"It's my first, and probably my last 18."


Uh-huh..............

I've got five or six of 'em floatin' around back there....used pretty often.......

Yeah ... I know. Not sure why I stated that. Was going to buy a new one this past spring ...
Then discovered online classifieds ... And .. you know what happened after that .. 

I finally got my 18 .. and it's not black! 

[MacEggs]

Been slowly working at this. Put some high temp JB weld on the trouble spots, both inside and on the outside,
then ground them down with a Dremel. Some high heat gloss black on the inside, and red on the outside. NO paint went on the lid.
I did not spray the paint on the kettle. I sprayed the paint into a container, then applied it with a foam brush - 2 coats.

Got the handles from Brian. He does excellent work. Currently applying some spar varnish to them.

A buddy gave me some un-used legs and a triangle from a 26er that he has.
He made his own stand / set-up, so these were not being used. They're a bit longer ... and of course, the triangle is bigger.
I don't mind having it raised a little. I will have to modify the triangle. And there are no indentations on the legs to fit into the leg sockets.
I guess I will have to make my own. Just one more challenge on this RRR.  Any tips or suggestions for this?

I am still waiting for the sweepers, and the gold parts for the conversion.

[pbe gummi bear]

Hey, since I don't see your wheels note that the 26" wheels are 8" diameter so that end will sit 1" low with the 6" dia 22" wheels. The tubes usally dont come with indentations to my knowledge, you just plug them into the socket. Good work so far! I hope the JB holds up for you.

[MacEggs]

Hey, since I don't see your wheels note that the 26" wheels are 8" diameter so that end will sit 1" low with the 6" dia 22" wheels. The tubes usally dont come with indentations to my knowledge, you just plug them into the socket. Good work so far! I hope the JB holds up for you.

Yeah, I've given that some thought regarding the wheels ...  may have to cut a very small amount off.
I don't measure twice and cut once ..  I usually measure 10-12 times, then cut ... Which is why it take so long for me to finish things. 

I sure hope the JB holds up, too! Thanks for your input. 

[Chasing_smoke]

Looking great so far mac!


 "my kettle is more powerful it will do almost anything."

[Golly]

looking fantastic
i bet there is a few hours gone into this so far
in OZ we would not even look at buying that as red 18 pop up often
kudos to you and your work
i have 3 18 reds
one is in waiting to be made gold

[Hogsy]

Looking good Mac
I have that exact same paint that I haven't used yet
Good to see its a match
Keep those pics coming cause I'll be watching

[G]

Excellent resto work....lookin' good.  I have used JB weld on grills but not on the high heat areas.  That stuff is amazing so it should hold up fine.

[tattooedant]

It worked fine with the yellow restore I just finished. Checked the jb weld today and all was still solid, no issues. Your grill looks great!

[MacEggs]

Thanks, guys!  Yes ... a few hours ... and a few more to go.
I had to rescue this poor girl, as it had been seriously neglected.

The paint is not an exact match .. but, it's pretty close. I recommend it. 
I kept a quarter size blemish on the bowl, and the lid has one about the same size.
I want a reminder of how it was treated in a past life.

I think I might cut those longer legs to original size, because I want to use the chrome triangle.
It just needs a good scrub / elbow grease / sandpaper / steel wool to get it looking close to shiny. We'll see. 

[pbe gummi bear]

Thanks, guys!  Yes ... a few hours ... and a few more to go.
I had to rescue this poor girl, as it had been seriously neglected.

The paint is not an exact match .. but, it's pretty close. I recommend it. 
I kept a quarter size blemish on the bowl, and the lid has one about the same size.
I want a reminder of how it was treated in a past life.

I think I might cut those longer legs to original size, because I want to use the chrome triangle.
It just needs a good scrub / elbow grease / sandpaper / steel wool to get it looking close to shiny. We'll see. 

Mac, you only need to cut the third leg to get it level. The no wheel leg will be too long if you use 6" wheels. Make sense?