Ugly Drum Smoker

NASCARican said:
It's gonna take a min of 2" of exhaust to make your drum heat adjustable.
icon10.gif
Click to expand...

I kinda thought so. I'll add some more exhaust this weekend and do another run.
 
Aside from the weed burner or grinding off the paint with an angle grinder, whats the next best way to remove the external paint? I purchased an unlined brand new barrel but im going to assume that the outer paint will burn off and make it look too ugly
 
GlobalTJB said:
Aside from the weed burner or grinding off the paint with an angle grinder, whats the next best way to remove the external paint? I purchased an unlined brand new barrel but im going to assume that the outer paint will burn off and make it look too ugly
Click to expand...

If you can burn, use some old cut up pallets. The paint they put on barrels is pretty weak. Mine came right off. I did a burn after I had all my vents & welding finished. Cleaner to work with when its not all chared.
 
GlobalTJB said:
Aside from the weed burner or grinding off the paint with an angle grinder, whats the next best way to remove the external paint? I purchased an unlined brand new barrel but im going to assume that the outer paint will burn off and make it look too ugly
Click to expand...

Like Pappy said, after you get the holes drilled and the welding done (if needed) do a burn. The outside paint should bubble and I used an abrasive 3M drill attachment to "sand" off the remaining residue. There are also paint removing flapper wheels for angle grinders that work really well. Then, it's ready for your hi-temp paint.
 
I need some help regarding measurements. I have a 55 gallon drum which is 34 inches tall. I understand that the rack needs to be 24 inches away from the top of the firebox. I am going to make a charcoal basket 12x12x6 inches tall. I was gonna put two inch legs on it for ash drop/air flow. So I figure 8 inches plus 24 inches to the top rack equals 32 inches. This gives me only 2 inches of clearance between the lid of the drum and the rack. How can this work? Should the cooking rack be 24 inches from the top or BOTTOM of the charcoal basket. Once again, thanks in advance.
 
I'm from Australia and new to this forum and new to smokers. I'm about to build myself an ugly drum smoker and I apologise in advance if my question has already been covered. I was able to get my hands on an open head drum. It is clean of linings and clean of paint on the inside. My question is regarding what it was carrying, it had paint in a bladder inside the drum, so nothing was actually touching the walls. There have been a few small splashes on the lid though and it has a reasonably strong paint smell. On the side of the drum with the flammable warnings is a skull and crossbone. Do you guys think it will be ok to use, keeping in mind it had paint in it, but in a bladder. Any help would be much appreciated.
 
10_Bears said:
On the side of the drum with the flammable warnings is a skull and crossbone. Do you guys think it will be ok to use, keeping in mind it had paint in it, but in a bladder. Any help would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...

Sounds like it will make a really cool looking smoker! :) Take some pics.

My guess is it would be fine, after doing what pretty much everyone does. Clean it out well and scrape any imperfections with something like a drill and scraping attachment or grinding wheel. Cleaning with denatured alcohol may be needed, or just dish washing soap. I touch the insides and smell to gauge how much cleaning it takes.
Then burn it out.. drill the holes you'll need for intakes.. and put some wood in it and leave the top off. Careful! With just a little bit of wood, that thing will get crazy hot! If the skull picture is of bad quality, it will melt off.
After you do this initial burn for a few hours, scrap some more and clean it to get rid of the soot. Then rub it down all over well with a cooking oil (olive oil works great) and then do another burn but with your charcoal basket and at about 350 degrees. This will create a very nice and strong coating all over, so if there is any residue left that might be harmful or make food taste bad, it ought to be covered up.

Now maybe the skull thing was for what was in the barrel even before the paint?
 
Square fire box

smokingj said:
Hey folks.

Going to be starting my 1st build soon and have 2 questions:
1. Is there a search function on this site? That way I can search instead of having to ask a question that's probably been answered 1000 times.
2. Is it ok to run a square firebox instead of a round one inside a drum? I was thinking of a 12x12x8 square for my unit.

Thanks for the help/input.
Click to expand...
That is the size fire box I have. I just got done with my first UDS and did a test run. It worked great and held the tem. great.
 
Another question I have is regarding the stem size on a thermometer, what length would be sufficient?
 
10_Bears said:
Another question I have is regarding the stem size on a thermometer, what length would be sufficient?
Click to expand...

Just don't waste you money on turkey thermometers. Both of mine were way off. RIP in the trash.
I replaced them with a couple of smokey joe thermometers from cabelas. They were about $15 each. Good for a quick glance at the temp.
I mainly used the ET-732.
 
To get any burn out, you need to drill your draft holes. To get a really good burn out - force draft air into them. I think in the first mother of all UDS threads - a person hooked up a vent hole to his shop vac's exhaust. Pretty sure he glowed his drum.
 
chico4missions said:
First let me say I'm the farthest thing from a Raiders fan. In fact, I'm a diehard Bronco fan:boxing:; however, I do have a very close friend who is a Raider fan and thought this would be a great birthday present. This is my 2nd UDS build. My personal UDS is emphasizes on the "U" in UDS.

The handle is a Ham bone with multiple clear coats.

Tell me what ya think!
Click to expand...

Wow, great Job Chico!
 
Thanks to this thread, I finished up my smoker last weekend. Its not too Ugly, but it will do! Made some wings earlier in the week, just waiting on a free weekend to do something more substantial.

attachment.php
 
My old man always said measure twice cut once. In this case, I need to ask twice BEFORE I drill once. I'm using four 3/4 inch air inlets which will be three with caps and one with a ball valve. I measured the out diameter of the threaded pipe and it is one inch in diameter. From what I've read, I should use a 7/8 step drill bit to drill the holes in my drum for the 3/4 inch pipe to thread into it. Can someone please tell me if this is correct. I've bought all my threaded pipe and pipe caps in 3/4 inch. if I need to exchange it for something smaller, I would rather do it before I drill any holes. Thanks in advance.
 
You need a 1" hole for the 3/4 pipe nipples. I used a hole saw for mine and the nipples fit tight. I backed them up with conduit nuts one inside, one outside.
 
For those that have the side air intake pipe, what are your pipes made of? I found a perfect sized pipe today for mine but it's galvanised. As it's actually outside the drum it shouldn't really matter, should it???
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
How to fire WSM/UDS/Drum smoker [PDF]
Replies
5
Views
405
Nuco59
N
T
Pitts & Spitts adjustable charcoal grill. Reviews?
Replies
7
Views
1K
Nuco59
N
BruceB
Outlaw patio smoker giveaway
Replies
5
Views
2K
BruceB
BruceB
J
Billows on a Drum Smoker
Replies
4
Views
466
JoeGuitar
J
cayenne
FIRST COOK on the new Offset Smoker!!! Pictures and comments...
2
Replies
22
Views
870
Bury Me In Smoke
B
Back
Top