Help Needed Kamado K7

[Beomazed]

Measurements for the original grill that fits the on the original upper bracket. Photo of the depth of the lower bracket when hanging (in mm).

[Lost Down Under]

Thanks for taking those pics.

I judged pretty well from your first photo regarding the height of the deflector. I set it at 110mm from the top of the grill lip.

As for the extra grill plate, I might just weld the bars to the rack instead of making a removable grate, then make another that I can toss on the rack that I made for the deflector plate for searing.

What's your thoughts?

[Beomazed]

I think that makes a lot of sense. The bracket is not the most stable device and that would help. Be sure to weld on the correct side of the brace. I sometimes have it upside down when not paying attention. 

[Lost Down Under]

5 hours ago, Beomazed said:

I think that makes a lot of sense. The bracket is not the most stable device and that would help. Be sure to weld on the correct side of the brace. I sometimes have it upside down when not paying attention. 

 

I found that myself, and I haven't even used it yet!

[Peganded8]

I am picking up a K7 next week. I am worried about getting the 600 pounds out of a backyard. Can the lid come off easily to help cut some weight?

[marauders]

On 5/30/2020 at 6:02 PM, Lost Down Under said:

Golf Griller - I just about spat my coffee all over my computer! That's gold. Bet it was done only the once.

 

marauders   The problem with being in Australia is that very little of anything is available. I did find a supplied South of us that has posted me a refractory mortar that he believes will do the job.

As for the ash, I read that somewhere in another post on here that it was a good idea to leave a layer in the bottom to work as a heat shield for the base. I'll follow that suggestion.

Kiln Cement  great product   i kiln shelves work well as a diffusers ,  probably better than most retailed sold!  withstand 1200 degrees

[Fyvo]

On 5/29/2020 at 5:12 PM, Lost Down Under said:

I found a guy over here that's had one for 25 years. His suggestion is to do as you've said. He has only removed the round center grate and uses a Kick Ash basket. Reason being that the charcoal bowl ring deflects the heat from the coals away from the bottom of the kamado, thus reducing the chance of cracking.

How are you cleaning the ash out?

My charcoal bowl ring needs a fair bit of love!

I was going to clean it up and use a refractory mortar to basically glue it together. Any thoughts on this?

I recently found an old K7 which I am restoring. My bowl ring is intact but has lots of cracks in it, some seem deep. Did you end up using refractory mortar? Also, wondering if anyone has used something similar to NCH Yield on the rust. That product doesn't seem to be available in the U.S. but looks like it did an amazing job. I have the same issue with my Damper hat hardware

[Lost Down Under]

On 6/16/2020 at 5:29 AM, Beomazed said:

I think that makes a lot of sense. The bracket is not the most stable device and that would help. Be sure to weld on the correct side of the brace. I sometimes have it upside down when not paying attention. 

Got it right the first time!

[Lost Down Under]

On 9/14/2020 at 12:10 PM, Peganded8 said:

I am picking up a K7 next week. I am worried about getting the 600 pounds out of a backyard. Can the lid come off easily to help cut some weight?

Sure does, just make sure that you lock the springs in the closed position before removing the bands.

 

 

[Lost Down Under]

On 9/21/2020 at 6:53 AM, Fyvo said:

I recently found an old K7 which I am restoring. My bowl ring is intact but has lots of cracks in it, some seem deep. Did you end up using refractory mortar? Also, wondering if anyone has used something similar to NCH Yield on the rust. That product doesn't seem to be available in the U.S. but looks like it did an amazing job. I have the same issue with my Damper hat hardware

Yes, the refractory mortar worked extremely well. Has been through quite a few cooks now with no problems.

 

You should be able to buy Penetrene in the US. It works every bit as good as the yield.
https://www.ebay.com.au/i/254702438242?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-139619-5960-0&mkcid=2&itemid=254702438242&targetid=919947033086&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9072230&poi=&campaignid=10101785216&mkgroupid=102311924620&rlsatarget=pla-919947033086&abcId=9300368&merchantid=116556983&gclid=CjwKCAjwwab7BRBAEiwAapqpTOvOusXrjunDRZmYI-PIjZ46ipGvyaN4Uad44J4Vg6Oozw1RPKDv4xoCT98QAvD_BwE

[Peganded8]

I brought this on a trailer to my house. The whole body cracked all the way around. And the inside bowl ring is cracked in half. Can this be fixed?

[Lost Down Under]

On 9/26/2020 at 5:09 AM, Peganded8 said:

I brought this on a trailer to my house. The whole body cracked all the way around. And the inside bowl ring is cracked in half. Can this be fixed?

 

 

Anything can be fixed. That's a huge job, but if you've the patients and time I'd give it a go.

[Peganded8]

14 hours ago, Lost Down Under said:

Anything can be fixed. That's a huge job, but if you've the patients and time I'd give it a go.

So how do I go about it?

[Lost Down Under]

The fire box itself will be an easy start.

Find some refractory mortar, and basically use it like a glue. Pull the pieces out and clean the broken faces with some wax and grease remover, then a good scrub with a wire brush. trowel the mortar on, turn upside down on a flat surface and re assemble. I used some ratchet straps to pull it all together and let it sit for a couple of days before moving it. That was a lot of cooks ago and all's still great.

 

As for the base, remove the tiles above and below so you can see how bad the break is. Is it broken right off? Or has it just separated in an area?

[Lost Down Under]

On 9/29/2020 at 10:25 AM, Peganded8 said:

So how do I go about it?

Just re read your post.

When you say that it's cracked all the way around, do you mean that the base will come away from the body if you lift it?

If so, it's going to be an easier fix that trying to force the refractory mortar into the crack.

If it is broken right through, repair it the same way as the fire box. Clean both faces and give a good scrub with a wire brush. Trowel the mortar on and place the top back on. You want the mortar to squeeze out as the body settles. Don't worry about the fall out, it's easy to clean once it sets.