Restoration Project-Ancient Egg

Da Kine Green BBQ · October 2010

This is the "original" BGE. This "kamado smoker grill" belonged to my parents. I remember when this thing came home - sometime in the early 1970s.

It's cruddy now, and I remember we made steaks, burgers and hot dogs on this thing. The wheeled cart was always a source of frustration, the tiny rubber wheels quickly got flat spots and at least one wheel is rusted frozen. Hopefully the new version "nest" will fit.

I am going to restore it and make it cook again....

The original finish was not a shiny glaze, but it was a beautiful turquoise color - like aged copper....

Anyone have any hints for reviving the finish? Or should I keep it as-is, and call it "character"?

stike · October 2010

the old ones were painted, not glazed... those earthenware clay ones (like the chimineas you see for sale and landscape and garden shops) can absorb water and bust apart during freeze/thaw and under high heat, so i think the paint was an effort to keep water out.

the new eggs are fired with a glaze which is permanent.

you might want to paint it, because it looks like th top has lost its paint, but you might want to tone the green down to match the faded green below. might seem TOO new if you go with the bright verdigris copper green....

notice, i think the firebox is mortared in place. pretty interesting. GG found that blocking that airspace improved temps (faster high heat).

in your case, i think the general wisdom is to run it at lower temps, because it is earthenware clay (like terra cotta), and not the higher strength new ceramics. still, your dad cooked on it at high temps when you were a kid, right?

maybe stay down below 500-600...

looks like it's in great shape

Mainegg · October 2010

LOL sounds like antique road show for eggs LOL
what a cool thing to have

a few people on here will chime in too I am sure as a few of these have surfaced as people hunt for eggs. I would love to have one just for the story. main thing most say is low temps to protect it. thanks for sharing it and looks like it is in great shape.

Richard Fl · October 2010

Just got to the 'puter.

Finished product. only cook below 375, ribs etc.

http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=733517&catid=1

This started out as a $10 project and as my lady friend said, if I do not repair it, the bottom would make a nice planter.

It ended up costing around $150, but still fun.
the firebox and ring were badly cracked, so had to remove the ring that was cemented in and JB Weld back together. That was its own project. After having all the metal sandblasted and painted. I looked into high heat paint, but to get a custom green made was about $25/can and I figured I needed 2-4 cans. Ended up using the Fleck stone from Lowes about $10/can.

Think 3-4 cans to finish as the clay soaked up the paint. As I do not use it for high heat the paint worked out just great. I bought my first kamado in SE Asia in'68, looked just like yours. Have fun with the project, I did!

NC-CDN · October 2010

http://fayetteville.craigslist.org/for/2021494018.html

Here is one for sale in NC. It's old. Never seen them before, but it bears a striking resemblance.

Da Kine Green BBQ · March 2011

Well, finally finished the re-build of the old thing. Didn't cook on this yet, but - soon!

I used some high temperature cement to glue the fire box together . . . then added some JB Weld on top of that. Pictures of that jigsaw puzzle are - somewhere.

Here are more images of the progress:

Got a set of new legs (the nest) from my dealer. This is the "Large BGE Nest"

A shot of the re-painted band/hinge. It was pretty rusty, I sanded it and re-painted it with some auto body paint:

A shot of the rusty grill (see what happens when you clean the grill too much? No grease means no protection from rust. . . . )

Draft door yet to be installed. . . .

New draft door installed. Oddly, the old, rusty draft door was longer than the new one, and I thought I'd have to add some sheet metal to the new door. But as you see - it fits perfectly. I had to clip out only one corner on the new door, and apply some sealing goop around the door.

New BGE gasket on the top and bottom rim. . . .

New Large BGE grill from the dealer - also fits right in there.

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Da Kine Green BBQ wrote:

This is the "original" BGE. This "kamado smoker grill" belonged to my parents. I remember when this thing came home - sometime in the early 1970s.

It's cruddy now, and I remember we made steaks, burgers and hot dogs on this thing. The wheeled cart was always a source of frustration, the tiny rubber wheels quickly got flat spots and at least one wheel is rusted frozen. Hopefully the new version "nest" will fit.

I am going to restore it and make it cook again....

The original finish was not a shiny glaze, but it was a beautiful turquoise color - like aged copper....

Anyone have any hints for reviving the finish? Or should I keep it as-is, and call it "character"?

Restoration Project-Ancient Egg

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