Rough finish on exterior of Kettle lid

[Michael_in_TX]

I thought this was a little strange. I went to go clean my four-year-old Weber Kettle and the exterior of the lid has this rough feel to it that I hadn't really noticed before. What is strange is that the bottom bowl exterior is completely smooth, almost factory.

I tried some 409 and also some Dawn dish soap, which removed any dirt but the rough finish remains.

I typically keep the grill covered, but certainly it has had times exposed directly to the elements.

Here's a photo attempting to capture the finish:



It is just weird to me that the top lid would be so affected, but the bottom bowl would not, especially as the bottom is where all the heat is. My PBC, also porcelain-coated, and roughly the same age which sits right next to the kettle, is completely smooth.

Granted, I am not going to lose sleep over this. It's a Weber Kettle, not a Corvette. But, any idea what this is and/or what to do about it (within reason)?

[Smoker_Boy]

Maybe it got electroplated.

[Jim White]

Does it sit under a tree? Wondering if it’s sap.

[Oak Smoke]

It looks like some kind of oxidation coming through the coating. It’s possible the lid had started to rust before it was coated. The rust has finally made its way to the surface. If you lived in Lubbock I might think it was from a sand storm but not the coast.

[texastweeter]

Is it maybe baked on salt or mineral deposits? Try laying a towel dampened (not wet) with vinegar on it. And them wiping it off. Looks like the buildup I get on my fish finder screen from spray.

[texastweeter]

Upon closer review, I think Oak Smoke is correct in his above comment.

[STEbbq]

If it is what Oak Smoke says, and I have no reason to doubt him, that definitely sounds like a successful fix under warranty claim with Weber.

[Steve R.]

When I contacted customer service about a clearly visible rust spot on my relatively new 26", I was told the warranty would only cover it in the event that it rusted all the way through within 10 years.

[captainlee]

I would do a rapid rust treatment to speed up the rusted through issue.

[HawkerXP]

10 year warranty on metal parts. They should send you a new lid.

[Steve B]

From looking at how uniform the roughness is across the entire surface it looks more like it could be some sort of oxidation caused from an improperly prepped surface prior to the porcelain finish being applied. I don’t think it’s rust coming through. It would be a lot more spotty and not as consistent. It wouldn’t hurt to contact Weber. Worst thing they say is it’s not covered under any warranty.

[Michael_in_TX]

Interesting! I never in a million years would have thought it to be rust. It's just mildly rough all over the exterior of the lid. I'll try texastweeter's idea of the towel with vinegar, just to rule that out.

The one thing that does point to a manufacturing defect is, like I mentioned, that the bottom of the kettle it as smooth as you expect it to be.

This is fairly recent....in the last 2-3 months. I just thought the lid was dirty, so imagine my surprise when it didn't clean right off!

I was about to remark that I'll have a hard time proving date of purchase to Weber, but then I remembered -- I bought this on Amazon, which keeps one's list or orders since the dawn of time, so I do have it.

[jfmorris]

I’m late to the party, but my thought was baked on grease and grime from the greasy smoke coming on the lid when smoking on a kettle, but sounds more serious. I also have a tree that gets sap on my grills in part of the yard during the fall, so thought of that as well.

if you look over at the restoration guide on the Weber Kettle Club website, you will see how the porcelain is tough enough to take being scraped clean carefully with a razor blade scraper. Maybe try that in a small area to see if it scrapes off.

[Jessterr]

Agree with Steve B, looks like under film corrosion is taking place. The higher areas (peaks) are where the porcelain film has lost adhesion to the steel substrate, with the lower areas (valleys) still maintaining adhesion, at least for now. I would expect that over time the porcelain will begin flaking off, so definitely contact Weber. They should replace it.