Cutting into an oil drum

[Ryan Mcdermott]

I have a drum that used to have motor oil in it. It still has a
little bit of motor oil in it. I wish to remove the top of this drum.

How can I do this safely, preferably without blowing my face off or
becoming dead?

-Ryan M

[Ryan Mcdermott]

Err, and yes, I have googled. Prevailing opinions seem to be:

1) Fill it with water
2) Fill it with water
3) Use an air hammer or air shears
4) Don't do it. Idiot.

I'm asking for your guys' opinions as an additional data point.

Also, if I fill it with water first, what do I do with all of the now
dirty water? I can't just pour it out, can I?

Like pouring it down the alley behind the lab would be a total asshole
move, right?

-Ryan

[Jasper Nance]

Its oil, not gas right? I don't think it will blow up if its just oil.

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Creative and Scientific Imagery
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[Brian Aday]

Oil won't provide an explosive hazard. I would use the electric shears we have at HeatSync.

[Ryan Mcdermott]

Okay, that's what I'm reading too.

Also some people are suggesting an air chisel. I don't suppose we
have one of those around, do we?

-Ryan

[Ben Humpherys]

I don't believe we have an air compressor to power an air chisel.

[Brian Aday]

I have a portable compressor I will loan when needed. The air chisel will leave a rougher finish. If it is too thick for the shear you can cut it with a metal blade in a sabre saw.  It all depends on what finish you are going for.  Other alternatives are a cutoff wheel in a grinder or a saws-all. What are you making out of it?

[Ryan Mcdermott]

My friend Alyson wants to make a steel drum (the musical instrument) out of it.

More googling shows lots of people who are dead because they tried
exactly this. If I knew for 100% certain that it was /just/ oil that
was ever put into this thing, and not "durr hurr, need somewhere to
dump this $other_thing", then I'd go for a cutting wheel or something.
(Or plasma, if we had it :-P)

I think I'll just go for a big hammer, and a cold chisel...

[Ryan Mcdermott]

Err, if we had an air shears, or an air chisel, that would be fine
(and safe) too, but it sounds like we don't.

Assuming there was some $scary_explosive_stuff in the barrel that we
didn't know about, an electric shears poses an explosion hazard,
doesn't it? Sparks from the electric motor or something?

(I realize I'm probably being overly cautious here...)

[John Norman]

You never want to use a torch or plasma cutter on a container that has held anything remotely flammable. The bit of oil that's left clinging to the insde can flash into a fuel/air vapor that will then explode.

The safest way to open up a drum is to get a drum deheader. You can optionally burn out the drum to clean it once deheaded.  You can get one here:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200317597_200317597

Failing that, I'd use a sawzall and a metal cutting blade. It's probably OK as is, but you can fill it with water (displaces all the air, thus preventing any chance of explosion) to be safe. If you cleaned it out with a bit of detergent first, there shouldn't be much in the way of oil left  when you fill it up for cutting.


Arclight

[Robert Bell]

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/grd/3264745994.html

Steel Drum 55 gallon Food Grade - $28 (Price/Broadway)

---

Date: 2012-09-11, 9:40AM MST
Reply to this post rxcpx-32...@sale.craigslist.org ^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}

---

Food grade 55 gallon steel drum/barrel with lever locking top that fully opens. Closes air tight. These are blue with white lids and had only food grade contents in bladder. Insides are perfectly clean. Outsides in great condition (only used once). Perfect for keeping mice out of your storable items. Many great uses with no risk of chemical contamination.

Key words: storage drum 55 gallon pet food corn rice wheat burn barrel racing smoker water tank long term storage cattle livestock feed tents camping charcoal.

I CURRENTLY HAVE 4 AVAILABLE 9/11/2012. 

• Location: Price/Broadway
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 3264745994

[Mike Bushroe]

Ryan,

   It should have an opening, a bung hole. Open it ands sniff. If you smell any thing like oil, then it can be washed out with gasoline or water with dish soap. If it smells like gasoline or kerosene, then go straight to soapy water. Once the hard to evaporate oils are gone, the gasoline will evaporate rapidly if it is left open out in the sun. A few days drying out and another soapy water rinse and you should no longer be able to smell any kind of hydrocarbons. At this point, it will be safe from metal on metal sparks, but not from a plasma torch. I recommend the electric sheet metal shears mentioned above, or a metal cutting blade in a saber saw or saws all.

   If you truly have your heart set on cutting with the plasma, you must first burn off any residual hydrocarbon sludge. Attach an air compressor or leaf blower to metal water pipe smaller than the bung hole and insert the metal pipe (preferably with an elbow and 2 feet of spacer before connecting to rubber hose) into the bung hole to blow out the vapors as you go. This will prevent an explosive air fuel mixture from building up. Another precaution is to do what no sane person would think of doing, toss a lit road flare into before you start heating to burn off any vapors while they are still cold and not so explosive. Then, while the flare is still burning, pump in air and run a large propane torch along the line you intend to plasma. This will cook off anything on the inside the might burn or explode, and burn it or blow it out before it has a chance to build up. Once you have heated the whole path hot enough to flake off the paint (doesn't need to glow, just slightly discolor) there should be nothing left to burn off when you cut it with the plasma. I would still use the forced air when cutting with the plasma to keep any remaining vapors well dispersed.

  Or just cut it with a saws all.


Mike

On Tuesday, September 11, 2012 5:51:42 PM UTC-7, Ryan "gibson_" wrote:

[Ryan Mcdermott]

We opted for the "bash the living shit out of it with a hammer and a
chisel" method

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hslphotosync/7978910051/in/photostream/lightbox/

[Brian Aday]

So the problem is solved? I looked at it today, it is too thick for the shear. 

[Ryan Mcdermott]

Yeah, problem solved.

We just needed the top off; I'm sure you saw our smash job on that if
you saw the drum. The issue was not knowing for 100% certain what was
in the drum. It says oil, it's probably just oil, but it was
something we bought on craigslist...

We took a cold chisel and a drilling hammer to it. This is safe, and
also affords us the opportunity to beat the living hell out of
something with a hammer; always a good time.

Next step is using some kitty litter to soak up the little bit of oil
left in the bottom, and scrubbing the hell out of it to get it clean.

Then we can cut it with an angle grinder.

-Ryan

[RGBEES New zealand]

it seams it is very dangerous thing to do  filling with water is best   if you have many to do 

water from one to other 

[Ryan Mcdermott]

Wow, this is an OLD thread.

Here's older Ryan with some advice.  Just don't mess with drums that had anything in them that even MIGHT be explosive.

Buy one that has a removable top.  That way no cutting is involved.  Bonus is that you can put the top back on when you come home from camping and all the ashes will stay in the barrel.

If you absolutely 100% MUST cut into some unknown barrel, fill it with water first and cut it while it is still full (Full!!) of water.

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[John Strelow]

Fill it with water... then cut while its full... the lid I could see being "ok" and what or how after?  I want to remove the lid and cut it in half... after filling it cutting lid when cutting in half I foresee the water coming out and while using an electrically plugged in grinder now I could get shocked? just asking

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[Bart Hull]

After you have lid off, drain water and wipe down with towel. Open drums are ok if something is left and ignites due to grinder or saw. Closed drums are bombs when they ignite.

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[cpr...@gmail.com]

This thread is now over 7 years old and is old enough to attend 2nd grade. Is there any reason it got resurrected?

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[Jasper Nance]

No reason not to add to the wisdom pool!

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[indigoredster]

I got some good info from it. I have several barrels waiting to be used. -Lee 

[Ryan Mcdermott]

Re: electricity: use an air tool.