I picked a red EE Master Touch on craigslist this week. It looked to be in great shape from the photos.
I was hoping it was the proverbial "granny drives the cadillac twice a month whether it needs it or not". The better analogy would be "We use our truck every day - and change the oil every three thousand miles". Point being, this kettle is well used, but has also been properly cared for. It was really clean, and showed no abuse. The ash catcher pan was out of round. The ash catcher mounting ring is stained from years of dripping grease (or something?) where the decal is. I may be able to eventually get that completely cleaned up, as my iniital effort made some progress. The OT system is in full working order but pretty 'rusted'. It came apart for cleaning with no trouble though. I will probably replace that within the year. The leg needs a leg cap. (I have found the 1 pound propane caps to meet my needs here) The handles were complete and structurally sound (see image below) but entirely faded. The charcoal baskets are complete but also "rusted". I have not tackled them yet. And one of the plastic lid holder rollers has melted where it 'touches' the bowl. I sanded down the melted part and do not feel the need to replace that.
Here is what the handles looked like before I dis-assembled everything and cleaned it:
This is the handle shot after cleaning. All i did on the handles was give them one single rub with 220 grit and then a soak in mineral oil. I had no idea the logos would come back so well.
If you notice there is a "water spot" to the left of the thermometer. I tried and tried to clean this off, but it returned each time the lid dried. Does anyone have tips on removing what appears to be just a hard water spot? CLR maybe? I am not certain what the spot is - but it won't come off.
Here is the re-assembled picture:
I replaced the hardware with stainless. I did NOT buff any of the alluminum with steel wool (I did not have any handy) but I will be running some 0000 over the legs, triangle grate, and ash catcher mech soon. I tested and cleaned the thermometer and it shines like new. Do people actually use this to temp food? Typically how close is this lid temp to the grate temp?
The porcelain is in really good shape. One minor and small lid scratch (which I might have put there transporting the thing) and one minor bowl ding (star pattern, smaller than an eraser near the bottom) which shows no sign of rust and should be fine in my climate.
I should add a picture of the wheels. They are in great shape. The 'whitewall' rubber is all intact.
Lastly, if you are ever cleaning a craigslist find, I highly recommend going the oven cleaner route, at least for the inside. Granted this was not a dirty grill, but a 20 minute soaking of generic brand oven cleaner took all the smoke gunk right off.
This will be my daily use grill, so it does not need to be perfect. I am so glad I was able to find a local kettle in Arizona Wildcat Red!. Next up, a Navy one ........
I was hoping it was the proverbial "granny drives the cadillac twice a month whether it needs it or not". The better analogy would be "We use our truck every day - and change the oil every three thousand miles". Point being, this kettle is well used, but has also been properly cared for. It was really clean, and showed no abuse. The ash catcher pan was out of round. The ash catcher mounting ring is stained from years of dripping grease (or something?) where the decal is. I may be able to eventually get that completely cleaned up, as my iniital effort made some progress. The OT system is in full working order but pretty 'rusted'. It came apart for cleaning with no trouble though. I will probably replace that within the year. The leg needs a leg cap. (I have found the 1 pound propane caps to meet my needs here) The handles were complete and structurally sound (see image below) but entirely faded. The charcoal baskets are complete but also "rusted". I have not tackled them yet. And one of the plastic lid holder rollers has melted where it 'touches' the bowl. I sanded down the melted part and do not feel the need to replace that.
Here is what the handles looked like before I dis-assembled everything and cleaned it:
This is the handle shot after cleaning. All i did on the handles was give them one single rub with 220 grit and then a soak in mineral oil. I had no idea the logos would come back so well.
If you notice there is a "water spot" to the left of the thermometer. I tried and tried to clean this off, but it returned each time the lid dried. Does anyone have tips on removing what appears to be just a hard water spot? CLR maybe? I am not certain what the spot is - but it won't come off.
Here is the re-assembled picture:
I replaced the hardware with stainless. I did NOT buff any of the alluminum with steel wool (I did not have any handy) but I will be running some 0000 over the legs, triangle grate, and ash catcher mech soon. I tested and cleaned the thermometer and it shines like new. Do people actually use this to temp food? Typically how close is this lid temp to the grate temp?
The porcelain is in really good shape. One minor and small lid scratch (which I might have put there transporting the thing) and one minor bowl ding (star pattern, smaller than an eraser near the bottom) which shows no sign of rust and should be fine in my climate.
I should add a picture of the wheels. They are in great shape. The 'whitewall' rubber is all intact.
Lastly, if you are ever cleaning a craigslist find, I highly recommend going the oven cleaner route, at least for the inside. Granted this was not a dirty grill, but a 20 minute soaking of generic brand oven cleaner took all the smoke gunk right off.
This will be my daily use grill, so it does not need to be perfect. I am so glad I was able to find a local kettle in Arizona Wildcat Red!. Next up, a Navy one ........
