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RRP or Anyone....Dome Fit Problem

BOWHUNR
BOWHUNR Posts: 1,487
I have a friend that has had a large egg for a while now and has always complained that he can not cook below 275-300* even with his BBQ Guru.  I always thought he had an air leak due to dome fit or alignment problems.  He told me the factory gasket was showing wear so I sold him a spare Rutland that I bought from Ron and supplied him with Ron's detailed instructions.  After he installed it he set the dome on and told me that not only can he pass a dollar bill over a third of the way around, but can see daylight through it.

I had him set the dome on a known flat surface (his glass patio table) and he reports the same gap.  I have five eggs, all with Rutland's and have never run into this.  In fact, after five years on the old and new forum I have never heard of this.  He sent me a photo of his Rutland install and it looks perfect.  Has anyone heard of a dome surface not being "true" from the factory?  Is it worth trying to "true up" with a belt sander?  Any thoughts, help or advice welcome.

Mike

I'm ashamed what I did for a Klondike Bar!!

Omaha, NE

Comments

  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
    I had some high spots on my base. I was able to work them down with a course Indian stone by hand. Once I got them close, I smoothed the area out with a paint stripper on a electric drill. For the record, I know very little about ceramics so if someone offers different advice than mine, you should probably take it. However my egg seals perfect and I haven't had any issues at all to date. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    Yes! I most certainly have as my large which I bought new 15 years ago had both a wavy dome and base! Knowing what I know now I should have demanded a replacement, but I didn't.  With advice from eggers with similar issues I determined where the problems were.  The repair took some effort and no, not everyone will want to tackle it! 

    Using a straight edge I found a level, flat area on my concrete garage floor. Then I rubbed both my base and dome on that area to see where the hills were and how serious they were. I started out with my belt sander and started knocking down the hills. Then using colored chalk I kept track of how much I had to keep going. Again I would revert to seeing by going back to my flat area in the garage.

    I finally got both to a reasonable flatness and installed my first "bunched" Rutland. I ended up with only one area where neither the dome nor base wanted to match. I solved that by carefully lifting the Rutland and adding more adhesive to build up that section. 

    Is it perfect? Well - it doesn't leak smoke! Was it a lot of effort? YES, but 15 years ago I was a younger man still full of p*ss and vinegar as they say! 
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • BOWHUNR
    BOWHUNR Posts: 1,487
    Thanks guys.  SGH was your egg an older one like Ron's?  It doesn't seem like it would be too tough to knock down with a belt sander but maybe I'm wrong?  Then again I can't imagine this would be a problem for a warranty claim.  Guess it just depends on how quickly he wants it fixed.

    Mike 

    I'm ashamed what I did for a Klondike Bar!!

    Omaha, NE
  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
    BOWHUNR said:
    Thanks guys.  SGH was your egg an older one like Ron's? 
    I purchased mine 2 1/2 years ago. However I got it at a discount because it was a older model or so I was told. But I feel that it couldn't have been more than a couple of years old when I got it. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    BOWHUNR said:
    Thanks guys.  SGH was your egg an older one like Ron's?  It doesn't seem like it would be too tough to knock down with a belt sander but maybe I'm wrong?  Then again I can't imagine this would be a problem for a warranty claim.  Guess it just depends on how quickly he wants it fixed.

    Mike 
    Mike the secret that I forgot to mention last night when using the belt sander hold it so as to be working inside the dome and base - NOT from the outside. That way there is little to no chance of chipping the ceramic glaze.  Also using a finer grade belt combined with patience and time is better than a coarse grit belt and trying to be fast and aggressive! Sorry I don't have any pictures, but back then I didn't own a digital camera.
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • Chubby
    Chubby Posts: 2,955

    Have experienced the same as Ron on my original Large...and a neighbors Egg that he bought at a fest!

    Many ways of truing up an uneven base...but a course pumice stone works like a champ. Follow it up with a carbide paper finish sanding...and your good to go!!

    I like the "feel" of removing the material by hand...(too easy to overrun your marks, or as Ron cautions, chip off a piece of the lip glazing) using a machine tool.

    Take your time...it's not difficult!!


    I spent most of my money on good bourbon, and bad women...the rest, I just wasted!!