2 unrelated resto questions please

[JimV]

I am pretty much done with a nice espresso E330 but the knobs rubber coating is all cracked. Im too cheap to pay big bucks for new knobs from my profit category so I am trying to salvage the old knobs. The old rubber chips right off of the top of the knob where the sun backed it but the rubber holds on tight on the bottom of the knob. See in the pic under this rubber is good lookin clean plastic. Any suggestions for removing the rest of the stubborn rubber bits without scratching the good plastic underneath? I was thinkin heat gun but that could get squirrely fast. My other thought is dremel tool but with what attachment?

Next question....I was talkin w another resto guy about old school 1000's and such......some how in the conversation regulators came up. I just wanted to check here to see if I understood correctly. Do the older 1000's or 3000's use a different regulator that pumps out more BTU's? As I recall for my current resto on my 3000 which I have not fired up yet I just used a 11ws standard reg on it. If it takes a diff reg can u guide me to which one it takes please? I mean they are diff deeper cook boxes w 13 bars so this does make sense.

Thanks

 

[Jon Tofte]

Jim,
I admire your effort to not waste money - and new knobs are definitely pricey. Without seeing a picture of what you have to work with it is hard to say conclusively, but it sure sounds to me like those are a lost cause if you are wanting them to look nice enough for a "restored" grill. They will work perfectly fine, of course, for a daily driver. I would try sounding out this board for used knobs that may be dirty and need the red parts repainted but not crumbling like you describe. You might find someone willing to part with a set that you could clean up and paint. Use the Buy/Sell/Trade section.

I will let Larry weigh in on regulator complexities. I really didn't think there was any difference between the Genesis x000 grills and the newer 300 series with respect to regulators. What may be different is the orifice openings. People quite often cite older Genesis grills as getting hotter and then others say they can't get enough heat. Same for newer Genesis 300 series. There are a number of reasons this can happen that are, for the most part, over this accountant's head.

One thing I will say is that the older "classic" Genesis grills are much more robustly built grills that are not nearly as susceptible to crumbling from rust or firebox burn-through. The first version, 13-bar firebox models are very favored here.

One last note, even on the older Genesis there was an original "Platinum" model that visually looked pretty much like a "regular" Genesis but which must have had slightly wider openings in the orifices. These were rated a little higher in btu output.

 

[JimV]

Dang I downloaded the pics but forgot to add them....woops! Here they are

 

[JimV]

And this is my example grill regarding what regulator to use........I have discussed this grill many times during my resto........I think it will never leave my garage!!!!! Does this old deep box cooker just take a 11ws or somethin " hotter " for the lack of a better term

 

[Bruce]

As far as I know, most grills, especially the 3 burners are all using regulators with the same specs. I agree with Jon. If you cannot find a reasonably priced source for replacement knobs, I would think finding someone who has a set on this forum would be the next route to take. Have you tried Ebay?

 

[JimV]

If u look at that knob it literally took 3 minutes of scraping with a blunt dental tool and the old rubber just fell off......it is only sticking in the bottom of the knob.......my dremel could make quick work of the rubber but I dont wanna leave a scratched surface behind.

 

[Bruce]

Something like goo gone??? It might soften up that old plastic/rubber and its adhesive enough for it to come off easily....But, I don't know if it would affect the rest of the knob as well.

 

[JimV]

I have been sitting in this chair all day......Im gunna have to head out to my " feels like " 20 degrees garage for a lil tinkering.........I will try a few things

 

[Jon Tofte]

And this is my example grill regarding what regulator to use........I have discussed this grill many times during my resto........I think it will never leave my garage!!!!! Does this old deep box cooker just take a 11ws or somethin " hotter " for the lack of a better term

Sorry, didn't mean to overlook your classic beauty!

 

[JimV]

Ha no problem....I didnt have the ole beauty pic up at the time of the post. I tinkered in the garage on a Dyson DC40 instead of grill knobs. Been looking at the Dyson brand for resto hobby as well. Everyone loves Dyson and they sell like hot cakes....this is my first one that I have purchased for resto....$20 for a $400 vacuum......similar to the grills. The repairs are easy....a cracked hose or a filter replacement and they are back up and running. But here is the question......do I want to scrape grease or inhale a bunch of gross tiny dust particles from someone elses house? The vacuum took far less time.....but when I got into the internal world of the Dyson it was dirty and not fun to clean. I love my Dyson stick vac but for the record I am not a fan of the Dyson Ball vacuums ......Too heavy....clunky.....plastic.....etc. Ok so I am picking up another one this week hopefully this doesnt catch on like the Webers did.

 

[Bruce]

Heck, I think both are great rehab hobbies. Balance the profit and fun factor and if is a net gain, then go for one or both.
If it wasn't for the fact that people didn't like cleaning up aging grills and replacing parts, we wouldn't have our little hobbies. Same thing the Vacs. Someone either doesn't know how to unclog the sock that got sucked up or they just don't want to bother dealing with it. That is where you come in....Hopefully, all it is is a sock and not something else that was under that couch.

I picked up a stainless steel contractors shop vac off the side of the road a few months ago. Mine is an older model but the new versions are almost $400. Mine still has all the power and is in great shape. The filter was missing, but I bought a new one. It beats the heck out of my plastic home shop vac.

 

[JimV]

ya Stihl brand products are another tinkerers treasure. They are built very well and thus fun and rewarding to work on. If u ever see any Stihl machine selling for cheap jump on it.....fix it fast....sell it.....have a steak and a beer

 

[LMichaels]

Re regulators. All LP grills use 11" WC (water column). There is no variant. They're known as low pressure regulators. This is due to the fact that other type devices use adjustable high pressure regulators or non adjustable high pressure regulators. These operate at MUCH higher pressures and should NEVER be used on a grill (regardless of what you read here by a couple of foolish posters I have seen). They're not meant for continuous use at the very low pressure an LP grill requires and could cause serious danger to the grill and or user. (BTW there is no such thing as 11WS)
Natural Gas is another animal all together.

 

[JimV]

Thanks Larry.....ya this guy I was chatting with is actually a pro resto guy....has his own website in this area....does great work.......so I was confused when he was talking about a different regulator for the 1000's etc. Knowing me I misunderstood what he was saying. For all I know he is a member here. I will text him to see if he can clarify. But Larry.....if it comes from you it is already clarified....done....complete......and I have only been using 11WC since u educated me on it. I know when I asked him about 11wc he had know idea what I was talking about...he said " I only know the part # from Weber " ........anyway I will follow up......thanks for the clarification.

 

[LMichaels]

Weber used some different design types that had to do with how/where the hose was attached and stuff like that. Also fitting type going onto the tank. POL, QCC1, and Quick Connect through the years. All are QCC1 now but the length and angle of hoses still varies by model I guess. But, yeah all LP grills regardless of brand name are 11" WC devices. I think it may be a safety requirement BTW

 

[Joe Zoots]

I have also been doing the Dyson restores. The majority just need to be cleaned. I fix them and give them to friends.

 

[JimV]

Thanks Larry.......

Ya the Dyson thing.....its a thing for sure. If u see one selling for $20 bucks grab it! It is a lot different then the grill hobby....certainly not as rewarding....but in one day u make a quick $100 no painting no grinding etc......
But nothing looks better then a fresh resto of a classic Weber just gleaming in the sun ready to cook.

 

[Bruce]

Jim, you might contact this guy who is parting out a couple E3xxx grills. If he has the knobs, he could probably send them pretty cheap in the mail.

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[JimV]

Ironically I just finished the knobs also I swear I saw this set of knobs selling for $35 plus shipping thats why I worked w what I had......Now I am seeing them everywhere for $24.....maybe its $24 plus ship.....so $30 total. Subtracting $30 out of our slim margins is no good.......Here are some before after pics of the knobs I worked on. The rubber coating after several years of being in the sun just chips right off.....then there are a few areas that it is still stuck on really good. I used my pocket knife to widdle away the heavy stuff then cleaned up the light stuff with a brass wire wheel on my dremel. They look great in my opinion....I mean my customer is getting the grill at a $300 discount from new.....so u dont get rubber coated knobs with that kind of discount. I am delivering the grill tomorrow.

 

[JimV]

Hey no zooming in on my red paint job of the kettles! I was having technical difficulties with frozen spray paint cans. They look really good from 4 feet away!