Refinishing Weber Emblem

[Richard in NS]

I have a few questions about refinishing the Weber emblem on the older Genesis grills.
1. Do you sandblast or use paint stripper to remove the black paint or just paint over it. Some of it is flaking off in between the letters on mine.
2. What grit of sandpaper do you use to sand off the paint to get the aluminum to show again.
3. How long do you let the paint dry/cure before top coating with clear.

Thanks.

Richard.

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

Richard, I think if you have flaking areas I’d drop it in a jar of stripper for a day or so then paint the whole thing, after proper cleaning and drying of course, once fully dry, paint and finally use something like 220 sandpaper taped to. Very smooth surface (glass, steel, etc.) blow it clean and clear coat after the paint is fully cure.
Bruce or Jon or some of the other really talented guys will probably correct everything I’ve suggested but, since I’ve not done it, that’s the route I’d take.

 

[LMichaels]

Or you can simply wire brush it if you have a brush on a bench grinder. But IMO the stripper (paint) is a better idea

 

[Tim Snyder]

Paint stripper (I use the aerosol stuff), wash clean, paint with satin black spray paint, sand with fine sandpaper (220 to 400 or so) on a flat surface keeping your sanding strokes horizontal. I just use mag wheel wax on mine, but clear finish works too.

 

[Bruce]

If the badge has decent paint on it already, then don't strip it. Just clean it up and repaint as described above. The original finish has some texture to it that is good to retain if possible. But if the paint is chipping and peeling, then you will need to strip it all. I don't think it is actually "paint", but some kind of powder coat. So regular strippers might have a hard time removing it.

After you paint it, sand it on a flat surface like glass as described above or use a power sander on it. I use an orbital sander and it takes just a couple minutes. I have also used a finishing sander. Some people like to hand paint the kettle with red pain to add a little flare.
I use Rustoleum High Heat Ultra black on the main badge.

 

[Jeff MA]

I soak mine in Lacquer Thinner overnight. Lighly sand, the clean with Prep-Sol before painting with several coats of high heat paint.

After drying I use a sanding block with 80-120 grit sandpaper.

Jeff

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

I’m going to have to re do the one on the blue lid and swap that out for a while.

 

[Bruce]

Tim, how well does that paint stripper work on the emblems? Have you tried it on the cook box or end caps?

 

[Tim Snyder]

Tim, how well does that paint stripper work on the emblems? Have you tried it on the cook box or end caps?

Works like a charm. I prefer the aerosol paint strippers, you can spray a nice even coat and it does its job, no fuss. I think they work more efficiently than liquid strippers because of the even coating of stripper you can obtain with the spray can. The cans are a bit more expensive and they can fail to spray if they sit too long (years). I haven't restored a Weber gas grill yet (I will when I find the right one) , but I stripped and painted a Fuego Element Gas Grill lid with excellent results. The Fuego lid was just high temp paint, not enamel.

 

[Steve Hoch]

Interesting. I just realized that somewhere along the line they changed the emblem. I think I like the original one better. I guess I will restore that one and use the nuts from the new on the old emblem.

 

[Bruce]

Steve, you may want to verify that the mounting posts on the back of each of them are the same.

 

[Steve Hoch]

The posts on the new emblem are longer, but the same diameter. The newer style emblem is slightly smaller overall, but fits in my lid with no problem. Am I the only one that didn't realize they changed them? Lol

 

[G Schafer]

The posts on the new emblem are longer, but the same diameter. The newer style emblem is slightly smaller overall, but fits in my lid with no problem. Am I the only one that didn't realize they changed them? Lol

The older ones have a “TM” by the kettle instead of the “R”.
Gerry

 

[Steve Hoch]

I didn't know that either, although I was really referring to this difference.

 

[Richard in NS]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I did not have any paint stripper so just brushed it up with a small hand wire brush. I had four to do and only one was flaking. If it still flakes I will get some stripper and do it right. Got them painted along with a firebox and end caps. Will post some pics when I get them done.

 

[Richard in NS]

Well, I finally finished them. Put a couple of coats of clear coat on them to brighten them up and help prevent the aluminum from oxidizing.

 

[Steve Hoch]

Well, I finally finished them. Put a couple of coats of clear coat on them to brighten them up and help prevent the aluminum from oxidizing.View attachment 39058

The clear coat does make a difference!

 

[Bruce]

I find the clear coat turns bare aluminum almost white.

 

[Steve Hoch]

I find the clear coat turns bare aluminum almost white.

Yep, the emblem was one of the few things that I thought looked better after redoing it than new.

 

[Jon Tofte]

Wow! Those do look better than new, and the red kettles take it even a step higher! Looks really nice. I have never tried the clear coat idea. Looks I will be. I did once go a little crazy and paint one of the newer Weber logo ones to match the actual logo by painting the words white. It was definitely not a fun job to have to touch up and touch up again. It was for my own use, and I decided after that to be satisfied with just doing the kettle in red. As Bruce points out, the bare aluminum covered with clear coat almost looks white anyway.