I have a green 1998 Master-Touch kettle that was much loved and heavily used until 2014, when I received a 26.75" One Touch Gold as a wedding gift. I had given it over for communal use in our neighborhood, but it is now back in my posession (having sat unloved and and unused in a moldy basement).
I am hoping to restore it to a usable state as it has sentimental value, so that I don't have to build such large fires just to grill a couple of burgers, and to give me even more cooking space on long BBQ days. During a move, the box that it was packed in was dropped, and the rather large mover fell onto the box. This distorted the bowl where the legs attach and compromised the porcelain finish, and those areas are now weak due to cracking and rust. Also, the one-touch cleaning components are permanently rusted together (this is way past PB Blaster). For now I plan to finish cleaning up the parts and put it back together, but ultimately it will need a replacement bowl.
No surprise: Weber no longer produces, or has NOS, exact replacement bowls for this kettle. Is anyone out there in the business of parting out older kettles?
The other thought that I had was to purchase a green Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill 22" (
https://www.weber.com/US/en/grills/charcoal-grills/original-kettle-series/14407001.html?cgid=217#start=1) for the bowl and one-touch components and put the remaining parts up for sale on EBay or elsewhere (the bowl alone is listed as discontinued, despite the fact that this grill is still available for sale). Would I be able to use this with my original legs, the ash catcher bowl and ring, and the wooden handle pieces from my first gen Master-Touch. I would have to drill the three holes for the tuck-away lid holder, so I would be looking for recommendations on a product to use to prevent rust at these locations.
Thank you!