Expanded grate cleaning

[HankB]

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.)

[seattlepitboss]

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

[dadsr4]

Originally Posted by seattlepitboss

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

Heavy plastic over looped garden hose results in a custom shaped tub that's easy to store.

[Fo Sizzle My Nizzle]

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!