Hello all. Nice forum here, appreciate all the enthusiasm for Weber. My parents always had Webers and I just bought my first, secondhand. It's got a bit of rust on the bottom of the side panels, but other than that it's solid.
It was absolutely filthy though, and I spent the better part of 2 days trying to clean it out. I was able to scrape the lid and clean that, but didn't want to remove end-caps so those are still quite dirty. Inside i did as much scraping as I could, but again, didn't manage to get everything. Word of caution - Easy-off Oven cleaner isn't great on the outside of the cook box - it took off some of the grease stains but also took some paint with it. And the places where the previous owner sprayed have etched the aluminum somewhat. Oh well, it doesn't have to be perfect. I've read about Down Power Dissolver which is what I would have preferred to use, but I don't want to buy a case of that right now. Simple green was nearly ineffective as well. I was thinking to try Dawn Heavy Duty Degreaser (Purple stuff), but I'm thinking she's in good enough shape to start grilling and worry about cleaning more later on. I do have an angle grinder and would be willing to try that but again, I've spent enough time cleaning and want to start grilling.
With all my scraping experience on the cook box I decided it was time to go at the grates. Without thinking I started scraping the burnt on carbon off the grates using a 1.5" putty scraper. Only after did I realize this is BAD. I'm wondering if anyone can evaluate the condition of these and hopefully reassure me I didn't damage them? The only chipping and rust I see appears to be confined to a small spot, the rest of the enamel appears to be in good shape and that I didn't ruin it. How would I make sure any metal dust or transfer from my scraper is cleaned off prior to cooking? Should I season them?
Lastly, I have some white spotting on the top of the lid. I'm not sure if this is the 'Weber Fade', I think it's actually dried easy-off, but I'm not sure how to clean it. I'm going to have a go at it with steel wool and maybe some auto detailing clay then meguiars compound/polish.
Here's an album with the before and after, and the grates.
Thanks all!
It was absolutely filthy though, and I spent the better part of 2 days trying to clean it out. I was able to scrape the lid and clean that, but didn't want to remove end-caps so those are still quite dirty. Inside i did as much scraping as I could, but again, didn't manage to get everything. Word of caution - Easy-off Oven cleaner isn't great on the outside of the cook box - it took off some of the grease stains but also took some paint with it. And the places where the previous owner sprayed have etched the aluminum somewhat. Oh well, it doesn't have to be perfect. I've read about Down Power Dissolver which is what I would have preferred to use, but I don't want to buy a case of that right now. Simple green was nearly ineffective as well. I was thinking to try Dawn Heavy Duty Degreaser (Purple stuff), but I'm thinking she's in good enough shape to start grilling and worry about cleaning more later on. I do have an angle grinder and would be willing to try that but again, I've spent enough time cleaning and want to start grilling.
With all my scraping experience on the cook box I decided it was time to go at the grates. Without thinking I started scraping the burnt on carbon off the grates using a 1.5" putty scraper. Only after did I realize this is BAD. I'm wondering if anyone can evaluate the condition of these and hopefully reassure me I didn't damage them? The only chipping and rust I see appears to be confined to a small spot, the rest of the enamel appears to be in good shape and that I didn't ruin it. How would I make sure any metal dust or transfer from my scraper is cleaned off prior to cooking? Should I season them?
Lastly, I have some white spotting on the top of the lid. I'm not sure if this is the 'Weber Fade', I think it's actually dried easy-off, but I'm not sure how to clean it. I'm going to have a go at it with steel wool and maybe some auto detailing clay then meguiars compound/polish.
Here's an album with the before and after, and the grates.
Thanks all!
