Oil drum cutting

[aametalmaster]

Plus a saw has some sparking going on inside the motor with the brushes at least every one i ever ran did. It isn't safe in a vapor area...Bob

[1930case]

Build bonfire pile, throw de-bunged barrel onto it, light pile so you can take cover before it hits barrel, cook barrel.

Retrieve toasted barrel next day. It's gonna be heated anyway, and fire is a fine cleanser.

[Wild Turkey]

I needed to repair a gas tank off my tractor. Flushed with water adn soap twice, rinsed couple more times, put about a gallon of water in 15 gallon tank, added several pounds of dry ice.

Water + dry ice means nice fog coming out holes. Brazed safely.

Yeah, did it outdoors and waited until fog was slowing down, then tested with long match before I got any closer.

For cutting barrels I'd use a jig saw at slow speed to avoid sparks/heat.

[Daniel]

I needed to repair a gas tank off my tractor. Flushed with water adn soap twice, rinsed couple more times, put about a gallon of water in 15 gallon tank, added several pounds of dry ice.

Water + dry ice means nice fog coming out holes. Brazed safely.

Yeah, did it outdoors and waited until fog was slowing down, then tested with long match before I got any closer.

For cutting barrels I'd use a jig saw at slow speed to avoid sparks/heat.

You tested it with a long match ???
Next time, steam clean it with a degreaser for a while, then purge it and fill it up with inert gas.

[Keith_J]

I like the air saw method. No sparks and you can run it under a shower of water. The only downside to the air saw is the vibration. Run a 24-32 TPI blade, don't force it and all will be fine.

Same thing with an air cut-off wheel. Cut the drum when full of water. Zero chance of explosion as the air inside is displaced.

Yes, your tools will get wet. Spray down with WD-40 and dry in the sun. As long as you keep the air flowing, it won't get inside the tool.

[dkennett]

Rip an oak 2x4 down it's center 12" or so > than the length of the barrel. Nail a length of baling wire 2" or so past the end of the ripped slot.

Saw / grind thru the bung at both ends of barrel, drill 3/8 hole thru each top under each sawn bung, pull wire thru barrel with stiff rod or wire, wrap end of wire around two hand handle, butt end of barrel against the corner of a building or backhoe bucket or dozer blade etc., have a friend hold other end of barrel down & place wire in open end of slot & open like a can of sardines by sharply pulling wire toward butted end of barrel.

This is how we did BBQ barrels when I was in high school.

[bstone5]

Big Pipe Wrench

The top of a barrel can be cut out with a big pipe wrench and sledge hammer.
Put the edge of the top jaw of the pipe wrench near the rim edge. Hit the pipe wrench jaw with the sledge hammer. The jaw will cut the top out just like a big can opener would open the top. This method is used in the drilling industry. It is still best to fill with water before cutting the top out.

[joulian]

pour some in a container and use an infrared thermometer and slowly heat it till it starts to smoke.


#2 option fill with water and then cut top off ( above water line). With no top even if you cut someone else say in the the middle it won't explode it might flame up....

[raddave211]

the water is the best bet for this solution. lay the barrel on its side and make your cut. i have made cuts in barrels that had gasoline and diesel in them and i had no problems. just be sure to fill the barrel right to the point were you will be making the cuts. keep it simple.

[Goose14]

Food grade

I made my bbq out of 55 gal. drum that had FOOD GRADE mineral oil, filled with water and soap, emptied it then cut with my41/2" grinder with cut off wheel

[1930case]

I got to try the pipe wrench method for the heck of it. Very cool.

I weld hunks of rod to my cold chisels (chisels are cheap, fingers not, and you can bash MUCH harder with better control!) as handles.

There would be no obstacle to using those on a water-filled drum.

Make hole, make fire in drum, no problem.

[dandeman]

Oil Drum Cutting

I agree with the method of filling the drum with water to totally eliminate the vapor flash area...

Many years ago I cut up a 550 gallon gasoline storage tank that had been emptied dry and out of use for about 10 years.

When you fill it completely full of water, you no longer have a vapor area, which is the issue.. and the weight of the water is certainly going to keep the tank immobile, even if there was a flashable vapor in the small area remaining.

Not wanting to even take that chance, I completely filled the tank to the top, first if see if there was any sheen at all on the water from hydro carbons, let it sit for a few days, then flushed a little more water through the top area, and then dropped the water level a very small amount at the top of the tank, next to the open fittings, and made the first cuts to open it up.. Through out the cutting process, I kept as much water as possible in it, even after it was significantly opened up.

With the tank tilted off level a small amount, the vapor area, even when the water level is dropped a bit can still be a very small area.

[beamwalker]

im not the brightest bulb in the kitchen but last one i cut i hot rodded three holes in bottom. was going to be used as trash burn barrel. the screw tops were removed. so if something caught fire and needed to escape there was plenty of air holes for it to do that. the barrel contained 15-40 rotella. i then hot rodded the top off and let residual just burn out. i will NOT cut kerosine and other stuff like that tho

[Doughboyracer]

...the screw tops were removed. so if something caught fire and needed to escape there was plenty of air holes for it to do that...

NOT TRUE...I made a sticks cannon out of a compleatly open top 55 gal drum ONCE...sticks, gas, and light it from a bottom side bung hole..boom...flaming sticks EVERYWHERE. You got lucky.

[beamwalker]

believe me i dont do barrels any more. too dangerous for me