British BBQ Society Forums

Sup guys! I found me a source of oil drums nearby so I'm gonna pick one up to build a UDS. Question is, what can I use for a lid? They're fixed top with the two screw cap openings, so I'm going to have to cut that out and I'll end up with one very lidless drum. Ideally I'd just like to use the bit I cut as a lid but I don't have access to a welder so I can't add a lip to it or anything. I know the guys in the US use Weber kettle lids but I really don't fancy buying one of them new just to pinch the lid. Any thoughts? I was thinking that if I cut around the top on the outside of the drum and lined the inside of the lid with an 'O' of fire rope I'd be able to sit it back on top, but there'd not be much margin for error when cutting it

Hi Dave,

YetiDave wrote:I was thinking that if I cut around the top on the outside of the drum and lined the inside of the lid with an 'O' of fire rope I'd be able to sit it back on top, but there'd not be much margin for error when cutting it

This is what I did when I built my UDS, I got the idea from looking at Ed's build. I was quite careful to begin with about making a mistake for fear I wouldn't be able to use the lid, but it was quite obvious when I had grinded through enough metal to separate the lid from the drum.

Some things I noticed after doing this:

1) though my drum looked to be in fantastic condition, there were minor dents on the rim which meant that the lid would only fit properly when lined up in its original position.

2) When properly lined up, the seal looked to be good enough so I wasn't going to need to put a seal on it as you mentioned. I was quite concerned about this as well.

3) and probably most importantly. when I burned out my drum, I rested the lid vertically across the top of my drum so it could get burned off at the same time. This turned out to be a bad idea because the lid got horribly warped and I was unable to use it. maybe it would have been ok if I had taken a measured approach and used a weed burner, maybe I was unlucky, someone with more experience than I will be able to advise better.

following that foul up, I ended up paying £20 for a kettle bbq from ebay and after a little more grinding, the lid fits perfectly and I don't need any extra seals. I used the grill grate out of that bbq as well which would have cost £5 from homebase so in the end, £15 for the lid seemed like a bargain to me.

the other thought I had through this was to get another drum and cut the bottom off of it with 2 or 3 inches of the drum, then work that a little so it would fit over the top of my open drum. I figured this would give me a good seal and a good blank canvas for the handle and exhaust.

anyway, hope some of that helps.

Thanks for the reply matey! I actually asked the same question on the BBQ Brethren forum and got that suggestion of buying two drums and cutting the top off one, 3" down and using that as a lid. Then take another 3" section of drum off and cut it to fit around the inside of the first drum to create a lip. It'll mean I end up paying £30 rather than £15 but it seems the best option for creating a lid I'm picking up the drums on Thursday (and hopefully pinching my dad's angle grinder over the weekend) so I'll post pics of my progress

Pics would be awesome! I have not yet grown tired of looking at build pics if you are interested, you can check out my build here http://www.flickr.com/photos/70128674@N ... 571615548/

good luck
Gian

That looks great! I can't wait to get started on mine, although I have to wait til payday before I can order a thermometer and grill grate so it'll be a while before it's up and running

Hey YetiDave, if it's of any help, I bought a 22" kettle BBQ off ebay for £21 (free delivery). So that sorted out a lid, a brand new grill grate (albeit quite flimsy one) plus a charcoal grate to form either the base of a coal basket or what i've done is use some longer bolts and installed it as a 2nd grate/clay saucer/waterpan holder thing.

Is your drum 200L? I've checked dimensions for them and it says standard diameter is 23.something inches? I was wondering if a 22" BBQ lid would actually fit, if it does then I'm gonna save myself some grinding and just grab and one drum

I've posted the ebay link in my UDS build thread - the lid that came with that black BBQ is a tiny bit too big (5mm max), but I figure that's perfect as it means you can use a bit of fire rope or heat resistant silicone to make a good seal.

My Drum is a 205L (55 Gallon) one I believe. To be honest, I've never bought an oil drum before, so they all look the same to me!! Sorry if that's not much help, off the top of my head, the diameter of my drum is 57-58cm

Thanks, there are a bunch of 22" kettles on ebay so I'll just take a tape measure when I go to pick up these drums. I like the idea of using 100% drum, but it'll be quite a bit more work. I'll find out what I'm doing on Thursday

Hi All
You can use the top off of a fixed head barrel.
Cut 4-5 inches down, as clean a cut as you can!!!!!!
Offer it up to the drum, and mark.
Either on the inside, or the outside of the cut top, use the stainless type carpet holding type stuff(Don't know the technical name), that has the holes in it, you can then Bolt, Rivet, Weld etc.
Or Flange out the edges and use Fire rope.
Si