Old Number 5 Kamado restoration

clashire

Hey Guys, I'm new here. 
I recently ran across an old Kamado that made its way from Hawaii in the 70's (I think) and i'm in the process of restoring it. All of the internal ceramic parts were busted, but looks like large egg parts will fit them. Right now all of the outside parts have been cleaned and painted to original-ish colors. My question is this: would it be sacrilege if I painted this thing black, or does anyone know where I can find the orange paint (if I shouldn't paint it black)?

Any other tips and tricks appreciated!

1voyager

I wouldn't paint it. It's beautiful just the way it is, IMHO.

Photo Egg

Nice project.
I would not paint the ceramics/clay.
This is the look that makes it unique.

WeberWho

Watch your temp's since majority of it's clay. You don't want to get too much higher than 400 degrees with it. Your safest bet might be making it a dedicated low and slow smoker. It's looking good!

BobDanger

Auto parts store...Chevy engine orange.

YukonRon

Definitely consider High Heat capable coatings, should you consider painting this.They are readily available. 250F can do a number on some of the lower temp (<225F) coatings available. Try to find one with uV blockers.

In most liquid refinsh coatings, standard applications see chemistry happen generally above 250F.

Generally speaking, orange paints of just about any chemistry, typically do not do very well against the standard uV range and you may need an uV blocker clear coat. Orange, like reds, yellows, golds, blacks etc., fade pretty quickly w/o uV protection.

Good luck, and I love the project.

mEGG_My_Day

Welcome.  That think looks awesome the way it is.  I wouldn’t consider painting it. 

td66snrf

@clashire It appears to me to be an Imperial Kamado. I've had  several over the years in different colors. Red, aquamarine, orange and black are some I remember. The internal parts should interchange with BGE parts.  It's cool as it sits but it's yours make it whatever color you like. 

mEGG_My_Day

This is yours, so do what you want, but for some reason this has been bothering me.  Please don’t paint over that thing.  The patina is awesome and can never be recreated.  Just my 2 cents. 

GrillSgt

Chiming in, it’s gorgeous as is. 

cookingdude555

I won’t tell you what you should do, but my brother and I restored one and painted it black. It looks good. 

Stubby

I love it the way it is.. intrested to hear how it cooks also. 

TEXASBGE2018

I would paint it black or dark green if you can figure out a way to make the paint stick. I get that some people like the nostalgia of it and feel that painting it cheapens it, but that thing is butt ugly right now. Bright Orange, Black and pale green are not colors that look good together.

Lit

Do you have another egg to use or is this going to be your only one? If you don’t have another egg I would skip the restoration on this and get a newer egg you can use for everything. The parts aren’t cheap you are going to spend half the price of a new egg and only have a low and slow cooker. If you have other things to cook on and this is just a project go for it.

clashire

I've decided to leave it as is for now. We'll see if I get tired of looking at it's technicolor patina later. 

I've actually been able to locate some free BGE "guts" which saves substantially on the overall cost, so the project rolls forward. 

I'm curious why this shouldn't be taken above 400, though? Almost anything I cook is done when the internal temperature is right, so I'm sure I can live within that temperature range with no issues with the majority of my food.  

Photo Egg

clashire said:

I've decided to leave it as is for now. We'll see if I get tired of looking at it's technicolor patina later. 

I've actually been able to locate some free BGE "guts" which saves substantially on the overall cost, so the project rolls forward. 

I'm curious why this shouldn't be taken above 400, though? Almost anything I cook is done when the internal temperature is right, so I'm sure I can live within that temperature range with no issues with the majority of my food.  

Most newer ceramic grill are made with ceramics capable of handling higher temps. The older ones were not. More of a traditional clay ceramic and never intended to cook at Nuke Temps.
Since you would never be able to match parts if you cracked the base or dome I would take it easy and use it the way it was designed to cook many years ago.
Enjoy it, nice find.