And so it begins...Genesis Silver C "Spruce Up"
- Thread starter RMcCormick
- Start date
RMcCormick
TVWBB Member
Same here. The firebox and sides in flat black look great. Most of the frame looks great expect for couple spots with the haze as you said. The lid probably did look better before the paint, as the nice gentleman above pointed out (didn't know I wasn't supposed to paint the lid), but oh well what's done is done. I'm happy with it for for my first time out.
I'm sure it will still grill food. It's spray paint. Can't expect perfect professional application.
RMcCormick
TVWBB Member
Paint is still pretty fresh. Don't suppose I could take it off without ruining the original porcelain coating could I?
Man, I talked about doing this for days. I really someone would have said something to me.
RMcCormick
TVWBB Member
Is the lid really ruined?????
Bummer...I'm not sure what I'd do at this point. It's not ruined in the sense that you've made the grill unusable. You just did something that was not necessary and created a maintenance issue in the future if that paint begins to fail. Webers are known for their porcelain finish, it's one of their biggest selling points and is one of the reasons these grills last so long.
Maybe others have an opinion on whether or not you should try to remove it now...I suppose it will never get easier to remove than right now. The question is can all of it be removed so it's back to just the porcelain.
Yes, you did talk about this project for days, but I looked back at this entire thread and don't see any question about or mention of painting the lid...until after you painted the lid. It's just something that no one does, so no one mentioned it. Did you happen to take a look at some of the restoration examples that others have posted? You would have seen examples of painted fireboxes and lid end caps and frames, but lids just being cleaned up, not painted.
Maybe others have an opinion on whether or not you should try to remove it now...I suppose it will never get easier to remove than right now. The question is can all of it be removed so it's back to just the porcelain.
Yes, you did talk about this project for days, but I looked back at this entire thread and don't see any question about or mention of painting the lid...until after you painted the lid. It's just something that no one does, so no one mentioned it. Did you happen to take a look at some of the restoration examples that others have posted? You would have seen examples of painted fireboxes and lid end caps and frames, but lids just being cleaned up, not painted.
RMcCormick
TVWBB Member
Yes. Yes it can. Crisis averted.
The paint came right off. I just used varying strengthens and degrees of strippers and thinners, going milder as I got closer to the porcelain. I started with a little spot under the where the side would cover just in case it didn't go well. It really came off pretty easily.
That porcelain is so hard and so slick I just don't think the paint had any chance of sticking to it. It probably would have started flaking off in short order. Not sure what kind of magic they use to make that stuff out of, but wow.
I then did a 3 step paint correction with a dual action polisher, just like I do for cars with very hard paint. It actually looked pretty good before I even polished it, but what the hey, I already made more work for myself so why not keep going.
RMcCormick
TVWBB Member
You're right. I didn't. Rookie mistake. Yes, I went through several examples of other restorations. I just didn't realize people weren't painting the tops. I also looked at that article on cleaning the tops you referenced. Again, just overwhelmed and excited I guess, and didn't make the connection. Mistakes happen. Just glad it could be fixed.
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RMcCormick
TVWBB Member
This post crushed me this morning. I obliviously made a mistake and didn't realize it...or I wouldn't have done it. Honestly it's things like this that turn a lot of people off to message boards. I know a lot of context gets lost on the inter web. And it's probably lost in this post as well, but I promise I'm not crying about hurt feelings. Just asking that people please think of how you are responding to people since it is hard to convey context. I really felt like this post was made for no other reason than to make me feel like an idiot, which I did.
RMcCormick
TVWBB Member
Nice Save!
& now here's a thread for the next time someone searches "paint the lid"
Thank you. I appreciate it. Glad I could make this mistake so hopefully someone else won't have too.
RM,
I'm sorry that you felt crushed. I'm sure that LM wasn't trying to make you feel like an idiot. He was probably just in shock that you painted the lid. As Chris said, it's something that isn't even discussed really as it's never done. We'll get plenty of people asking about painting the inside of the firebox and we of course will tell them not to.
FWIW, I was reading through the posts in this thread, saw your photos and even your reply about how much paint you used. It never dawned on me that you had painted over the porcelain. I thought you just went into over kill mode painting the side panels. I read LM's post and your reply and was like "He did WHAT??????", then went back to take a look at the photos again. In short, LM said what probably popped into many people's mind.
That said, you did an absolute bang up job on the restore. Did I read correctly that you cleaned up the SS warmer and rack ? If so, how in the world did you get them both so clean and shiny ? Also, can you go into some more detail about the "3 step paint correction with a dual action polisher" ?
Thanks
RMcCormick
TVWBB Member
You're right, I probably just took it the wrong way. I was really upset with myself. I really thought I had ruined it.
Thanks a lot. I'm really happy with how it turned out...now that I fixed the lid
As for the bang up job, I kind of cheated, I bought a grill that was pretty clean and in great shape to start with.
I actually ended up using a lot of the same stuff to clean it up that I use when I detail our cars. I have found my car detailing stuff is pretty great all over the house. It's been a nice unexpected benefit.
Reference the SS warmer and rack, yes those are the original ones from the first few pictures. I was ready to toss them and get replacements before I started, but then I started to clean them and made a clean spot, so I had to keep going. I used a TON of elbow grease, and a power washer. Green and Blue Scotchbrite pads, and several different grades of steel wool. Also pretty much every non-toxic biodegradable cleaner under the sun. I tried Simple Green, the Purple Super Degreaser from Harbor Freight, and some Orange Cleaner from Home Depot (I forget the name brand).
But honestly what worked the best was my car cleaning stuff. When you do the car the idea is start with the least aggressive method and go forward as needed. I use the Meguiar's Professional line of products. I start with Meguiar's D10101 Detailer All Purpose Cleaner which is the least aggressive, and then move on to the Meguiar's D10801 Super Degreaser which is more heavy duty. Both these products are amazing. They will clean and take out spots like nothing else I have ever found. I obviously use them on the cars, but I have used them around the house on everything from leather, to fabric chairs, to counter tops, to carpeting, and now of course Weber grill restoration. They really are pretty much the only cleaners you will ever need. Of course always test for color fastness, but I have never had them ruin anything I have ever tried them on. They seem expensive, but they are water dilute-able to varying degrees, and if you get the Mequiar's bottles the dilution rations are right on the bottles. I've had the same one gallons jugs for almost 2 years. I also used a couple different metal putty knives. One of them had a little half moon shape cut out of the side, perfect for scraping those bars. Also a wire brush. Then I just scrubbed, and scrubbed, and scrubbed some more. Like I said, that is really good stainless. Not like the cheap crap you see today. The stuff they used today would have rusted away long ago, or would have crumbled under the cleaning I gave them. Just like the rest of the grill they were built to last.
I realize now how durable the porcelain is. I know that the porcelain isn't exactly the same as car paint and clear coat, but it does appear to have many of the same properties as really hard car paint and clear coat. For the paint I use a mini orbital polisher (it's sold as a sander, but it fits 3" detail pads perfectly). For the car bodies I use the classic Porter Cable style random orbital polishers, but I use this mini one for things headlights, windows, glass, etc. This one is air driven, but they do make electric versions of this too. First I use Meguiar's M105 Mirror Glaze Ultra-Cut Compound. Normally on a car I would then go to Meguiar's M205, but today I skipped it and went to the Meguiar's M83. And finally for a nice protective and shinny appearance I used Meguiar's M21 Mirror Glaze Synthetic Sealant 2.0.
The way you go from more aggressive to less aggressive is by how hard the pad is you are using to polish. Typically you use a harder pad for the first steps and a softer pad for the final shine.
Finally I shined it up with Meguiar's D15501 Last Touch Spray Detailer. This stuff is great as well. Leaves a nice streak free shine. Works so well you can use it "wash" you car is you really want. It's great on metal, glass, plastic, whatever. I use it as a lubricant when I'm claying the paint as well. You can use it straight or dilute it.
It probably sounds like a lot of work, but honestly it only took me about 20 minutes to do all that once I go the stupid spray paint off.
For the plastic pieces on the grill I used the All Purpose Cleaner and the Super degreaser. Then I used Meguiar's D17001 Hyper Dressing to protect the plastic pieces. I like the Hyper Dressing because it is a water soluble dressing and it's not oily or sticky like a lot of the stuff out there. You can dilute it water based on how shinny you want it to be.
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I am SO glad that you recovered so successfully! Great job, great looking grill, and great details on the detailing. 
Your point about the wording of posts is true in the sense that we really are at a deficit when it comes to communicating with each other online. We have no facial expressions, no body language, no tone of voice, nothing to help us understand the nature of the comment, just the words. It can be a real challenge, both when composing a post and when reading a post. My hope is that we all just try to be as helpful and supportive as possible.
Your point about the wording of posts is true in the sense that we really are at a deficit when it comes to communicating with each other online. We have no facial expressions, no body language, no tone of voice, nothing to help us understand the nature of the comment, just the words. It can be a real challenge, both when composing a post and when reading a post. My hope is that we all just try to be as helpful and supportive as possible.
LMichaels
TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
My intent was NEVER to make you feel stupid or badly it was more shock on my part. I saw your posts about paining it BUT I never dreamed you were referring to actual lid but the components of the lid (caps, emblem and so on). As you discovered unless you "chip or break" that coating it is indestructible and can be salvaged even after a mistake. Glad it worked out....................................Really ;-)
RM, nice write up and like others have said, nice save. I'm sure your post will provide some inspiration and hope for others who think that their grill is beyond saving. In fact, the grill is so clean, I think you may have put some of us, myself included, who did their own restore, to shame. Now the most important part - time to fire that baby up!
RMcCormick
TVWBB Member
Thanks, much appreciated.
RMcCormick
TVWBB Member
I'm scared to cook on it. It might get dirty! Hopefully gonna make pork chops tonight. My new flavorizer bars are going to be here tomorrow. Maybe I should just wait till they show up? Or maybe I should do a before and after cook to see how much of a difference they make?
RMcCormick
TVWBB Member