SF Bay Area - I Have A 16gal Oil Drum For You If You Can Help Me

Susan_in_SF

Susan_in_SF

Wood and Metal Goddess
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Jul 18, 2017
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Hi Guys,
I have in my storage unit 3 empty 16 gallon oil drums, along with a drum deheader. Being a female with RA, I couldn't use the deheader since my wrists aren't strong enough.
If you are confident on how to use these deheaders, and can open up 1, maybe 2, for me (for steel tubing storage), you can take an extra oil drum for yourself, and use the deheader if you want to remove the top.
Here is a pic of the drums:
20190922_195755.jpg
Btw, although I don't have a pic on my phone, I also have a, I think, truck crane for anyone interested in buying for super cheap. It's painted camoflouge and is one if those things you mount onto your truck bed and has a short hydraulic ram on it.
If anyone us interested in it, message me, and I will go to my unit to take a pic and find out the tonnage rating.

Thanks!
Susan
 
If you can't find anyone to cut the heads for you, I cut them with a cold chisel. I start the cut and just walk the chisel around the perimeter. Once cut, I tap any protrusions down with a ball peen hammer. It on;ly takes a few minutes and leave a clean edge.
 
RJSakowski said:
If you can't find anyone to cut the heads for you, I cut them with a cold chisel. I start the cut and just walk the chisel around the perimeter. Once cut, I tap any protrusions down with a ball peen hammer. It on;ly takes a few minutes and leave a clean edge.
Click to expand...
Thanks RJ. So, when you say cold chisel, you mean just a chisel and hammer?
 
Susan_in_SF said:
Thanks RJ. So, when you say cold chisel, you mean just a chisel and hammer?
Click to expand...

Yes,
Make sure the you have fresh edge on the chisel. It doesn't take a lot of force to cut through that thin metal. I angle the chisel about 45º to the vertical and use the previous pass as a guide for the chisel. A two lb. hammer works great but a lighter one will work as well. The cut will just be shorter.
 
Be careful of cutting the drums depending on what was originally in them. If it was oil it's is probably ok , but if it was something as volatile as gasoline it could blow up. Old barrels that have contained flammable ingredients are dangerous when empty. They can contain just the right mixture of oxygen and fuel to be explosive. Back in the sixties my friend lost his dad when fighting a fire . An empty 55 gallon in a shed blew up.
 
My brother's buddy was badly burned cutting onto a large propane tank he presumed was so old all the gas was gone.
I know water is especially precious in CA so you could fill the first tank and empty into the second, etc to make sure all possible explosives have safely wafted away. You may need that hoist to lift 16 gallons of water though...
 
I found a Model T gas tank in a field. Probably been there for decades. No smell of gasoline. Had rust in and out. Took a torch to it to open it up. And holly s**t, flames came out of it! Didn’t hurt myself, just the underwear! And it taught me a lesson!
 
WOW. Seriously. Thanks for the warnings. Despite the flammable stickers on the drums, I just removed the caps on top to let the drums air out when I first got them, and thought they were fine for cutting open.

I think I will take them home, partially fill with water, and empty them out several times before attempting any cutting.

I appreciate all your comments.

Thanks,
Susan
 
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