Finish on tuning plates?

[txsully]

So I'm going to place some tuning plates in the cooking chamber of my NB offset.  I have available to me for free some 5 inch wide 1/4" thick plate material, but it has a prime coat on it, not raw steel.  In an effort to not introduce any chemicals into the cooking chamber environment when heated, I am wondering if I should just spray the plates with a paint that is made for high temperatures, like you might actually spray the smoker body with?   Maybe I need to strip the primer?

Thanks,

 

[tom c]

The metal I used to make a heat sink for my smoker was painted. To remove the paint I put it in my gas grill on high for about a half an hour, worked great.

 

[adiochiro3]

I would just grind or wire wheel it off.  No paint inside of my cookers!  Nice score on the steel!