Rusting burners.... What to do to fix?

Travelguy

Travelguy

Novice
Ok something else to write about... my burners are rusting.
What would be the best way to fix this? As a side note how do I get into the area where the stove parks while traveling. There is lots of debris from other trips back there and can't get to it with the stove there. Is there a way to remove stove to clean that area. This would help do maintenance on the stove also. Awaiting your thoughts and idea's patiently..... :whistle:
 
Go to the hardware store & ask for high temperature paint. Remove the wing nuts in order to remove the cast iron top from the base or line the area with cardboard to catch any over spray. Sand or wire brush the rusted areas before painting. You will need to repeat this, as there is nothing that will permanently take care of it.

As far a cleaning the stove storage area, you can remove the stove. Craig said he would take a picture tomorrow & post it with instructions.

:cool:
 
Todd,

Another way to deal with the rust is the blacken it with some vegetable oil and heating it up really good. In other words treat it like any other cast iron cookware. You probably are in the best place for this, there are some good cast iron cookware experts on this forum (not me) that hopefully will chime in with some good seasoning instructions.

Cary
 
Before you plan on seasoning the stove pieces, ask you wife (if you have one) for permission to have smoke signals in the house. Also, line the oven floor with tin foil for easier clean up.

If you know of an oven that is located outside/garage, that is a better choice.

My method of choice:

Ensure your stove is clean and dry. In the evening coat piece/s with vegetable oil. Let sit overnight. I place cast iron pieces in a plastic tray. The next day heat overn to 500. Place pieces in oven, Shut door. After one hour turn oven down to and cook another hour.

Allow pieces to cool prior to removal.

To keep spouse happy, wipe off smoke grime, remove tin foil.

Jean
 
I use bee's wax to season ci (thanks George!). Best way to do it & least hassle (mess) for me. Wouldn't go back to any other way. Not sure how it would do on the burners, though...

:cool:
 
Don't know if this would apply to the CI stove, but my mom always used to throw her iron skillet in a fire if dad was burning brush, etc . That would eliminate a smokey kitchen- coat with oil, let it soak and burn it. This may be totally wrong, so take it with a tablespoon of salt..
 
Well did what was first recommended... got the black stove paint and wire brushed the stove with my dremel had tool. Came out great.
Want to tell you that first time cooking baked the paint on nicely.
Since having my trailer since 2006 if I only need to do this once every five years I will be very happy !!!! I do alot of cooking when I travel. Have started using a pressure cooker too... will tell more on that in another post.
 
YIKES!!! just noticed rust much worse, and only after a dozen or so uses. Bummer. Didn't know/think to season the thing.

Do I hear you recommending to remove the stove, scour off the rust, and season like I would cast iron cookware?
 
As far a cleaning the stove storage area, you can remove the stove. Craig said he would take a picture tomorrow & post it with instructions.
Click to expand...

I thought there was a photo showing this but can't find it???

Where might it be?? the link? for future reference...
thanks...
 
Inexpensive burner replacement

If burner rust is beyond desire to repair, consider ASC, Agri-Supply company's website: Carolina Cooker brand cast iron double burner. The burner assembly appears identical to what is in our 560 trailer. Cost: $19.95 for the burner assembly. See the picture in their on-line catalogue.
 
Re: Inexpensive burner replacement

Here's a look at the Agri Supply webpage:

Carolina Cooker Double Burner Stove

48590.jpg
 
Re: Inexpensive burner replacement

I was getting my propane bottle filled recently and walked in their store where they had these burners, propane showers etc. You may want to check your local supplier of propane.
 
"As far a cleaning the stove storage area, you can remove the stove. Craig said he would take a picture tomorrow & post it with instructions."


Were these instructions ever posted - the stove storage area needs some serious cleaning!! ;-)
 
Start early…beeswax. It also works miracles on cast iron. I use it every time I cook…bring the surface to HOT melt wax in, let it smoke for a bit….the deep black carbon buildup is worth it’s price in gold.
 
I'm resurrecting this one. Ours needs a facelift:

View attachment upload_2023-10-30_8-36-46.jpeg

I'm torn between the two options described above.

Sweeney said:
Start early…beeswax. It also works miracles on cast iron. I use it every time I cook…bring the surface to HOT melt wax in, let it smoke for a bit….the deep black carbon buildup is worth it’s price in gold.
Click to expand...

Sweeney: Is it too far gone at this point for a beeswax treatment?

Painting options run the gamut from a full paint strip and re-do (maybe in a different color), to just masking off the surround (the enamel of which is still shiny and in good shape, once you get the grease off it) and painting the supports. I've discovered that paint formulation choices can run from what I would imagine to be pretty near near useless spray bomb stove paint from the hardware store, to 2000 deg high-temp automotive ceramic coatings for manifolds that are expensive, time consuming and involve numerous steps, prep and multiple bakings. I was looking at POR-15 and VHT Flameproof products. both of which fall on the upper end of the scale. Any feedback on success/failure/ futility in this area would be welcome.

I was also going to get the Carolina Cooker (Ken and Peggy's post) if only to switch out to the needle valves. We find the that the ball valve adjustment on ours to be very finicky and difficult to dial in accurately. (The CI valves can go on the new one for an outdoor cooker that doesn't require such fine adjustment.)

I am also curious to know if anyone has attempted a vintage refurb retrofit cooktop, like a Griswold, mounted on the factory slide-out?:

View attachment upload_2023-10-30_8-48-10.jpeg

This would obviously have its challenges, such as a proper refinishing of the cast, mounting hole placement, and the possibly necessary orifice conversion from natural gas to propane. I don't believe that overall dimensions, generally, would be an issue.

CI obtained the best cast iron cooktop for the build that they could; it out-shines all the other mojo-lacking modern stove slide-outs that you see in TDs. However, it can't hold a candle to some of the more ornate castings of yesteryear. This might end up being a longer-term project after I get the current one back up to speed.

On a closing note: the factory wingnuts that hold the cooktop on were obviously placed that way for ease of removal and cleaning. However, they can be reversed with a little more difficulty, if you consider them a bit of an eyesore.
 

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I have done an electrolysis restoration of an old cast iron dutch oven and it worked OK, takes a long time and is very messy. The result is bare cast iron that then must be seasoned properly, but I suspect that even the best seasoning job won't hold up to the heat the tips of the burners experience.

If you want a finish that will have a chance of surviving the heat of the cook top, I would suggest trying a hot rod header ceramic coating. I have used Jet Hot (Ceramic Header & Exhaust Coating | Jet-Hot) but there are others out there. Do a search for "exhaust header coating. In my experience the DIY sprays don't work well, only the real ceramics that are professionally applied like powder coat have any chance of staying.
 
Thanks Rotus8. Just worked my way through this: How to Build an Electrolysis Tank for Cast Iron Restoration. They make it seem easy enough. But I defer to your experience.

I'm somewhat apprehensive to embark on (but am still leaning toward) the expense and effort of a "pro" ceramic coating, as you suggest, even if it's just doing the pot supports. Stripping and re-doing the whole thing in a completely different colour might make a tad more sense. In for a penny...

The million $ question is: Can a home DIY job improve upon a Chinese factory enamel? Maybe, if done right, I suppose. Pretty sure I can get the first two coats baked on in the BBQ at the lower temps. Where to pull off the final 600 deg baking is much more of a head scratcher. (I'm using the VHT Flameproof directions here; Jet-Hot might be different in their application).

Even two types/colors/qualities of paint might work, since it's only the supports that really get the heat; the outside frame could get a nice contrasting color:

View attachment upload_2023-10-30_11-2-27.jpeg

View attachment upload_2023-10-30_11-2-43.jpeg

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A vintage Griswold refurb would definitely be worth this extra effort and expense to get a nice good-looking and long-lasting enamel coat on it, even if it may never be a good fit for the trailer. The good thing about the inexpensive identical Carolina Cooker is that if any of my experiments don't work, I won't be out a lot of dough for a face-lifted CI cooktop, and it could be a good testing ground before I embark on a vintage piece.
 
The easiest method I've ever found for cast iron is to put it in the oven with a self cleaning cycle --- our electric oven (not sure about the new gas one) would just obliterate anything you put in it. Rust would turn to powder leaving raw metal behind. Also, before they formulated dish washer powder, it used ot strip cast in 1 wash cycle :( I didn't know better.

I've used POR15 on my truck --- and will again on my jeep. I still have a spot on the driveway where I spilled a little bit. That stuff is THOUGH. If they have a high-temperature formulation, you'd definitely want to use it. My burners are 2 years old and I'm seeing rust -- I may be looking into this. An oz of prevention is worth an lb of cure.

Maybe powder coating? a toaster oven should get hot enough...I've seen car restorers used this method. Eastwood sells the stuff you need...
 
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