First time owner, restoring a 22" kettle

[carlineng]

Hey everyone,

Been wanting a Weber Kettle for awhile now, and someone on my local Facebook group was giving one away for free. From the pics, it looked rough, but I hopped over right away to pick it up, and getting myself ready for the challenge of restoration.

As expected, the inside had quite a bit of crud on it. I started hitting it with a razor scraper, and stopped halfway when I remembered to take some photos. Here's the bowl:


and the lid:


The handle on the lid was pretty sad. Really bent, and the previous owner drilled in a random piece of wood in place of the previous handle:


The bowl handle also had a dangling piece of wood:


The triangle support is pretty rusted, and looks like it's missing all the inner spokes. How important are those, anyway?


Here's the bowl after quite a bit of scrubbing:


It's looking good, but still some work to do. The daisy wheels covering the vents are super rusted and stuck, so I'll need to spend some time figuring out how to remove them and give them a good cleaning. The legs, lower triangle, and ash pan also need to be cleaned up.

Looking forward to finishing this project and getting my first cookout going!

[michaelmilitello]

Nice job so far.  Go here to the grill restoration guide

http://weberkettleclub.com/


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[bamakettles]

Welcome!  Looking really good so far. No worries on that triangle, my first one had that style - Walmart offering at the time.  It's plenty strong for its purpose.  I've straightened bent handles successfully with a rubber mallet, just tap gently until straight.  Same tool works on a dented lid as well.  Have fun with it!


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[ASpitzer]

Looks like you are making great progress. Amazing how good it looks after being covered in so much grease and grime. The shine is under there. Enjoy! It will probably be the first of many.

[JEBIV]

grate RRR on your first kettle, welcome to the club

[Cellar2ful]

Welcome to the Forum carlineng. Nice job so far on the restoration.

As bamakettles mentioned above, a couple of light taps with a rubber mallet will straighten that bent handle.  I usually place the lid on a lawn, pinning the edges of the lid between my feet so it won't move.  Start with a quick light strike on the side the handle is bent.  You'll be surprised how easily the handle straightens.

The triangle on your kettle is not missing any "spokes". What you have is a BAR-B-KETTLE. Here is a description from the WKC Master Touch History Thread: "BAR-B-KETTLE -  with 3 user installed daisy wheels, single front bowl handle (wooden), disk ash catcher with clips, black wheels, single center spoke triangle frame".  The rust can be cleaned off the triangle by several methods.  One way is to first use a razor scraper to remove the heavy rust then use #0000 steel wool.  Another method is to use a wire wheel attachment with your hand drill.  Make sure to wear eye protection when using this wheel as little wire strands will fly off the attachment during use.  Most hardware stores carry them or you can source one on Amazon. Link below.

https://www.amazon.com/Forney-72792-Wheel-Crimped-Shank/dp/B00YIZV200/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3K7OWCGUJEM33&keywords=wire+wheel+for+drill&qid=1706548730&s=hi&sprefix=wire+wheel+for+drill%2Ctools%2C135&sr=1-4

For the stuck daisy wheels, I have found PB Blaster works fantastic on freeing up rusted/frozen daisy wheels.   It is a penetrating catalyst and really breaks down rust. Spray it on let it sit for a day or two, then see if the nuts will turn.  If not, give it a second application and let it sit for another day.  You can find it at Home Depot.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Blaster-11-oz-PB-Penetrating-Oil-16-PB-DS/310486628

[1spacemanspiff]

Looks good so far.  Looking forward to seeing it finished... and the first cook.

[carlineng]

Amazing, thanks for the the tips everyone! I'm glad to hear that the triangle isn't missing anything. The daisy wheels are frozen completely solid, so I'm definitely going to need to pick up some PB Blaster. Cleaned up the lid vent enough to spot an "EI" stamp, so it looks like my particular grill is a '97. Will post more updates as progress continues.

[michaelmilitello]

Bringing an old kettle to its former glory is such a satisfying experience.  I'm not sure what I enjoy more: finding them, cleaning them up, or cooking with them. 


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