Is this drum acceptable

[old poi dog]

Aloha,

Its slim pickings for 55 gallon drums here on the island. I have a friend who is willing to give me his 55 gallon drum which is currently holding racing alcohol for his race car. Is this an acceptable drum to use fo UDS? I would wash it out as best I can. Would a good burn take care of any nasty stuff?
Looking forward to the replies......:>)

 

[rickw]

Oh boy, I'd be afraid to do any burn out on that thing. Even the slightest bit of fumes could be dangerous.

 

[scarbelly]

If memory serves me correctly, racing alcohol includes Methanol with is toxic - You might want to google that manufacturer and check the ingredients -

Just think if it is OK your food might race to the finish LOL

 

[old poi dog]

Yup....he said it has methanol....Better I should pass on this and get one that contained motor oil?

 

[beer-b-q]

Alcohol should burn out clean. I doen't contain as much petroleum as charcoal lighter fluid.

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about it.

 

[blackened]

Or better yet, one that was used for fruit juice or any type of food grade..

 

[old poi dog]

Looks like all the food outlets I contacted get the materials that once came in steel drums now in smaller quantities and in plastic. I guess with economy and all...Plastic is cheaper.

 

[old poi dog]

Hmmm...so if the choice comes down to a drum that used to contain motor oil, methanol (racing alcohol), or cleaning solvents.....which would be be more acceptable. I am planning to burn the barrell as best i can and then if need, wire brush the puppy. Your thoughts.....

 

[beer-b-q]

The one with the Racing Alcohol would burn the cleanest I think...

 

[earache_my_eye]

Agreed...if any of them are UN-lined, I'd take that one. A good HOT fire and a little cleaning afterwards...good to go!

 

[pigcicles]

Personally I wouldn't be afraid to use that barrel. Wash it out, then burn it. Any petroleum products will be long gone after that. Metal doesn't have pores and it won't hold the petroleum products past a good burn.

Shoot it might be the fastest drum on the web

I know I'm not the only one with this opinion. The web is full of people using old oil barrels and such ... some even worse.

Go for it buster.

 

[got14u]

I think 99% of drums are acceptable if cleaned right. (burn and grind then burn again)

and metals do have pores...but with a good clean no worries.

 

[pigcicles]

Could be that it was an unclear statement. Metal is porous but isn't prone to hanging on to the chemical beyond the surface of the steel (in reference to the steel drums). Some material is more porous than others. We should look at more like some steel or metal is more or less dense than others and have different properties. The steel that barrels are made of isn't going to absorb or leach liquids such as say cast iron would.

Clean it, burn it, grind it, paint it, season it, smoke it. I'm just saying I wouldn't be one second afraid to use the drum if it is cleaned (washed) then burned.

Don't sweat the little stuff and we all have enough mountains to climb without making em bigger.

The statement wasn't meant to be confusing or misleading.

 

[cheapchalee]

I'd take the drum in a heartbeat, fill it with water and soap, cut the top off, make a big fire, presto, your done.

Charlie

 

[travcoman45]

Racin fuel, two hel!ish hot fires, a good wire brush in the angle grinder, an then a power wash, put er to gether an start smokin!

 

[got14u]

couldn't of said it better. One thing if planning to cut the top off I would fill it with water like was stated earlier but also just use a sawzall to open it up. just incase of any ignition. That is one thing my instructors in college have said is DO NOT cut in to a 55 gallon drum. they have over 50 years experience in messing with metals. so open it with a sawzall and burn it out then cut with a torch to finalize the design. good luck and I would use it in a heart beat.

 

[old poi dog]

Thanks everyone.....

What would you recommend I use to clean the drum with? Laundry detergent and water good?...or....

Regarding cutting the top off.. What do you think of filling the drum with water to just below the bottom of the top edge, then using a Sawzall to cut the whole top off....I have access to both an electric powered Sawzall and a battery driven one....

 

[got14u]

perfect....that would cause minimal sparks(see below)...on the cleaning detergent I would find a real good degreaser. but I would probably just cut the top then burn for quit some time then steel wire wheel it then burn again. maybe after that clean it up some with a degreaser depending on what it looked like and how long my burns were. good luck

Thanks everyone.....

What would you recommend I use to clean the drum with? Laundry detergent and water good?...or....

Regarding cutting the top off.. What do you think of filling the drum with water to just below the bottom of the top edge, then using a Sawzall to cut the whole top off....I have access to both an electric powered Sawzall and a battery driven one....[/quote]

 

[old poi dog]

GOT14U, travcoman, CheapChalee, PigCicles, Earache_My_Eye, Beer-B-Q, Blackened, Scarbelly, RickW and others:

Thanks for the pointers. I will take delivery of the drum sometime in the next fewweeks after the drags. I'm looking forward to this project. I'll probably be asking for more assist when I get started..