My "cold call" easterner!

[wyd]

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I use a plastic scrapper to get most the heavy baked on bits. Then close all the vents and make sure they close tightly and a can or 2 of easy off oven cleaner on the inside of the lid and bowl close them up together and let them sit for a minimum of an hour and up to 4. Then depending on how badly baked on or greasy things were I use a scrapper for the worst parts and then a pretty soft light brown/tan colored scotch brite pad then 0000 steel wool. I then rinse them out real good. Then the inside and outside while wet get a good scrubbing with liquid BARKEEPERS FRIEND and 0000 steel wool working it in small circles and making sure it doesn't dry. Then rinse off while scrubbing some more. Repeat this till clean then while wet I dry with a terry colth towel till it shines. I do the inside first then outside. As far as the aluminium pieces I start with red scotch brite pads and scrub till all blemishes are gone then go to a grey pad scotch brute pad then a light brown/tan pad then finish off with 0000 steel wool. The aluminium pieces at this point are pretty shiny but if you want more shine you can use come mothers aluminium polish a start with some steel wool and work till you get to a buffing towel. Or get a buffing wheel set up and use rouge till I get to that mirror shine. As far as the steel wheels on this one I used 0000 steel wool and a bucket of hot soapy water a scrubbed very lightly till rust was gone. Did not repaint. Then spayed a light spray of silicone spray on a rag and wiped down the whole wheel assembly. I spray my plastic wheels with silicone spray also. If gives them a alittle sheen. If I have a steel rivet in the top vent and it is rusted or rust colored, I tape off the vent around it then use my dremel with a little wire wheel and clean it up. On the triangle I use a wire brush to get rid of must the easy to get off rust. Then use varying scotch brite pads to get rust off then finish with steel wool. In hard to get to spots on triangle I use the dremel with a wire wheel.

That's pretty much it I think I didn't miss anything.
[/quote]AZ_MIKEY I took this part and did a little copy and paste with it.  I'm very new to the cleaning up and restoring kettles so I thought this was an excellent post that you made and giving the step by step on how you go about cleaning up your kettles.  I made a title before I printed it and called it "Weber Kettle Cleaning 101".  Thanks for posting information like this as I know for me and I'm sure many others is a huge help.  Appreciate the knowledge you shared.

Brian

[AZ_MIKEY]

Wyd, if do some digging here on the site you will find what others do when they are doing restores and cleaning of kettles. I believe there is some very specific threads actually on just cleaning and polishing . I am sure some of the more seasoned grillfellas here could add a lot to what I posted and tell you some other tried and true techniques.

[Hottuna]

What a great score!!
I love a bargin

To clean baked on grime inside the kettle - I find that a good oven cleaner sprayed on the gunk and left for an hour with lid on in a warm sunny spot works extremely well, with a scrapper to the solid bits, then scrub it with some steel wool and pressure wash it all off (gerni or karcher)