M36 powder coat problems

[Hal]

Has anyone else had a problem with the powder coat getting damaged?? The circle on top was likely caused by having a lit chimney with the lid closed which, in retrospect, was probably a bad idea. But the damage to the side was apparently just from smoking. Heard back from Travis that this is just damage to the powder coat rather than the grill itself. Solution proposed was to "just build a smaller fire and look to keep the lid thermometer 350 degrees and under for indirect cooking if you are worried about the finish and try not to let it spike too high." I've measured the grate temperature about 50 degrees less than the lid temperature, which means that I risk damaging the powdered coat if I go over 300 degrees at the grate. Having only smoked 5-6 times now, surprising to me that this monster grill/smoker that I otherwise love can't take the heat, so to speak. Have others had similar experiences?

[Rob whatever]

I have the same issue on the side. My take on it is that it is a surface only issue and came to the conclusion pretty quickly that I’d rather have good looking food vs. a shiny grill.

rob

[Hal]

I have the same issue on the side. My take on it is that it is a surface only issue and came to the conclusion pretty quickly that I’d rather have good looking food vs. a shiny grill.

rob

Had sort of been hoping for both!

[efincoop]

From the pictures it looks like the grill has a glossy finish. It that is accurate, I find it an odd choice for a grill/smoker. The majority seem to have a flat black finish which allows for easy touch ups.

From my experience most smokers do need to be touched up from time to time. Especially the high heat areas. Back in September I sanded and repainted the firebox on my offset because it had started developing surface rust after 1 year of use. I have never seen peeling down to bare metal like your pictures seem to show.

[Hal]

From the pictures it looks like the grill has a glossy finish. It that is accurate, I find it an odd choice for a grill/smoker. The majority seem to have a flat black finish which allows for easy touch ups.

From my experience most smokers do need to be touched up from time to time. Especially the high heat areas. Back in September I sanded and repainted the firebox on my offset because it had started developing surface rust after 1 year of use. I have never seen peeling down to bare metal like your pictures seem to show.

It is high-gloss. As Rob notes, if only a surface thing rather than damage to the grill itself, not the end of the world. Would just have expected a paint/powder coat that could withstand the heat. In any case, will likely go the way you did - sanding and re-painting. Would like to avoid the rust problem.

[Uncle Bob]

There are various levels of quality depending on the brand of powder used, and then there is the application process that needs to be done in a specific way for successful life expectancy. If you research high temp powder coatings you'll see they recommend a max spike temp exposure of 600f, and a max 500f continuous. Those limits are with best practices application. All that is good to know, but doesn't solve your failure, and it doesn't sound like the manufacturer is going to do anything for you. For your own state of mind you may have to do your own repair, probably with a high temp paint rated for 1200f applications. If you choose that option study up on proper surface preparation as that is the key to finish success, not just the quality/rating of the coating materials.

[Hal]

There are various levels of quality depending on the brand of powder used, and then there is the application process that needs to be done in a specific way for successful life expectancy. If you research high temp powder coatings you'll see they recommend a max spike temp exposure of 600f, and a max 500f continuous. Those limits are with best practices application. All that is good to know, but doesn't solve your failure, and it doesn't sound like the manufacturer is going to do anything for you. For your own state of mind you may have to do your own repair, probably with a high temp paint rated for 1200f applications. If you choose that option study up on proper surface preparation as that is the key to finish success, not just the quality/rating of the coating materials.

Thanks, not sure where the failure was. And, no, don't expect any help from the manufacturer - they pointed me to a paint company or indicated I could put linseed oil on it and season it like a cast-iron skillet. Appreciate the point about the proper surface preparation - will keep that in mind.

[RonaldBBQ]

I have been looking into possibly buying a M36. Disappointed about their poor finish for a $4K product.

Are you saying that getting the grill above 350 F can cause this type of damage to the paint? Essentially grilling will mess up the paint.

[Hal]

I have been looking into possibly buying a M36. Disappointed about their poor finish for a $4K product.

Are you saying that getting the grill above 350 F can cause this type of damage to the paint? Essentially grilling will mess up the paint.

Mine looks like it's been through a war . . . paint falling off all over. And when I reached out Travis/Kinney, Travis told me that I could buy paint.