Refinishing ideas

[Laxdfns]

So I think I got really lucky and picked up this Tejas smoker for $500.

It needs a bit of TLC, but structurally it's good to go. My questions are as follow:
1. Once I wire brush and sand the rust off the stainless steel tray in the front, how should I keep it from re-oxidizing ?
2. Best practices for clearing out and saling the firebox interior?
3. the cooking grates appear to be in decent shape, if I wanted to clean them up, what would you recommend, or should I just replace them instead eventually?

Thanks again in advance for any insight, its gonna be a big undertaking for sure!

 

[JLeonard]

Killer cooker.

 

[Laxdfns]

Thank you!

 

[kruizer]

I don't think that tray is stainless because stainless doesn't rust like that. Wire brush it and give it a good coat of high temp paint over a good primer and call it good.

 

[Laxdfns]

Clear coat the end to prevent scraping and scratching?

 

[bill1]

Paint the exterior for looks and to prevent further rusting. Lightly brass-brush (not steel wire-brush) the interior to remove the rust you can. (Take it easy, you don't want to create pinhole leaks, although even the fire box bottom still appears to have a lot of steel left to it.) Every couple cooks LIGHTLY coat the interior with spray cooking oil after you've bristle-brushed and vacuumed out the inside thoroughly. (Residual ash and later moisture is murder on steel.) Of course it's the hotter surfaces that need the most care.

No paint will work on the inside of a firebox; don't even try. Specific high-temp paints may be a little better than krylon rattle-can on the outside, but it's not a huge difference. (Note the temp ratings of high-temp paints are usually for only a few seconds...think of the time it takes to drive a quarter-mile fast.) Plan to touch-up paint the hot parts of the firebox nearly annually so have some extra firebox paint on hand for that.

It's a wonderful cooker, but it's big. Choose your colors and sheens carefully. Red white and blue on the vertical, grill, and firebox may sound great now, but you (or family!) might tire of it. Shades of grey and black can be very nice, and mixing gloss and flat blacks can be effective as well.

The table doesn't get hot at all. I wouldn't hesitate to slop a layer of bondo on it, sand to mirror smoothness, then prime and paint. The other pitted surfaces I suggest you just learn to love the pattina.

On a cooking note...I esp dig the upper rack space in the firebox...I'm sure that's for adding small chunks and chips strictly for smoking flavor. (I do the same thing in my vertical charcoal smoker.) The wood down low will be totally combusted. That separate cooler spot (up higher) just for smoking flavorful wood down to charcoal density is a nice feature.