Spareparts54
Wandering around with a bag of matchlight, looking for a match.
Hello! First post here. I've been restoring a New Braunfels Bandera smoker and finally finished! I give you the Frankensmoker!
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgW6-pWKXGpJ9Xhkp
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgXL8lErHg8XpeB-E
I picked this thing up for $100 and it needed a lot of work. There were no holes, but the rust was bad and the bottom of both the firebox and smoke chamber were covered in divots. I spent a lot of time with various wire wheels to strip all the rust, and also used some vinegar in a spray bottle and a power washer.
I did some digging on old posts on this board, and I was eventually able to track down the Bandera 101 document, which was a big help.
I was able to keep all the original parts except for the fire grate and water pan, so I ordered these from Oklahoma Joes. I don't love the low fire grate, but it's just a starting point. I'll keep messing with it, and I'm still figuring out the proper size logs for this.. We added 1/4 inch steel plates to the firebox, which should hopefully help I'm Wisconsin winters. Right now they are either just laid in there or being held by two bolts, so I will take them out from time to time to clean up any ash or grease underneath.
I initially put firebricks in the smoke chamber, but found they were causing me to get high Temps with just a low, smoldering fire with thick smoke. I took the firebricks out so I could make a bigger fire, and figure I'll adjust this based on the season. I did end up putting one back in on the left side to balance the temp (still working on a baffle).
I'm still working on adding gaskets and sealing everything up, but so far I've been impressed with the seal on the smoke chamber.
I'm going to keep modding it as I go. I initially loved my paint job (my little Eddie Van Halen tribute), but found the white paint shows any and all dirt and smoke. I'll leave it for now and will repaint if needed. This was my first restoration, so we tried not to make anything permanent. I had a blast doing this, and am happy I got to give this classic new life. I want to be able to keep modding it as needed, especially if I get any good tips on here.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgXtzeeeueHo4abPW
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqggB47mODHvkZJGxb
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgXSCgYmMg5wP5OXr
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgXXqK1olfzGO6h8G
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgXeQB0gi15Mw7jDr
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgXY_D0RrcbxTx--u
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgXHNdly1TnTmnvGe
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgXAhO2KplN3xfvjb
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgXlvUl2nTQ-Ttb27
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqggUVFRIxMgQ1wP3w
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgXrePQ8DrQiNgEye
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgW6-pWKXGpJ9Xhkp
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgXL8lErHg8XpeB-E
I picked this thing up for $100 and it needed a lot of work. There were no holes, but the rust was bad and the bottom of both the firebox and smoke chamber were covered in divots. I spent a lot of time with various wire wheels to strip all the rust, and also used some vinegar in a spray bottle and a power washer.
I did some digging on old posts on this board, and I was eventually able to track down the Bandera 101 document, which was a big help.
I was able to keep all the original parts except for the fire grate and water pan, so I ordered these from Oklahoma Joes. I don't love the low fire grate, but it's just a starting point. I'll keep messing with it, and I'm still figuring out the proper size logs for this.. We added 1/4 inch steel plates to the firebox, which should hopefully help I'm Wisconsin winters. Right now they are either just laid in there or being held by two bolts, so I will take them out from time to time to clean up any ash or grease underneath.
I initially put firebricks in the smoke chamber, but found they were causing me to get high Temps with just a low, smoldering fire with thick smoke. I took the firebricks out so I could make a bigger fire, and figure I'll adjust this based on the season. I did end up putting one back in on the left side to balance the temp (still working on a baffle).
I'm still working on adding gaskets and sealing everything up, but so far I've been impressed with the seal on the smoke chamber.
I'm going to keep modding it as I go. I initially loved my paint job (my little Eddie Van Halen tribute), but found the white paint shows any and all dirt and smoke. I'll leave it for now and will repaint if needed. This was my first restoration, so we tried not to make anything permanent. I had a blast doing this, and am happy I got to give this classic new life. I want to be able to keep modding it as needed, especially if I get any good tips on here.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgXtzeeeueHo4abPW
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqggB47mODHvkZJGxb
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgXSCgYmMg5wP5OXr
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgXXqK1olfzGO6h8G
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgXeQB0gi15Mw7jDr
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgXY_D0RrcbxTx--u
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgXHNdly1TnTmnvGe
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgXAhO2KplN3xfvjb
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgXlvUl2nTQ-Ttb27
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqggUVFRIxMgQ1wP3w
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmdnVQNGniCqgXrePQ8DrQiNgEye
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