just line that milk crate with expando, or ditch it all together and make a new one.

I did 4 cooks using 20lbs of lump before I cleaned it the first time for me.

I'd say fix up your basket a bit and see what that does.

Rodney- You want your exhaust open while you are cooking- otherwise you can get creosote on your food- tastes as nasty as it sounds!

As for U-bolts- M. Carr has them in SS or black oxide steel. You don't want galvanized or zinc coated in the cooking area. I used acorn nuts on the outside of the drum for a dressed appearance. The grate can move around a little on the U-bolts, but it won't fall.

Yeah, I know it should be open during cooking, just didn't know if throttling it served any purpose. So far I've deduced that it should be big enough to not act as much of a restriction to flow, but small enough that it ensures one-way flow, as opposed to (let's say) a 12" exhaust that would allow some air to swirl back into the drum and feed the fire. I guess a chimney would mainly just achieve this goal during very low temp smokes, and would also probably create a suction that would draw more air into the smoker (which you'd just throttle back anyway, so no benefit there, right?)

Good call on the acorn nuts... Yeah, I have a whole parts list put together for hardware and handles from McMaster, and it's getting pricey. ;-) Might downgrade to Home Depot hardware. As for the zinc plating, I would expect that it'd be fine everywhere but on the charcoal basket, as you're not going to get enough heat into the zinc to oxidize it anywhere on the drum... Right?

-Rodney

For peace of mind I'd pay a bit more for stainless steel for anything that is inside the smoker.

I added brackets to my firebasket that allow me to mount it on the lower set of U-bolts so I can use the UDS as a grill for steaks and burgers. It gets pretty hot- so no zinc for me. You could always burn it off with a torch, I guess. I spent quite a bit on all SS hardware to go with my SS drum. Now all that bling is black with smoke (on the inside) so I guess black oxide would work just as well.

Yeah, I'll put together a parts list with as much black oxide stuff as I can. I do know that black oxide steel will rust if left outside, so I'll probably end up with a bunch of stainless too. ;-) Oh well... Do it right, do it once...

-r

Got the urge for some stripping !
 

:shock:

Knew that would get your attention. :wink:

I'm talking about nekid nuts bolts and stuff, not people.

I want to strip the galvanizing plating off the bolts and stuff for a UDS build.

I think I remember somewhere Norco talking about using muratic acid to strip off the plating. Is that correct Norco or anybody else? :confused:

About how long does it take to strip? I know reactions depend on temp, acid % and stuff but I mean just in general with the stuff you can get at the pool supply or the plumbing dept. Am I looking at minutes or hours?

I worked in a few job shops a long time ago and I seem to recall doing something like this because we needed to do some welded bolts or nuts or something on a project and didn't want to give the welders a problem with toxic fumes.:eusa_clap

I'm building about 5 UDS's at once and I just can't see paying SS prices if I can get it done with galv. steel parts and some pool acid.

Thanks in advance for your kindly replies,

brotherbd

What size U-bolts are the best to use..?? I'm collecting my parts right now... Already cut the lid out, have a cooking grate, and a dome lid for the top... Hopefully going to do the burn out this weekend.

We used hydrochloric acid (a.k.a. muriatic acid) and zinc to make hydrogen in chem class in college, which we then ignited with a burner. ;-) They react very readily. Assuming the stuff you can get for a pool is sufficiently strong, it'll work.

Personally, since I'm only making one smoker, I'd rather just pay for the stainless than go and get chemicals to strip bolts. However, it might be a good thing to have around specifically for prepping zinc-plated hardware for welding...

Dude, don't sweat the galvanizing. If you are really concerned, just do a high temp burn. Or better yet, buy something without it.

Reality is, you gotta ingest a lot of zinc (like eat a kg) to have toxic effects. Some welders have symptoms from excessive exposure to zinc vapors in high temperature welding situations. But smoking in a drum with a couple of zinc coated nuts and bolts? Not gonna happen...

I was thinking that these look good:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#29535t11

You can use concrete etching acid to remove the zinc as well, but then you have to dispose of the stuff safely too. So, I just bought some SS parts to hold the grates but will be using zinc coated nuts and bolts everywhere else they are needed.

When heated to temperatures nearing boiling point (1600 degrees F), zinc oxide fumes are produced. It has to boil, not just melt, as I understand it.

If you are using a weed burner to light coals and the flame is near zinc, it is conceivable that it could heat zinc to a temperature to produce zinc oxide.

Did you know that some candles have zinc in their wicks and are safe? Here is a quote from the National Candle Association (Yeah, who knew there was one of those?),

"Cored Wicks. These braided or knitted wicks use a core material to keep the wick straight or upright while burning. The wicks have a round cross section, and the use of different core materials provides a range of stiffness effects. The most common core materials for wicks are cotton, paper, zinc or tin. Cored wicks can be found in jar candles, pillars, votives and devotional lights."

http://www.candles.org/elements_wicks.html

Now, I am not offering any council on whether or not to use zinc plated hardware, I'm just mentioning some interesting facts. It's up to you to do the research and make your own informed decision to use zinc coated nuts and bolts or not.

Geeeeeesh just beat away on it. I took a perfectly good brand spanking new SS Domed lid and beat the crap out of it to fit my SS drum!! :biggrin::biggrin:

Paul B
SS UDS

Ace hardware has a great selection of ss and not to shabby on price.

Paul B
SS UDS

Pictures?????

You DO know how to beat, don't you?

Pre beat:
http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...2/DSCF5251.jpg

Beaten, not shook...:biggrin::biggrin:
http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...2/DSCF5287.jpg

Paul B
SS UDS

Wish I had a ss drum. There was a guy in another thread that was going to bury one half way in the ground and cook in it. Whats this world coming to.

What are the bolts for that are sticking through the beaten flat lip? Also and chance you would post a close-up pic of how the lid sits on the drum? I have a SS drum that I'm trying to decide what I'm going to use for a lid.

IMO, this is the best way to make a dome lid fit
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=78156

Rodney- That's the size U-bolt I went with. You don't need the plate, though. I've used the same thing in black oxide, which is loads cheaper, and I use SS acorn nuts on the outside. After it gets seasoned, I don't think anything inside the drum will rust. I'm of the 'build it right, build it once' school, so I usually spring for SS on the outside parts. McMaster-Carr is a great source for all kinds of hardware, and they are usually cheaper, although sometimes you are stuck buying a larger quantity. Titanium UDS parts, anyone?

I agree with the " 'build it right, build it once'" mentality. I'll be using stainless hardware on mine as well. As to titanium? I work almost exclusively with titanium in one of my other hobbies and plan to incorporate some into my UDS build somewhere :biggrin:.

I have 0 tools.....Well I only have screw drivers, hammers, and nails...maybe sand paper. :mad:

I have my eyes on a 55 gallon with a removable top, but havent pulled the trigger just yet. I'm calculating costs first.

What tools do I need to buy to build a super simple UDS?

I know I made a build thread on this.. but though some might want to check it out... so anyway here you are.

VERY nice setup, hath! I love the covered but extremely handy intake, as well as the huge side table. What is the counter top made from?

I've yet to build my UDS, so forgive the uninformed question... do you notice any problems arising from the intake air all rushing in from one side? Uneven burning? If it was burning unevenly, would you even be able to tell? I've been meaning to ask this question... ;-)

-Rodney

im pretty sure you could get by with just a drill. you would have to buy a hole saw bit to cut the holes though. i saw a fire basket someone used that was sold in the clost section at home depot,( so no welding ). ask your neighbors if you need something you dont have. oh you'll need a tape measure.

I finally got a chance to cut the top of my drum... Cleaned up the edges with the angle grinder and I'm picking up a BGE vent tomorrow. Pallets are piling up and I'm ready to do the burn out this weekend...

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z...d/b8621a56.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z...d/7745ad64.jpg

Mostly you need to be able to drill a number of holes of various sizes. There are small ones for the bolts or whatever that you're going to use to hold your grates in place, then there are larger ones for intake and exhaust. You can control the size of your intakes with magnets. I suppose if you were going to 'McGyver one, you could punch holes with the hammer and screwdriver, bringing 'ugly' to a whole new level!

If you can beg/borrow/buy a cheap drill motor, Harbor Freight sells step drills for like $14 on sale that will drill all of your various sized holes.

your gonna love it

hath- great build! I saw it in your other thread. I'm thinking of something similar, but the drum won't be attached, so I can remove it for cleaning/service/whatever.

Thank you so much! I want to go to Home Depot and get a drill right away. Can you recommend me a cheap drill from that store, or Lowes?

I want this to be done right, but cheaply right! I'm all for ugly!

thank you sir... this is my second build and both have the intake set up this way. Ive nothing to compare against because this is how Ive always done it... but I have no problems with how it burns and Ive seen it done this way in other builds. The top is made out of MDF... I have a cover so im not too worried about it holding up too much.. and if it does fail Ill just replace it with something else.. maybe metal.

Right on. I just might do this instead of the simpler side table setup I was planning to do (exactly like your first build, actually). We'll see.

So, people say you can hit over 400 deg. F with three open 3/4" pipes at the bottom. Given that these pipes are .82" ID, three of them is equivalent to a single 1.42" opening, so 1.5" exhaust piping. Looks like you're running about 2", right? If so, your intake is about twice the size of three 3/4" pipes. Do you end up running the intake at about 1/4 open area to hit about 250?

Yeah thats sounds about right... depends on how cold it is. I ran a cook in our shop and it was open only a sliver.

I'm off to Home Depot to purchase this drill.

http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardw...atalogId=10053

What size bits should I get??

I think I could do it with a: hammer, chisel, drill, and one 1/4" bit. The rest is just some parts to cover and hold stuff. Wouldn't be pretty by any means but doable.

Just sayin........:biggrin::biggrin:

Paul B
SS UDS

If you are doing nipples for inlets you will need a 1" hole saw for metal.

And a drill bit for the bolts that hold the grates up, I used a 1/4".

Not sure if this has already been mentioned yet but thought I should share...

If anyone needs a lid for a closed top drum I saw these 22.5" cheapy grills for $29 at Big Lots this past weekend. They were boxed so I couldn't tell how thick they were.

http://www.biglots.com/Outdoorlife/i...d=217&iid=7351

That's the exact grill I bought to use for a lid. It fits pretty decent.. a little tight, but I think it'll flex enough to fit nicely, I think.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z...d/149fee1b.jpg

Finished the thread!! Started my build around page 200....did first cook around 280....

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...&id=1638801679

Quick question.

Does the bottom of the drum need to be cut out as well?

Great pics... Same donor grill I have. Did you have to do anything to the lid to get it to fit? Mine seems just a little tight. Wondering if you had the same issue. Thanks.

It was a little tight....took a p grinder and trimmed the rim down as much as I could to make it fit....I actually wanted the uniflame lid because it comes with hinges, but I couldn't beat the price!!

I flared the flange on the lid a little and it fit the bottom of my open head drum. It is a very good fit. I am going to use it for my next build. I have drilled all the holes in my basic build and just have to burn it, paint and assemble and then I will start work on the big lots lid build.

ok, extremely clueless question coming up. Does the kettle lid fit inside the barrel edge or is it manipulated to fit over the outside of the barrel edge?

Lid fits outside the rim...manipulation is usually needed for this too. :/

Should fit on the outside of the edge. Mine (22 inch Weber Kettle lid) fits my UDS perfectly. Have to push it down a bit, but it seals up great.

It goes on the outside of the rim. I used a grinder to trim the rim instead of pounding the lid to fit over the rim. Now if it would fit inside the rim that would work also, just leave a little lip on the inside of the drum for it to sit on.