Making a lid from another drum

[QuietOne]

As kettle BBQ's are more scarce than flamingos around here I've been pondering building an extended lid from a spare drum. Sort of like http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showpost.php?p=569916&postcount=826

I don't understand how that was done but I'm willing to learn. The other thing I'm looking at is a collar and lid so I can use a rotisserie on the drum. Now I KNOW i saw that some where on here but I didn't book mark it and can't find it now.

Any one with any suggestions or drawings or illustrations? I'm a visual type rather than the written.

I was thinking of a lip 3cm, 1 cm down in the barrel and 2cm above the rim both inside and out so the lid could slide in. Cut the lid from a second drum just above the first rib?

Build a collar from the bottom section of the drum with the bottom cut out, have to weld in more lip to the bottom section of the drum, notch it for the rotisserie?

I have access to drums like you wouldn't believe for free. They are old, that I can live with, I'm old. They have all had fuel or glycol in them but they burn out easy or so I'm told. Let you know after the weekend.

I didn't know whether to put this in the UDS build section or start a new thread. At 287 pages and 4300 posts it's bit longish already. Move if you think it needs to be there.

[Hugh Jorgan]

Here is what I do. I also have a pretty limitless supply of drums.

Cut the top off off a donor drum, just below the bulge of the first rib.
Get a solid table or the ground, and a hammer. Put something under the crimp above the bulge and hammer the lip out. Here's a pic.

[Paulmark]

Great idea.

[QuietOne]

Looks easy enough.

I do like the welded lip idea just not sure of what it looks like on the inside.

[Smokin' D]

How about cutting the drum right at the high point of the bulge?
Maybe no hammering will be required?

[QuietOne]

That's a thought! Doesn't matter if it doesn't work. Drums I've got, lids I don't

[Hugh Jorgan]

Originally Posted by Smokin' D

How about cutting the drum right at the high point of the bulge?
Maybe no hammering will be required?

Almost works, but drum lid will not have quite enough material once it's flared to make a good seal.

The rib is exactly the same size as the rolled lip. You still have to flare it out.

[txschutte]

Maybe using some oven rope gasket around the lip to help seal it off? Just a thought.

[Kingz]

I was thinking about doing the same thing.
Would it work to make the flare go IN, so that the lid fits inside the drum, and the rib supports it?
Just an idea I was wondering about.

[Hugh Jorgan]

Originally Posted by Kingz

I was thinking about doing the same thing.
Would it work to make the flare go IN, so that the lid fits inside the drum, and the rib supports it?
Just an idea I was wondering about.

It is a lot harder. I have tried twice and neither one worked out. I wish it would, after a lot of cooking, I get runs down the side of the drum because the lip is outside. If it were inside, the runs would stay inside.

[Mark]

Some other alternatives for UDS domed lids include:

• domed end of a large propane tank
• domed end of an aluminum "18-wheeler" diesel tank
• disk harrow blade with a strip of steel welded to it.

Sorry I can't provide pictures at the moment

Propane distributors may have a graveyard of propane tanks
I have the end of a aluminum diesel tank I use as a big-ass wok on my UDS.
Dissk harrow blades can be orderd from agricultural supply business rather inexpensively. Try www.agrisupply.com/

[Hugh Jorgan]

Domed lid from swimming pool equipment. Pics tomorrow or tonight.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by Hugh Jorgan

Domed lid from swimming pool equipment. Pics tomorrow or tonight.

One problem: Finding swimming pools in Fort Smith NT.

[Barbarian]

Hey Quiet One,
The pic you linked to was my first flat top lid.

First I tried cutting the drum on the lower rib of the drum, but it was just not big enough to fit over the top lip of the drum. So I went another route.

I don't have a welder so I took the bottom 12" from a donor drum to a local welder and he welded a 1/4" or 3/8" steel rod around the lid, then a 1" flat bar lip to the rod. So the rod sits on top of the drums rolled lip and the flat bar fits down over the drums rolled lip. It works fine but added a bit of weight to the lid. On the second one I did I took the bottom 8" from a donor drum and the lid from the open top drum that I was making my UDG with. I cut the inside out of the lid, making it a ring and sat the bottom of the donor on top of the ring and had them welded together. So what I have is the lid of the drum with an 8" extension attached to it. Again I don't weld so a friend did this for me but had trouble not burning through the thin material, but he is not a welder by trade, and I know it can be done cleaner. The only thing I did wrong was trying to make the extension part fit down into the rounded part of the actual lid. As you can see I could not get a good fit and forced it. I sealed it with high temp silicone. Next time I will just sit the extension on the lid ring and have it welded. This lid fits and works great because I am using the original lid that came with the drum.

I think my second version would be best for use with a rotiserre. But I have found I could not use it with my new RibOLator because the ring I cut out is a bit to wide and the trays are not able to rotate. So I am hoping the next one I will be able to cut the ring narrower and I am going to get the shorter trays that Bob is coming out with for the RibOLator.

Hope this helps.