Ugly Drum Smoker

[Skidder]

I tell ya ya gotta love all the variations to the UDS.

[SmokerKing]

Originally Posted by Jay871

I am building my second UDS and I have read every page of this forum, but I am looking for an idea i saw on here and I'm not sure where to find it amongst the 500+ pages. The idea I am looking for is the plans for the rod that extends from the ball valve at the bottom of the drum up to a handle about half way up the drum.

I retro-fitted one of my BUFORD's with the long rod valve adjuster on all three valves. I chose to use the original valve handle and bend it vertically since it has the squared off hole in the handle and fits the valve stem tightly. Then thread the rod into the handle and fabricate a new handle at the top.

[AustinKnight]

Ok so I found my side table for my uds, it's a old jim beam whiskey barrel lid but It's so old I kinda want to know if its worth anything before I go cutting it maybe someone here might know something about it. My dad has had it for years and doesn't care what I do with it. I cant seem to find anything on google..

[Jay871]

Originally Posted by SmokerKing

I retro-fitted one of my BUFORD's with the long rod valve adjuster on all three valves. I chose to use the original valve handle and bend it vertically since it has the squared off hole in the handle and fits the valve stem tightly. Then thread the rod into the handle and fabricate a new handle at the top.

NICE! Thanks for the input.

[Spicy-Meat]

I received two nice 55 gal drums that contained juice. I noticed that the inside of each drum was redish. I read a lot of these threads and just figured the liner was a plastic coating. Mine felt like paint so I thought nothing of it. Well, I burned 4 pallets and the paint came off the outside no problem but there was barely any change inside the drum. The red is still there. I decided to spend some money and buy a brand new unlined 55gal 16g drum from McMaster Carr. If I buy a new drum do I still have to burn it out? I will still keep trying to remove the red liner and if I am successful I will have 3 UDS's.

[colonel00]

Originally Posted by Spicy-Meat

I received two nice 55 gal drums that contained juice. I noticed that the inside of each drum was redish. I read a lot of these threads and just figured the liner was a plastic coating. Mine felt like paint so I thought nothing of it. Well, I burned 4 pallets and the paint came off the outside no problem but there was barely any change inside the drum. The red is still there. I decided to spend some money and buy a brand new unlined 55gal 16g drum from McMaster Carr. If I buy a new drum do I still have to burn it out? I will still keep trying to remove the red liner and if I am successful I will have 3 UDS's.

Yes, it is still recommended to burn out a new drum. Usually this is because often there is a rust preventative to keep the bare metal from rusting. You don't have to go crazy but a good burn is always good.

As for the liner, grab an angle grinder and a wire wheel. I also highly suggest a respirator, goggles, and hearing protection. Its a beast to tackle but its doable and I always say its a rite of passage.

[PhilipW]

Originally Posted by colonel00

As for the liner, grab an angle grinder and a wire wheel. I also highly suggest a respirator, goggles, and hearing protection. Its a beast to tackle but its doable and I always say its a rite of passage.

I ground out my red liner as well, taking to heart the "rite of passage" effort as well. Though I thought that was over when I finshed the 550+ page of this thread.

I found it no fun, but also doable. Hearing protection, gloves, goggles and a respirator. Goggles over safety glasses because inside the barrel there is a lot of reside flying around because of the angle grinder motor.

I sent this self portrait home to my wife when I was done.



A couple photos of the work progress.





And the tools.



I since found a place to buy new barrels in Dallas for $41, so I won't be doing this again.

[1FUNVET]

Originally Posted by PhilipW

I ground out my red liner as well, taking to heart the "rite of passage" effort as well. Though I thought that was over when I finshed the 550+ page of this thread.

I found it no fun, but also doable. Hearing protection, gloves, goggles and a respirator. Goggles over safety glasses because inside the barrel there is a lot of reside flying around because of the angle grinder motor.

I sent this self portrait home to my wife when I was done.



A couple photos of the work progress.





And the tools.



I since found a place to buy new barrels in Dallas for $41, so I won't be doing this again.

Need a portrait before ya started to see if ya made any improvements

[Big_Alvin]

does the red liner appear to be paint? if so looks like i got some grinding to do.

[colonel00]

Originally Posted by Big_Alvin

does the red liner appear to be paint? if so looks like i got some grinding to do.

Yep. If possible I suggest drilling your holes at the bottom and doing a hot fire first. This helps a bit and having the holes will help the fire breathe.

[PhilipW]

When I looked into the liner process it came up as a phenolic / epoxy coating that is applied to the metal before it's rolled and seamed. I'm guessing that combination of materials is why burning doesn't help remove it. I tried pretty hard with a weed burner and all I got was the outside white paint to change color, while the red just stayed red and no easier to grind off. I really only was inside the barrel an hour and a half, so it's not an endless job if you work at it.

[PhilipW]

Originally Posted by 1FUNVET

Need a portrait before ya started to see if ya made any improvements

ha. she did mention that coming home like that wasn't in the cards.

[SmokerKing]

Originally Posted by PhilipW

I ground out my red liner as well, taking to heart the "rite of passage" effort as well. Though I thought that was over when I finshed the 550+ page of this thread.

I found it no fun, but also doable. Hearing protection, gloves, goggles and a respirator. Goggles over safety glasses because inside the barrel there is a lot of reside flying around because of the angle grinder motor.

I sent this self portrait home to my wife when I was done.



A couple photos of the work progress.





And the tools.



I since found a place to buy new barrels in Dallas for $41, so I won't be doing this again.

[Dalek]

Geez Philip, trying to scare the kids away again!

[Southern Home Boy]

I'm just glad I read this thread when it was only 400 +/- pages.