Got a REAL red kettle and saying goodbye to a Woodard Cart


 

Jon Tofte

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I wound up obtaining a vintage RED KETTLE :redmastertouch: from Charlie, a member of the Weber Kettle Club. He is an avid collector, and their club is VERY ACTIVE when it comes to finding vintage Weber kettles.

Here is my "new" kettle. When time permits, I plan to do some polishing up on the legs, ash pan, and triangle.

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I think it is a much better purchase than one of those "limited edition" ones. Look at the difference in color, sheen and workmanship. I also love the old-fashioned metal handles (as long as you have a mitt or pot holder:eek:):

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WOODARD CART
In the course of our dealings, I was able to help another WKC member by "agenting" a purchase of another old kettle listed on Craigslist from a seller in my area. Charlie sold me the beautiful red kettle which he delivered from 4 hours away in northern Florida, picked up the kettle I was the agent for to take on to the other WKC member, and did a huge swap of a trove of Weber gas grill parts, a new Weber cover for the kettle and a Weber kettle side table in exchange for a cool old wrought iron cart I obtained from OfferUp for FREE!

This metal cart turned out to be a "Woodard" complete with a ca. 1970 well-used 18 inch Weber "patent-pending" kettle. It had no leg sockets because it was specifically made for use in a cart. Woodard is a very old company (1860s) still making wrought iron furniture in Texas today. They apparently were the manufacturer of the Seville cart that Weber sold for the full-size 22" kettle. No one really knows for sure, but it looks like Woodard made this cart for the 18" kettle to sell through private channels (maybe Montgomery Ward). These carts were not shown in the Weber catalogs of the period, but they are pretty cool:

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My wife was unenthusiastic about this proposed addition to our small deck, and after more consideration I realized that I didn't have the resources to properly restore this historic item. Charlie is willing to go the full measure and have it media blasted and then powder-coated to bring it back to its original glory. I was glad to pass it on and the MANY nice items that Charlie gave to me made it a great find for me as well.

Among the items he gave me were (1) an unused ORIGINAL Weber rotisserie for the Genesis (will be added to my Skyline grill), (2) several sets of Weber burner tubes and a set of Weber flavorizers, (3) a vintage Weber "Grill Out" light handle for the 1000 series Genesis, AND a whole box full of nice restorable wooden slats for the Weber Genesis.

I am happy Charlie will do the Woodard justice and I am looking forward to finally trying rotisserie grilling myself as well as a lot of saved time and $ on my Genesis restores.

The Weber Kettle Club people are pretty much fanatical about finding and obtaining old Weber kettles. I never knew there were so many colors and styles. It is easy to see how you can get addicted:rolleyes:!
 
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Sweet Red kettle John! I know you will be happier with it then those terrible limited addition jobs. What year do you suspect she is?

Interesting history Lesson on the woodward cart. Thanks for sharing.
 
Dustin,
Using the dating guide on the Weber Kettle Club site, it appears this is a 1975 red kettle. It has the newer bottom vents and wheels which started about then, and the top vent is pre-1976.

I learned most of the info about the Woodard cart from different posts by members of the WKC. At least one of our members posted about getting one as well. Chris confirmed that this cart was not in any of the Weber period catalogs. In my own research of Woodard I noticed that some of their other stuff from the 60’s-70’s had identical features to the Seville cart which Weber did sell. That and similar suggestions by some other articles leads me to be pretty sure that Weber “outsourced” the manufacturing of the Seville 22” Kettle carts to Woodard. It is only guesswork, but it seems reasonable that Weber in turn supplied Woodard with 18” kettles for Woodard to sell with their smaller cart. This smaller cart isn’t as dramatic as the Seville, but I like it’s convenient size and the inset for placing a cutting board.
 
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Very cool Jon! The fellowship of Weber aficionados never ceases to amaze me, the wide open sharing of information, support between members who become friends from all over the world. It’s just cool!
 
Mind if I ask what a vintage red head like that goes for? I've got one in good shape (probably a 7 out of 10). I guess mine is a Master One Touch because it has the ash pan and the wire ring lid holder. I'm thinking about letting it go because I need to free up space on my patio.
 
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He was asking $150. I agreed to that because he was willing to deliver it from 200 miles away! He also threw in so many freebies so it is hard to say what I really paid. This kettle is what the WKC people call “MBH” because the bowl has the original style metal handles. The Kettle Club folks are very detail oriented, and many value these.

On the other hand, the one touch grills are also valued because they are easier to cook with and keep clean. If it has a nice red finish, I would hold out for a good price. Even heavily discounted the new limited grills are at least a hundred and generally more. As you can see in my pictures there is no comparison. Good luck; I hope you get a good price!
 
Thanks. I would have guessed more than $150, especially with all the extras.

I bought mine 20+ years ago. She's got a lot of miles on her. Now she just sits and watches. I really have a sentimental attachment to it. So, I have trouble thinking about selling it. I have a 20 year old son. He's younger than the grill. I'd kinda like to fix her up and pass it down to him.

Here she is....

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Homemade handles

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Some rust spots. Not too sure how to deal with those other than to put rust remover on it.

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I agree you should try to keep it in the family. The type you have with the darker edge is really cool. The guy from the WKC said it is “Coppermist” even though I have always thought that was a golden brown color. Collectors like them!

The kettle people generally seem to feel that refurbishing a Kettle should be limited to cleaning and replacing parts. They have some great guides to restoring the various parts of the Kettle on the WKC site.

I know you can’t paint porcelain, but I wouldn’t be above some rust remover and a careful spot spray of high heat red paint. I guess you have to weigh the pros and cons on a case by case basis.
 
I agree with your title; you found a REAL one. Congrats! I wouldn't have the slightest desire in the LI for even $25.
 
I agree with your title; you found a REAL one. Congrats! I wouldn't have the slightest desire in the LI for even $25.

Yes, I was really excited when I heard about the Limited Edition. Not that I had $199 laying around with nothing to do, but a red kettle sounded like it would be a really cool addition/replacement kettle. I tried REALLY HARD to be understanding and at first felt that some Weber fans were being unrealistic in their expectations. I also attributed some of the reports to bad shipping & handling.

However, when I finally got to see some of them in person at the Home Depot south of me, I was extremely disappointed. The picture I posted pretty much tells it all. I hope that at least some buyers got ones free of glaring defects, but I really don't think any of them have the real red color like my classic one. So, yes I would rather have a 40-year old kettle with some chips - "patina" - from years of use but still with a beautiful sheen and the feel of quality that made Webers famous.
 
Yep, give me a real one with some “velveteen rabbit syndrome” over the all new reddish orange peel finish in a heartbeat. A little dent, a chip make them “real”.
 
Hey Jon...

I was able to pick this 1990 red kettle for 20 bucks. Can't wait for the wife to come home as see it in the backyard lol. “Another one!!” Haha

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WOW! That's hitting one out of the park! Way to go, Jose. Do you think you should feel just a little guilty?;)

On the Weber Kettle Club site there is a guy who makes perfect replicas of the wood handles for these older Weber Kettles. You can get one with the Weber logo or with Weber...The One. The Only. Since you got such as awesome deal on your red kettle, maybe you will want to splurge on new handles:cool:!

One other thing. If you have interest in this, since your grill has the "one touch" sweep vents, if you can find another donor grill with the removable ash pan and the holder for it you can put that on your red kettle to make it easier to use. Mine is the really old kettle with the metal handles (that I love) but also the three separate vents on the bottom (which are not so fun to clean up after).

Congrats on a GREAT FIND! Now have fun using it. I have to wait until tax season is over, but I am told that these red kettles "blush" when good and hot and turn a deep, dark red.
 
Yes, yes they do blush! The yellow ones and brown ones do some cool color change dances too.
No snow last night and the temperature is improving! Time to grill something!!
 
I agree you should try to keep it in the family. The type you have with the darker edge is really cool. The guy from the WKC said it is “Coppermist” even though I have always thought that was a golden brown color. Collectors like them!

The kettle people generally seem to feel that refurbishing a Kettle should be limited to cleaning and replacing parts. They have some great guides to restoring the various parts of the Kettle on the WKC site.

I know you can’t paint porcelain, but I wouldn’t be above some rust remover and a careful spot spray of high heat red paint. I guess you have to weigh the pros and cons on a case by case basis.

John, there was misunderstanding somewhere. That one is known as a red mist. The copper mist is indeed brownish in color with a black fade. That fade to black is what "mist" references.


Darren, for the rust spots, you might opt for a rust converter instead of remover. VHT red caliper paint would be a close match.

Another option is to just oil the spots up, heat the grill, rinse repeat. Kind of like seasoning a pan.
 
Dave,
That makes a lot more sense, and maybe that is what Charlie, the WKC member, was trying to tell me. I had just picked up a grill acting as an "agent" for yet another WKC member. I had thought Charlie referred to it as "coppermist". After I picked it up, I was driving with it in a van and called Charlie. I told him it was a red kettle with just a dark area around the lid. I was driving so maybe I didn't follow him completely. But, yes, red mist would be a perfect description for yours and the one that I picked up.
 
Thanks for clarifying. I do plan to keep it. And, I have a rust converter like naval jelly that I intended to use on the rust.
 
Thanks for clarifying. I do plan to keep it. And, I have a rust converter like naval jelly that I intended to use on the rust.

I will be interested to hear how that works out. I am thinking about trying VHT rust converter and then doing a cover with VHT red paint - ONLY on the affected area. Then try to feather edges with a Dremel with a buffing attachment. I would never paint over porcelain, but if it is already gone, I don't see why touching up the raw metal would be a bad thing. I guess I will start small and see how it looks. I have to admit that many collectors seem to feel that it looks better un-retouched.
 

 

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