UDS Build

[robgunby]

I'm building my first UDS, with lots of help and advice from Si (thanks mate!), and thought I'd start a thread to share with Si and anyone else who's interested my progress - and to ask nagging questions

I got a 55 gallon food grade drum from a local supplier who shotblasted the paint off the drum and most of the lid. After driving around Sheffield buying various bits and bobs I had failed to buy one important thing, a holesaw - lots in all the shops for use on wood or tile, but not big ol steel drum. The solution for any Sheffield would be bbqers - AllTools in Attercliffe sell em

I ended up with an odd size ball valve for some reason, but as Si pointed out to me, you don't actually need a nipple on the hole with the ball valve, so I just ground out the hole until the ball valve fit. This was horrible, the sound was like nails down a blackboard x10.

With that all done, I needed to start the fire to do the burn out. I hadn't noticed, and no guide told me about the existence of, the rubber seal around the lid - and of course, inside the caps. Thanks to Si, who thought to bring this to my attention, I removed them - but try as I might, I couldn't get the smaller of the two caps off. It took all my might with a long wrench to get it rotating, and it rotates now but won't come off whatever I do.

So, I broke down a couple of pallets and started the fire anyway. 70 mph winds today blowing through my yard helped it get going good and hot! I perched the lid in the fire, with the small cap end in the hottest part, and left it there a long time. I could see the rubber burn up and go out. I figured it's never gonna see that level of heat again, so if any contaminant is still there, it won't be a problem at bbq temps. Do you think this will be ok?

I've been trying to track down a scrap washing machine drum to use as a firebox, but the only ones I've found so far have either been in good nick (thus expensive) or too big. I think I will go and get some expanded metal tomorrow to make a firebox.

I still need to get a cooking grate - I'm reluctant to spend any more on this (it's cost me about £100 in bits and bobs so far) I've got quite long bolts so I might be able to get away with using the one out of my ECB for now.

ETA - I just went out to check on the dying fire and it smells like burning rubber out there :O

I'm guessing this must be crap that's burnt off the lid - hopefully it'll go when I clean out the ashes and scrub it tomorrow.

[robgunby]

Si, the charcoal supplier I mentioned is http://directcharcoal.co.uk/

The company have been going since the 1700s - and their restaurant charcoal is £7 a 12kg bag!

If you want to sample some before committing to a pallet load, I could bring some down to somerset when im down for chinese new year.

[CyderPig]

Hi Rob
Sounds like you are getting there!
After burning out the lid you might find that it has warped a bit, nothing some gentle persuading with a lump hammer won't sort out.
See if you can get some weldmesh to make your basket out of, also you could use it for a rack for the time being until Homebase start selling the racks in the New Year, just a thought?
Cheers
Si

[robgunby]

A frustrating day today - taken off work in the hope I could get it all finished today.

I drove all over Sheffield - the city of steel - trying to find some mild or stainless expanded steel. Places either sold galvanised, none at all, or wanted me to buy an 8'x4' sheet for forty quid. It took four attempts before I found a hardware shop that had any non-zinc coated bolts!

In the end I found a washing machine repair shop that had a scrap drum in stock. I gave it the once over and thought I should be able to knock most of the crap off it so I gave the guy a fiver and took it home.

Unfortunately, the screws holding the drum axle bracket on turned out to be rivets, not screws. I'm not really sure how to go about tackling this. My original plan was to unscrew the bracket, then drill a shedload of 10mm holes in the base of the drum, and finally use an angle grinder to cut the top half of the drum off (it's about 16" high and I guess my basket wants to be about 9"?)




One option is to try and angle grind through the rivet and its casing.

Another might be to cut into the open part of the drum to make the opening 15 1/2", then drill a series of holes round it, and fix the grate from my brinkmann in using some twisted wire (would this be strong enough?) and use that as the bottom, and cut the closed end ofthe drum off altogether, using the cut end as the top.

I never thought the fire basket would be this difficult to source materials for!

[Tyrone1Wils]

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=3590&p=30823#p30823

Hi mate, check out my build above, well partial as i never got round to finishing it off.

Like you, i used a washing Machine drum but didn't bother take the basket off i just drilled holes around it and some extra holes at the side and it has been perfect for me. I just took the top of the drum off.

[robgunby]

No can do - the pic didnt really show - the axle is a problem. Also, there are plastic parts between the bracket and the drum that I need to remove.



However, chatting with my dad tonight, he said if you expose galvanised steel to intense heat, the coating burns off - so would I be ok using galvanised expanded metal for a basket so long as I set a hot charcoal fire in it and burn it out before I put it in the UDS?

I should say, the washing machine drum *is* too big in my opinion, and heavier than I would be able to make a mesh basket.

[robgunby]

Well, I've got the bracket off with an angle grinder, so I will give this beast of a washing machine drum a go as a fire basket. Needs a few more holes drilling in it and some legs putting on but other than that it's good to go! Will be doing my seasoning burn tomorrow!

[floydmeddler]

Great idea! Keep us posted.

[robgunby]

Word of advice for anyone wanting to use a washing machine drum as a fire basket - get a good few sheet metal holesaws at the ready. I had one, and it died on me this morning. I had to go and get whatever screwfix could give me - a holesaw rated for mild, not stainless steel, as the sheet metal holesaws are rated for.

I have just burnt through 3 holesaws in 20 minutes, not to mention an expensive Bosch arbor which I overtightened and had to replace.

[robgunby]

Thought I should post that last night, after a good few days of work (well, I say that, it was 1% working and 99% driving round Sheffield to try and find the bits I needed!) and lots of phone calls to the ever obliging Si, I got my UDS finished and gave it a burn out with a few oak logs to season it. The fire box works beautifully. I left all 3 vents open and it went up to 200 C, stayed there, and didn't budge until the fire started to die out many many hours later.

I've got to wait until Thursday night to get hold of a cooking grate, I've won an 18" barbecue on ebay for £5, but it's in Manchester and the seller can't meet me until then. I'm thinking brisket and ribs. I'll put the brisket on about midnight and keep an eye on temps until 2am then get some sleep. Chuck the ribs on in the morning. Can't wait!

Thanks a bunch to Si and the ever helpful forum folks here. I'm not a "handy" bloke, and these things don't come naturally to me at all, so it really is appreciated.