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If you have the patience, you can drill holes in the straps and weld through them to the door to keep the heat down and to keep your straps from bending up as your welds cool. That's how I am doing my current build. Hogaboomer has also gone that route with success. Here's a pic showing the straps, ...

If you have the patience, you can drill holes in the straps and weld through them to the door to keep the heat down and to keep your straps from bending up as your welds cool. That's how I am doing my current build. Hogaboomer has also gone that route with success. Here's a pic showing the straps, ...

I used PAM also but whatever you decide to use just remember to put a very light coat on everything or it tends to get really messy. Thanks for the tip. BTW I welded cut the hinge and bent the 1/2" round stock into the shape needed for my hinges. I also cut and mounted the straps to each door but d...

Personally, I would NOT burn it out. Your tank is clean. A burn is going to mean you have to clean the soot out of it yet again to get it back to clean. You are not putting food directly on the tank and it will be sealed with a nice layer of cooling oil and smoke after your initiation burn-in. Obvi...

I will politely disagree with the “thumbs up” on a post. Kinda reminds me of high school where we all voted for the prom king and queen because they were popular kids. Didn’t really mean anything and the majority of the student body never even had a chance. Kinda nice that EVERYONE on this site has...

Cole Leffert wrote: ↑

October 1st, 2020, 2:41 pm

I have never noticed the flashing banner until now! Now all I notice is the flashing banner!!! Thanks!

You are welcome! I sometimes keep this site on a second monitor and it drives me mad catching my eye!

Hey guys, I am new to this site and can't thank everyone here enough for the advice and guidance ive gotten over the past couple of months. This site has such a wealth of information on it. I feel like its a diamond in the ruff as far as internet forums go. I used to be on staff (nonpaid) at a forum...

Agreed....painful process. On the bright side, everything will weld much easier now and the only thing you have to do to the interior before cooking is oil it. Ya i hope so. The tank has no smell and the inside is clean but i think im still going to burn it out this weekend just to be safe. I just ...

So that was fun...I spent the evening on a date with my grinder and a wire wheel grinding the entire inside of the tank. I put a fan inside the tank to blow the dust butts out and use d a shop vac to catch the dust that settled at the bottom. After i was done, it came out looking really good though!...

I got the supports welded onto the inside of the second door and got it cut out! IMG_1557.jpeg IMG_1553.jpeg IMG_1558.jpeg IMG_1554.jpeg This was how I welded the supports onto the inside of the door. IMG_1559.jpeg Its starting to look like a smoker! Next step is to take a wire wheel to the inside o...

So as I mentioned in my previous post that I managed to bend the top and bottom of the tank back to square. Now the door fits like a glove. Before: IMG_1491.jpeg After: 62299594634__4E0610A0-4179-4C1F-BDA0-9C34955B690E.jpeg I was talking with my dad about how the turnbuckle method failed because the...

dacolson wrote: ↑

September 28th, 2020, 9:46 am

did you have those supports in before or after you made your cuts?

After. I put them in when I welded the d-rings in there and pulled on it with the turnbuckle and left them in there when I went to Plan B.

Got the top and bottom of the tank to be perfectly straight! Ill post an update tonight on how I did it. I got some help from my dad and think it will help others. Here are some pics of the straightened edges. 7E3E1103-571A-424A-A29F-EF70D41751B3_1_105_c.jpeg F20981F7-EF25-4451-90C2-935F0524E79D_1_1...

I spent a bit of time tweaking my door to get it to fit pretty tight but keep in mind the flanges add another layer of deviation from the perfect seal. Unless you use a ring roller, you will not get an absolutely perfect arch to your straps. A 0.125 gasket will crush where it needs to and remain fu...

E82D1670-BFE1-4D17-BFB1-AA449ECC4496.jpeg I never did a full build thread....pictures used to be pretty time consuming to post and I just never went back to do it. Did your tank or doors warp at all? Was the gap between the doors consistent all the way around or is the gasket compressed in some pla...

It’s self-adhesive. Just peal off the plastic strip and stick it down. Make sure the metal is super clean-I think they recommend alcohol- before you apply it and for it to sit under pressure for 24 hours before you introduce heat. It has been on my pit for over 4 years and I’ve had no issues with i...

Dirtytires wrote: ↑

September 24th, 2020, 10:32 am

Yes, you still need a gasket. I used flat felt 0.25 wide by 0.125 thick self adhesive on mine and it has worked awesome. You can find them on the sister site here or google lavalock gaskets.

I know it is self adhesive but did you have to use any glue with it or did it stick fine on its own?

Too much stored energy in the tank.....never going to stay straight unless you relieve that tension. You gave it a good shot but some forces you just can’t overcome. Leave it and put a gasket on your door. I was going to take my weed burner or an Oxy torch to the tank to correct that bow in the tan...

Maybe hit it w a torch for a second or three? Got a weed burner coming Tuesday and am going to try that. I dont have an oxy torch but if that doesnt work, it looks like ill be investing in one. BTW i really wish this forum had a 'like' feature for each post. I really miss that for other forums I a ...

I’m with you thjm. I really like that semi rusted burned paint look. It’s a hard compromise though. It can go from cool looking to a rust bucket over a couple winters. I guess it’s part of the obsession though. Touch up, refurbishing, refinishing just give you a reason to get out and pay the old gi...

Best rust prevention is to sandblast it and paint it. Store it inside or at least out of the weather, especially in winter months. Keep the ashes cleaned out and the cook chamber scraped after EVERY cook and It will last forever. The oil on the outside looks cool for a while but will need to be re-...

I would for sure. You’ve probably still got traces of mercaptan/propane in there. We’re you planning on stripping the paint? A hot fire helps loosen it all. I’ve built a log fire and I’ve used a propane weed burner. Weed burner is more accurate if you are loosening paint but the log fire is easier....

I have been told that I need to make a big, hot fire in the empty tank to burn it out after I get the doors cut out. Is this recommended here?

Boston wrote: ↑

September 15th, 2020, 10:02 am

Here is one that uses a folding stack, not sure if it will help or not, but it might give you some ideas. Its the Mack Upgrade thread, on page 2.

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=7297&start=25

That smoker came out looking really good!

I remember the guy having temp issues but I don't recall the name of the build thread, it was a RF not a traditional offset. You can increase the length of the 8'' stack a little bit and put a damper on it to slow the draw if you need to. Its good to know that it was a RF and not a traditional offs...