Loaded Rip Van Winkle up this morning and fired it up.
The wood box door and adjuster is still stuck and I'm continuing to GIBBS it and work it loose. I just loaded it from the top.
Good news is It has been holding a steady 250 all day with a few extra loads of wood added. I found a local BBQ store here who carries 1/4 splits that fit the mini fire box perfectly.
Might be time for some chicken to go in tomorrow.
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My very first smoker. A blast from the past.
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I just found an old thread on BBQ Brothers forum from 2012.
A member on there had found a used tailgater and dug up some info from Oklahoma Joe.
They made them from 1988 to 1992.
Then made a decision to begin making them out of lighter weight material to allow more economical shipping to big box stores.
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"Pretty remarkable shape for its age and the neglect it went through"
This is what my kids say about me !!!!!!
Looks like a fun cooker project coming back to life
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Got the hinges squirted down with GIBBS, and loosened up really well. I will let them soak tonight and they should be good. I plan to go over the whole outside with Gibbs tomorrow before firing it up and bake it on. For those unfamiliar with GIBBS? Toss away the old standby WD-40 and try it out. Bonus? GIBBS is an all in one gun cleaner also and the only product in my gun cabinet. The gunsmiths at Nighthawk Customs recommended it to me a few years ago when I bought a Custom GRP.
More good news on Rip Van Winkle? Original thermometer still working, and spot on with a check against a thermopop.
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My biggest complaint with it when I used it was the 26" height. I had always planned to build it some kind of table to set on. Might have to see how I end up liking it and putting that idea back in the works.
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The wooden handle is rotted off the fire box, and the handle on the cook chamber is on its way out. I can easily replace them though.
Trying to decide whether to remain it or just grease it up and burn it on. They must have had a secret formula for paint. The only rust on it is where it chipped off, and the expanded metal on the bottom shel under the cook chamber.
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I just took some measurements off of it. It was advertised as a Tail Gater. Small for a stick burner I believe?
26" tall from foot pads to top of cook chamber
Cook chamber 12 1/2"OD and 24" long
Fire box 12 1/2" OD and 12" long
Stack is 2 1/2" OD and 21" tall
Kind of a mini smoker/stick burner.
I'm kind of looking forward to firing it back up and seeing how it will perform if I get it tuned in.Last edited by Cheef; October 4, 2020, 10:18 AM.
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Wow looks in great shape after sitting under a tree for 20 years. You better name this one "Rip Van Winkle"
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That's like finding a $100 bill in a pair of jeans you haven't fit into for years.
Should be good to go after some clean up and a good burn to clean out the spiders.
Probably been some improvements over the years but a stick burner is a stick burner.
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