Post by ht01us on Jul 24, 2010 23:41:08 GMT -5
I've asked enough questions for a while. I thought I 'd share a little mod I made today. I drilled 2 holes just big enough to run a couple of Maverick smoke probes from the grate to the exterior. I got the idea from the Weber virtual bullet web site.
I'll attach as many pictures as I can; hopefully you can follow along. (I'm not sure how the picture attachment process works here, so bear with me. I may have to attach them individually in follow up messages.)
I want to be able to have a meat probe without threading the cable under the cover. I also wanted to measure the temperature at the grate rather than the vent because of some of what I've read. I have the large 26.75" Weber kettle and have been concerned that there may be a bigger temperature variation than 35* between the grate and vent. I'll let you know
I am not a handy man by any stretch of the imagination; but once in a while I get brave. I messed up a bit but
First I gathered my tools
- Drill
- Gauge for measuring the probes and drill bits
- Center punch and hammer (with protective glasses)
- A block of wood and a clamp
- A round file (not in picture)
- Dremel moto tool with grinder to file off the burrs
- Some high temp paint.
First I picked a spot under the rim, but over grate.
Next, I laid 3 strips of masking tape over the spot (I had hoped that the masking tape would help protect the enamel). Then I clamped a piece of wood to the inside and made an indentation with a center punch.
Next, I used my newly purchased bolt gauge to measure the size of the probes, realizing that the crimped end near the cable makes it a bit wider. I picked a matching drill bit and drilled a hole.
The hole was just a smidge too small, so I went back to the garage to find a small round file in my old model railroad toolkit. I filed out the hole until the probe fit through. One hole down
I repeated the process for the second hole. I didn't need as much space for this probe so I had less filing to do.
The holes had some sharp burrs on the inside of the kettle; so back into the garage to get my Dremel tool to put on a little grinder to clean things up.
Now for the unveiling. Off came the masking tape. Uh oh. I must have done something wrong on the 2nd hole because a big chunk of enamel came off on the back of the tape.
Good thing I live in western Oregon where it hardly rains so rust won't be a problem. Oh wait, DANG - rust just might be a problem. Oh well, that's why they invented paint, right? I masked the spot and painted inside and out with some Rustoleum high temperature black spray paint.
Before following my lead, you might want to see if it was worth while and see if there are any hints from some real handy men and women out there.
I've got 3 racks of baby backs rubbed and cooling the refrigerator overnight. Tomorrow I'll see how it all works out
I'll attach as many pictures as I can; hopefully you can follow along. (I'm not sure how the picture attachment process works here, so bear with me. I may have to attach them individually in follow up messages.)
I want to be able to have a meat probe without threading the cable under the cover. I also wanted to measure the temperature at the grate rather than the vent because of some of what I've read. I have the large 26.75" Weber kettle and have been concerned that there may be a bigger temperature variation than 35* between the grate and vent. I'll let you know
I am not a handy man by any stretch of the imagination; but once in a while I get brave. I messed up a bit but
First I gathered my tools
- Drill
- Gauge for measuring the probes and drill bits
- Center punch and hammer (with protective glasses)
- A block of wood and a clamp
- A round file (not in picture)
- Dremel moto tool with grinder to file off the burrs
- Some high temp paint.
First I picked a spot under the rim, but over grate.
Next, I laid 3 strips of masking tape over the spot (I had hoped that the masking tape would help protect the enamel). Then I clamped a piece of wood to the inside and made an indentation with a center punch.
Next, I used my newly purchased bolt gauge to measure the size of the probes, realizing that the crimped end near the cable makes it a bit wider. I picked a matching drill bit and drilled a hole.
The hole was just a smidge too small, so I went back to the garage to find a small round file in my old model railroad toolkit. I filed out the hole until the probe fit through. One hole down
I repeated the process for the second hole. I didn't need as much space for this probe so I had less filing to do.
The holes had some sharp burrs on the inside of the kettle; so back into the garage to get my Dremel tool to put on a little grinder to clean things up.
Now for the unveiling. Off came the masking tape. Uh oh. I must have done something wrong on the 2nd hole because a big chunk of enamel came off on the back of the tape.
Good thing I live in western Oregon where it hardly rains so rust won't be a problem. Oh wait, DANG - rust just might be a problem. Oh well, that's why they invented paint, right? I masked the spot and painted inside and out with some Rustoleum high temperature black spray paint.
Before following my lead, you might want to see if it was worth while and see if there are any hints from some real handy men and women out there.
I've got 3 racks of baby backs rubbed and cooling the refrigerator overnight. Tomorrow I'll see how it all works out
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