Felt between band and Kamado Joe

[cameronleespener]

Hello new BBQ friends!

I'm trying to get my rescued Big Joe up and running, have ordered a new firebox and fiberglass gasket, but something I'm having trouble with is the felt that is glued in between the band and the ceramic body/dome.

After some neglect from the previous owner, the felt is in pretty bad shape as you can see. I'd like to scrape off and replace, but having no luck finding any info on what they're using, much less a replacement that I can order.

I'm thinking it just looks like regular acrylic felt that I could get from the fabric store and glue on with some high heat glue, but that feels a little weird on something that's going to get this hot.

I also looked at high temp welding blankets, but on amazon it's describing them as 4mm+ which I think would be waaay too thick and would through off the fit of the band.

Anyone replaced this stuff before? Even ideas you haven't tried before would be welcome.

Thanks!

Cameron

[SmoothBoarBBQ]

I'm not sure how old your Big Joe is, but most of those gaskets are high temp felt. As you see they can wear out pretty quickly, so most replacement gaskets are quite a bit higher quality. This is a good website that has all the gaskets you'll need for just about any and all BBQ needs.

https://bbqgaskets.com/kj-wire-mesh-fiberglass-gasket-for-2017-up-kamado-joe-classic-durogtm-by-lavalockr-15-ft.html

Here's a quick video by Kamado Joe showing how to remove / replace the gasket...very simple.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWscOqg6n7c

That kit I linked comes with high temp red RTV "gasket maker" which can be used as a food safe gasket adhesives as well. I use that RTV on my cabinet smoker and just apply a bead all the way around the door where it meets the frame. I smooth it out with my finger and let it sit for 24 hours (leave the door open, of course) and it seals up nice and neat without a gasket.

[cameronleespener]

Thanks for the link! That looks like a good site to check out.

I've actually already ordered the wire mesh replacement gasket (seems crazy to me to pay $100 for a gasket, but what the heck).

The felt part I'm looking to replace is actually on the side of the body in between were the band goes and the body. It is wider than the gasket (almost 2") and feels thinner than the gasket types. I worry that if I go with the thicker, narrower gasket type as a repacement then the band won't sit right.

I've attached another pic to help illustrate.

Thanks for the advice though, I'll reach out to the folks at that website, as they may have some insight too!

[SmoothBoarBBQ]

That website is great and I've had a couple discussions with the customer service about the right types of gasket for my cabinet smoker. They helped out a lot and got me on the right track...helped me avoid dropping $100+ on rope gaskets which just weren't going to work well with my current setup.

I'm sure if you shoot them an email or just use the chat window on their website that they will get you setup. Good luck!

[LYU370]

The gasket on my Big Joe looks like it might be the same material as the gasket between the lid.