Where can I buy a cheap used steel barrel?

[Bob G]

?????

It'd be nice to have more info as to your situation, amount of land, amount of brush to be burnt, close fire hazards, etc. In order to provide a better answer.

However, a decent general purpose burning barrel can be made from a steel drum pretty easily.

1. Take off the top. One line of thought is to cut it off below the rim (top seam). I prefer to keep that top rim for the added strenght. And just cut out the top plate. Using a reasonably sharp hand axe and hammer/hand sledge. When done, I fold down sharp edges using large channel locks.

1. Using same hand axe and hammer, I put a couple to 4 small holes right above, touching the bottom rim. Not air holes. Drain holes. To let water drain out if barrel is left in the rain.

2. Starting at about 6 inches from bottom rim, I form air holes. Using axe and hammer. Holding axe blade cocked so that corner of blade is driven in to form wedge shaped hole. I make 4 evenly spaced holed around barrel at the 6 inch height mark. Do same at the 1/3 and

2/3 of full height levels. Forming air hole on second ring of holes (1/3 height mark) so they're offset from holes at 6 inch mark. Then offsetting holes at 2/3 height mark from those at 1/3 height level.

Holes need not be huge. In fact, very large has it's disadvantages. Makes for a faster, more fierce burn, which is harder to control and tends to cause a LOT of sparks and burning embers to be thrown off out of the top of the barrel. Not good. Add, the larger the holes, the worse the problem with hot ashes falling out of air holes. Generally I make air holes wedge shaped, about an inch wide at top, sides of inverted trinagle coming together about 2-3 inches down.

Do air holes get clogged? Yep. I keep large 24 inch lenght flat tip screw driver or hunk of iron rebar handy. Occassionally ram into air holes which seem clogged, jiggle around to clear hole.

1. Then I usually get some 1/8 or 1/4 thick expanded metal plate (it's like a grid or grate). I usually go over to a place I know that makes trailers and fixes farm stuff. They've always got a large supply of all sorts of metal plate, expanded metal, angle iron, and so forth. Buy a 2 by 2 foot hunk of expanded steel plate. And a hunk of flat bar. Cut expanded metal to fit barrel. Bend flat bar around and cut to fit. Weld bar to expanded metal. Use a little extra flat bar to make handy handle.

I also buy hunk of 1/8 or 3/16 solid plate and attach rim and handle it. To make a solid cover. To help snuff and cover flames.

Expanded metal cover comes in handy if material being burned tends to throw off large hunks of hot, but light stuff. ie Leaves, paper, etc. I don't have the problem of some who live in areas where lot of vegetation grows, but which then dries out a lot and is a really touchy fire hazard. A few small embers being tossed off fire around here isn't a problem. But I don't want large, flaming floaters being tossed about.

A pretty simple method. I could get fancier. But this method is easy and cheap. Has worked well for me for years. And I've made numerous copies for friends.

Now, I've seen guys get fancy. And make adjustable air flow grates via one method and another. To allow more or less air. Seen everything from regular air grate with sliding metal cover to open holes smaller or large. To a guy down the road who took time to weld several short pipe nipples onto barrel in different locations. He screws on or removes pipe caps to adjust air flow. Or there is an old guy, dead now, I used to know who'd made some crude and rough, long "corks" outta some extra fire brick he had about the place. Would remove or shove in firebrick "corks" to increase or decrease air flow. And thus firing rate.

My method works for me. I control firing rate via amount of fuel added.

Holes at different levels, on all sides of barrel makes for good all around burn. I don't have problem of collecting partially burned material in some dead air space or area of poor air circulation. When I burn, when done, all I've got is fine, well burnt ashes left.

Best to start burning slowly til you have a good feel for how large flames will get in given situations of wind and fuel combinations. People usually get in trouble when they push it, get in a hurry. And/or don't keep eye on barrel and leave it unattended for significant periods of time.

I have a set place for my barrel. Away from house and other structures. I kept predominant wind direction in mind when picking spot. Keep grass and other vegetation away in 3 foot area around barrel. And have a water hose strung nearby and ready if needed.

You'll probably get other ideas. Undoubtedly some better than mine. But I deliberately don't make mine fancy. Gets used a lot. And every few years barrel needs replaced. Or, at least I think it does. I don't wait for walls to get real thin. Finding a new barrel just requires asking about. Cutting out top, and punching in new holes takes little time. My solid cover and expanded metal cover have both outlasted several barrels.

Bob

[Ignoramus32482]

Thanks!

i

[Gunner]

Wear hearing and eye protection. Use a new disk.

To remove the ash..you tip over the barrel. Or as most folks do..toss the entire barrel and repeat the process. A large hole lets the fire out on the ground. You want holes all around the base, or one side will burn while the other chokes out.

Grating is cheap. Often free.

Gunner

That rifle hanging on the wall of the working-class flat or labourer's cottage is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there. - George Orwell

[Fred Walter]

The first burn barrel that I made, I used a hammer and chisel to remove the top of the barrel. I chiselled inside the lip, because I figured that lip helps make the barrel stronger (and last longer). I used a drill+1/2" drill bit to put a lot of holes in the bottom of the barrel, and in the sides of the barrel. I then set the barrel up on concrete blocks.

This worked fine for me for a few years, until I tried burning a bus seat. Normally, the hotter the fire, the more complete the burn, but that bus seat burned really *really* hot, and wrecked the barrel on me.

The next burn barrel I made, I chiselled out the top of the barrel. This time I didn't feel like spending a bunch of time drilling holes, so I grabbed the largest caliber rifle that I had, and shot the heck out of the bottom of the barrel, and the sides. It was a lot more fun shooting holes than drilling holes. I then used a grinder to smooth off the exit holes, so it wouldn't be so obvious how I made the holes. (I don't want my visiters to think I'm a guntoting redneck, eh?). This burn barrel is working quite well for me.

As other people have said, keep it away from trees, and keep the grass trimmed around it. Currently my burn barrel is sitting on bare earth, that I rototilled a bunch of times. I also have a metal grate, from a BBQ, that I put over the top of the barrel, to minimize the size of any embers/etc that escape from the barrel. A wire metal shelf from a stove would have worked just as well. However never ever use a metal shelf from a fridge, because some of those are supposed to give off poisonous fumes when heated.

[<oprrjg]

Neighbors use a hub from the rear wheel of an ag tractor for their firepit.

In misc.rural Ignoramus9040 wrote: : Need to construct a cheap firepit... Was hoping that a used barrel : could be had for $5 or so...

: Any ideas?

: Thanks!

: i

[DBM]

The CDC has guidelines on building a 'drum' incinerator in their 'Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers' Manual - this manual is designed for use in Low-Tech situations as might be found in a Third-World setting, or more specifically, in remote African locales threatened by Ebola.

above webpage has specific chapters and annexes/appendices of the manual available as separate HTML and PDF downloads, or you can download the lot in one go as a PDF document.

Chapter you want is 'Annex 10', down the bottom of the page - the above webpage states 'Annex 9', but the pictures are in the 'Community Information Posters' section in the Annex 10 webpage.

page has the step by step pictorial instructions.

I think ALL survival-minded people should print this CDC document out, as it contains a LOT of good 'Do-It-Yourself' info - including how to make your own hospital masks and gowns.

-- Yours, DBM - [e-mail] From Somewhere in Australia, the Land of Tree-hugging Funnelwebs...

[Gunner]

They are often galvanized (old ones)..after the first burn, the zinc is burned out and they are safe to use. Just stay up wind on the first burn. And its not all that bad..welders hate welding galv. but in small doses it only makes you think you are going to die

Gunner

"The entire population of Great Britain has been declared insane by their government. It is believed that should any one of them come in possession of a firearm, he will immediately start to foam at the mouth and begin kiling children at the nearest school. The proof of their insanity is that they actually believe this." -- someone in misc.survivalism

[Auntie Em]

LOL I guess that makes rural Missouri pretty close to third-world since most country folks have themselves a "burnie barrel" or two. It sure beats paying $45 a quarter for some city fella to come and collect our garbage, and one thing for sure, no stranger is getting ahold of "personal information" that they could use for identity theft.

Country life is good.

Em

[Graybyrd]

Regarding the 'sig' below:

... it just might be that the British gov't is right. Consider how the 'hooligans' behave at the soccer matches. When they travel to the Continent for tournament matches, the foreign cities turn out complete riot squads of police to deal with the English fans .. consider what it would be like if these people had guns??

Hehehe .. just food for thought.

[Graybyrd]

I've run across the suggestion (many times) that the enamelled spin tub from an old top-loading washing machine makes an excellent fire pit. It should hold to heat and ashes about as well as the bottom half of an enamelled Weber bbq kettle, no?

Gray

[Offbreed]

And... How many of these fans would be left if the locals had guns?

[Ignoramus23926]

Bad news. I called our fire department and they pretty much said that a firepit like that would be illegal here. So is burning brush. What a bummer. I can understand them, sort of, from a fire safety perspective, but I am upset.

Since I already have some not so kosher things on my property (chickens), I would prefer not to attract attention to myself.

I hoped to have a firepit in the drum because it would be fun and practicable to burn stuff, but, it would attract too much attention. Plus, it would remind me of our summer house where I spent my childhood summers.

The sad part of livings amongst "uptight" white people obsessed with "property values", I guess.

I will probably buy some UL listed cute firepit in the fall, when they become available, even though a barrel would be much better for me.

I really like the smell of burning brush and leaves.

i

[Napalm Heart]

In my area, Southern West-Central Michigan, the law requires a cover such as your expanded metal one. The law states that all burn barrels must be covered with a weighted metal cover, with holes no larger than

3/4".

Here is a link to the law in Illinois I found on a Google search for "Illinois burn barrel law".

Wishes,

Ken Olson Clarksville MI USA

[pyotr filipivich]

It being a dull day, I decide to respond to what Gunner foisted Thu, 15 Jul 2004 03:16:10 GMT on misc.survivalism , viz:

Drink plenty of milk. I'm told a large glass of milk after doing anything which might result in zinc fumes (welding, smelting, casting, etc) goes a long way towards preventing the nasty headache, aches and general blahs.

(Oh great, now I'm seeing a welder's hood with a milk moustache and "Got Milk?" underneath.)

[Bob G]

Chuckle, true enough. I've read the studies.

Of course the newspapers, enviornmental groups, and so forth get wild about reporting and discussing it, as if it were nearly the end of the world that people are allowed to burn trash. And that trash burning by private individuals is the new "greatest threat" to the enviornment.

And of course, city council members, county and state government officials hop on the hype and hyperbole with gusto, but not too much in the way of cogent thought, knowledge, or understanding of the chemistry. And print new fliers and posters, and pass new laws prohibiting trash burning. Make press announcements about their new laws, pat each other on the back and tell each other, "Ohhh, we're so wonderful. Aren't we?" Etc.

ROFL ......

If yah actually read the relative studies and evidence. The actual study results, not the news reporter hype material. And the discussion about the issue done by -chemists-, not the discussions done by what are too often the science illiterate enviornmental whacko groups. You'll note that the main problem is that some folks do not know better, and burn various plastics and other man-made artifical materials (nylon, naugahide, so on and so forth) in their burn barrels.

This is a no-no, or should be.

If you did not know, a lot of the man-made materials commonly found in homes, release some nasty stuff when burned. Particularly materials made of PVC.

Tho other commonly found materials, such as shrink wrap, plastic milk cartons, other plastic containers, plastic bags, styrofoam, "foam rubber", and so forth are also a problem. As concerns producing dioxins when burned incompletely at the lower temps commonly found in burn barrels. But PVC is THE biggy as a producer of dioxins when burned improperly.

There are some other sources of chlorine in household trash. Common table salt that'd been put on food, bleached paper, etc. But these are so negligiable in effect that they can be effectively dismissed as a concern.

Around here, the solution was that locally folks were informed as to what NOT to burn in their burn barrels. And so were the county sheriff's deputies. The deputies don't check everyone making a burn. But do make spot checks as they have time, or if they see a lot of black smoke. Make sure you've taken the proper safety precautions, and that you're not burning stuff yah shouldn't.

So, locally, not a big issue. Especially as I live in a low population density area. Rural. Tho, the deputies I mentioned WILL ticket your ass if they catch yah burning stuff you shouldn't. Which is reasonable, IMHO. As mentioned, they don't try to stop at every burn, but do make routine checks. I've had one of the local guys stop a couple times, just to take a look. Which I have no problem with. This is why we pay taxes, and hire deputies, right? So we have somebody who'll be out there checking to ensure folks aren't doing stuff which is unsafe or illegal, etc.

I know some folks on this misc.survivalism have a dislike and distrust for "cops" in general. Maybe with reason. In a lifetime, I've run across what I thought was a bad cop, from time to time.

However, I think most of em are good, decent folks trying to do a good job.

Bob

[Ignoramus22273]

Supposedly, half of dioxin comes from burn barrels.

If yah actually read the relative studies and evidence. The actual

Well, duh, you are right, but precisely that's why they outlaw burn barrels, so that retards or ignorant people would not do it.

yep.

You are right in that if informed people burn stuff, it would be better.

In any case, I gave up on the idea of a burn barrel, as I think that I will make the rest of the society to pay for what essentially is my entertainment.

i

[John Husvar]

Makes you feel like you're gonna die and afraid you might be wrong.

BTW, don't know why, but the "milk treatment" works for me.