The Texas BBQ Forum

k.a.m. wrote:

riseabove50 wrote:

Finatic wrote:Looking good jellyworker! Something to be proud of.

KAM makes a good point about the pit rusting in a hurry. I've seen metal "flash" rust in 30 minutes after it was sandblasted. It depends on the moisture in the air. I'd be ready to paint it as soon as it is sandblasted.

If you choose not to paint the firebox you can get the firebox hot then spray cooking oil all over it. Do this a few times and it will be almost as black as the painted pit. I've been doing this for years and it's hard to tell my firebox isn't painted. You just have to make sure you keep a spray bottle with cooking oil on the pit and spray the firebox each time you cook.

I don't think i've heard of oiling the fire box. do you spray it inside and out?

i've used my cooker quite a few times and the inside of the firebox is pretty dirty, a little rusty and used as a firebox normally looks. obviously over time i imagine this is going to deteriorate the fire box to the point of it not being useable. any tips on prolonging this deterioration?

thanks

Outside only.
If you rake out the coals after every cook a 1/4" firebox will last many years. Ash is caustic and will create rust about as fast as salt water. My comp cookers firebox is going on three years old and pretty much looks like the day I built it on the inside. Between catering, competitions, and benefits we have cooked a lot of meat in Bahama Mama. Tomorrow we will be cooking 200 leg quarters and a case of links.

something i've learned the hard way on my cheaper pits. i was the type of guy who would leave ash in the firebox until the next cook.
during this build, i've learned that back in the old days, they made lye soap this way. fat and ash. lye will eat right through metal. and thats why after 4 years, my firebox fell off the pit. i will never again leave ash in my pit longer than a day. Vannessa, the name of this pit, will never have a dirty diaper.

Decided to go with the ball valve for the grease drain instead of the twist.

we (dad and i) do the HLSR every year and i know its a pain in my butt turning that knob to get the grease to drain on dad's pit. i decided i'd go w/ a ball valve. lol. well he recommended it and i agreed.

pick her up this weekend. only thing left is door stops, and working on the trailer before i bring her back home. then i'll keep her a week or so before sending off to sandblast and paint.

and this ball valve was pretty expensive compared to the rest of this bill. 20+ bucks at home depot. they didn't have anything other than brass. i guess i'm spoiling Vanessa already.

hey guys.

been a long time since i posted on this tread.

its paint time!

the dude that i was going to get to sandblast is no longer available and the cost has gone as high as giraffe *****.


i'm thinking of attempting this myself. but not sandblast. heres what i'm thinking. you guys tell me if its a worth while task or if i should just eat sardines for a few months and get the sandblast.

i'm thinking of getting a few grinding wheels and sanding pads and on a very dry day ( rare on weekends in Houston lately) and grind/sand it down myself.
then after spending the day sanding/grinding, hit it w/ a roller and some high temp paint.

i expressed this idea to dad and he said something along the lines of "you won't be able to get to bare metal".

is it a waste of my time to attempt to do this myself w/ a grinder and a sanding pad?

a few of you cats like Kam and a few others suggested i use PAM or some sort of spray oil on the firebox each time it gets hot. i tried this for about a year but its still pretty rusty. on the outside of the firebox.


is there any sort of DYI i can do to get the metal at a state to accept the paint? theres still the green plastic/coating on the pipe.

she looks pretty much like the last pics I've posted here, green skin and all.

i really want to have her pretty before the end of the year.

i'm open to all suggestions.

also, since its been so long since I've posted, if you guys know of anyone in the Houston, katy, cypress area that does sandblasting at a reasonable price, drop their name below. mobile sandblast would be great..... unless it turns my st Augustine into sand.....

thanks for reading fellas.

The Counselor, TX1911, is in your area and seems to know a lot of folks. Shoot him a PM

thanks sir