Lady in red. 21 years old (refurbished)


 
Jan M.

Jan M.

TVWBB Fan
Hi,

I was looking for a red Weber kettle since nearly 15 years to bring the good, old times back on my mind as I learned how to BBQ.
My dad had one in the late 80s but it somehow got lost.

:redmastertouch:

4 days ago I found one on eBay. Conditions were nearly ok. The kettle was uses as flower pot for a while so the ash cleaner inside died years ago.
I found it in Bamberg and they told me it was bought 1996 in the US barracks.

I refurbished the kettle and it's waiting for the next weekend :-)

My question now is, while heating it up the red color turned darker. As it cooled down it came back to normal.
Is this the common behavior for a red kettle ?

Here are some pics

Thx
 
Jan, how cool! Nice restoration job.
My brother and I share a fondness for Weber cooking and my nephew is a proud UNIMOG owner! Interesting how interests develop.
And yes, the color change is normal, the color change is pretty cool.
 
Jan M. said:
My question now is, while heating it up the red color turned darker. As it cooled down it came back to normal. Is this the common behavior for a red kettle?
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Congrats Jan, you did a fantastic restore on that red kettle :redmastertouch:

I have a red kettle from 1983, I love that BBQ. When I cook ribs in it, I pile all the charcoal to one side of the BBQ, so the burning charcoal is actually touching one side of the kettle. That spot will actually turn black as if it were a black kettle :blackkettle: all the while the cook is going. When the charcoal finally cools / dies, the red comes back. It is very cool, but not to worry your red kettle will remain nice and red
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
Jan, how cool! Nice restoration job.
My brother and I share a fondness for Weber cooking and my nephew is a proud UNIMOG owner! Interesting how interests develop.
And yes, the color change is normal, the color change is pretty cool.
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Haha... cool also an UNIMOG Fan in USA! I love my Mog!

The red painting is pretty magic. Very cool stuff. All kettles should be red :-)

Some weeks ago I got a green Weber 22.5 from US. It's nearly UNIMOG green!
In Germany we just have black and grey kettles available.
 
Felix N. said:
very well done sir!!! may I ask how did you go about restoring the legs and triangle? It looks brand new...
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Hi Felix,
The triangle is chrome so I used this kind of pad. (sorry I don't know the English word for it even not the German :-) )
uD4B1xj.jpg

and NevrDull for the finish.

For the aluminum leg I only used the famous NevrDull
xYAlcW1.jpg
 
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Very nice restoration job. Oh and that is not just a redhead kettle, but a redhead master touch. Very cool. I found a green master touch a few years ago. Would love to find one in red!
 
the old red kettles were outlawed due to toxic fumes coming off when heated.. YMMV.

It took them years to find suitable colors for the porcelain that wouldn't look horrible when heated.

I have an old red one from the 70s and never used it.
 
Chris Allingham said:
Mike, are you aware of this? I assume "different" environmental rules in China make this grill possible. https://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?69...der-by-May-12!&p=787654&viewfull=1#post787654
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IIRC, if it's for sale here, it has to meet the laws here. I would speculate advances in paint and porcelain pigments making them compliant to regulations has made this color available. That's a good looking grill... Is it CE/UL? :)

I do remember no one really caring for that dark brick red, but "hey it's a red and they can take it or leave it until there's something better."
 
Mike Durso said:
the old red kettles were outlawed due to toxic fumes coming off when heated.. YMMV.

It took them years to find suitable colors for the porcelain that wouldn't look horrible when heated.
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Hi Mike, never heard of that. What is an old kettle? Is from 1996 old or are all red ones "toxic"?
I hope that all the toxic **** is steamed away after more than 20 years of use.

Are there more info about that fact available?

Thanks a lot for your reply.
 
Jan M. said:
Hi Mike, never heard of that. What is an old kettle? Is from 1996 old or are all red ones "toxic"?
I hope that all the toxic **** is steamed away after more than 20 years of use.

Are there more info about that fact available?

Thanks a lot for your reply.
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]

As mentioned at another forum:

In regards to the color and toxicity, Proposition 65. Lead, cadmium, other metals used to pigment and assist with the porcelain enamel finish were outlawed due to handling and use during the manufacturing process and some follow on.

Now your house may have lead paint and your kids school may have asbestos here and there. But as long as it's encased and not disturbed, you should be alright.

I don't recall any "hard evidence" to not using a vintage grill for outright cooking. Maybe some fumes are toxic, but how much? You may not want to scratch at it or eat or lick the finish any more than a vintage car or your childhood bedroom from 1956. I haven't used the red gumball in years and years.

Remember that grilling in itself is packed with carcinogens. I read where you shouldn't cook with aluminum foil, but once or three times a week I ball up some green peppers and onions and toss them on the grate. I have a brass fitting on the end of my garden hose and when I'm done rinsing the lawn mower, I take a drink.

I don't feel I'm really answering the question with FACT other than it was definitely present in manufacturing. And the Stephen family seemed annoyed they had to drop some successful colors and options..
 
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