Hey, here's a nice grill of Adam Gibson's for sale on eBay. As Adam describes it:
"It is missing some parts but has been pretty much restored and can be used for cooking immediately. The wheels have some damage and missing the hub caps and food tray."
If you are handy, you might want to check it out. Not many come up for sale.
Close-up view.
Sent to me by Howie Mook. Howie writes:
"Vintage King's Department Store ad for Holland Foldaway Grill, like the ones Adam and I have, check out the prices on the other items also."
Hard to beat $3.48. Holland Industries was based in Buffalo. The third Western New York portable barbecue grill we've discovered, including the Eclipse Portable Grills by Eclipse Metal Mfg. Company in Eden and the Outdoor Griddle Grille by the Mortimer Spiller Company in Batavia. Thanks Howie!
Doesn't get much better than this. Note the handy attached side table, perfect for holding one's can of beer or pop. Thanks for sending, Adam Gibson.
Another view of the 1950 Eclipse portable grill brochure. You can see a description of the Model 400 above the recipes. Thanks for sending the photo, Adam Gibson.
Coconut Toast, Whistle Pigs... it all sounds delicious to me. Look at the craft and care that went into this 1950 brochure. It's beautiful and packed with all the product information you need. Thanks for sending, Adam Gibson.
Adam Gibson sent me this photo of the original brochure that went along with his new old grill. How great is this? Look at the photo of the Eclipse Metal Mfg Company (Eden, NY) on the back. It's full of postwar optimism and reminds me of the 1950 Buffalo Forge Broil-Air marketing materials.
Here's a close-up of the Model 400 that Adam has. Nice, big portable grill. I love the design.
If anyone out there knows anything about the Eden Metal Mfg Company, or grill designer Robert Leland Richardson, please drop me a line.
Photo credit: Adam Gibson
Adam Gibson reports on a recent Buffalo outing with his son Trent:
"I am not sure if you have ever had the opportunity to visit the Buffalo Fire Museum but it is really something you should consider on one of your trips home. I meant to tell you weeks ago when we were there that I ran into some older gentle souls that volunteer there that used to work for Buffalo Forge. Most of the tour guides are retired fireman and like I mentioned the one guy I spoke with had some amazing Buffalo forge stories to tell me. Here are a few pics from the visit. The museum is located in the Love Joy district."
Thanks, Adam. If you get a chance, check it out. The address is: 1850 William Street, Buffalo, NY 14206. The phone number is (716) 892-8400.
A Buffalo Forge grill gets hot—hot enough to melt rivets. Adam Gibson, who really knows how to restore them, recommends this paint. Adam writes:
"There is no better product to use for these grills than KBS Xtreme temperature coating! I hand paint mine on with three coats... anyone wishing to restore their grill or touch it up can use it on the pan and the heat shield. For hard to reach spots the high heat paint in the spray form will work fine. I hand paint all my items carefully and take my time to make it look good. This KBS product is not cheap but it looks and performs much better than most products I have tried in the past."
Thanks for the tip, Adam. My heat shield is blistering--I better get some KBS.
Adam really knows how to do it right. A customized side table/storage area with "Buffalo" logos, and above it, a beautifully restored Foldaway Picnic Grille made in Buffalo by Holland Industries in case he needs to 'q a few extra Sahlen's hotdogs.
Just got this shot emailed to me by Hamburg, NY resident Adam Gibson. The title was "Finally!!!!!." Hamburg had just a little bit of snow this winter--165 inches. That is not a typo. Almost 14 feet, folks. By comparison, Boston, MA had a mere 110 inches.
I took my Broil-Air out of the crawl space today, too.