There's no turning back now...

Steve Hoch · Sep 17, 2021

Do they even still make trex? My mother in law has a trex deck. It's the worst. It's all wavy and degrades severely when you power wash it. Durawood is better. Besides, that stuff isn't going to hold up to any kind of machining.

Ed P · Sep 17, 2021

Steve Hoch said:
#1, forget about shipping costs. We aren't talking about making low cost replacement parts for cheapskates. #2, I have seen similar work with epoxy resin, it's beautiful. #3, I know you don't want to feel like you Have to become some kind of manufacturer of parts, now it's a job. Make what you feel like making, and if a few appreciative people want what you make they don't care what it costs.

#3 Yeah, I know I've said that, but I think now that that is extreme, a worst-case scenario that will never happen. I'd like to walk that one back if I may.

Steve Hoch · Sep 17, 2021

Ed Pinnell said:
#3 Yeah, I know I've said that, but I think now that that is extreme, a worst-case scenario that will never happen. I'd like to walk that one back if I may.

Of course it will never happen, no need to walk it back. It doesn't change anything, you're still going to make what you want to in the numbers that you feel comfortable with. Right, or am I reading you wrong?

Ed P · Sep 17, 2021

Steve Hoch said:
Of course it will never happen, no need to walk it back. It doesn't change anything, you're still going to make what you want to in the numbers that you feel comfortable with. Right, or am I reading you wrong?

Of course! I don't imagine those numbers even becoming double-digit, but if that were to become the case, why, I'd guess I'd need to buy or build a bigger, better machine. But I don't see that in the tea leaves any time soon.

Steve Hoch · Sep 17, 2021

Ed Pinnell said:
Of course! I don't imagine those numbers even becoming double-digit, but if that were to become the case, why, I'd guess I'd need to buy or build a bigger, better machine. But I don't see that in the tea leaves any time soon.

Hey, nobody likes an excuse to buy better toys more than me! I have a garage full.

Tim Brisson · Sep 18, 2021

Steve Hoch said:
Tim, if you're having problems getting your cookbox bolt out, take some pictures and send along to LMichaels. He can talk you through it.

Steve,,, my point is I haven't had any problem removing the bolts. LOL Hammer and punch is my method of choice. If or when the day comes I break a fire box I will send out a notification and possibly pictures

LMichaels · Sep 18, 2021

I never took pics of the castings I broke trying to punch something out. Honestly the last time I broke a grill I KNEW better than to do it. I was just impatient and a yes a bit "angry" with it LOL.
All this talk of taking apart B&S engines. Brings back memories. I ruined more small engines for my dad, left him once with a non running car and got kicked in the butt enough for it all. Remember well the "air raid" drills believing full well my little desk and the window shades our teacher pulled down would protect us from the blast. Duck and Cover!
Oh well. In any case I only give recs based on years of learning (and breaking) stuff.

Bruce · Sep 18, 2021

LOL yah more memories. I was not part of the duck and cover generation I guess, although I am not too much younger that Larry. But, I too liked to take apart small engines. My dad gave me one when I was a wee kid, maybe 5 or 6 and I pulled and pryed it apart piece by piece. I didn't fully understand the concept of screwdrivers and wrenches at the time, but I did find that one way or another, they could help me get parts off. Anyway, when I was done, I had one part that really intriuged me. The magnet off of the magneto. At that time, it was a really powerful magnet and I kept that for years. I remember using it to pick up BB's when I spilled them all over the floor. I never got them all, but it helped immensely. I learned quick that when saturday came around, I needed to wake up early and get the he11 out of the house before my mom came through with the vacuum. Every time she picked up a BB in the vacuum, there was hell to pay.

Anyway, when I got older, my Dad had a mower that died. It sat for a couple years until I took a small engine class in HS. for my term project, I rebuilt that motor. It was a complete rebuild. It was taken apart to the smallest piece. Honing out the cylinders, replacing rings, rebuilding the carb, checking crank bearing, etc.... Anyway, I got it all put back together finally and put it on the bench and pulled the starter cord and I will be damned if it didn't fire right off and run like a top. That motor was dead and probably 15 years old when i rebuilt it. The mower was long gone, so it just sat at home on a shelf in the garage for year or so. It had a horizontal PTO for self propelled wheels. My buddy had a movers dolly he had made in a shop class and we took the motor and mounted it to the dolly laid it horizontal and put bike wheels on the other end of it. Then we mounted the lawn mower motor to it and hooked a chain to the PTO and one of the bike wheel sprockets. We could sit on the dolly, get it rolling, engage the PTO and actually ride the damn thing. There was no steering, but it went about 10 mph straight ahead......I don't remember what ever wound up happening with that motor.

Now what was the topic of this thread?

Steve Hoch · Sep 18, 2021

Tim Brisson said:
Steve,,, my point is I haven't had any problem removing the bolts. LOL Hammer and punch is my method of choice. If or when the day comes I break a fire box I will send out a notification and possibly pictures

No, that's cool. I wasn't sure where you were coming from on that and assumed you were having a problem with it. For various reasons that seems to be the hardest bolt to get out of these grills.

Steve Hoch · Oct 8, 2021

Ok, I finally got my cookbox back from powder coat today. I just want to get one thing out of the way first, they powder coated the inside of the cookbox even though I specifically asked them not to. Their answer to that was that I don't need to worry about that as they used a high quality, high heat process because they knew it was a grill. So again, I did not ask for that to be done. I certainly don't have a problem with how it looks as long as the finish is as durable as they claim. I have my doubts, but I will find out.

Bruce · Oct 8, 2021

Yah, there is a concern there. If it was paint, I know it would be a problem, but powder coating is something different even though it looks just like paint on many applications.

I do think that it is probably OK, but I would do some more research before using it to cook and eat off of. At the very least, do a very hot and long burn in on it.

Steve Hoch · Oct 8, 2021

When I was reassembling I ran into the same problem with a too short crossover tube that DanHoo had. I don't have the patience to send the burner tubes back at this point so I used a good Weber crossover tube that I already had. I had to file down the small tab on the middle burner tube to make it fit together, but it works.