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Expanded grate cleaning

Fo Sizzle My Nizzle

Fo Sizzle My Nizzle

is one Smokin' Farker
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I apologize for the post as I'm sure this has been answered a thousand times but the search function on tapatalk blows.

Gonna be working on a small restoration project this weekend and the expanded grates I got look like they were rarely cleaned in the 18 years this guy had the cooker. What's the best way to get me as close to factory condition as possible since I have no clue how or what this guy has been cookin? Maybe multicolored cats for a TD?

Thanks Brethren.
 
I just use a wire brush on the expanded metal grate which is over the firebox of my offset cooker. However, It never looks like factory condition. Buy some new expanded metal from Grainger if you need shiny new looking grates.

What kind of cooker are you reworking ? Does the boss know about this "another cooker " ? :twitch:
 
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Bought a used Lang from that same guy! I got some oven cleaner and plastic bags. Sprayed the grates and put them in the bag, so the cleaner would not dry out, for a day or so. Took them out hosed them off and gave them a scrape. Repeat the process. When dry hit them with a wire wheel. Re-season and they were good to go.
 
javahog2002 said:
I just use a wire brush on the expanded metal grate which is over the firebox of my offset cooker. However, It never looks like factory condition. Buy some new expanded metal from Grainger if you need shiny new looking grates.

What kind of cooker are you reworking ? Does the boss know about this "another cooker " ? :twitch:
Click to expand...

Picked up an 18x30 Pitts & Spitts offset from a guy in Denver. He bought it from their showroom floor in Houston about 18 years ago. And yeah the boss knows. She approved it with a smile, and then proceeded to tell me about the new tablet she wanted.
 
Smokin' D said:
Bought a used Lang from that same guy! I got some oven cleaner and plastic bags. Sprayed the grates and put them in the bag, so the cleaner would not dry out, for a day or so. Took them out hosed them off and gave them a scrape. Repeat the process. When dry hit them with a wire wheel. Re-season and they were good to go.
Click to expand...

That sounds like a plan. Thanks D!
 
I have mine sand blasted they come out looking brand new. Then coat them with the cheapest cooking spray you can find and put them on the cooker at 300 for 30 minutes and you are good to go
 
Yeah, sandblasting will take off EVERYTHING, instantly.
Check your local listings for a sandblasting company. I've had them do a whole 55 gallon drum, inside and out, lid and all for only $25.

Just be aware that you'll end up with raw, bare metal and it will start to rust very quickly when exposed to air or moisture. Just spray the grates down with veg oil when you get them home, then heat to season.
 
Wampus said:
Yeah, sandblasting will take off EVERYTHING, instantly.
Check your local listings for a sandblasting company. I've had them do a whole 55 gallon drum, inside and out, lid and all for only $25.

Just be aware that you'll end up with raw, bare metal and it will start to rust very quickly when exposed to air or moisture. Just spray the grates down with veg oil when you get them home, then heat to season.
Click to expand...

Yeah I got a few calls out to some local companies. I figured once I get them home to just treat them like I would if I were seasoning CI.

Thanks guys!
 
Blast them with a TX match knock off whats left with a wire brush re-season and cook away. If you drink more than 2 beers during this process remove a corner from your man card.
 
Smokin' D said:
Bought a used Lang from that same guy! I got some oven cleaner and plastic bags. Sprayed the grates and put them in the bag, so the cleaner would not dry out, for a day or so. Took them out hosed them off and gave them a scrape. Repeat the process. When dry hit them with a wire wheel. Re-season and they were good to go.
Click to expand...
Never tried this with expanded, but using this method every year or so, I am still using the original 35 year old grate on my Weber kettle. The plating is mostly gone, but oiled it still cooks like new.
 
Fo Sizzle My Nizzle said:
I apologize for the post as I'm sure this has been answered a thousand times but the search function on tapatalk blows.

Gonna be working on a small restoration project this weekend and the expanded grates I got look like they were rarely cleaned in the 18 years this guy had the cooker. What's the best way to get me as close to factory condition as possible since I have no clue how or what this guy has been cookin? Maybe multicolored cats for a TD?

Thanks Brethren.
Click to expand...

You can use a wire brush or chuck a wire brush in your drill to clean em.
Spray it with 'Simply Green' first, then brush it.

If its really old, it may be easier to go to your local welder and give him the dimensions and get a new one.
I bought an old Offset last year. The grate was in poor condition, so I replaced, rather than attempting to clean it.
(Wasn't sure what had been on it before)
 
I've cleaned up Weber grates by putting them in a hot camp fire. I'm nut sure if you want to build a fire under them right in the cooker. The problem would be getting them hot enough from edge to edge since more stuff tends to accumulate near the outer walls. The stuff that accumulates on the grates is mostly grease and burns off pretty easily. I've heard some clean them with a weed burner.

As with other cleaning methods you'll want to oil the grates soon after brushing the ash off as they will rust easily (unless they're stainless steel.)
 
You didn't say how big the grates are. One method I've used is to stack the grates in some sort of plastic tub (old toddler's wading pool?, cattle trough?) add a cup or so of ammonia, then run a hose from the drain of your hot water tank and fill the tank with hot water. Let it soak a good long time then take the racks out and pressure wash them. They still won't be shiny but there's no point in removing the seasoning.

You can do a lye soak as well, bit more dangerous.

A word of caution on sandblasting. Where I live sandblasting rates are upwards of $110/hour and they'd probably charge you for an hour. Also, if you get some knuckle-dragger who's set up to run coarse blasting sand used on ship hulls for example, those can literally blast right through expanded metal. We used to see that in the shipyards where we'd weld circles of expanded metal over bow thruster tubes and when the hulls got blasted prior to final painting sometimes the sandblasters would destroy the expando. So I'd be really selective about sandblasters both for price and for quality.

seattlepitboss
 
seattlepitboss said:
You didn't say how big the grates are. One method I've used is to stack the grates in some sort of plastic tub (old toddler's wading pool?, cattle trough?) add a cup or so of ammonia, then run a hose from the drain of your hot water tank and fill the tank with hot water. Let it soak a good long time then take the racks out and pressure wash them. They still won't be shiny but there's no point in removing the seasoning.

You can do a lye soak as well, bit more dangerous.

A word of caution on sandblasting. Where I live sandblasting rates are upwards of $110/hour and they'd probably charge you for an hour. Also, if you get some knuckle-dragger who's set up to run coarse blasting sand used on ship hulls for example, those can literally blast right through expanded metal. We used to see that in the shipyards where we'd weld circles of expanded metal over bow thruster tubes and when the hulls got blasted prior to final painting sometimes the sandblasters would destroy the expando. So I'd be really selective about sandblasters both for price and for quality.

seattlepitboss
Click to expand...
Heavy plastic over looped garden hose results in a custom shaped tub that's easy to store.
 
Got a call back from a company who said they could do it for 30 bucks and that they've done them before. Going that route to get them back to jumpstreet. And I plan to have more than two beers and a whiskey while I re-season the grates so hopefully I can keep my man card!
 
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