Double Barrel Smoker

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Seems like everyone and their Aunt Gertrude has made one of these but me! Now that my welding cart is done I'm about ready to start in on the welding aspects of my own.If you haven't played the computer game Half-Life (or Half-Life 2) I recommend it.Only the finest measured and trimmed kindling for the most discerning redneck cookware.Reminds of two towers I saw in a movie once ...
Reply:I don't have any experience with blast furnaces but I suspect they're something like this. I pointed my handy dandy little 3-speed furnace-blower-on-wheels at the air intake and set it to Warp 11. Oh yeaaah, about 18" away and the ground temperature is over 240F or 115C for the rest of the world.My buddy said "You know you've done it right" when you blow a chunk out of your driveway with fire. It's about 3" deep and 12" wide. Whoops.I'm honestly surprised any of this paint survived. Not only survived but has been a royal pain to remove even with a wire wheel. Even with Muriatic Acid. The walls are too thin to use a grinder but I might use paint stripper. Or 50 lbs of tannerite. I'll keep you posted.
Reply:Flap disk the paint?
Reply:3M makes a paint stripping wheel attachment for a hand drill that does a great job of removing paint and surface rust. They look like a disk shaped super tuf scotch brite pad with a drill mandrel attached. I use them in an air powered drill to do most of my metal cleanup. They don't look like they will last, but it's amazing how much rust, scale, and paint that you can remove with them before they get too small to continue with. I use the edge of the disk for smaller work and sometimes use the flat end of it when doing large flat surfaces. For me they do a better job than flap disks because the flap disks clog with paint too quickly.CharleyMiller MM252Miller Bobcat 225NTMiller DialArc HF / DIY Cooler2 Victor O/A TorchsetsMilwaukee 8" Metal SawMilwaukee Dry Cut "Chop" Saw 5 Ton Wallace Gantry Various Grinders, Benders, etc.
Reply:Go with the TanneriteLincoln WeldanPower AC/DCSmith Oxy/Propane SetupVarious cheap - quality tools..  ;-)
Reply:If the paint is that hard to get off are you really concerned about it peeling off later?GravelThe difference between theory and practice is that in theory there is no difference.
Reply:So I went with the tannerite... Kidding - I shamelessly stole that off the internet. Apparently it was a gas line explosion. I hope nobody was around when it lit off.I filled on flap disk with paint before deciding that wasn't the route to go. Ultimately I've settled on what Gavel said - if I can't get it off, it's not liable to fall off later. This project probably won't outlive me anyway, so... I'm doing what I can with where I'm at. I did scuff it up some to help the high-temp paint stick but we'll see how well that stuff bonds. The rattle can stove paint doesn't seem to be holding up so well. It doesn't say to cure it but I hope it hardens with heat. Rustoleum may be better but I didn't want to mess with trying to cure something this size and difficult to heat/cool with any level of control. Por15 high-temp looks good but I am afraid this will rust from the inside out even if it has fancy $50 paint on it. Anyone have paint suggestions?
Reply:Scuffing is a good idea. Like you said, it promotes adhesion.The hi-temp stuff should bond fairly well.To cure it I would wait a couple days after spraying and bring the pit up to about 300-350 degrees for an hour or so.  Let is sit for a couple more days and it should be fine (as good as it is going to get).As far as rusting from the inside, apply plenty of oil (vegetable, corn, whatever) while you are heating it and after you have stopped heating it.  This is kind of like seasoning cast iron cookware.  You can search on seasoning a skillet and find several million hits. GravelThe difference between theory and practice is that in theory there is no difference.
Reply:some inspiration for you.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...ghlight=fafnirLove my smoker! just wish I had more time to use it. lol. still haven't painted it. Kinda don't see the point any more. It stays in under cover when not in use anyway. and when it is in use the rain doesn't stay on it long anyway.Last edited by ThorsHammer; 08-21-2014 at 07:57 PM.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Bump...where's the update?There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Been busy finishing and then using it!Cutting the door.Door hinges welded on.Door opening reinforcement frame. I used this to hold the gasket later on. Helps stabilize the thin-walled barrel too. I used 1/8" x 2" flat bar. The radius was precision bent with a cheap bench vise and an amateur weldor/welder/glue gunner hanging on it. Firebox chimney.Firebox door, similar gasket frame as the top has, and chimney.
Reply:Firebox chimney protruding into the foodbox.Bedrails to hold the firebox's firebox.304 stainless rack 3/16" lengthwise and 5/16" front to back. I didn't want it to sag under the weight of a turkey but I think I over-engineered it a little. The heat from tacking it together bent it a little and I've taken some of the distortion out by standing on it. I guess it'll hold a turkey. Or two.I want to add more 3/16" to close up the spaces a bit but haven't had the time or material to do so.Railroad spike handle. I figure if it gets too hot it'll keep people from snooping.A little long in the legs at 6' tall but I cut the legs down later. I didn't know how the fit-up on the legs would go so I planned to size them after attaching.
Reply:Your standard food-grade pipe from somewhere. Previously used for something else. Now pressed into service as a chimney.I figured I'd experiment fish-mouthing two sections together so I could leave it outside in the weather if necessary.I was pleased with the fit-up given that I only used an angle grinder and a permanent marker on the end of the pipe. The hole I did cut with a hole saw but had enough problems doing so I almost should have used the angle grinder. Or a hammer. Not the best night in the shop.Not the best welds I've made on this project but better than some.
Reply:Firebox... firebasket... firebox boxRoom for a couple though I only have one built so far. Lesson learned on this side project: Ordering material after 3am may result in math errors. The corner angle is 1/4" instead of 1/8" - beefy! Handle pieces.Handles handled
Reply:A half-coat of paint on the outside and oil sprayed all over inside looks a bit like this.I lit it up the night before for a burn-in. The top end is off while I loaded the heat defuser.Another photo of the firebasket... firebox... firewhatever.Progress! Just a few more things - like wheels! It's very awkward to move without wheels and the neighbors probably don't appreciate it when I screeeeeeeeeeeech it across the driveway at 2am.  (I've been using the hand truck to avoid that problem in the meantime)
Reply:Let's see the meat!Turkey breast and a beef pot roast. I had to run off to work after firing up so my wife did all the work.This is the next I saw of it so not much to say for how it looked prior to this. Tasted great and just in time for out-of-town-guests!It sounds like the next challenge is to get the temp up higher and faster. We barely broke 100F temping the meat after four hours and in the interest of food safety and finishing before the guests showed up she finished it in the oven. I will try more fuel in the bottom next time and see if I can crank it up. Suggestions welcome.
Reply:I had trouble getting heat in to mine after I built it. Here's what seem to help air flow into fire box and a damner on the smoke stack on cooking chamber those to in combination is the ticket a good coal base as well. Maybe add another tube from fire box to chamber. My thoughts.
Reply:Looks real good!
Reply:It looks nice, it's sturdy, and probably didn't cost much to build. I lkke it, especially the fact that you can remove the heads so you can fully access the inside.As Gavo said, you could get the heat up with an additional pipe going from the firebox to the cooking chamber and a dampener on the exhaust stack. You should be able to get to 300 F without a problem. Another thing to think about is ambient temperature and wind. Both will severely limit your ability to reach a high temperature because the barrels have thin walls and the pipe between them acts as a heat exchanger. Shortening the pipe will help as well.These barrel smokers are great but big smokers are built with 3/16" - 3/8" wall pipe or tanks. This is what allows them to cook at a more stable temperature. Don't get me wrong though, the big ones are also effected by wind.GravelThe difference between theory and practice is that in theory there is no difference.
Reply:I don't contain my fire to a box, the whole bottom barrel is lined with fire brick so I can get it 350 easy. but I will say there's no shame in finishing in the oven. it is a method used to help keep the smoke flavor from being over powering.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:I see that you have the heat from fire box in line with the exhaust stack  so most of your heat went up the stack.
Reply:Originally Posted by gxbxcI see that you have the heat from fire box in line with the exhaust stack  so most of your heat went up the stack.
Reply:How are you regulating airflow/heat right now? I don't see any intake venting in the fire box, no damper on the fire box, and no damper on the cook chamber.also, if you extend you exhaust pipe down below the cooking area, it will keep the cooking area hotter as  the heat has to fill the cook chamber first before it can exit out the exhaust. my double stack exhaust comes out of the cook chamber well below the cooking grill.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:It is setup as a reverse flow. The picture with the barrel heads off shows it.GravelThe difference between theory and practice is that in theory there is no difference.
Reply:No gravel in the eight picture it shows a rack on the bottom not a not a plateOriginally Posted by gxbxcNo gravel in the eight picture it shows a rack on the bottom not a not a plate
Reply:Yea your right I looked again . dant would know for sure
Reply:It is set up as a reverse flow. I have a 3/16 plate in the cooking chamber that runs 4" shy of the entire length. It's not a perfect fit but judging from smoke circulation I suspect the air is moving around pretty well.Besides... what could go wrong with more testing I do realize the thicker the walls the better the temperature regulation but this is the first time and I learned lots which was half of the reason to build this in the first place. All told I'm at about $120-$140 into materials for this smoker if you count the wheels that haven't been added and some donated 1/4" angle for legs.I have some firebrick left over from an old fireplace I want to try slipping into the bottom. I'd also thought about two pipes from the firebox to the cooking chamber but am reluctant for two reasons: everything is covered in oil, and the first pipe-to-cooking chamber welds turned out to be the most difficult when the barrels were separate. I'll see what modifications I'll need to make later but am hoping more pipe-to-thin-walled-barrel isn't required for this project.As for air regulation I just have the bung open on the firebox now. I have plans to cut some different inlets like these once I get some more time. I can't find the source of this photo now but the spring handles are unrelated to the air intakes from what I remember.Thanks for the suggestions everyone. This would have been far more difficult without the shared experience of those that have gone before me.Last edited by DanT; 09-02-2014 at 11:09 AM.
Reply:that's a nice easy inlet set up to make. the thing I use the most on mine are the intake into the fire box, and the dampers between the fire box, and the cook chamber. I've got defuser plates over both inlets and only have a total of about 4" of space total on either side of the defuser plates. I typically have one damper completely shut (directly above the fire, I usually have the fire in the back of the fire box as my door is on the end of the drum not the side like yours) with the other one open. I will also cap off the exhaust from the cooking chamber on one side (typically the side with the damper that's open) effectively making a reverse flow.just the bungs open is not enough air coming in to get higher temps. if I need higher temps (typically smoke chicken at around 300) I'll have the bungs out, the vents open and the door cracked to maintain 300*. These are not set it and forget it smokers, they need to be babysat and adjusted regularly to keep temps even.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger