Good Steel for Location Where Flames Will Roast it?

[Chips O'Toole]

I have a weird question machinists might be able to answer.

I have a small Pit Boss propane grill, which, when I bought it, failed to satisfy me with its puny regulator which was apparently designed by lawyers. I got a bigger regulator for a turkey fryer, and now I pin the needle on the built-in thermometer.

The grill came with two little pieces of sheets stainless which are called "flame tamers." Not sure I want something like that on my grill, but anyway, they go between the burners and the rack. Over time, they have started to crumble.

I figure it's better to buy a piece of sheet metal and bend it myself than pay whatever Pit Boss charges.

So what's a good steel, stainless or otherwise, for use where it gets blasted with propane flames all day? I am thinking I'll get a piece of 16-gauge material to replace the thin parts the grill came with.

 

[RJSakowski]

A stainless steel with a minimum of 18% chromium is recommended for high temperature corrosion resistance.

 

[Al 1]

Stainless should work. 16 ga. You can also make it into a tray and troff to collect the grease in a separate bucket or tray. It all depends on what you are looking for. Or just protect the burners from getting clogged up. Have fun Al.

 

[Ulma Doctor]

304 stainless sheets are available .

I made a replacement top for a friend’s burned out bbq pig hot box 2years ago
With 18 gauge 304.

It worked out well

 

[aliva]

I have the same design and the originals crapped out in 2 years I made new ones at work using 1/8" 316L SS going on 7 years and still like new

 

[mmcmdl]

 

[Chips O'Toole]

Frying a turkey indoors! Combining bad cuisine with poor safety practices! A twofer!

Sounds like 316 is the answer. Thanks.

I just fixed a burger with nothing between the grill and the flame, and it was pretty nice. I wonder if it's possible to do that all the time.

 

[whitmore]

When Boeing was doing retail surplus sales, the best alloy was Inconel 603, or 601, or 750x, or
maybe Kanthal. Chrome-nickel superalloys, they're called. Not sure, though, if any small-quantity
supplier is available for such. Titanium, too, takes high temperatures gracefully.

 

[Jake M]

I just fixed a burger with nothing between the grill and the flame, and it was pretty nice. I wonder if it's possible to do that all the time.

Obviously it works.... The point of the "flame tamers", or whatever name they're given by any other grill maker, is to A, generate an air flow such as to equalize the heat over the whole grill surface to whatever degree (price point) they want to achieve. B, they're there to keep drippings off of the burners. You may or may not care about hot spots and cold spots, but you will wreck the burners without something over them.

 

[mksj]

You can buy the universal types on Amazon. Tons of adjustable types in 304 and 430 stainless, the latter is less expensive but a bit more prone to surface rust. I have a Pizza oven that gets up to 900F which is all 304 SS, but on the fire box side they add an additional layer of 12G corten steel over the SS.

https://www.amazon.com/Hisencn-Universal-Replacement-Adjustable-Flavorizer/dp/B075KLYBNY/ref=sr_1_3

https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Grill-Flame-Tamers-Models/dp/B01CMYNN8W/ref=sr_1_16