2nd UDS build - Doing it right this time!

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deano

Fire Starter
Original poster
Oct 2, 2014
34
11
Falkirk, Scotland
Starting a new UDS for the summer and looking for a little help this time!
Already done the burn out and going to wire wheel it but looking to do a better job of painting it this time as the last one rusted badly since I took so long to get round to painting it!
Was looking for advice on where people get their high temp paint in the UK? Also whether it is worth taking the time to put a primer on 1st or just slap on the high temp paint?
For the inside last time I hit it with a good coating of canola oil and seasoned it but still ended up with rust (this could be due to not enough tlc) but just looking if anybody has any success with any other method for the inside?
[ATTACHMENT=2855]image.jpeg (1,750k. jpeg file)[/ATTACHMENT]
Paint came off pretty good so the plan is ball valves and 1 pipe nipple, 3 grates for 2 cooking levels and 1 for water pan/heat deflector, wheels on the bottom for easy movement and 2 vents in the lid. Not sure what to do with the vents yet as finding a decent damper in Scotland was a bit of a chore if I recall on my last build so any ideas on suppliers for damper, high heat paint, wheels grates or any other gadgets are much appreciated. I'm aware there are plenty of builds already on the forum to take inspiration from but the ease of acquiring materials in the states compared to the UK is vastly different so looking for some UK guys for a bit help.
Will keep you guys updated throughout the build and anybody's 2 cents is more than welcome to do this thing right this timeThumbs Up
 
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Finally got it all wire brushed and painted, looking not too shabby. Bought a small BBQ from Tesco for £10 so I could rob the 2 vents and handle from it. Still need to drill holes for all the vents, grates etc and got a couple wheels on the way aswell, still have some paint left so will probably touch up any bits I mess up while drilling. For the intake at the bottom I was trying to find a sliding vent like on the komodo joe/Big poppa kits but not sure if anyone has had any luck with using this on a UDS or had any joy finding 1 either!



 
Finally got my logo painted on and ready to season, didn't go too well!
I fired a chimney full of lit coals into my charcoal basket and surrounded it with roughly half a bag of cheap briquettes I had lying around. Had both 3/4" ball valves fully open and both vents fully open but only managed to come up to around 270F ( after a long wait!) was hoping for higher temps to get a good season with the canola oil I had rubbed inside but was left with some liquid which I'm hoping was just heated oil at the bottom!

My first thought is that I need more air in so have since drilled another 1" hole to attach a pipe nipple and cap onto for starting up but also wondering if my top vents are too small? There are 6 holes in total all just over a 1/2 inch so surely this is enough?
Hoping the liquid at the bottom was just from excessive amounts of oil being applied to the inside and instead of searing into the sides it's just dribbled down with the heat being so low for a while.
Any advice is welcome as always guys, need to get this thing fixed up so I can eat some meat!
 
My UDS has (3) 3/4" intakes and a total of 3" of exhaust. My UDS has a 2" and a 1" bung in the lid which I leave both open when smoking. I can run my UDS as low as 170f, and above 450f ( that's where my therm kicks out).

Even though you have 3" of exhaust because the hole are small that can hinder the flow of the exhaust. One or two larger holes would be a better direct path.
 
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