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Stainless 55gal Drums on CL

I didn't even know they MADE stainless 55 gallon drums. Good find!
 
That sounds like a deal and a half! If they were close, I would buy them all even without a plan for them.
 
If only they were closer :frown: if they're in the shape they say - that's a steal right there!
 
RichardF said:
Remember - That a stainless drum will be be harder to work on.
Click to expand...

If all you do is drill some holes, it should be ok with the right bit. But it's a good point to remember.

A stainless drum smoker sure would be a sweet looking one, though, and worth the extra effort.

Edit: Just looked up Stepbits and the expressly say they work with stainless sheet and tubing. http://www.stepbits.com/
 
A guy was selling SS drums on CL around here for $300, said he was in the "fishing industry" and had access to a few of them, wouldn't budge on the price. I was just "fishing" for info. My brother does some marine welding on the side and I asked him to keep his eyes peeled for me.

ElCheapoBrian
 
IF Im not mistaken... isnt there something about Stainless starting to rust if it is heated? Isnt that the reason for a "sanitary weld" in food applications (purging the back of the weld with Argon as it is being welded)

That being said....and the fabrication issues... what is the advantage of a stainless drum?
 
A chicken cooker...

"high quality stainless with 2 bung holes in top."

I thought a chicken was the only thing with a bung hole...LOL!:shock:
 
Beerwolf said:
IF Im not mistaken... isnt there something about Stainless starting to rust if it is heated? Isnt that the reason for a "sanitary weld" in food applications (purging the back of the weld with Argon as it is being welded)

That being said....and the fabrication issues... what is the advantage of a stainless drum?
Click to expand...

I must admit that I don't know. Isn't the grill that holds the charcoal ring in the WSM made of stainless? I have stainless cookware that gets pretty high heat on the gas stove with no problems.

Maybe it depends on the temperature? Since the charcoal is held away from the drum itself, perhaps the drum won't be affected.

This merits some research. Thanks for the question.
 
yup, checked with a guy in the know about stainless and he said that welding or extreme heat ruins the properties of stainless by making the surface poreous*sp* and allowing water to get in the pores and oxidize. i would be interested to hear from someone using a stainless smoker though.

phil
 
Well for us LawnGuyland Brethren, it is in Suffolk County.

Interesting. Hmmm? Stainless Drums vs. divorce. Might have to do a quick cost to benefit analysis!
 
What is considered extreme heat? One time I added fresh briq to a basket of burning coals from an overnight cook and left it unattended for too long and the thermometer was pegged over 500* and the paint was burning off the bottom 1/3 of the barrel. I may put a woodstove thermometer on it to get an idea how hot it gets while cooking, but don't think anyone would have to worry about it getting so hot that it's going to rust the stainless steel. JMO

Or you could shell out $1600 to some guy in N.Carolina that has them.


Brian
 
rookiedad said:
yup, checked with a guy in the know about stainless and he said that welding or extreme heat ruins the properties of stainless by making the surface poreous*sp* and allowing water to get in the pores and oxidize. i would be interested to hear from someone using a stainless smoker though.

phil
Click to expand...

Thanks for checking into this.

I assume that it is possible to construct a drum smoker without welding?

That leaves the question of whether the charcoal basket is near enough to the stainless to produce heat that is extreme enough to matter? Good question.

What do you guys with drum smokers think? Is the heat extreme on the drum itself?
 
Welding Stainless?
The marine industry is full of welded stainless used in a harsh salt water environment that does not rust at the welds.

FWIW

TIM
 
The issue with welding stainless is that you aren't going to be able to do it with a stick welder. My experience is that they use a TIG (tungsten inert gas) welder. When welding stainless and all sorts of other metals, you cannot let oxygen come in contact with the surfaces to be joined. In regards to the heat, charcoal isn't going to get hot enough to cause problems with a stainless drum. Welding temps are in the 10k* to 20k* range, which is considerably hotter than your grill wil get.

There are others here that are much more versued in the details of welding than I, but this is the general issue.
 
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