Kettle Fire Pit

[Ted B]

I like it. Looks great.

[Stu Clary]

This was a fun project.  I may end up getting it professionally painted, as I want it to last.
I failed to use primer, and there are some issues with the header paint around where the kettle rests.

Here are the materials I used:

FLAT BAR

UPPER BAND: 2" wide, 69" long, ⅛" thick (rolled)
LOWER BAND: 3" wide, 69" long, ⅛" thick (rolled)
LEGS: ¾" wide, 16" long, ¼" thick

The bottom of the ashpan is 16 gauge sheet metal

I got the upper and lower bands rolled at a machine shop. There was no way I could do that myself.
I watched the guy do it. Probably took him less than 10 minutes, and that was cool.

This is awesome!  I've been kinda thinking of doing something similar.  Consider the design stolen.

[MacEggs]

Consider the design stolen.

I would never consider that ... I posted it for sharing, so ... Get 'er done!

I picked up all the materials at Metal Supermarkets for under $40.
They will cut to size, and their prices are excellent.

I then did all the cutting / grinding required and the welding, as I am a master welder .... just kidding .. I suck at welding ..
But, I try to do my best.  It should hold-up for awhile.   

[Fishawn]

Nice Job!

[Stu Clary]

Consider the design stolen.

I would never consider that ... I posted it for sharing, so ... Get 'er done!

Your welds look fine to me.  I'm no welder of any sort, but an old friend owns a shop, so theres that.

What, if anything, would you have done differently?

[SixZeroFour]

Have to agree with Stu ^

I've only used a welder a handful of times and it's not easy getting a consistent bead let alone welding down into a corner like that.

The whole rig is just sweet!

[MacEggs]

What, if anything, would you have done differently?

I did consider different legs.  Perhaps a tubular leg or a rod to tie-in with the kettle look.
I already had the material on hand for the legs, so I went with that, and it's strong and sturdy.

With a tubular piece, I didn't want to burn a hole thru it when it came time to weld.

Other than that, I am very happy with the measurements.

[Stu Clary]

I would never consider that ... I posted it for sharing, so ... Get 'er done!

I made a replica...well, my buddy that owns a welding shop did.  I painted it this evening.  I stayed true to your plans with two minor exceptions.  Plus I painted it silver to pay homage to the Weber kettle's legs.  Using a late 80's blackie kettle.  I'll post pictures, etc tomorrow.

Thanks again for the great idea!

[Stu Clary]

Took some pictures this morning.

Like I said, I got a late 80s black kettle.  A friend has a barrel smoker and wanted a domed lid, so he got that.  I'll probably use the legs on a different project, refurbishing an older cousin's grill that has been neglected.  Anyway...

I showed MacEggs' plan to an old friend that owns a welding shop.  The two minor modifications were using a 1 1/2 inch upper band (because thats what Jim had on hand), and I asked him to make the legs 17" instead of 16" and turn up one inch to create "feet" on the legs.  Otherwise, true to his plans:





Painted with Rust O Leum High Heat.  After some debate I chose silver.

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Oh, I did do something else differently.  I ditched the OTS, just leaving open vents.





Ready for fire

[Craig]

This is an awesome idea! The red stand reminds me of the original George's BBQ Kettle.




How cool would that be with a silver painted kettle.. I've got a DA code OTS that I swapped the lid handle to an old MLH. I may have to build one of these. I love fire pit night and my clay one from Home Depot isn't doing it for me..

[MacEggs]

Holy sh!t, Stu ... that looks outstanding!! 

I really like the feet on the legs.  Great colour and contrast with the kettle bowl.

I live in a sub-division, so I kept the OT on, and I use the lid. This allows me to shut it down easier.
I think the by-law here is no fires after 11PM, or maybe midnight. 

[El-Bastardo]

A fantastic job. Both fire pits came out nicely. I have an old 22.5 lid that I have used for a fire pit in the past two winters, it also worked quite well

[Winz]

Wow!  A couple of fantastic projects there - I can see spending some nice autumn evenings next to the kettle fire pit.

Congrats to both of you - well done!

Winz

[MacEggs]

This past Sunday evening ....

[G$]

How did the turf underneath fare?