How to remove bottom of UDS barrel?

[LoneStarDad]

I have been reading about fitting a Weber dome lid to a 55 gallon UDS. Several recommended just using the bottom of the drum. I flipped the drum over and it does indeed look like it would be a perfect fit.

So how do I remove the bottom? Cut it? Or can the crimp be un-crimped?

 

[scrub puller]

Yair . . .

I don't getcha mate . . . are you saying you are going to use the bottom of a second barrel for a lid?

Be aware drums are not standard sizes and (in Australia anyway) there is quite a bit of variation. You have to measure carefully to determine how to cut.

I only ever use proper oil drums with tops and bottoms and I mostly cut the top out leaving about a 3/8" flange all around and then cut the complete bottom from a second drum to make a lid.

Cheers.

 

[LoneStarDad]

The Weber lid is too small for the top, open end of the drum. In another thread, someone said to flip the drum over because it almost always fits the bottom. Sure enough, fits great. So I need to cut the bottom out. I am new to UDSs but I guess one would remove the bottom just as one would the top on barrels that don't have a removable lid.

I did check around and it looks like a pneumatic chisel might be the quickest and easiest way (other than finding some place with a pneumatic chisel).

 

[mikemci]

Angle grinder and cut-off wheel. You can get them both at Harbor Freight cheap.

 

[LoneStarDad]

What do you think of this?[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNjWC3IbxMk"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNjWC3IbxMk[/ame]

 

[mchar69]

STOP! The Weber Lid WILL fit IF -
you go to Home Depot and get a 1" strip of aluminum, and install it inside the circumference of the open UDS, via bolts and gasket material.
THEN the lid will sit nicely.
NO NEED to Re- Invent the wheel.
Or - go ahead, I don't care.

 

[LoneStarDad]

Yes, I definitely go with the aluminum strip if I don't open the bottom. But, I was also thinking with it upside down, it would be easier to clean out the ash because I could just lift it off the original lid (which would now be the bottom). Or am I introducing potential air leakage?

 

[punchy]

a coated flapper grinder wheel. grind along the lip evenly until you can a black line where they crimped the 2 pieced together. hit center of drum with deadblow and the whole top falls off. cool trick I learned from a guy at work.

 

[LoneStarDad]

Where exactly "along the lip"?

 

[DjPorkchop]

a coated flapper grinder wheel. grind along the lip evenly until you can a black line where they crimped the 2 pieced together. hit center of drum with deadblow and the whole top falls off. cool trick I learned from a guy at work.

Basically exactly what I was going to say. Most use a screw driver and hammer once they can see the crimp line very easily. The lid pops right off then.

 

[jb6l6gc]

I agree with grinder and cut off wheel that's how I did mine. It wasn't an open top so I just used the top. Got mine real smooth. Just
Gotta take your
Timel

 

[Fwismoker]

Open top drums are not very hard to find. I located $20 shiny inside drums on craigslist. I know this doesn't answer your question but it's the simplest solution.

 

[punchy]

Where exactly "along the lip"?

on the top of the crimp that goes all the way around the barrel. the tallest part of the barrel.

 

[Nuco59]

There are several ways to get to where you want to go. Brute force to finesse. Folk describing solutions is great and all. But...pictures are worth a thousand words, do a bit of googling and you can probably watch someone de-heading a drum.