Nick2cd Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 about a week or two ago, i posted a question asking how a crack affects a ceramic kamado. my local sams club had a cracked egg for sale. i think the original price was $899. after the crack was found, they reduced the price to $750. There were no takers, so the price was then slashed to $477! I made a trip out there yesterday to find that it was still sitting there at $477. To make a long story shorter, I found a manager and offered $100. He accepted!!! I am incredibly excited about it! it has the nest and the side tables with it. i figured worst case scenario, im out $100. however, if i can repair it or just use it as is, i stole the thing. So this brings on my question.....is there a high temperature epoxy or other product i can use to repair it? i want some other options than jb weld if they exist. and of course, it has to be food safe. here's a pic of the crack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just4fn Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 I would try to call a ceramic place that makes ceramics. They might have an idea. It looks like the 1st thing to do is stop the crack. Someone might have a idea like drilling a hole to stop it but I am not a ceramic guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philpom Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 This isn't an exact fir for your issue but it sounds like a good place to start and is probably where I would start. Good luck! This is for a cracked ceramic sink. Where the crack exists in bowl material; and the crack can continue growing - to stop it - you MUST stop drill it. Stop drill is where we throughly examine a crack and determine its end. It is preferred to use a 10x magnifying glass. But with some BRIGHT light, and a good eye, you can generally see (determine) the very, very, very END of a crack, even without a 10X. You now take a 1/4" MINIMUM drill bit; (3/8 would be better); and DRILL a HOLE at the END of the crack. If you have more than one crack end (crack has forked) - do this also at that crack end. Again - you do NOT stop drill where the crack has run out of material... 7. You then take the hole you have drilled, and fill it with epoxy; or whatever waterproof material that you wish. you also apply waterproofing material to the entire underside of the crack along its length, and doing so on the top of the crack would be good as well. Epoxy can be dyed with even some normal food coloring dye if you wish, for more of a color match. Stop Drilling the crack - will stop the crack from continued growth. How this works - is to force the lines of force (water vibrations) which are following the crack (and continuing its growth at its very end (.0001") - to now flow around a much larger surface area. Because you put a HOLE at the end of the crack. For the crack to continue - the lines of force must now take in much more surface area of your ceramic bowl - and still manage to continue the crack around the hole which you put in... I know this seems counter intuitive. But it works. It is used in Jet Aircraft repair all the time - to stop a crack from growing... A doubler is than added, but you don't need that for this application. So, if you want the sink, don't care tremendously about the looks; but want a sink that is water tight - do the above. The crack will then be fixed, and your sink will be water tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philpom Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 FYI - I moved this topic to DIY thread as it seems like a better place for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsME Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 I emailed with BGE on a crack recently for one that my friend has now. Their words - 'we would never recommend drilling a hole into the ceramic'. I had asked if that could stop it from cracking more. They suggest jbweld or refractory cement if the 2 pieces are apart. I'd suggest cooking on it and see if the crack spreads. Worst case you add jbweld then. Additionally, a new base might only be a few hundred bucks which would still put your out of pocket under the 477 and all parts are in tact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddyjbbq Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 here is a bit of info from a dude (im sure you'll recognize his name from his youtube vids) he sells the eggs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toe Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 ^For those who don't feel like getting out their microscopes, the text in that picture basically says "we've tried a lot of things, and none of them really worked." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICDEDTURKES Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 If it does not work or something goes wrong.. I would turn the thing into one big well insulated beer cooler.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick2cd Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 I may just try using it and see what happens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toofast_28 Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 I may just try using it and see what happens Worst case is that it breaks and you purchase a new bottom from BGE for a few hundred bucks. Still a very cheap investment compared to a new BGE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 I would still try to do a drill stop, fill the crack as best you can with jb weld, what can it hurt? Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pipertoolmaker Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 I would definitely try a low temp smoke just to see if it holds before i spent any more $$ on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick2cd Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 I just hate the idea of putting jb weld in there with my food. Their site says its non toxic once cured but I don't know how high heat affects its chemical stability Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 I have JB Weld holding the CGK diffuser together. i just lay it on the Weber grate. I have not seen any evidence what so ever of it emitting gas. Epoxy is a two part system that chemically reacts and becomes inert. If any thing comes off at all it would be the first fire and it could be burned off just like the protective coating on the CGK cast iron grate. The other thing is--- that the amount exposed in gluing a crack is minute even when I glued up my diffuser that broke into three pieces. I would be more worried about the residuals left in the lump as it lights off. Now if JB Weld will soften at 600 or 700 and fall apart is another question. Ii have seen urns that have been drilled and stitched back together with copper wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick2cd Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 Marty, Good to know about your diffuser set up. I'm not sure myself how much JB Weld will soften at high temperatures. Honestly I think the structural integrity of my egg is not a problem. My biggest real concern is just getting the crack to not propagate. I think I'll do a stop drill procedure on it and fill the hole with some JB Weld. This procedure will be much easier to do if I can do it before I put the grill together. I guess I have my afternoon cut out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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