Yeah, you could have a slide out basket and then slide in one up higher 6" to 8" below the grate to grill on. Or have the basket and ashpan as one piece that could slide either down low to smoke or up high to grill. Ain't this chit fun?????

I went with a short inner barrel that you can pull out. It also works for stand-alone grilling. Then there's NORCO's method of lifting the drum off the lid. Either of these methods seems more straightforward than making a slide-out tray but hey, I probably just don't understand your concept Bob.

Almost there!!
 

Well, I want to thank everyone here, for all the work done to help us find our way to the UDS. I still have to make the coal baskets, having an issue getting some expanded metal. Hopefully tomorrow will be the day? I made two of these. And I will be making a kart to attach one on each end with a table in the middle. The guy who does my powder coating on the brew stands I make, said if I wanted to tie these in with my brew stand, all I would pay for is the sand blasting and paint,About $30.00 each I said done! [ATTACH] 25283[/ATTACH]I kept with the basic Idea's and there not quite done yet. The only thing I added was to the intakes. I put a chain on the plugs so I wouldn't lose them or step on them. I'll post more when I get my baskets done and then the kart. I'm itch'in to season these things.Thanks again from everybody involved.

P.S. Hey Bubba...Do you recognize them?

That is one sweet looking Drum Tyler!
I love the paint!
Got a price on the PC thing last week... $135.00,
you lucky bastard!
I painted mine today with a poor persons rattle can.

Looks great Dude!

Is that powder coated? Sweet looking drum.

OK.. how bout this... HF sells a powder coating kit for about 80 bucks I believe.. how would it work to spray it and then cure it with the heat from inside the UDS?

Ya! the it's an Auto body shop and there really slow right now and he's giving me good prices. Not sure how long it will last. As soon as there busy enough to open 5 day's a week I'm sure the price will go up!
Thanks!

Oh you probably get it and I'm probably other thinking it. But that's what I do.

Takes 400 degrees for 1/2 hour. Thing works great. buddy has an electric house oven he does it in. Gotta be clean, oil free. Great for engine/boat parts.

What is the one side plug with the chain?

He told me they get it up to about 150 degrees and then spray it so it dry's quick and then they bake it between 5-600 dgrees to cure.

400 deg for 1/2 hour... load charcoal basket, powder coat and open vents.. mission accomplished... more heat? more charcoal...

There are two, intakes. I put the chains on so I wouldn't lose them or step on them.

It doesn't exactly spray. Don't want to seem like a know it all but my dad was in on the beginning of the powdercoat process. He ran a wheel company. They bought one of the first powder coat lines sold. Ithe clean piece is electracally (?) charged and so is the powder. A low pressure air or kinda "poof" is blown on the part and it is drawn to the part. Then it is put in the oven. Process is great. 400 is the minimum temp to start process. About the only way I had ever seen him get it off or strip it is with extreme temps. Great coating.

Old man used to blow a gasket when someone would ask him to "Dip" this in chrome!

He said when the goes on it's totally black and as it bakes the grey comes out, it's called gray vien. I never seen him do it but that is what he tells me.
I know what you mean about chrome. I used to nickel or chrome plate my brew stands, but after seeing the difference of powder coating I won't go back. I did a 50 gallon system at Christmas time for a guy in NY that insisted on nickel. I was so disapointed in that finished product.

Tyler- I thought I had my system down and I wouldn't add or change my barrels but that powder coat is awesome. Changes it to a Beauty Drum Smoker!!
BTW- what are Brew stands?

They are for brewing beer,I will post pics of the one I made for myself this week in the homebrew section on this forum.

Can a drum that held biodiesel be used for a UDS? Having a hard time finding an unlined drum here.

Got a friend looking for someone in the Chicago area to help make a UDS. Anyone got time, energy, or interest in helping?

I've been thinking about your post since last night.
Why wouldn't that work?
Uneven temps and variation between top and bottom?

I have no idea... just thinking.

Weiser

So here's the first step in my first barrell build. Burned all the crap out of it today, will hit it in and out with wire brush and sanding pads. Will post more pics along the way.
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/8583/002qin.jpg

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/1538/004luu.jpg

If anything, it would be cool to try.

Tried a full burn this this weekend. (prior burns needed an open valve and an open nipple to get temp).

I started the burn with a new bag of lump (got a little crazy with the weed burner - was in a rush). While seasoning about 3/4 of a goat, I struggled to get the temp down, then back up. Temp was just right - opened my valve and nipple, tossed on the ATB's and goat and went in for a nap...

woke up-way too hot (closed valve), cooked breakfast-more way too hot (closed nipple open valve), ate breakfast-damn-still too hot (2/3 valve), ate atb's-temp holding great. Wonder how the goat is-(overdone by 20 degrees - and 3hrs ahead of schedule).

Ran inside, got tray came out to the beginnings of a storm, got the goat in before the downpour hit. Guess the temps were just about right after all. Goat was salvageable and I was dry.

Conclusion - new bag of lump was the fix. I guess even my last sealed back had gotten too damp and was messing up my temps in the prior runs.

Will try to paint and post pics soon.

keeping caps from rusting on
 

does just soaking the nipples with oil keep them from rusting on, paint does not seem to work for chit. I keep mine out side in the weather. This seems to only be a problem cause i use locknuts instead of welding my nipples on, thus causing them to lossen when tring to remove a rusted on cap.
thanks

I coat the threads with a light coat of White Lithium grease.
Seems to work for me.

Weiser

The ash is caustic to a point. The paint will gum up. Vaseline occasionally on threads. Keep them lubed.
http://poundedink.com/wp-content/upl...cing-thumb.jpg

I didn't know that you shaved your chest!

Weiser

only during rutting season

I was thinking of switching to galv. caps. I feel they would not get hot enough to poison, but i think the rust on the nipples would still affect performance. Ya think?

Rusty Nipples are a no no.

Weiser

Rusty nipple repair guide
 

No more rusty nipples.
Magnets are your friend!

Bubba- the brethren seem to want something more than magnets and go to all the trouble of three holes and a bunch of galvinized or zinc coated hardware for their UDS. All the barrels I do for people are going out with magnets and the new owners love them. When you have one hole the fire is so easy to control whether your runnin' at 400 or idling along at 200 its all there on one hole. I use speaker magnets as I can bump them with my toe to adjust the temp. The only addition I make to my barrels is I run a 1 1/2" pipe to the centre of my barrel(under the centre of my charcoal basket) I don't know why but with the air drawing from the centre I never seem to experience a need to shake my basket during a cook.
I do love reading this to see new ideas from the brethren. That Tyler with his powder coating sent my mind whirling LOL!!

Bubba, the Como Duct Tape Queen!

I still recommend this method:

Mark- is that an ash pan in the third photo? Do you burn lump? and do you need to give the barrel a rattle to clear the ash during an overnighter?
I've drawn your method on a barrel but I never carried thru because I didn't have a handle on the ashpan or how to adjust the temps.

I started with Magnets, but I melted them. :-P

LOL Matt- not the magnet but possibly you had a rubber or plastic coating? I don't have high temp paint and I've been lucky enough not to melt paint or accessories but I don't purposely go over 400 degrees.

My drum 2 has three rubber plugs, and they don't melt. Hmmmm....

The 3rd picture is what I call the intake air diffuser. I spreads out the intake air evenly and it keeps any hot embers from falling through the intake vent.

On top of the intake air diffuser sits a short internal drum and my basket sits in that (see pic below). No picture of my basket but it's pretty standard: expanded steel lath mounted to an 18" Weber charcoal grate.

PS: h2oloo

I only burn sticks & chunked wood. The handle on the square plate mounted to the bottom of my drum is moved to adjust intake air. Temperatures react nearly instantly.

Mark is the true spendthrift. If he could forge the metal himself he would. Wood is the only thing for him mostly because it's free. Of course I'd do the same thing if I could figure out how to make my own chunks smaller than 6 inches without destroying one of my saws.

What I'm trying to figure out is the ideal cart for the new drum. I've seen a lot of them on here and I'm torn between putting one on permanently and making it stowable.

Stainless Steel "Slide Control"...:biggrin:...

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x...s/IMG_6274.jpg

Needs more wheels...

[quote=Norcoredneck;879508]It doesn't exactly spray. Don't want to seem like a know it all but my dad was in on the beginning of the powdercoat process. He ran a wheel company. They bought one of the first powder coat lines sold. Ithe clean piece is electracally (?) charged and so is the powder. A low pressure air or kinda "poof" is blown on the part and it is drawn to the part. Then it is put in the oven. Process is great. 400 is the minimum temp to start process. About the only way I had ever seen him get it off or strip it is with extreme temps. Great coating.


You are correct. I run a powder coat paint booth were I work, we only use gloss black but there are all kinds of colors and all kinds of finishes. We use to use a hybrid powder paint that required a 425 degree cure for about 30 minutes but now for conservation of propane we use a standard powder coat that only requires 320 degree cure and as little as 15 minutes cure time.

Not being an electrician or tech I don't know how you would achieve the required charge to make the powder stick I do know that it is an extremely low charge something I think you would only need a flashlight battery set up to make work for short durations.

Low air pressure is inportant because to much pressure will just blow the powder off and away from the part causing thin layers and holladays in the finish. The part must be free of any grease or lubercant or the powder will not stick and slide down the part like a run with conventional paint when it is cured. It will look fine when you put a coat on but will show up after it is cured. You can just grind off any paint defects and spry that area again.

If we have a bad powder coat job which happens daily we have an oven that burns the powder coat off at 1400 degrees for 5 hours. It does not have to be that hot but we make radiators and they of course have hundreds sometimes thousands of nooks and crannies and this heat will reach all the inside painted areas. Powder coating should stand up to the heat of a uds with no problem but they do also make a high heat coating. Please don't paint the inside of your uds. :icon_shock1:

The only problem I can see with powder coating a uds is the uniformity of heat distribution during a cure process, if you were to build a fire inside the barrel being much hotter at the top then around the bottom especially under the fire livel. Maybe setting the uds up on a fire grate of some sort and building a fire with charcoal not wood, being carful not to let flames lick aroud the ouside schorching the paint. Leave the lid on to keep heat in and curing the lid in the process. I don't know just thinking out load here.

A person may want to try to locate a powder coating shop around there location, it may be worth while even if you have to spend a little. The major expense would be in prep and set up, it takes very little paint but by the time you buy the spraying unit the paint and figure out how to cure it, prep the uds, ie., taping off any threaded parts, holes and any areas you may not want painted, well you get the idea. I would also think it would be just about as cheap to do a couple drums at the same time, if going to a shop.
Dave

UDS Drum advice
 

Hello, everyone this is my first post. I have been soaking up bbq knowledge and making some great food by lurking the forum for the last 3 weeks. After reading many posts I think I am ready to build my own UDS. I would like to say thank you to everyone's dedication and information shared. Being that I am in Australia the food drums are a bit different here. I have the opportunity to acquire the jewel of a steel drum shown below. According to the seller, it is food quality and from what I see it already has a tap and lid! I also managed to salvage a weber 22.5 from imminent doom. I plan on using the lid of the weber as a top to the uds. The diameter of the drum is 600 mm (23.622 047 244 in) and the height of the drum is 1050mm (41.338 582 677 in).

My question is, do you uds experts think this size drum will work?
Thank you all again for all your inspiration!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/cisco/5c6b_1.jpg

Welcome to the ultimate UDS World Cisco! That barrel looks beautiful. Is it Stainless Steel? As long as it is not galvanized metal the barrel should be perfect and the extra height, most barrels here are 36" tall, will allow for a second grate with room to spare. Happy building.

Hows that workin for ya JD, i still want to build one of those! :biggrin:

[quote=Mo-Dave;882955]I talked a little more to my guy who does this and he said that the coating I had put on my drums does get shot out of a sprayer that electricly charges the pait particles and the items to be painted, get grounded as well as him self. It also gets a clear with uv pretectant over the top. He said if I wanted to, I could watch him next time, I might just do that.:idea:

It works awesome! :-P Temps come up quick when fully open and settle in nicely to cruise along @ 225-250 all day long with no fussin'. I can get a big ol' wiggle rod in there and even take a peek at the basket if I want to. :biggrin: