55gal K-1 kerosene drum smoker build
 

I Have a few of these i had for YEARS. The other day i decided to start getting ready for spring/nascar/superbowl so i cut (i was nervous as crap) the lid out, washed it out with soap and water and got my hinges connected and lid on. I'm getting ready to burn it out tomorrow (maybe) for 12 hours or until burns all the paint off the outside of the drum.

What do you guys do to keep the lid from falling back into the barrel? i don't have a wielder, well i do but it's really big and i would have to carry it up a hill 300 yards and plug it in where the dryer is and thats just too much trouble for a tiny bit of wielding, so what else could i do?

Have you tried putting a 22"Weber lid on it, that's all I really got brotha sorry. It is a 55gal drum right?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk

I am having trouble visualizing your build. Any chance you could post a few pictures?

I'm about to go out there in a few mins, i'll take some pictures for you.

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/5808/wp000317a.jpg

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/3429/wp000316q.jpg

It's been sitting out in the weather since i cut the lid out for a week, a little surface rust is forming, is this okay because i'm planing on burning it out today or tomorrow.

The bolts holding the lid on the hinges are temporary, i just need a lid over it so i can burn it out because it's been pretty windy for the last couple of days.

I Cant remember why i left an extra 5 inches on the right side of the drum, i think i was going to put something there. I Marked it out 3 months ago and cut the lid out a few days ago and now i can't remember why i left the extra 5 inches.

Yes it's a 55gallon drum.

Perhaps you coul pop rivet a strip of metal around the lid that overlaps the drum opening.

I used pop rivets on my last build instead of bolts and nuts. It worked out very well- I didn't waste the what seemed like 10hrs installing and tightening small machine bolts.

I think rivets are a great alternative for those of us that don;t have welders readily available.

Weld a strip around it
need a mig to do it

That's what i was thinking of doing i was looking on ebay for rivet until i thought about what if i take another drum and cut a lid out a size bigger and use it as the lid?

I Know it will be a waste of a drum, but i can put it in a finished storage barn for a later build.

Burned it out today, sand tomorrow, cut hole for the smoke stack, paint with 1000 degrees grill paint
http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/6763/wp000318.jpg

was a 4 hour burn long enough

http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/8485/wp000327.jpg

Goin to get the rest of the things i need sometimes this week. i can already taste ribs.

So, you're making a grill?