TracyD
New member
So I picked this 1969(?) Avocado two tone 22.5" BAR-B-Q Kettle up last week on CL for $35.00. It was originally owned by a man who lived in Arlington Heights, IL. His son brought it to Colorado. They called it their Turkey Cooker. Based on the frozen vents, I believe it smoked many turkeys over the years. It came with the charcoal fences.
Here are the pictures before I worked to clean it up a bit.
There were some issues:
Triangle upside down and wired to the leg:
Two of the bottom vents were frozen completely with turkey goo contrary to what the seller told me.
One of the handles had come off at some point and the original owner had bolted it back on. The hardware does not look like stainless.
The wood handle was cracked and dried out from years in the dry sunny Colorado climate.
So I took her apart and worked on the bottom vents. I had to gently pry them up with a screw driver to break them free. I pulled the legs and fixed the triangle. I did a little rust removal from the triangle. I also cut the loose handle off by cutting the rivets. Sanded, stained and sealed the old handle. I will buy a new handle from Brian at some point when I replace other handles.
Here's a few shots after the cleanup. I still need to replace the handle bolts with SS hardware and finish cleaning the bottom vents. More inside work may also be done. Also, will buy a cover to protect this gem.
I love the real wheels:
Polished the vent with 0000 steel wool and wd-40. Refinished handle.
Fixed the bent vent tabs and freed the two frozen vents:
Still have some work to do on the main handle to prevent more rust. Overall I am happy with how this 40+ year old Bar-B-Q Kettle looks at this point.
Here are the pictures before I worked to clean it up a bit.
There were some issues:
Triangle upside down and wired to the leg:
Two of the bottom vents were frozen completely with turkey goo contrary to what the seller told me.
One of the handles had come off at some point and the original owner had bolted it back on. The hardware does not look like stainless.
The wood handle was cracked and dried out from years in the dry sunny Colorado climate.
So I took her apart and worked on the bottom vents. I had to gently pry them up with a screw driver to break them free. I pulled the legs and fixed the triangle. I did a little rust removal from the triangle. I also cut the loose handle off by cutting the rivets. Sanded, stained and sealed the old handle. I will buy a new handle from Brian at some point when I replace other handles.
Here's a few shots after the cleanup. I still need to replace the handle bolts with SS hardware and finish cleaning the bottom vents. More inside work may also be done. Also, will buy a cover to protect this gem.
I love the real wheels:
Polished the vent with 0000 steel wool and wd-40. Refinished handle.
Fixed the bent vent tabs and freed the two frozen vents:
Still have some work to do on the main handle to prevent more rust. Overall I am happy with how this 40+ year old Bar-B-Q Kettle looks at this point.
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