Tom Henderson
TVWBB Member
A friend gave me an old (F date code) 22.5" kettle, and I've been enjoying the charcoal experience.
But the ash catcher was a disaster -- very bent-up, hard to install and remove without spilling, etc. so I wanted to install a OTG-style ash catcher.
When I saw the new (2015) version, with the squeeze-to-clip-in design instead of the older partial-turn-to-lock design, I thought I'd give it a try.
Installation went smoothly, thanks to the many illustrated guides for doing this that others have posted. My thanks to all of you who took the time; it was very helpful.
The new style installs the same as the old; a collar clips into the leg bosses if you have a newer kettle; older models like mine need hose clamps. So there was a little tweaking the tabs to fit around the leg bosses, and some tweaking of the skirt adjacent to the bosses to make room for the hose clamp bands.
Once installed it is quite sturdy and rigid; it feels very built-in.
As others have noted it takes a very firm squeeze to un-clip the ash-catcher pot from the collar; not a problem for me, but could be an issue for those with arthritis or lower grip-strength.
The only thing I don't like is that the pot hangs down low enough that I can't get my starter chimney to fit underneath the catcher. I don't recall others that have made the conversion mention that, so it may be that the newer design hangs a bit lower than the old one or that this vintage kettle has shorter legs than newer models.
So not much new here but I thought I'd mention my experience.
-Tom In SoCal
But the ash catcher was a disaster -- very bent-up, hard to install and remove without spilling, etc. so I wanted to install a OTG-style ash catcher.
When I saw the new (2015) version, with the squeeze-to-clip-in design instead of the older partial-turn-to-lock design, I thought I'd give it a try.
Installation went smoothly, thanks to the many illustrated guides for doing this that others have posted. My thanks to all of you who took the time; it was very helpful.
The new style installs the same as the old; a collar clips into the leg bosses if you have a newer kettle; older models like mine need hose clamps. So there was a little tweaking the tabs to fit around the leg bosses, and some tweaking of the skirt adjacent to the bosses to make room for the hose clamp bands.
Once installed it is quite sturdy and rigid; it feels very built-in.
As others have noted it takes a very firm squeeze to un-clip the ash-catcher pot from the collar; not a problem for me, but could be an issue for those with arthritis or lower grip-strength.
The only thing I don't like is that the pot hangs down low enough that I can't get my starter chimney to fit underneath the catcher. I don't recall others that have made the conversion mention that, so it may be that the newer design hangs a bit lower than the old one or that this vintage kettle has shorter legs than newer models.
So not much new here but I thought I'd mention my experience.
-Tom In SoCal
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