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View Full Version : A couple questions about Big Poppa Smoker kit


bbqgeekess
12-09-2013, 02:40 PM
1. Are all the pieces stainless steel? Do they pass the magnet test?

2. How airtight are the bottom vents? Can I snuff out a fire quickly with it to conserve fuel?

Fwismoker
12-09-2013, 02:45 PM
Yes Yes and Yes.

Yea all stainless, the bottom vents are great..i do add high heat silicone beed around the inside perimeter. Yes it snuffs out quickly. First class system without question.

bbqgeekess
12-09-2013, 05:08 PM
So very nice, all stainless. Very much worth the $139 for the kit! I am going to get it and a 55 gallon stainless steel drum :)

Hitman0321
12-09-2013, 05:20 PM
It is what I used for my drum and I love it. It chokes off the fire pretty quickly, but as stated above some rtv silicone (essentially making a gasket) around the intakes makes a big difference. I would suggest having another person around to help for the rtv and intake installation, it is kind of a pain to do by yourself. Also, a little dish soap on the step bit during the hole drilling helps to keep it a little cooler so you don't have as much downtime during the prep.

Hitman

kingstar
12-09-2013, 05:26 PM
You can't rely on the magnet test for SS. Check out the link below.

http://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1140

ebijack
12-09-2013, 05:29 PM
I don't think your going to drill thru any quality S.S. with a step drill. Cutoff wheel yes. Torch, yes. Just so you know.

Fwismoker
12-09-2013, 05:34 PM
I don't think your going to drill thru any quality S.S. with a step drill. Cutoff wheel yes. Torch, yes. Just so you know. Yes you can...I did it with a 80 Qt stainless pot. At first it was hard and then i figured it out. The key was laying it on it's side and starting with a fat 1"step bit, then switching to a smaller size...after it starts it's easy Use lube

See this thread.


http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=173767

sdgoodspeed
12-09-2013, 06:33 PM
...after it starts it's easy Use lube

Words to live by.

Wneill20
12-09-2013, 06:45 PM
Like FWISMOKER said yes.

bbqgeekess
12-09-2013, 06:59 PM
Well I can get a SS drum for $150 in dallas. it's .9mm thick though.. is that thick enough? It doesn't have a removable lid but doesn't this mean a weber 22.5 lid should fit over it? All I have to do is cut out the top like I would with a can opener to a tin can--maybe get someone to cut it with plasma.

Heisenberg
12-09-2013, 07:14 PM
Mine smothers pretty quick when I shut it down, and I haven't sealed around the intakes yet.

ebijack
12-10-2013, 04:29 AM
I could be wrong, but that 80 qt pot is ALOT thinner than any S.S. drum your going to find. That is why I mentioned it. It can be done, but for the amount of holes for that smoker kit, it is a lot more work than a steel drum. And if the S.S. drum is 9mm thick, she is really in for a battle. Unibits are not really made for going thru quality S.S. Some of the lower grade stainless has a lot of carbon in it and much easier to work on. Just sayin.

bbqgeekess
12-10-2013, 06:56 AM
.. And if the S.S. drum is 9mm thick, she is really in for a battle. ..

It's less than 1 mm thick--9 tenths of a millimeter thick.

jimbloomfield
12-10-2013, 08:02 AM
As others have mentioned seal the intakes and you will be fine. I found it helps with adjustments also. I have one of the first kits and it is as good as the day I got it.

Wampus
12-10-2013, 08:15 AM
I don't think your going to drill thru any quality S.S. with a step drill. Cutoff wheel yes. Torch, yes. Just so you know.

Oh yes you can.

I drilled all these holes in this SS "bucket" with a unibit to make what was originally supposed to be the firepan on my SSUDS, but is now a giant chimney starter.

http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz327/wampusbbq/Cookers/Giant%20Chimney%20Starter/IMG_4503_zps589ea1a4.jpg

It was pretty thick walled too.....

http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz327/wampusbbq/Cookers/Giant%20Chimney%20Starter/IMG_4512_zps81ce9079.jpg





Now.....I'm not saying it wasn't tough.
AND.....I'm not saying I didn't trash the bit either.


BUT......I am saying it can be done.



AND, by the way.....there's about 1.58 MM in 1/16th of an inch, so the wall of my bucket was more than twice as thick as his 0.9mm drum wall.

Yellowhair42
12-10-2013, 08:19 AM
The main thing with drilling stainless(or any steel)is to match drill diameter to the speed it's turning.The larger the drill bit or harder the steel the slower the rpm the drill bit is turning.More important than lube is KEEP THE BIT COOL.Just plain water will work the best.

Fwismoker
12-10-2013, 09:11 AM
On my stainless steel build i started with a 1" step bit...the big ones dig into it. After it digs into it and it starts to punch through switch to the smaller bits. I used dish soap as a lube.

ebijack
12-10-2013, 10:09 AM
Have fun

Fwismoker
12-10-2013, 10:34 AM
I could be wrong, but that 80 qt pot is ALOT thinner than any S.S. drum your going to find. That is why I mentioned it. It can be done, but for the amount of holes for that smoker kit, it is a lot more work than a steel drum. And if the S.S. drum is 9mm thick, she is really in for a battle. Unibits are not really made for going thru quality S.S. Some of the lower grade stainless has a lot of carbon in it and much easier to work on. Just sayin.

My pot is 1mm stainless but even if a step bit won't work that one that Wampus used will. The only thing that made mine difficult was that it was polished...slippery stuff

ebijack
12-10-2013, 01:22 PM
Look at Wampus's material. Not a quality stainless. It has alot of rust he did not remove, quality stainless will not rust, no carbon. But what do I know.

Wampus
12-10-2013, 01:35 PM
Look at Wampus's material. Not a quality stainless. It has alot of rust he did not remove, quality stainless will not rust, no carbon. But what do I know.

Don't take this personally bro. We just disagree is all.


I'm no expert on materials or what's quality or not quality stainless steel.
I will say that the chimney starter I built about 3 years ago has been sitting outside with my other chimney starter since the day it was created and to this day it's never rusted a bit. I don't see what you're calling rust in the photos I posted really either.

Now, the expanded metal at the bottom of the chimney is NOT stainless and it does have some surface rust on it.





I will defer to your apparently more complete knowledge of metals and materials than mine. I got the thing from a buddy who got it from where he works (at a large pharmaceutical company in Indy) and it was used to carry purified water in and was stainless steel. No idea if it's high quality or not. I do know that it hasn't rusted. All I know is I got both it and my SS drum from the same buddy and we cut a chit ton of holes in both with a step bit or unibit.

ebijack
12-10-2013, 02:12 PM
Yep no problem,

bigbeef24
12-10-2013, 03:58 PM
I found putting a seal around the top of the drum helped. I bought it from bbqgaskets.com. I love my drum and the flavor of the Q it produces. You want to have somebody around to help putting it together.

Enjoy,

bbqgeekess
12-10-2013, 07:24 PM
You want to have somebody around to help putting it together.

Okay, although I did my 30 gallon UDS without any help at home :)

Fwismoker
12-10-2013, 08:39 PM
Okay, although I did my 30 gallon UDS without any help at home :)
LOL, a little different when you're trying to attach those bottom vents by yourself.

bbqgeekess
12-10-2013, 08:45 PM
LOL, a little different when you're trying to attach those bottom vents by yourself.

I put sliding vents on mine

The way I did it myself was: I held it in place, and marked one dot through drill hole with sharpie onto the drum for first screw. I then drilled that out. Then screwed that one in--the screw now held the vent somewhat in place. Then I marked the second hole and unscrewed it all, then drilled it and put it back on. Screwed in both screws and marked the third hole, and so forth, until all done. Then I drilled the hole through my vent and drum with the vent in place.

Fwismoker
12-10-2013, 08:48 PM
I put sliding vents on mine

The way I did it myself was placed it, put one dot through drill hole with sharpie onto the drum for first screw. Drilled that out. Then screwed that one in holding the vent somewhat in place. Then I mark the second hole.. unscrew it all, drill it put it back on.. screw both screws in and mark the next one, and so forth, until all done. Then I drilled the hole through my vent and drum with the vent in place.
These vents are a different animal. You'll want a helping hand...trust me.

Hitman0321
12-10-2013, 08:51 PM
I think the point is that a 55 gallon drum is taller than a 30 gallon drum. It is a bit of a stretch to get the nut on the bolt on those bottom vents.

Fwismoker
12-10-2013, 08:56 PM
I think the point is that a 55 gallon drum is taller than a 30 gallon drum. It is a bit of a stretch to get the nut on the bolt on those bottom vents.
Yes and the vents are hard to mold and get into place.

Hitman0321
12-10-2013, 09:30 PM
Especially if you have silicon on them...a wet paper towel nearby will help clean that up if you smudge it a little.