Old kettle - how to clean it up


 
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Sherry N

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I just picked up a free Weber kettle from Craigslist. I'm brand new to grills and I still have my heart set on a Crate and Barrel green performer, but since it was free, I figured the worst that could happen is that I got what I paid for.
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The grill is the 22" size with a bit of rust and a dent on the lid. The color seems to be gray, but uniformly gray, maybe with some white flecks. Do the black ones fade with age? It has the remnants of wooden handles. Is there anyway to replace those?

I took some pictures of the grill to show you guys what I'm working with, but I can't figure out how to add them. (Can someone help me with that, please?) What should I be looking for? What sorts of things should I be doing to clean up a used Weber kettle?

Any help is greatly appreciated!! Thank you!
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well ya got a nice three wheeler. thats the three vents on the bottom. as for the wood handles you can just cut a large dowel in half and use that. clean it out with some oven cleaner and then some sos pads. finish it off with some very fine steel wool. the grates can be cleaned with a 2-3 in brass wire wheel in a drill. i don't really bother with the dents except to just put some pam oil on the rust. its a badge of honor. once yer done it will look a lot better. then the fun begins. as you learn you will find that the kettle can do a lot more than you think.
 
You can go get you a new Weber handle and it should mount right to the metal already there.
They are about $7.
As for cleaning, dose the outside down with some Easy Off - let it sit for about 30 min and then give it a good rubbing.
Not much to it really
 
personally, the plastic handles are the pits. i would rather have wood of any kind rather than plastic. i will probably switch all mine to wood soon as i come up on some nice lookin wood. but its ones choice no matter what.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by george curtis:
personally, the plastic handles are the pits. i would rather have wood of any kind rather than plastic. i will probably switch all mine to wood soon as i come up on some nice lookin wood. but its ones choice no matter what. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Why do you think this?
It's not like you get a kettle so hot that the handle is hot? Wood or plastic, it's still going to be cool to the touch up there and why wouldn't you want it to be a nice Weber handle?
Different strokes for different folks I assume.
 
Wood handles are <span class="ev_code_GREY">GOLD</span>.
While Weber may have believed the plastic handle was/is an upgrade, they did not ask US.
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Nice pick-up Sherry!
I "wood" consider a new cooking grate if the original is in tough condition.
Welcome to the addiction
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actually the plastic ones do get much hotter than the wood ones, many have noticed this. also the wood ones do not melt like the plastic ones are prone to do. wood just looks better, the plastic ones are just that, plastic and cheap lookin. but if you like the plastic ones then more power to ya. its just a personal preferance. if ya got wood handles i will trade ya plastic ones for them and i'll pay the shipping.!!
 
I love my plastic handles.
How in the world are you getting your kettles so hot that the handles are that hot to touch?
I've never had that problem in 15+ yrs of grilling on a kettle.
My new performer lid handle is cool to the touch when the grill it red hot.
My old OTG was the same way.
To each their own i guess ......
 
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