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

A standard powder coating is plastic, it is tough but will not stand up to the temperatures of the burners. The exhaust guys use powder coating, but it is a ceramic and requires much higher temperature to cure than a toaster oven can achieve.

 

I did a cast boo-boo in the dishwasher one time too.

The POR-15 High Temp High Temp, although it doesn't have the extreme high heat 2000 deg rating of the VHT or the Jet-Hot (it's only 1200) seems to have a simpler application and curing process, and is more readily available on Amazon. Could be cured in a BBQ at some lower temperatures. Brushing it on, rather than spraying, involves less fuss and taping off areas.

 

You need to find something that will take 3,560 degrees....Suddenly I see the problem. This is what I like to call a "Blinding flash of the obvious..."

Even high temp paint is rated for like 1200 degrees....

so never mind everything I've said at this point...

 

I do have some 1200 deg POR-15 on the way to paint only the rusted supports. The rust cleaned off OK with a short vinegar soak and some steel wool. Sufficient for a paint job. I roughened the existing enamel with steel wool, to take the shine off and assist with adhesion. The POR-15 doesn’t state that it requires a primer, so it should be satisfactory to go on both the bare metal and the remaining dulled enamel. Removing all the enamel, even on just the support area would have been close to physically impossible; it’s rock hard.

I’m optimistic that the paint, with it’s modest and DIY-manageable heat curing cycles in the Barbie will be sufficient to withstand the burner heat. If not, I don’t have too much invested into this experiment, and I’m back where I started.

 

My late mother used one similar to the CI unit for 45 years, canning pickles and tomatoes.
It was rusty but it never interfered with its function.

 

I managed to track down in Ontario a Griswold 202. They were made in Erie PA (just across the lake from us) until 1957. It is fully functional and similar in appearance to this refurbed one:

View attachment upload_2023-10-31_8-42-38.jpeg

Mine will still need some clean-up work and a paint job to getting it looking like this. Dimensions are close to the CI, and I think I might be able to securely fix it to the existing slide without a lot of surgery. This vintage one would be worth the effort of a high-temp baked-on ceramic coating, like the Ceracote or the Jet-Hot. The orifice may need to be changed for a truly "accurate" burn on LP. And when finished, the BTUs might end up being somewhat less than the CI version, but we have rarely needed full heat from them anyway. Winter project.

As I write this, Karen is busy canning for the 3rd straight week (no pickles, thankfully). So I know that even if I don't manage to get it installed in the CI, it will still have plenty of utility elsewhere. Can't beat the old cast stuff.

I have a vintage hay trolley that I will be converting into a light fixture, sorta like this:

View attachment upload_2023-10-31_8-55-34.jpeg

 

Update: I put the vintage Griswold 202 (identical to the one pictured in the post above) through its paces.

It is slightly undersized, compared to the Camp-Inn OEM. But that is not the issue with trying to substitute it out, to get some vintage mojo into the galley: even with using a highly variable regulator off a spare tank, and a #72 LP orifice, and playing with the variable air intake at the orifice, I can't get it close to putting out a nice pinpoint blue flame at a low setting, like we are used to with the OEM. I can eliminate the yellow flame entirely, which means that it is combusting properly. But I can't get a better flame than the OEM.

This, however, isn't to say the Griswold is useless; it would be great for doing a pot of corn or other large batch outdoor canning, where copious heat output would trump flame control. I'm abandoning the idea of using it in the galley and putting that project (complete refurb and paint job) aside for now.

My experience with the Carolina Cooker (the casting was broken) ended with a full refund from the company. So I can't complain about that.

I will be using the CC burners and needle valve controls with the Camp-Inn OEM cast top:

View attachment upload_2023-12-26_14-34-35.jpeg

View attachment upload_2023-12-26_14-34-51.jpeg

You can see the CC burners are a tad smaller and a lighter casting than the CIs, and that the needle valve/orifice assembly can only be used on the CC burners, and not the CI burners. However, the needle valves do give more flame control than the CI 180 deg valves. And look marginally less utilitarian than the CI valve handles. Which, for me, was the whole point of getting the CC cooktop in the first place: to use the valve control parts.

The burners are interchangeable and use the same mounting holes. But I suspect that the CC burners put out slightly fewer BTUs. Which won't be a problem for me.

I will update again when I get the CI cooktop and the CC burners re-coated in a high-temp paint and back together again.

 

Thanks guys for the updates. I try to keep my lodge pans seasoned and didnt realize I could do same on the pan holders too.
Another to-do item as mine are getting rusty like yours Steve and appreciate all the info on the fix.

 

I had the same issue with flame control-ability with the OEM stove, so replaced it with a Camp Chef Ranger II stove. It took just a little modification to make it work, but we have been pleased with the result. But it isn't immune from rusting burners either. The post about it is on this page: Stove - Under Counter Trays - Wind

 

Thanks dustin, bookmarked. The valves are tricky to get right at first- and I really love cooking on this gas stove in a chef grade staineless galley, and since my 2010 CI is on its third and noobish owner ...

I am grateful in all advice for upgrades in years to come.