Looking for idea's on a new project

[mossymo]

I acquired 2 - 1/16 inch 4 foot by 4 foot sheets of stainless steel today (free). My mind has been twisting and turning on what I should do with it.

My first thoughts were of making a smoker, but the with the sheet sizes being on the small side for that and wanting it insulated I scrapped that idea. I want to make something worthy of this fine metal. When I see stainless steel it gives me goose bumps, I am weird that way. Some people like gold, diamonds, etc. Stainless steel turns me on, I purchase stainless steel bolts, screws, etc. that I have no current use for just to have on hand !!!

As of now I am thinking of making 2 solid and sturdy 4'X4' tables out of treated wood with a 3/4" treated plywood top and using flooring glue to attach the stainless steel sheets on top of it. I like the idea of playing Pinochle out in the garage on a stainless steel topped table I made !!! This should be pretty weather proof also, so having a prep table by my grills and smokers would be handy. I could also bolt the legs together and have a 4'X8' table for making sausage or mount the 4' X 8' table to a wall and have a rock solid, nice reloading bench.....

I am going to give it awhile before I decide on this project as I want to use this fine metal the smartest way possible. If any of you SMF members have an idea of what you would use it for, I would love to hear your suggestion or if you have table ideas, throw them at me.

As always, thanks in advance.

 

[Deer Meat]

I saw this post and the first thing that came to mind was an ABT rack. It was shaped like an armadilo, I believe. By the looks of it it was probably cut with a laser or a water jet machine. I looked on here and could not find the link. I'm sure someone knows what I am talking about. I f you wanted to go that route you would not have to make it that fancy. The problem would be finding a fab shop that had a brake to bend or cut the metal. Stainless is a bugger to work with if you don't have the correct tooling..............just my thoughts.

 

[mossymo]

DEER MEAT
When I acquired the 4'X4' sheets I also acquired a piece of 1/16" 35 1/4"X20" piece of stainless steel.

Do you feel that piece would work for this ABT rack? My son has access and experience plasma cutting and I also have a buddy that can weld stainless steel (He smokes also, so if I get him to help, he would want to make one for himself also). Also I have a sheet metal fabrication shop that does work for me at a low price (My mother works there).

 

[Deer Meat]

I found the link its the chile grill

http://www.irondesert.com/?gclid=CP7...FTyKOAodVBrxEg

 

[Deer Meat]

Man you are set, you have all the access to the proper equiptment. Now just let them wheels keep turning and use the metal wisely. A rough guess would be you probably have about $500 to $600 worth of material.

 

[mossymo]

DEER MEAT
Thanks, I can do that !!! Will post pic's on this thread if I do it. I will speak to the boss and see if she likes this idea.....

 

[Deer Meat]

I think it would be cool to have one the shape of a pig, or a buffalo.....for the "atomic buffalo turds"

 

[deejaydebi]

I was just thinking about ordering a piece of stainless to remake the center tube on my ECB - but a tad taller.

I don't think your weird Mossy I'd be just staring at it awhile dreaming shiney clean dreams!

 

[dbeast420]

One question about the stainless.....

Will a magnet stick to it.
If so,it's 400 series and will be prone to rust and staining

If not,it's in the 300 series and would be fine for outdoor use without rusting

Either way nice score

 

[zapper]

About a 24" cube dehydrator. Add a light bulb for mild heat and a muffin fan for air flow. You would have to do some ciphering to figure out the exact yeild from the materials on hand. Maybe double up the left side and the right side to give you a one inch or so cavity on each side. Then on one side in that cavity install a couple of the long type light bulbs from like the old reading lamps or aquarium hoods (or a proper heating element) and then in the cavity on the other side install a muffin fan. Drill holes so that air is taken in on the bottom of the light/heater side, across the light bulbs, into the top of the dehydrator chamber, and then out thru the muffin fan. I would guess that you could end up with a 23" cube no problems.



By the way, stainless is the gnats _ss! But it is kind of on the hard side to work with, without the proper equipment.




PS I just realized that the extra sheet puts you over the top for like a 48 x 16 x 20 box.


Good luck, keep us posted, send pics. (reads as, jealous)

 

[pescadero]

I did see one recently, in the shape of an Armadillo. It was about three times bigger than the one shown on this thread, but exactly the same idea.

Either one would be a lot of fun. All depends on how many ABT's you are going to make at one time.

Skip

 

[mossymo]

I like the idea of the buffalo shaped ABT holder showing it's inerds of ABT's..... This is a strong possibility. The Char-griller is 20"X29", the dimensions will work for the smaller piece of stainless steel.

 

[walking dude]

dude........what a score..........

i am a machincist by degree...........i know what s.s. is werth.......not in money........just in projects..........

not to disput dbeast.......but if its steel......won't a magnet stick to it?

and i thought it was stainless......casue it WON"T rust.........i am cornfused.........google is in my furture.........but whatever

great score........

d8de

 

[gypsyseagod]

a magnet will still stick to stainless- depending on the schedule of steel- the impurities or mix. just like that gas to metal arguement we have going.....if it's gas & heat- all metal (as any welder will tell you ) metal has pores.....it gets into it. there is no such thing as non magnetic metal.... any & all metal has an iron content.....thats the magnetic.....if you finda way to smelt or mill metal of any kind w/out an iron content let us know- cause you will me like einstein on the theory of relativity.

 

[gypsyseagod]

p.s. unless we're talking pure brass bronze or silver or oops... gold.

 

[mossymo]

This is interesting... a little while ago I picked up a great deal on a 15 lb. Sausage Maker sausage stuffer that I currently have up for sale. The Sausage Maker has 2 different 15 lb. stuufers available; 1 with a steel threaded rod and the other with a threaded stainless steel rod. There is a about a hundred dollars difference in the two stuffers. I stuck a magnet to our stuffers rod, it stuck and I figured it was not stainless.

As I enter this, I am going out to see it I can stick a magnet to this stainless steel I acquired.

 

[mossymo]

The sheets of stainless steel I acquired do not magnitize with a magnet what so ever; so I figure they are pure stainless steel? Where I got them they have been sitting quite a few years and there is no rust. They were laying with other sheets of sheet metal that have rust. Tomorrow I intend on picking up a sheet of steel that is rusty and thick for using as a tuner for the Char-griller.

 

[gypsyseagod]

could be 20 stainless. not sure i'd cook w/ that- just me...i hear war stories about stuff... personally if it's black steel that can rust- it's bbq metal- but thats just me...thats whats great- we can all have our opinions & what works for you- works for you.

 

[chris_harper]

there are several grades of stainless. 400 series a magnet will stick to it. a magnet will not stick to aluminum. y'all remember i work at alcoa fastening systems? i work in the "heat treat" dept. we make fasteners out of various alloys of steel; several alloys of aluminum, none of which a magnet will stick to; and stainless steel. we mostly use stainless that a magnet will not stick to, but we do make one fastener out of stainless that has iron in it.

 

[mossymo]

Stainless Steel is a very interesting topic and it appears Chris has quite a bit of knowledge about it as well as other members. This is a tad off my project topic but as I have a fetish for stainless steel, I am very interested.