How to make a 58-1/2 gallon oil drum (learn from my mistakes)

For those who haven't heard about my recent stay at the Burn Unit of Washington Hospital Center, (and the Medivac ride to get there) here is how not to cut the top off an oil drum. My mother was in need of a new burn barrel, so I had asked a local school bus fleet owner if he had any spares. With all the oil changes he does, he buys all of it by the drum. He was fresh out of empty barrels, but had another source. when he did drop off what looked like a brand new oil drum, I mentioned I'd have to get out the hammer and chisel. (someone once told me your first answer is normally the right one) He said he uses a cutting torch on his, and left shortly afterward. My next thought was to go ahead and use the plasma cutter and get it done much quicker, what with all the work I have backlogged. I loaded up the truck and drove down to a friends house to use my plasma cutter. (he had borrowed it to make a rock crawler out of a Suzuki Samauri) We got everything situated, I positioned the torch, and once the purge had completed and as soon as the torch lit, it had already happened. The larger of the two bungs was right in front of me, the exit point for most of the flash. I have never seen motor oil act in this manner, and have had a few people since tell me as well, that it couldn't have been strictly motor oil in the drum. Here is the drum in it's expanded capacity form, and also the extent of how much cutting got done:







Regardless of how the oil should or shouldn't have acted, I can tell you I won't be cutting off any oil drum ends like that again. Getting a barrel third hand, you don't know what could be in there (regardless of label) so don't trust anyone's word on the residue contents, treat it as a worst case scenario and wash it out, purge the vapors, etc, and then fill with water before cutting. Lest you wind up looking like this (or worse)



I'd hate to see this happen to anyone, much less myself, so the least I can do with this time on the mend is to bring some safety awareness to everyone who may find themselves in a similar situation. One of my saving graces was that I was wearing safety glasses and leather gloves, so no finger burns and only singed eyebrows. Please be careful out there.

 

Damn ... get well soon dude.
dave

 

OWOWOWOWOWOW!!! Damn! SO glad you're okay and thanks for the first hand reminder. Now I gotta go try to find my appetite for lunch again.

 

You have realised one of my worst nightmares. Good luck to you, and we can all learn from this.

 

Holy shit. Glad you were not more seriously injured.

 

I'm glad you're still around to write about it, could have been much worse.

 

Holy Crap!!! Glad you're around to tell us about it. That could not have been motor oil in that drum alone. Get well soon and take it easy.

 

Ohhh Owww Damm..I buy the drums that have the removable top..
I hope you heal up alright..Burns hurt so bad. been thru a few fires. My thoughts are with you.

maybe the drain oil had some residual fuel in it?

 

I have to do that this weekend, and I got it third hand, the thing is labeled food safe glycerine (makes soft serve ice cream, soft), that's what seems to be in it... but I think I might fill it with water before I grind the lid off to make a smoker. Thanks.

 

Man .I don't even know what to say...............
Glad your OK.
Our prayers to ya!

 

Nasty. I'm glad you survived.

Friend cut a brake line with torch recently. Surprising amount of flame for such a small amount of liquid. He was also burned, but nothing like what happened to you.

Thanks for sharing.

 

Thanks for sharing! You're one lucky dude that the barrel actually contained a bunch of the explosion and didn't fill you full of exploding metal pieces. You could easily be dead or very seriously hurt (permanently) . . . guess the big guy was looking out for you!

Best of luck on healing . . .

 

You mention in the description "once the purge completed".......Just what do you mean by that, 'cause to me it sounds like your saying you purged this drum.

I welded up a few motorcycle tanks already and the only water I use is an initial flush of the tank w/ chain dropped into the tank. Then I run an extra line from the argon tank to the filler of the gas tank & duck tape that all tight. From there I open the petcock on the bottom of the tank and feel the argon blowing out of the petcock.

To me, that's purging the dangerous gas tank to be able to weld on it. "I'm kinda lost with what your mentioning about "purge completed" but the tank still blew up.

If the tanks air tight, I definately wouldn't fill it with water & then start welding on it, 'cause the water evaporation would be likely to blow up the tank just like remaining fuel would.

Did you purge that oil drum or just what were you meaning by that if you didn't purge that oil drum with a non-flammable gass.

Carl Hagan

 

Takes a brave man to step up and let others learn from his mistake. Thanks for the reminder. Safty first. Get well soon.

 

Carl, the plasma cutter is an ESAB that purges the air line for about 15 seconds to clear it out before the arc starts. That's the purging I was referring to.

Thanks for all the thoughts/comments guys. Hindsight 20/20 and all that other bs, the only good thing that comes out of something like this is a lesson for all.

 

The upside is that you blew everything inside that barrel up and now can use the plasma cutter on it. Hope you get better soon.

John

 

Thanks for coming back & answering my question. I appreciate you posting this entire post along with pictures.

I just asked because I wanted to make sure I understood.

Get well, man. Carl Hagan

 

That had to have something besides plain Shell motor oil in it. I've cut the top out of dozens of drums exactly like that (they came with new oil in them) with a torch and never had any reaction except sometimes the residual oil in the bottom burns. When I have air available I like to use my air chisel as it makes a clean cut and is quick.
I don't do any anymore as the county I live in has banned burn barrels because of the clean air act and the chance of burning the place down if something blows out of the barrel when it is burning. Old stove shelves make good grates for the top though.

Hope those burns heal quick and well, that looks all too painful from here.

 

I'm glad you were not injured worst, good luck in your recovery. I took a couple years of auto body training at a vo-tech school in the 70's during high school when a kid took a cutting torch to an empty 55 gallon drum that had contained laquer thinner. The drum hit the ceiling but no one was hurt. The school of hard knocks strikes again.

 

Sorry you had to learn this the hard way....

This is the EXACT reason they make an over grown can opener to remove the tops of these drums, We have one at work to cut the tops out so we can use the cans for others purposes.

Hope you heal soon !

 

crap man, that ain't good..Glad your ok...I have never tried cutting a barrel...but did braze up a gas tank that was 90% full of water..The 10% of fumes that was left ,came out of that filler spout like a dragon spittin' nitro car...
good thing i wasn't leanin' into it..
scared the crap outta me...

get well, you just used up ONE of your 9 lives.

1939fiat

 

man

get well bro

Im nursing some deep burns right now

it sucks

 

The old " oil don't act that way" line has killed a lot of people over the years. 20 yrs of wrenching on construction and agricultural stuff leaves you with stories. few years back a farmer North of here was using a 55 gallon barrel from hydraulic oil as a welding stand, struck an arc and when the barrel blew it took the top of his head off just above his eyes. Never trust anything combustable around cutting and welding.

 

damn dude, glad you are around to tell the story.

I use a power shears to cut oil drums. I have a waste oil furnace in my shop, that's how I heat it in the winter, so I am always dealing with oil drums that I pick up from all over the place.

never, ever asume you know what's in or has been in a drum.

I'm even careful unscrewing the bung, when I get it spun finger loose I try to feel if I can sense any pressure, you can get squirted pretty good sometimes just unscrewing the bung.

Sure am glad you're OK.

My gramps used to braze holes in gas tanks for cars & trucks at his station. he'd drop the tank, then take out the sending unit & he'd stick a flex pipe onto the tank filler neck & attach the other end of the flex pipe to the tailpipe on his pickup. He'd let the truck run & purge the tank with carbon monoxide for quite a while before he started brazing. He'd leave the truck running for the whole time with exhaust fumes purging out through the sending unit hole, the whole place would clear out before he sparked up the torch.

I always thought gramps was just a little bit crazy for that, never blew anything up tho.

get well soon.

 

46 make sure that the grinder is running on a GFCI circuit so you don't complete the ground and get electricuted

MP&C - GLAD you posted this, you don't know how many people you have saved from pain & death.

 

I think this pretty well covers the subject!

 

As bad as it was to experience and as bad as the burn looks, really glad nothing more serious happened. I had a drum like that a few years back and I decided not to take the risk and gave it away. Looking back, I wouldn't have used a plasma cutter, but probably would have done something dumb anyway.

Glad to have you here and glad you decided to share your experience with us. Might actually save a life.

 

WOW, glad you survived !! There was a similar episode years ago near where I lived, guy went to cut barrel top with AOx torch. Barrel head separated(explosively) took top 2/3 of the guy's head off!!!! EMT's said it was a grim scene...............Hope evryone reading your post will warn their friends,etc.

 

I think a plasma flame is significantly hotter than an oxy torch flame. Could explain the difference.

 

Dude, that made my nuts hurt!