Smoker Essentials: Barkeeper's Friend

[DivotMaker]

So, BKF dissolved major areas of the wax finish and smeared it over the entire door surface. And not obsessing over it would be nice but now I'm embarrassed to show it to my buddies.

Sounds like you need a little more BKF and elbow grease to get the rest off.   Then, finish with a good stainless cleaner/polish.  Should be worthy of your friend's viewing then.

 

[Barrel99]

Sorry to hear that Dave. I know how ticked off you must be. I am sure there is a way to get rid of the rest of wax coat. When I asked about the finish once before, I was told it was clear coat. That's when I had tried Fantastic, a fairly mild cleaning solution that had taken off a bit of the finish. Just to be safe, I used only water since.

 

[SuperDave]

So here's my question, UWFSAE, where did this go sideways from your technique?

 

[DivotMaker]

I've had thoughts of doing the exterior of mine in either cerakote or gunkote finish.  Hard as nails, impervious to chemicals, and looks great.  Still in the planning stages, though.

 

[SuperDave]

Tony, are those materials that are easily self applied? 

 

[DivotMaker]

Dave,

I've used GunKote to refinish firearms.  It's really good, but requires a cure in the oven.  CeraKote is similar, but I haven't used it.  I believe CeraKote has a non-baked version, but I'm still doing a little research.  Any metal-friendly paint should work, given the exteriors just don't get hot, but I like the finishes offered by those I mentioned, as well as the fact they are pretty much impervious to solvents, so cleaning should be a snap!  I'm thinking a desert camo pattern would be pretty cool!

 

[SuperDave]

Thought that this was due an update.  After a half dozen trips to the patio with a bucket and a scouring pad, I think I've got things looking respectable again.  Of course, I don't have finger prints anymore.  LOL!  And just as a side note, those door face lock clips are REAL knuckle busters.  A non abrasive scouring pad, like one on a kitchen sponge was the real key to any success on this project.  So, Barkeeper's Friend can do a great job cleaning our SS but don't start it unless you are in for the long haul on it.

Before using a scouring pad:

After:

 

[Barrel99]

Wow Dave, looks better than new. I knew you would get it worked out. Nice job!

 

[coachB]

Looks like it came right out of the box!

 

[DivotMaker]

Give my condolences to your knuckles, and elbows that sacrificed their grease.  Nice job, indeed! 8)

 

[SconnieQ]

Dave, I see you scrubbed so hard your sticker came off!  ;D
I've always thought mine would look nicer without the sticker, but am afraid to take it off and create a nightmare. Mine still looks nice and shiny, so no scrubbing required yet.

 

[SuperDave]

Dave, I see you scrubbed so hard your sticker came off!  ;D
I've always thought mine would look nicer without the sticker, but am afraid to take it off and create a nightmare. Mine still looks nice and shiny, so no scrubbing required yet.

Once the barn door had been opened, I figured that I didn't have much to lose with the sticker.  Goo-Gone worked real well on the adhesive left behind. 

 

[SconnieQ]

For what it's worth, I like the CLR Stainless Steel Cleaner/Polish (fairly new product) for my expensive kitchen appliances (Wolf and Sub-Zero - not to brag (ok, maybe a little) - but I am humbled by how awesome they are - and bow down to them and thank the appliance gods every day). I've tried a few stainless steel cleaners/polishes, and the CLR seems to actually CLEAN (as long as it's your average drips/grease) AND polish (not JUST polish like others). Used regularly, you can avoid a separate cleaning task. And it doesn't streak like others. Easy, non-messy aerosol can. I've used Weimann's, and it is very streaky, and doesn't "clean". Chucked it out. Spray CLR on, and keep working/buffing til dry. Repeat over problem areas. There are probably some good commercial cleaners out there, but this is my experience with grocery store brands.

I used CLR to polish the exterior of my SI even before it's first seasoning. My SI is still pretty new, so I haven't had to do a serious cleaning on the exterior, but hope to keep up with it as I go. Oh, and maybe someday when I get brave, and am willing to deal with the consequences, remove that sticker!

 

[SuperDave]

The one thing that is causing me grief is the black tears that are running down the front of my door, did it again this weekend.  If I could find a way to prevent the staining in the first place, I'd be much happier with the cleaning process. 

 

[SconnieQ]

Dave - What do you think the black tears are caused by? Are they caused by some sort of moisture and soot combo? Do they seem like they are deep staining within the stainless and not on the surface? I've not had these, but my SI is pretty new. Stainless is pretty indestructible. I would think some sort of sealer/polish in advance would make cleaning of these easier without resorting to a major scrub.

Maybe make sure that the little "ledge" above your door (as in the underside of the SI top, right above your door) is grease/soot free, and also the top surface of your door is free of soot/grease.

 

[SuperDave]

One concern that I have previously mentioned about my door is the amount of leakage at the top.  I'm getting condensation at the top lip and creosote rain is running down the face of the door.  I was able to stop with some foam backing rod material jammed between the door edge and the top lip.  I guess I'm going to look into getting some fire tape but hope that doesn't create a whole different problem.  I also thought about just flashing the area with some aluminum foil when I close the door. 

 

[SconnieQ]

I dig the aluminum foil idea. Try the easiest/least complicated first. Let us know how it works out for you.