# Rust on smoker



## Laxdfns (Sep 26, 2020)

Alright, I'm underway on my restore of my new to me Tejas. Some questions: the top of the firebox here has been wire brushed and then hit with a sand flat on and angle grinder and 40 grit sandpaper. Its pitted quite a bit, and the metal isnt the new metalic shiny, and I'm not sure I could get it to that unless I had a grinding disk, but that seems like it might be more trouble than I'm trying to do.  My main goal is to prevent further rusting and get it back to nice and black, and for that I have paint and primer. 

My question is do I need to sand this more, and/or treat it with any chemicals to prevent the pitting/rust from rusting further before painting it?  Or is it kind of a  lost cause since the rust has already penetrated the metal?


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## mike243 (Sep 26, 2020)

They make some stuff to put on it that will convert the rust to something harmless, then you can paint. cant remember the name


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## thirdeye (Sep 26, 2020)

The problem with sanding or wire wheeling is that you don't have the right 'profile' (or roughness) of the steel for the primer to adhere to, and sanding can't remove rust in the tight spots.  So eventually the paint system will fail.  Primer is way more important than the top coat.  You really need to get it sandblasted, then make sure everything is dry before a couple coats of hi-temp primer.


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## Laxdfns (Sep 26, 2020)

I've got rustoleum 2000 degree primer, and it says it "stops rust". 
Sandblasting unfortunately is cost prohibitive,  so would I need to get something like rust reformer first and then primer, or would I probably be ok with this primer as is?


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## jcam222 (Sep 26, 2020)

mike243 said:


> They make some stuff to put on it that will convert the rust to something harmless, then you can paint. cant remember the name


Naval jelly?


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## chopsaw (Sep 26, 2020)

Get a couple sanding sponges in the paint dept at a big box store . 
Wire brushing can cause more rust to form .


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## SecondHandSmoker (Sep 26, 2020)

Give it a wipe down with solvent or alcohol and see what it looks like after.
You've already knocked off the loose flakey stuff.
You have a few options for the pitting:  
1) Attempt to encapsulate the pitting with repeated coats of hi temp primer followed by sanding after each coat.  Follow the directions on the primer as some hi temp primers require a curing at certain temps.    
2) More aggressive grinding (36 grit flap disc ) Yes, it will remove a lot of stock if you're not careful.  Then follow up with a blending disc. Then a 120 grit finish.   
3)  Live with it. Sounds like you are leaning toward that anyway.  It won't look too shabby with a couple of coats of paint.  If anyone asks, tell them it is a "special edition" finish.


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## civilsmoker (Sep 27, 2020)

Gets some scotch bright pads (red or green) and some grape seed oil (or canola oil) and give the rusted area a good rub down with oil and wipe off the excess oil and rust. Do that three or 4 times and wipe it dry as you can and then build a fire and get it hot till the oil starts smoking and then let it cool. This will season the steel. Then just maintain it each use by rubbing It down with oil.

if you want to paint it, get a gator wheel (for a drill or 4.5 angle grinder) and it will do the job without taking the material.  It will probably take 2 or 3 to do the whole unit.


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## 1MoreFord (Sep 27, 2020)

mike243 said:


> They make some stuff to put on it that will convert the rust to something harmless, then you can paint. cant remember the name



There are a couple of products that will do this.  The only one I can remember is Loctite Extend.

Naval Jelly removes rust.  It doesn't convert it.


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## SmokinAl (Sep 27, 2020)

I would just spray it with Pam, every time you use it before & after you smoke something. That will keep it from rusting further & season the steel.
Al


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## Laxdfns (Sep 27, 2020)

Long update:
Went ahead and primed last night.  I thought about not doing it so I could try what you all were saying (gator wheel, rust removal) but quick searches on rust converters, etc all showed them rated at like 200 degrees and my firebox definitely gets hotter than that.  Plus didnt want to not have time to seal in everything in case the rust started returning right away. I've heard horror stories it can creep back even overnight. 

So I decided to "live" with the pitted finish, I love smooth but honestly I just wanted the thing black again and no longer risk to more rust. Plus now it looks like cast iron, which is kinds cool.

 One big difference between myself and the last guy is my smoker will be garage kept. My understanding is he left it outdoors in Wisconsin weather, not sure if he covered it. Hopefully non exposure to the elements, along with coating it with canola after each cook.

Now for another question:
Went through 6 cans of 2000 degree primer, it got me about 2 coats for the cooking portions of the smoker, and 3 for the firebox. Think I should get more? How many coats would be recommended?


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## thirdeye (Sep 27, 2020)

Laxdfns said:


> I've got rustoleum 2000 degree primer, and it says it "stops rust".
> Sandblasting unfortunately is cost prohibitive,  so would I need to get something like rust reformer first and then primer, or would I probably be ok with this primer as is?



Chemical treatments  contain phosphoric or hydrochloric acid, then there are rust converters, but the 'primer-like' coating they leave behind doesn't like heat.  I use the same primer, let's say it delays rust.  Have you checked with local sandblasting contractors for pricing?  A couple around here do outdoor blasting on oil field equipment.... so a typical deal is to wait for them to be set-up on a job, then you take your smoker to them and they give it a blast for a minimal fee or a couple cases of beer. 

If you do decide to clean and paint without blasting, here is the deal.... primer is the important step you need several thin coats with cure time in between. The most important is the 'stripe coat'.  This is an initial coat on all the hard to cover areas like edges, corners, steps, transitions, bolts, welds, weld splatter etc.  Spray a light band on these areas only and work it in with a brush, repeat until you get good coverage.   Feather the primer onto the bare steel as you spray, then let it cure.  Inspect your job, and re-spray any areas that look too thin. Yes, your smoker will look like a zebra, for now.  When you are ready to spray the main body go with a light coat first. You need to have something for the next coat to adhere to.  Feather into all of your stripe coat areas. This will help hide the additional thickness of paint on the stripe areas.  After this, one final coat should give you a good primer job.  Then move to the top coat.   I like to repeat the stripe coat with my top coat of paint, but if your are careful and take your time you could skip that.


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## thirdeye (Sep 27, 2020)

Oops, looks like I was too late with the initial advice on primer. To answer your question from this morning... inspect and apply primer as needed, again its the important layer in any paint system. And don't forget to let the primer cure.  Since it's inside, a couple of days might not be out of the question.


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## Laxdfns (Sep 27, 2020)

thirdeye said:


> Oops, looks like I was too late with the initial advice on primer. To answer your question from this morning... inspect and apply primer as needed, again its the important layer in any paint system.


It's all good, and you'll be happy to know I primed in your advised manner.

As for the sandblasting,  its cost prohibitive not so much because of what theyd charge, but I lack the means to bring the smoker anywhere. I had to rent a truck to get it to my place, and that ended up being like 200 bucks. In any case I went the way I did  and I suppose I could always try sandblasting next time!


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## thirdeye (Sep 27, 2020)

Laxdfns said:


> It's all good, and you'll be happy to know I primed in your advised manner.
> 
> As for the sandblasting,  its cost prohibitive not so much because of what theyd charge, but I lack the means to bring the smoker anywhere. I had to rent a truck to get it to my place, and that ended up being like 200 bucks. In any case I went the way I did  and I suppose I could always try sandblasting next time!


From the time stamps I was typing about the same time you were replying. I'm usually not on the computer this early but I have a brisket going on my pit and there is a light rain, so it's taking longer to come up to temp. 

Glad you took time on the primer, and at this point in the game allow as much cure time as possible.  You never want to put top coat over non-cured primer.  Tomorrow, you could even build a really low fire in the smoker, say 10 briquettes, just enough to let the steel get warm to the touch.


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## Laxdfns (Sep 27, 2020)

thirdeye said:


> From the time stamps I was typing about the same time you were replying. I'm usually not on the computer this early but I have a brisket going on my pit and there is a light rain, so it's taking longer to come up to temp.
> 
> Glad you took time on the primer, and at this point in the game allow as much cure time as possible.  You never want to put top coat over non-cured primer.  Tomorrow, you could even build a really low fire in the smoker, say 10 briquettes, just enough to let the steel get warm to the touch.


That's the first time I've heard about heating up the primer before applying the top coat, interesting the instructions dont mention it at all.  In the past I just primed, dried, topcoats and then cured at 400 or so for about an hour.

So if I've got a pork belly I need to cold smoke for baccon by this upcoming friday, what would you do as far as time frames for priming, painting and the curing for both?


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## SecondHandSmoker (Sep 27, 2020)

According to Rustoleum:  
"Rust-Oleum Automotive High Heat Primer must go through a heat curing process to properly harden and adhere to the surface. – Bake at 250°F (121°C) for 30 minutes then allow 30 minutes to cool. Bake at 400°F (204°C) for 30 minutes then allow 30 minutes to cool. Bake at 600°F
(315°C) for 30 minutes then allow 30 minutes to cool. Caution: Be sure not to exceed the heat tolerance of the least heat tolerant part. "


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## Winterrider (Sep 27, 2020)

If you want to explore the sandblasting option more, the Harbor Freights unit works quite well. Used a friend's on my trailer frame before painting.








						110 lb. Pressurized Abrasive Blaster
					

Amazing deals on this 110Lb Pressurized Abrasive Blaster at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.




					www.harborfreight.com


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## Laxdfns (Sep 27, 2020)

Winterrider said:


> If you want to explore the sandblasting option more, the Harbor Freights unit works quite well. Used a friend's on my trailer frame before painting.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Oh man, that's much cheaper than I had seen. Well, it is what it is, I'm down this path for now, ig the current paint job fails epically, I'll go to this.


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## thirdeye (Sep 27, 2020)

Laxdfns said:


> That's the first time I've heard about heating up the primer before applying the top coat, interesting the instructions dont mention it at all.  In the past I just primed, dried, topcoats and then cured at 400 or so for about an hour.
> 
> So if I've got a pork belly I need to cold smoke for baccon by this upcoming friday, what would you do as far as time frames for priming, painting and the curing for both?



You don't want to put steel in the sun or anything, that will cause blistering and let solvents evaporate too fast. Outdoors with a tent (or shade) is okay, plus a little wind helps too.  Commercial painting and coating companies have heaters for buckets and barrels, not only will they shoot warm paint, but the paint booth is heated and has circulating air.  You can do small localized jobs with a weed burner if you are *very* careful and apply heat from the *opposite side *you are painting.... but a small charcoal fire is a low soaking heat.

Cold smoking (if you are keeping the smoker <100°) is not going to harm the primer.  You want a lot of draft, so I doubt you would even stain the area around your stack. I'd get your bacon out of the way and shoot your top coat next week.  If you put the rattle cans in the sun (or in warm water)  for 30 minutes that will help too.  And, shake, shake, and shake that can for 4 or 5 minutes.


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## civilsmoker (Sep 27, 2020)

Light a fire in it And get the primer seasoned and start cooking on it. Realize you will have rust pop up in the future. It is a 100% with a steel smoker but just do what Al said and wipe it down and then it won’t grow or cause a problem. 

It’s what happens on the inside is what’s most important over a textured outside finish.


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## chopsaw (Sep 27, 2020)

I think it looks fine . Use it , and keep it cleaned out when not in use . I got rid of mine , but if I still had it I would go the cooking spray route .


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## SecondHandSmoker (Sep 27, 2020)

Since you're going to garage the smoker between cooks, you've already won half the rust battle right there.  
Too bad the original owner didn't do that or at least kept the smoker "oiled" and covered.


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## Laxdfns (Sep 29, 2020)

Just as an update, thought I'd post where I'm at now. The firebox has about 5 coats of primer along with the barrel, and the vertical has about 4.

Friday I'm going to get the internal temp of the horizontal barrel to 150 or less and cold smoke pork belly that's been curing.

Then, should I do a 200/400 degree burn to harden it before black paint, or black paint, cure, burn to harden?


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## Laxdfns (Sep 29, 2020)

civilsmoker said:


> Light a fire in it And get the primer seasoned and start cooking on it. Realize you will have rust pop up in the future. It is a 100% with a steel smoker but just do what Al said and wipe it down and then it won’t grow or cause a problem.
> 
> It’s what happens on the inside is what’s most important over a textured outside finish.


100% agree, so with that said, it's my understanding you dont paint the inside of the firebox and grill area, full stop. I know you season the grill areas, anything recommended for interior firebox treatment?


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## civilsmoker (Sep 29, 2020)

Laxdfns said:


> 100% agree, so with that said, it's my understanding you dont paint the inside of the firebox and grill area, full stop. I know you season the grill areas, anything recommended for interior firebox treatment?



Nothing special for the fire box.  It will get some rust in it, usually at the bottom if you have an elevated fire grate, you can oil it but it will burn off quick so I just keep mine clean and dry.  If its going to be a long time between uses then the oil works well.  Remember just a little and wipe it as dry as you can after.

When you season the inside, a little oil goes a long ways.  Ie if you spray it down use a old t-shirt and wipe it as dry as you can before you season.  Its basically just like a cast iron pan.  Excess oil will burn and cause build up.  Oh I season the grills and the whole inside, basically any place food could touch.


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## Laxdfns (Oct 2, 2020)

civilsmoker said:


> Nothing special for the fire box.  It will get some rust in it, usually at the bottom if you have an elevated fire grate, you can oil it but it will burn off quick so I just keep mine clean and dry.  If its going to be a long time between uses then the oil works well.  Remember just a little and wipe it as dry as you can after.
> 
> When you season the inside, a little oil goes a long ways.  Ie if you spray it down use a old t-shirt and wipe it as dry as you can before you season.  Its basically just like a cast iron pan.  Excess oil will burn and cause build up.  Oh I season the grills and the whole inside, basically any place food could touch.


So I cold smoked the pork belly/baccon for 8 hours today and this happened.  I realize it's not rust or anything, just "smoke stain" but my question is what do I do with it? Just paint over it? Scrub it off with something?


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## civilsmoker (Oct 2, 2020)

Laxdfns said:


> So I cold smoked the pork belly/baccon for 8 hours today and this happened.  I realize it's not rust or anything, just "smoke stain" but my question is what do I do with it? Just paint over it? Scrub it off with something?



I would just lightly hit it with a fine scotch bright and then wipe the whole thing down prior to paint to make sure no grease.  I would get it painted as soon as you can to reduce the chance of the primer getting "dirty" and the paint not stick good.   Oh and once painted those spots are call seasoning and proof you use it!

Edit, those spots around the fire box will probably be the first place the paint and primer get worn out and this is were the oil seasoning will come into play in the future.......


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## chopsaw (Oct 2, 2020)

civilsmoker said:


> I would get it painted as soon as you can to reduce the chance of the primer getting "dirty" and the paint not stick good. Oh and once painted those spots are call seasoning and proof you use it!


I was going to say " That's part of it " , then realized he didn't have it painted yet . 
Clean it up and get the paint on it .  The stuff that sticks around the lid will seal the gaps over time . 
Enjoy it . That's a nice smoker .


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## Laxdfns (Oct 2, 2020)

civilsmoker said:


> I would just lightly hit it with a fine scotch bright and then wipe the whole thing down prior to paint to make sure no grease.  I would get it painted as soon as you can to reduce the chance of the primer getting "dirty" and the paint not stick good.   Oh and once painted those spots are call seasoning and proof you use it!
> 
> Edit, those spots around the fire box will probably be the first place the paint and primer get worn out and this is were the oil seasoning will come into play in the future.......


So on my old OKJ hyland I didnt really have those 'smoke stains' because I had gaskets around the lid of the chamber and box. Is that worth doing here too, or at that point am I just babying it?

Also, do you guys typically spray it down on the back end of the cook or at the start as its heating up?


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## civilsmoker (Oct 2, 2020)

Laxdfns said:


> So on my old OKJ hyland I didnt really have those 'smoke stains' because I had gaskets around the lid of the chamber and box. Is that worth doing here too, or at that point am I just babying it?
> 
> Also, do you guys typically spray it down on the back end of the cook or at the start as its heating up?



Smoke stains wouldn't even catch my eye at all.  Just get some paint on it and start using it.  After a cook (usually the next day when its cold) I scrape the solid grease out and wipe it down so it doesn't sit inside and go nasty.....When I do a cook, I heat it up to 300 ish then put a couple of cups of water on the revers flow pan and steam the inside....Then after wiping the grate on goes the goodies....


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## Laxdfns (Oct 7, 2020)

The first coat of 2000* rustoleum paint is on, and the smoker looks like ass lol.  Pray to the bbq gods it looks better with the 2nd and 3rd coats...

Thanks for bearing with me through this all so far.

I realized I had never put gasket on a Tejas square style firebox to prevent the smoke staining, and as such, not sure where best to put the gasket.  Would you do yellow (inner ridge of lid), red(outer ridge of the "square" or white (laid flat against the firebox so the lid closes and rests on it), or something else entirely?


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## civilsmoker (Oct 7, 2020)

Laxdfns said:


> The first coat of 2000* rustoleum paint is on, and the smoker looks like ass lol.  Pray to the bbq gods it looks better with the 2nd and 3rd coats...
> 
> Thanks for bearing with me through this all so far.
> 
> I realized I had never put gasket on a Tejas square style firebox to prevent the smoke staining, and as such, not sure where best to put the gasket.  Would you do yellow (inner ridge of lid), red(outer ridge of the "square" or white (laid flat against the firebox so the lid closes and rests on it), or something else entirely?



If you really want to have a gasket then the best place is were it will stay put and not be a headache.  None of my smokers have gaskets cause I HATE dealing with loose gaskets!


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## Laxdfns (Oct 7, 2020)

So what am I doing wrong? The smoker now has 2 coats and it stil looks streaky and barely covered. Granted it's not fully cured (photos taken about 5 hours after the most recent coat applied) but I'm starting to get frustrated.


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## civilsmoker (Oct 7, 2020)

Laxdfns said:


> So what am I doing wrong? The smoker now has 2 coats and it stil looks streaky and barely covered. Granted it's not fully cured (photos taken about 5 hours after the most recent coat applied) but I'm starting to get frustrated.



Its really hard to see or judge via the pics.  I've only used that 2000 degree stuff on car parts and but I know it won't give the nice smooth glossy look like the 1200 deg BBQ stuff will.  My only thought is make sure the can is shaken really really really, I mean REALLY good before spraying and second it could be too lean of a coat.  Try a thicker test coat (on something else) after you have shaken that can for like 10 mins....and don't stop shaking the can while spraying........ie spray a little and shake, but keep spraying enough to keep a wet edge.  If the edge dries you will get streaks......

Good Luck...


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## Laxdfns (Oct 7, 2020)

civilsmoker said:


> Its really hard to see or judge via the pics.  I've only used that 2000 degree stuff on car parts and but I know it won't give the nice smooth glossy look like the 1200 deg BBQ stuff will.  My only thought is make sure the can is shaken really really really, I mean REALLY good before spraying and second it could be too lean of a coat.  Try a thicker test coat (on something else) after you have shaken that can for like 10 mins....and don't stop shaking the can while spraying........ie spray a little and shake, but keep spraying enough to keep a wet edge.  If the edge dries you will get streaks......
> 
> Good Luck...


Thanks, I'll give the 10 minute shake plan a go, had been doing 3-4 minutes.  One thing I noticed,  especially when the can is closer to empty that if I shake it, paint flies out and gets all over.

And I know it wont be semi gloss black, but I expected it to not be chalky grey black. Maybe its just the lighting, I'll check back tomorrow.   If it still looks like ass, any harm in doing a final coat with the 1200 stuff instead?


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## civilsmoker (Oct 7, 2020)

Laxdfns said:


> Thanks, I'll give the 10 minute shake plan a go, had been doing 3-4 minutes.  One thing I noticed,  especially when the can is closer to empty that if I shake it, paint flies out and gets all over.
> 
> And I know it wont be semi gloss black, but I expected it to not be chalky grey black. Maybe its just the lighting, I'll check back tomorrow.   If it still looks like ass, any harm in doing a final coat with the 1200 stuff instead?



I think other forum members have put the bbq stuff over the high temp with success. But with multiple coats of primer then paint I’d be worried about the amount of paint build up.....

I would put your 3rd coat on then cure it and start using it. If it is still streaky, just name it the gray tiger cause is slays meat....it will be the best joke of the party as you share pics and people will believe it when they eat the meat is has slayed!!!! In my book there are two thing that are important with a smoker..... #1 - it is clean (I mean bacteria clean) and #2 the smoked stuff tasted good!!!! All the other stuff is not important!

For example, the X-Fire is pretty rough on the outside......no paint and even a fair amount of rust streaks.....heck it doesn’t even have door handles or latches......





But is all warm and fuzzy inside.....Clean and properly seasoned...





Which causes warm and fuzzy on the outside ......






I guess what I’m saying is you have a very nice smoker and the paint job won’t take from the enjoyment you can have from it.....


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## Laxdfns (Oct 8, 2020)

civilsmoker said:


> I think other forum members have put the bbq stuff over the high temp with success. But with multiple coats of primer then paint I’d be worried about the amount of paint build up.....
> 
> I would put your 3rd coat on then cure it and start using it. If it is still streaky, just name it the gray tiger cause is slays meat....it will be the best joke of the party as you share pics and people will believe it when they eat the meat is has slayed!!!! In my book there are two thing that are important with a smoker..... #1 - it is clean (I mean bacteria clean) and #2 the smoked stuff tasted good!!!! All the other stuff is not important!
> 
> ...


Well the good news is it was mostly lighting/setting time. Still streaky in parts but I think the 3rd coat will remedy it more still.

To that end, i have also resigned that this is going to be a 10 ft restoration project (looks great at 10 ft but blemishes up close)  just due to things like errant paint splatters when trying to shake the can etc.  Your last post really put it into perspective, I had been so enamored with the idea of a total restoration to get a like new look that I never really considered that isnt what's needed, nor is the point for good bbq.

And as you said,  it really is a good smoker, so I guess I'll shift to what's actually important and ask what you do to keep your inside so clean and well maintained?


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## civilsmoker (Oct 8, 2020)

I'd say it looks pretty good.  Even new smokers break in and don't look new but used after a few cooks!

Now since you asked about the inside.  This is were you might curse me, initially at first......In one of your pics I could see a little bit of the inside of the vertical...





So the trick to keeping a good and clean BBQ inside is starting with a good base.  This is just me, but that is clean "bare" steal which is then properly seasoned.  After this it is pretty simple.

So my suggest would be to clear your Saturday and get 2 or 3 drill based gator wheels, new wire brushes and some good dust masks (N95s would be best), gloves, face shield and arm and belly protection and then clean the inside down to clean metal  You will have pits and such that you won't be able to get clean but don't work about that, just get the bulk of it as bare as you can.  This includes the grates as well.  Once its all bare metal, vacuum any dust out and wash it down with a stiff brush and hot water with dish soap and hose it clean and wipe it dry with an old t-shirt or something like that.  Now you are ready to season it.  I like to use canola or grape seed oil. You can buy spray canola oil to make it easier, ie just put a light spray over everything and use and old t-shirt to wipe as much of the excess off as you can.  Then build a fire with lots of coals and keep it over 350 for at least an hour and then let it cool.  Now it is clean and you are ready to cook.

Now the each time to keep it clean
So after each cook (and after I've eat usually) while it is still warm I use a SS wire brush to brush all the grates to knock any stuck food.  Then once it has cooled (the next day or two) I use a large stiff spatula to scrape and grease of the base (I have a reverse flow plate you will just have the tuning plates, if you have them) to get any grease or food remainders cleaned (this stuff doesn't taste good when burnt).

Then when I go to use it again, I heat it up to about 300 and spray the inside down with a spray bottle to steam clean it and I also dump some water on the plate and close the door.  After all the steam is gone, I wipe down the grates and were food may touch with a rag and its good to go for food.





It sounds like a lot of work but its really not and it keeps your cooks much better, because as I said above burned grease and old food does NOT create good smoke, and in fact if you have old grease in the smoker and your smoker gets above 350 and it starts smoking it will most likely ruin your meat in very short order.....  IE high temp cook tip....if you are doing a cook above 350 make sure the inside is clean and you pre-heat above 350 and burn out any remaining oil/grease before putting the meat on on or it will taint it.

Hope this helps......


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## Laxdfns (Oct 8, 2020)

civilsmoker said:


> I'd say it looks pretty good.  Even new smokers break in and don't look new but used after a few cooks!
> 
> Now since you asked about the inside.  This is were you might curse me, initially at first......In one of your pics I could see a little bit of the inside of the vertical...
> View attachment 466054
> ...





civilsmoker said:


> I'd say it looks pretty good.  Even new smokers break in and don't look new but used after a few cooks!
> 
> Now since you asked about the inside.  This is were you might curse me, initially at first......In one of your pics I could see a little bit of the inside of the vertical...
> View attachment 466054
> ...


When you started by saying "take it down to the metal" my stomach dropped lol.  This is me 100% being lazy, but I think im going to stick to just scraping it all and washing it well.   But 100% should have done insides first, just wasnt thinking/was excited to fix the outside.  The spraying it each time with canola i will be doing on the inside.

One thing Im not quite clear/sure on is the exterior with canola oil-coat the whole thing?  Reason I ask is because the vertical end farthest from the box will likely not get hot enough to have it cure properly and will be "sticky" whereas the firebox will be burning up.


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## civilsmoker (Oct 8, 2020)

Laxdfns said:


> When you started by saying "take it down to the metal" my stomach dropped lol.  This is me 100% being lazy, but I think im going to stick to just scraping it all and washing it well.   But 100% should have done insides first, just wasnt thinking/was excited to fix the outside.  The spraying it each time with canola i will be doing on the inside.
> 
> One thing Im not quite clear/sure on is the exterior with canola oil-coat the whole thing?  Reason I ask is because the vertical end farthest from the box will likely not get hot enough to have it cure properly and will be "sticky" whereas the firebox will be burning up.



The gator wheel works pretty fast and won't get the metal hot enough to mess with the paint like a grinder or flap wheel.   If you don't clean it down bare metal the seasoning will just stick to what is stuck to the metal and then stuff will build up and over time get a thick coating of yuck.....Sorry there isn't a way to properly season a dirty piece of metal.   But like I said I'm pretty particular with the inside of my cookers....

Oh and you only have to do the inside (only) with oil once. When I say wipe down between uses its just with a damp rag (since its warm it dries any moisture right out). You don't need to do oil every time.  Just when you re-season which should be for a long time if you keep it clean. The out side is paint and I only wipe down spots of rust with oil when they show up on the outside......

For the vertical just put a metal pan with some coals inside a few inched off the bottom (prop up with rocks or something) and that will get it hot enough.


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## Laxdfns (Oct 8, 2020)

Ugh. Fine, you win lol.  
I just applied the 3rd coat, Ill send photos probably tomorrow or Saturday as I get started on the interior then.


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## Laxdfns (Oct 10, 2020)

Laxdfns said:


> Ugh. Fine, you win lol.
> I just applied the 3rd coat, Ill send photos probably tomorrow or Saturday as I get started on the interior then.


Here it is after 3 coats. It's definitely a 10 footer, but even with all my shortcomings in skilled restoration, looks better than it did IMO.

Today I'll get after the inside.


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## civilsmoker (Oct 10, 2020)

Looks pretty dang good to me...I would stand right next to it!  It’s hard to use it from 10 feet away......


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## Laxdfns (Oct 16, 2020)

civilsmoker said:


> Looks pretty dang good to me...I would stand right next to it!  It’s hard to use it from 10 feet away......


Final post unless you see more I should take care of! Added the replacement handles and did as you said with the inside and fired it up last night,  keeping it between 200 and 300 in both chambers for 2.5 hours. Wondering if I needed to keep it hotter longer, especially in the vertical one, as I'm not sure the glazing baked on fully. But maybe you can tell better than I.

Also, added a before shot to see what we went from to here :)


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## civilsmoker (Oct 16, 2020)

Laxdfns said:


> Final post unless you see more I should take care of! Added the replacement handles and did as you said with the inside and fired it up last night,  keeping it between 200 and 300 in both chambers for 2.5 hours. Wondering if I needed to keep it hotter longer, especially in the vertical one, as I'm not sure the glazing baked on fully. But maybe you can tell better than I.
> 
> Also, added a before shot to see what we went from to here :)



Looks pretty dang good to me, I would start cooking in it and enjoy the fruits of the hard work!  As an FYI that vertical can be used in many ways other than just smoking from the side box. In your seasoning process you can now see how easy it was to have some coals and splits in the bottom of the vertical..... It has awesome potential, here is one example of my vertical in action in another way other than smoking.





You now have the ability to have an open flame cook with relative ease!

PS, Almost every piece of steel (except for the racks) on my copper pot build looked worse than your fire box....but that is what .18 cents a lb gets ya......
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...h-vertical-cabinet-aka-the-copper-pot.268790/


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## Laxdfns (Oct 16, 2020)

civilsmoker said:


> Looks pretty dang good to me, I would start cooking in it and enjoy the fruits of the hard work!  As an FYI that vertical can be used in many ways other than just smoking from the side box. In your seasoning process you can now see how easy it was to have some coals and splits in the bottom of the vertical..... It has awesome potential, here is one example of my vertical in action in another way other than smoking.
> View attachment 466954
> 
> You know have the ability to have an open flame cook with relative ease!
> ...


What are you using to hold those coals in the veritical?


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## civilsmoker (Oct 16, 2020)

Laxdfns said:


> What are you using to hold those coals in the veritical?


 It is a 3/16' pan with 1 inch edges.  It also doubles as the drip pan to catch juices when I use it, ie makes it easy to clean that wall.  There are detailed pictures of it in the build post.  I did a bunch of testing because I have a gate from the fire box below but you don't need that to cook open flame.

It would be easy to make a little fire box with legs and just set it in the bottom of the vertical.....


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## Laxdfns (Oct 16, 2020)

civilsmoker said:


> It is a 3/16' pan with 1 inch edges.  It also doubles as the drip pan to catch juices when I use it, ie makes it easy to clean that wall.  There are detailed pictures of it in the build post.  I did a bunch of testing because I have a gate from the fire box below but you don't need that to cook open flame.
> 
> It would be easy to make a little fire box with legs and just set it in the bottom of the vertical.....


Awesome,  thanks! Bought my full brisket today, unfortunately my weekend is packed so I'm gonna shoot for Monday. 

Also, went through your build. Impressive! I wish I had welding and fabricating ability like that.


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## civilsmoker (Oct 16, 2020)

Laxdfns said:


> Awesome,  thanks! Bought my full brisket today, unfortunately my weekend is packed so I'm gonna shoot for Monday.
> 
> Also, went through your build. Impressive! I wish I had welding and fabricating ability like that.



good luck on the smoke Hope it turns out!

thanks on the build comments! It was a fun build for sure! But is have an addiction on building cookers...... If you have a month (Lol) to read the X-Fire build (built with my boy for a high school civil learning class) it shows another perspective on smokers/cooker.
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/the-x-fire-grill.284462/
The boy and me have a few honey do lists but will be finishing it up in the spring!


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