If you don't know what's been in the barrel, and you're using plas or a gas axe, fill the barrel with exhaust fumes from your car or purge it with your MIG welder shield gas--CO2 or C25.

(ASSuming if you have a plasma, you probably have or have access to a MIG!)

What fun is that? :twisted:

hey roger this is the thread i told you about enjoy if you need any info call me

Alrighty....after reading the entire thread, I'm stoked and ready to find a barrel and whatever parts I need to get my own UDS project going. WOOHOO!!

I'm gonna try to give mine a paint job and beer bottle opener today. Hopefully posting pics tonite.

motley que mod..

i am making my second one right now

Im off to HD!

My first UDS:
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ers/UDS001.jpg

I scored a Weber kettle off Craigslist in Clarkston, WA on Thursday, and a barrel from work on Wednesday. Started this yesterday.

The Barrel:
Here's a great idea to cut the top off. Flip the barrel over so what you want for your top sits on a smooth floor--preferably concrete. Hold your mini angle grinder so the guard sits on the floor. This will hold a cutting disc about 1/4" off the floor....or 1/4" down on the ring. Grind through the outer layer of lid all the way around the drum. Flip it back over, and you have a smooth, level cut, without having to buy a drum deheader or building a jig. Tap upward on the lid with an old screwdriver and a mallet and drive it off the barrel.

Torched the bottom holes with the plasma.

Burned the barrel last night. Not enough air gets in the bottom holes to get a really hot fire. I noticed that by tipping the barrel over at a ~30º angle, the fresh air comes in the low side, and the flame/heat runs up the high side, and lets the paint on the inside blister in 5-10 minutes. Roll the barrel around after it blisters where it's at, and in 1/2 hour, you can get heat to all sides.

Hit the barrel with a knotted wire wheel in my 4.5" angle grinder (4.5" angle grinders are on sale at Harbor Freight right now for $16.99. Get the orange ones; I've been beating on mine for a year, and it's still going strong. It's noisier than my DeWalt, but 20% the price.)

Some paint wasn't all the way off, so I hit that with my oxy-acetylene torch, and the remaining paint came right off.

Cut 1.25" x 1.25" x 0.125 (1 1/4 x 1 1 /4" x 1/8") angle into 2" pieces. Welded them inside the drum.
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ers/UDS005.jpg

The Grill:
Used the one from my Weber donor. Duh! :D
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ers/UDS002.jpg

Still need a second grill. Here's the first in the lower spot.
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ers/UDS003.jpg

The Charcoal Basket:
Used the charcoal grate from my Weber grill; welded 3" tall 1/2" pipe legs to the grill. Set the legs so they'd fit through the ash pan from the Weber grill. Still needs sides.

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ers/UDS004.jpg
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ers/UDS007.jpg
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ers/UDS006.jpg

Needs barrel handles and a thermometer.
Will oil the inside tomorrow.

Still trying to decide whether to oil or paint the outside. Kettle lid is a nice charcoal black.

The 7.5" orange grinder with the built-in hand guard is the one I got. Well worth a little more $ for a lot more value.

Has anyone else just oiled the outside?

PS: Here's a link for a $10 grinder but I'd still buy the 7.5'/$30 one

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=95578

Ok, you'll never guess what I did this last weekend. I took my "Geto Style" UDS to a KCBS comp in Canton GA . This was our first comp and let me tell you it was great! We placed 25 out of 38 teams overall. I came in 17 with my pulled pork cooked on the UDS! This is a great smoker. We also got 12 on the brisket, not bad for our first comp. Just thought I would let Ya'll know. Here is some pic's of the turn in boxes. We Also had the #6 Sauce out of 62. What a great weekend. Now I have to go sleep for a week. Thanks for you guys help with everything.
Attachment 10659
Attachment 10660
Attachment 10661
Attachment 10662

Pepper, all four smoked on the UDS, or did you use your "ghetto offset" for some?
Any other UDS'es at the comp?

Nice work on the presentation!!

Way to go pepper! Did my first comp with the UDS's too! Didn't do as well as you did but they cruised none the less! Keep up the good work!

Man, that's one long farkin' thread, 38 pages (plus the extra links)! I took a bunch of notes (hope that I can make some sense out of them in the morning [beer mod]). I've got to figure out if I want the 3 or 4 openings 1/2" to 3/4" or to go for the single 2" to 3" exhaust pipe. With my back, I think that the single, larger, taller intake may be the answer. Anyway, here's hoping that tomorrow is the "burn out the barrel" day so that I can get this project on the road.
I got the drum from Brother Jeff (Smoookin') at the bash last weekend, and I know that he wants to make sure that the gift wasn't wasted, so I had better get with the program, right? Wish me luck, I'll need it:biggrin:.