I just purchased a 26" and I hate that plastic handle. It gets too hot to touch. The wooden handles on my old MasterTouch are much better. I have never needed to search for a pot holder since buying it in 1993. Which leads me to my question.

Does anyone know where I can buy wooden handles? If not, I believe that I will call the local shop teacher and see if they want to make a few extra bucks. What kind of wood were the original handles made of?

In the old days, they were made of teak. Nice. Later, not sure what they were.

Regards,
Chris

There is a guy in Texas that makes aftermarket wooden handles. I know I have seen posts about the handles before and they are pretty inexpensive. Not sure if it was on this forum or another...but have seen them. I will try to find a link or #.

Thanks for looking, Gary. The plastic handles are definitely not an improvement over the old wooden ones. Teak is expensive, I can see why they discontinued them.

Just got a 26" kettle myself today, will fire it up soon. It's got a heat shield between the lid and the plastic handle. That doesn't keep the handle cool enough? Imagine what is must have been like before the heat shield was added.

Regards,
Chris

I just bought a OTS 18 with the wooden handles. The Handles are showing some weather. What is the best way to clean them up again?

quote:

Originally posted by Dave K:
I just bought a OTS 18 with the wooden handles. The Handles are showing some weather. What is the best way to clean them up again?

Dave,
I've done well with a scotch brite pad and some tung oil. I removed the handles, cleaned off the funk with a scotch brite pad, then gave them several coats of tung oil. It's been 2 years (I think) since I did that...and the handles still look very nice.

I also swapped out the rusty screw with a Stainless steel one.

Kevin H.

quote:

Posted September 26, 2009 10:55 PM Hide Post
Just got a 26" kettle myself today, will fire it up soon. It's got a heat shield between the lid and the plastic handle. That doesn't keep the handle cool enough? Imagine what is must have been like before the heat shield was added.

Hi Chris,
How do like the new 26' grill? Any reviews or comments?

I used it on Sunday to cook a tri-tip. One Weber chimney full of Royal Oak lump in a single layer under half the cooking grate. Used my usual SuzieQ seasoning, seared each side for about 6 minutes, then moved off the direct heat and let the temp come up to 130*F internal. Let rest for 10 minutes. Came out perfect with a nice little smoke ring.

Cooked with the top and bottom vents wide open the whole time. The Tuck-Away lid holder is great, but the lid's kind of heavy and I think it could use an additional handle on the front edge as they did on the 22.5" WSM lid. The cover fits great (sold separately). The hinged cooking grate and char-baskets will come in handy for indirect cooking...maybe I'll try a turkey next month. Built-in lid thermometer seemed responsive and reasonable, but did not test for accuracy.

Next up: Ribeye steaks.

Regards,
Chris

quote:

...maybe I'll try a turkey next month.

Just one?