Uds with Weber lid

[esq3585]

Looking to build an ugly drum smoker with a Weber lid and I am not sure if it's worth trying to find a clean drum or burning this  one out , also I am wondering what chemical could have been in this , worth keeping?

[esq3585]

[esq3585]

[pbe gummi bear]

The ones that are lined like that typically had food in them. If you live in a rural are it's probably worth a burnout. It also depends on if the unlined ones are easy to procure by you. Keep us posted on the build!

[Heyjude]

If there are no chemical markings, it should be safe. The lining has to go. Either burn it out or look to have it sand blasted. It might not be worth the price, so do your dilligence.
Like Gumm said, if you can find an unlined drum, that would be ideal. Also to note, not all drums work well with a Weber lid, so be sure to test fit before you part with your cash. 

[esq3585]

If there are no chemical markings, it should be safe. The lining has to go. Either burn it out or look to have it sand blasted. It might not be worth the price, so do your dilligence.
Like Gumm said, if you can find an unlined drum, that would be ideal. Also to note, not all drums work well with a Weber lid, so be sure to test fit before you part with your cash. 

The ones that are lined like that typically had food in them. If you live in a rural are it's probably worth a burnout. It also depends on if the unlined ones are easy to procure by you. Keep us posted on the build!

Thanks for the tips guys.
I got the drum for free from a friend and have a spare 57cm lid so good to go. It came from a company that prints ink on cardboard boxes so maybe thinner or something of that nature. Looking forward to it, the lid is a bit loose so going to make a collar for it or might even use the orig drum lid and stick a handle and vent on it , wish me luck .

[esq3585]

This looks like a good starting point http://www.grilling24x7.com/UDS1.shtml

[MacEggs]

I would do a good burn ... maybe two, to get that pesky liner off. 
For mine, I ended up also getting it sandblasted (unprofessionally) by a buddy.

My Happy Cooker dome lid fits great. I fastened a 2" X ⅛" metal strip bolted to the inner top area.

[HankB]

Over at BBQ Brethren that's known as the dreaded red epoxy. The barrel I used for my rotisserie ring had that and following a burn (after I cut it up) I still had to use a wire brush on an angle grinder to remove it. It's persistent stuff!

You might want to look around for a barrel that is unlined. I've heard that the ones that bulk oil is shipped in are not lined. Ask at repair shops, truck stops and so on. Next place to look might be car washes, but I think the detergent may come in plastic barrels.

Good luck!

[Peaspurple]

You'll catch he'll trying to get that liner out. Burning won't work, no matter how hot and long. You can try and grind it out but I recommend getting it sandblasted. If the barrel was free it will be worth it.

[Mmmmm]

I burned one out today. I used a weed burner on the lid and the epoxy blistered and flaked off in just a few seconds down to bare steel. I got a wire wheel on the grinder to touch up the inside and if need be I have access to a sand blaster.

Here's the charcoal basket.

[HankB]

I burned one out today. I used a weed burner on the lid and the epoxy blistered and flaked off in just a few seconds down to bare steel. I got a wire wheel on the grinder to touch up the inside and if need be I have access to a sand blaster.

Doesn't sound like the same stuff I had. I put the pieces I had in a hot camp fire and still had go over every square inch with a wire wheel on an angle grinder. Even after burning, the epoxy was stubborn and took a fair amount of pressure on the wheel to dislodge. It most certainly did not blister. It just turned black.

[Mmmmm]

I've really wondered about this "red liner of death" issue. I'm just like everyone else, I'm scared of it and it's coming out... all of it. Yet I sometimes wonder if it is just a mass paranoia thing in BBQ world for a multitude of reasons. First of all, these are food grade drums. I don't believe the FDA or whoever regulates would allow any liner that had any chance of off-gassing a toxic substance. Second, they get a really hot burnout after which they will never again reach even close to those temps. I went to a cabinet shop and filled it clear to the brim with small hardwood scraps. I then cut my air inlets and lit the fire. Once it was going good I stuck an air nozzle we made for blowing out radiators through a bottom hole and fed it air like a forge. Everything burned off the outside, including all but a little bit of the paint. Now, a lot of guys will turn around and paint these with normal rattle can paint with no issues. If it won't blister or even discolor normal paint when cooking at up to 350 degrees, surely all the off gassing that could possibly occur has already happened and it wouldn't ever affect anything. Another point is that UDS builders religiously say that the inside of the drum must be CLEAN, yet every store bought grill I've ever owned was painted or otherwise coated inside as well as out. The last point of my logic is that, other that "what if" reasoning, I've never heard a real life account of what actually happens if some of the red liner is actually left. You can be sure that there are thousands of UDS builds that never made it onto YouTube or BBQ forums, many of which were probably only given a simple burnout or maybe none at all, and yet I've never, anywhere read or heard of someone who experienced off flavor food or sickness that could be attributed to the red liner, nor have I talked to anyone who had it happen to someone they knew. It all seems to be hearsay and paranoia.

And yet I'm scared to try it myself. Maybe I'll make one as a gift for one of my not so good friends and see what transpires.

[MINIgrillin]

I found this on Dallas CL. It's for food grade stainless 55 gallon drums. Kinda expensive but the point is they are out there. I just searched local CL for stainless and found this. You might be able to find the same in your area because people may be eating food that has been shipped or stored.

http://dallas.craigslist.org/sdf/bfs/4153756684.html

I hope me posting this link here doesn't go against new trade post guidelines. I am neither affiliated with or endorsing the sale of these goods.

[Heyjude]

I think thats agood deal for SS.. And no real work to get it ready..