Need help with a project question

[BrewHo]

I’m plugging away making progress on my Silver Smoker project (see photos below), and now I’m about to face a question I’d like your advice about, please.

So far I’ve been stripping the exterior down to bare metal (wire brushing with high speed handheld grinder) and hitting it immediately with a coat of high temp primer. Was planning to finish with a couple of coats of high temp flat black, but I’m liking the look with the primer enough that I may end up leaving it like that (after a couple more coats).

Today I unbolted and removed the firebox so I could do the two bulkhead walls. While it’s off I’m planning to do the interiors, both firebox and cooking chamber.

Question is, how to finish the interiors?

They’ve been slightly abused, but aren’t in bad shape (yet). When I got it there were a lot of ashes and some charcoal pieces in the cooking chamber, and some ashes in the firebox. When I cleaned those out there were some caked ashes in the firebox, apparently from meat drippings, that I scraped out. Of course there’s some surface rust as a result, seems superficial so far.

I’m planning to clean the interiors thoroughly. Thinking I’ll give it a vinegar wash to neutralize the lye in the ashes then flush thoroughly before drying. Probably will coat with WD40 then wire brush to remove the rust, wipe clean when done. Then what?

Leave it raw, coated with WD40? Paint with linseed oil? Mineral oil? Don’t think I’d want to use paint of any kind.

Any suggestions? Is there anything I can do to improve the process? And especially what would be the best way to finish the surface when I’m done, please?

Here’s how it looked this afternoon. Last photo is the bottom of firebox exterior bulkhead, rust was starting to pit it but think I caught it just in the nick of time. Hope so.
https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=1244&pictureid=13401
https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=1244&pictureid=13402
https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=1244&pictureid=13403
https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=1244&pictureid=13396

Thanks!

[ebijack]

Do not paint the inside. I would not use WD40 on the inside either.
High temp rustoleum paint for the outside. Out of a can brush/roller is better than the spray bombs for durability. But as long as you touch the bad spots up yearly with spray you should be good.
Coat the inside with spray pam or similar. Fire that sucker up and let the pam coat/seal the inside metal.
The firebox depending on your fire management, will probably need touch up on the outside a couple times/yr.

[Zak]

Do not paint the inside. I would not use WD40 on the inside either.
High temp rustoleum paint for the outside. Out of a can brush/roller is better than the spray bombs for durability. But as long as you touch the bad spots up yearly with spray you should be good.
Coat the inside with spray pam or similar. Fire tfhat sucker up and let the pam coat/seal the inside metal.
The firebox depending on your fire management, will probably need touch up on the outside a couple times/yr.

This. The only issue you may have is laying Rustoleum HH over primer as they dont recommend priming first and ive only used it over bare steel so i dont know what may happen. Top coat could flake off. You can take the chance with what you have or remove the primer.

[zippy12]

NO paint on inside!!!!

BEFORE priming and BEFORE painting heat the steel 200F or more to drive the water out of the steel!!! let cool then paint....

clean inside then coat with lard and bake it into steel when pit is back together

[kd4gij]

The primer does not seal out moisture. It will rust through in no time.

[mbt]

Do not paint the inside. I would not use WD40 on the inside either.
High temp rustoleum paint for the outside. Out of a can brush/roller is better than the spray bombs for durability. But as long as you touch the bad spots up yearly with spray you should be good.
Coat the inside with spray pam or similar. Fire that sucker up and let the pam coat/seal the inside metal.
The firebox depending on your fire management, will probably need touch up on the outside a couple times/yr.

agree

[frankenfab]

I have been really impressed with the results from spraying the interior with peanut oil from a spray bottle. Looks just like well seasoned cast iron.

[BrewHo]

This. The only issue you may have is laying Rustoleum HH over primer as they dont recommend priming first and ive only used it over bare steel so i dont know what may happen. Top coat could flake off. You can take the chance with what you have or remove the primer.

Thanks everybody!

Used Rustoleum high heat primer. Planning top cost of Rustoleum high heat enamel. Now that I saw your post I looked closely at the two labels.

High heat enamel says “priming is not recommended.”

High heat primer says “may be coated with Rustoleum High Heat paint any time after 1 hour.”

Go figure.

I’ll find out which one to believe, probably by the end of the summer.