Rusted banjo burner

[Dan2539]

The banjo burner I purchased just about a month ago is now pretty darn rusty. I left the burner in a shed that was dry, but after all the snow we've been getting the roof leaked all over the burner. Turned the burner on its side and all this rusty water came dripping out the air inlet. Any tips for cleaning up my burner? Has this rust really dammaged my burner bad or is it just cosmetic?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

It's mostly cosmetic but, the rust can flake and block a jet. I would use an air compressor to back flush through the jets.

FIY, spider like to get into the throats of those things and build webs that can also restrict throughput.

 

[springer]

if its really rust soak it in white vinegar then rinse with water . I use it on motorcycle gas tanks works great and does not harm the paint like other rust removers do.

 

[lpdb185]

i pulled mine out a my dad's shed where it had been for about 8 years (really rusty). sandblasted it and threw on a coat of ceramic spray paint (hi-temp exhaust/header paint)............and voila!!

 

[GNBrews]

I had the same issue my two banjo burners that I left in the shed last winter. They had gotten so bad that the flame would not burn cleanly, and I would end up with a thick layer of soot on my kettles. You can only clean them on the outside so much.

I ended-up using a 6V battery charger to clean them electrolytically (not hard at all).

http://web.archive.org/web/20080502041151/http://antique-engines.com/electrol.asp

 

[mysteryberto]

My burner sat outside for a couple months and when I went to use it the flames were really weak. After running for about 20 minutes it was back to normal.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

FIY, spider like to get into the throats of those things and build webs that can also restrict throughput.

We have these little lizards all over in Florida and they love to get inside that tube and screw up the flow. They'll stick their head out of the air shutter and then run back inside if you try to get them. They can survive an entire 1.5 hour boil in there. Bastards.

EDIT: I've used a bamboo skewer to poke/clean the slots of the jet, works in a pinch.

 

[Cliff897]

you can revive it.

I had a killer powerful BBQ grill some years ago. It had two 24" long cast iron burners with hundreds of holes drilled in them. they'd rust up and I'd just take a little dril I figured was about the size of the hols and cleaned 'em out.
Did that for years and years till the rest of the grill rusted away.