Has anybody successfully used a STAINLESS STEEL POT for their mini WSM?


 

Stan H

New member
Wichita, KS has a Farmer's Market that has ~30 of them in stock for $33.00 each. I have not taken a Smokey Joe in to the store to dry fit them, or even seen them for that matter.

Has anybody used one for the center section? If so, are they difficult to paint?

Thanks!
 
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I think KeithFWI used a SS pot for his Jumbo Joe.

I think it will work fine. I use a SS brew Kettle for by home brew over a direct flame turkey frier and it barely leaves a stain.
 
Yea i used stainless for the Jumbo Joe but an aluminum one for the SJG. Hind sight i wish i would have looked for one for my SJG but the aluminum is fine. Not sure what the best way is to paint stainless but personally i wouldn't mess with it because polished stainless is really easy to keep clean.
Wichita, KS has a Farmer's Market that has ~30 of them in stock for $33.00 each. I have not taken a Smokey Joe in to the store to dry fit them, or even seen them for that matter.

Has anybody used one for the center section? If so, are they difficult to paint?

Thanks!
 
Ah.... Very Good.

I will run up there this evening and see if it will even fit. Stainless is a little hard to machine, but there shouldn't be that much machining to it. I think my sabre saw will cut the bottom out just fine. "Crimping" if necessary, might be an entirely different matter.

Thanks!
Stan

P.S. Unfortunately, I will want to paint (at least the first build,) because it will be a gift for my brother in law. Likely going to get an OSU Pistol Pete in Burnt Orange.
 
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Stan it's not easy to machine stainless but i can give you some tips on what worked well for me. It was a learning process anyway. PM me if you need any help. If it's polished stainless you'll need to find a way to etch it i would think.
Ah.... Very Good.

I will run up there this evening and see if it will even fit. Stainless is a little hard to machine, but there shouldn't be that much machining to it. I think my sabre saw will cut the bottom out just fine. "Crimping" if necessary, might be an entirely different matter.

Thanks!
Stan

P.S. Unfortunately, I will want to paint (at least the first build,) because it will be a gift for my brother in law. Likely going to get an OSU Pistol Pete in Burnt Orange.
 
Thanks Keith! I might just do that. When I cut thick aluminum with a sabre saw, I use lots of waxy stick lube. Aluminum kinda "galls up" on the blade, and Stainless has a similar characteristic.

On the painting angle, I wonder if just scuffing up the surface with a scotch bright or wet sanding with 600+ would give it enough "tooth". I've never painted stainless...that I can remember anyhow.
 
I agree, I wouldn't bother painting SS. It looks good and is easy to keep clean.

Yeah. I get it. Logical and sensible.

But my oldest son's a wheat farmer Spring through Fall, and collision repair/painter in the winter.

Painting the SS center section doesn't seem necessary or maybe even sensible, but I'd rather pick an aluminum tamale steamer at double the expense and paint it for this planned GIFT to my wife's brother, over a SS center section that I can't paint. JUST on this build.

All this "don't need to paint an SS smoker" advice is perfectly fine for the next one, and the next after that and so on. (Ha! I'm not even sure the proposed pot will even fit yet!) But I have a habit of making modded smokers and giving them to my family and friends, and this little jewel is the first of what will likely be several. I've done 6 or 7 FrankenBrinkmanns based on the Gourmet Charcoal Smoker.

But this first one's going to get painted. If SS won't paint very well, I'll choose aluminum for Serial Number 001.

Based on this thread, I'll probably not paint another one, if SS works but is tough to get to hold decoration.
 
Yeah. I get it. Logical and sensible.

But my oldest son's a wheat farmer Spring through Fall, and collision repair/painter in the winter.

Painting the SS center section doesn't seem necessary or maybe even sensible, but I'd rather pick an aluminum tamale steamer at double the expense and paint it for this planned GIFT to my wife's brother, over a SS center section that I can't paint. JUST on this build.

All this "don't need to paint an SS smoker" advice is perfectly fine for the next one, and the next after that and so on. (Ha! I'm not even sure the proposed pot will even fit yet!) But I have a habit of making modded smokers and giving them to my family and friends, and this little jewel is the first of what will likely be several. I've done 6 or 7 FrankenBrinkmanns based on the Gourmet Charcoal Smoker.

But this first one's going to get painted. If SS won't paint very well, I'll choose aluminum for Serial Number 001.

Based on this thread, I'll probably not paint another one, if SS works but is tough to get to hold decoration.
Rivet this on and keep it stainless...imho http://www.ebay.com/itm/Oklahoma-St...86721?pt=US_NCAA_Fan_Shop&hash=item2a32a65021
 
UPDATE: The alleged "Stainless Steel" Tamale Steamers at the Farmers Market ended up being a brand labelled Mi Patria that are clearly aluminum. The guy on the phone that told me they had them didn't know what he was talking about. I should have guessed that $33.xx was pretty cheap for stainless.

Anyhow, even these were a poor fit for the Smokey Joe. So I'm back to square one.

@ KeithWI, I hadn't considered that idea, but a similar idea would work great! In any case it is now moot. I make signs for a living (and sublimated car tags), and could just whip up a contour cut Pistol Pete. We have a garment decorating business (screenprinting and machine embroidery mostly) and am a former sign maker. We still do limited signage so I have that skill set. That is part of the reason I'm adamant about decorating this build. I can....
 
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Yes I did, the ally tamale pots were hard to get when built mine so I used a st/st 36 litre stockpot. The base took a lot of cutting to take out as the pot is induction compatible. It's quite heavy but won't dent like ally.
 
Makro cash and carry, their own brand Horeca 36cm 36litres. The base took a while to cut out and the top rim required some very gentle cutting down to get the weber lid to fit. Just seen the weber smokey mountain 37cm, well made but expensive £254.
 

 

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