Angle Grinder for cleaning up grills


 
Bruce

Bruce

TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
For those of you that use an angle grinder to clean out grills. You can get the Harbor Freight one for under $10 right now.
Even if you already have one, this is too good of a price to pass up for a spare.

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And while you are there, pick up a few free Microfiber cloths for cleanup.

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Harbor Freight also sells foam buffing pads that I intend to try soon. They might not work for an angle grinder, but they they would work for a dual-action sander/polisher. Might come in handy for the grill exterior.
 
Rusty James said:
Might come in handy for the grill exterior.
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I think it's over kill. A buffer will not touch the porcelain on these grills as it's basically as hard as glass. Also if the reason for wanting to use a buffer is to get rid of the fading you see on some black grills here too it will not help at all. The fading is deeper than the surface. It's the underlying pigment in the porcelain
 
LMichaels said:
I think it's over kill. A buffer will not touch the porcelain on these grills as it's basically as hard as glass. Also if the reason for wanting to use a buffer is to get rid of the fading you see on some black grills here too it will not help at all. The fading is deeper than the surface. It's the underlying pigment in the porcelain
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Could very well be true. I base my assumptions on buffing auto paint, and I am not sure if paint cleaning / polishing oils will work their way into the pigment, but these products should remove any above surface contaminates. I might try it on my kettle lid and see what happens.
 
Oh, it might polish it up a bit, but one grilling session and it will be all for naught unless you plan to buff it after every cook. But, if you want to drop some paste wax and get after it with a buffer for a one time photo shoot, what the heck.

But, some #0000 Steel wool and simple green will get all the "contaminants" off the lid. Then it is just a matter of cleaning any streaks with some good glass cleaner to get that show room shine.
 
Rusty James said:
Could very well be true. I base my assumptions on buffing auto paint, and I am not sure if paint cleaning / polishing oils will work their way into the pigment, but these products should remove any above surface contaminates. I might try it on my kettle lid and see what happens.
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That is precisely why it does not work. They are not painted. They are "glazed". Basically the metal is heated until glowing hot (I think about 1500 deg) it is than coated with a glass compound which melts on contact and glazes the part. When it cools the coating becomes glass. So it is very hard and very brittle. It resists scratches BUT not chips. So if it's hit with something it's ruined
 
LMichaels said:
That is precisely why it does not work. They are not painted. They are "glazed". Basically the metal is heated until glowing hot (I think about 1500 deg) it is than coated with a glass compound which melts on contact and glazes the part. When it cools the coating becomes glass. So it is very hard and very brittle. It resists scratches BUT not chips. So if it's hit with something it's ruined
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Thanks for the clarification.
 
That makes me wonder what would happen if I went out and smacked a lid with a hammer. Would it just chip, crack, shatter, or spider like a windshield.

Has anyone whacked their grill lid really hard???? Accidentally of course?
 
Bruce said:
That makes me wonder what would happen if I went out and smacked a lid with a hammer. Would it just chip, crack, shatter, or spider like a windshield.
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Find an old washing machine, or an old stove top, and strike that. Just be sure to wear safety glasses.
 
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Actually, I have a grill lid in the garage that is "oxidized" but other than that in perfect shape. I guess I could test it on that, but I hate to wast the lid. I could keep the side plates and thermometer, I suppose.
 
Bruce said:
That makes me wonder what would happen if I went out and smacked a lid with a hammer. Would it just chip, crack, shatter, or spider like a windshield.

Has anyone whacked their grill lid really hard???? Accidentally of course?
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It makes a huge chip and spider web pretty much shatters just like glass. Don't ask me how I know :-(
 
If you're going to use a wire brush near your grill please ensure you wipe the cooking grate well with a rag prior to cooking. You do not want to ingest a loose wire.
 
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