So today I repositioned the slides for the charcoal basket. Now it works like it should. The FB is basically done until I get it married to the CC. The only welding work left will be the supports for the wheels and axle and he handle. I will be moving back to working on the CC. The next task will be to fit he BP. Couple questions about the grease drain. Should I put it in the middle or near the end opposite from the FB? Is 1 1/4" pipe big enough?
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I'm in a good place right now....not emotionally I'm at the liquor store
Learning generally boils down to "Repetition or the avoidance of pain", some people learn by doing, some by watching and some just have to pee on the electric fence.
Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right. Henry Ford
I put the drain on the end of the BP next to the grease dam. That size pipe would be fine for the grease but it may get plugged up if you have any chunks fall in there, I would use 2''
So pondering areas to paint. Do you guys generally leave inside the FB and CC bare metal or do you paint? I'm almost at the point I have to consider that. Was thinking of installing the fire brick in the FB. Should I paint under where the brick will be or leave it bare?
Thanks for all the great comments guys
I'm in a good place right now....not emotionally I'm at the liquor store
Leave it bare. The paint will give off fumes and junk. In the CC the seasoning will keep it from rusting and nothing can beat bare metal in the FB but fire brick of course.
Making memories!
Current Smokers: Backyard RF Offset and Hybrid RF Offset trailer rig with Cowboy cooker and fish fryer, always room for more........
Got the baffle plate cut and fit. Worked out pretty good given the odd curvature inside the head of the chamber. Minor gap to fill. I had to put it in in two pieces since there was no way it would go in the opening in one piece. PITA. I'm going to wind up with about 3 1/2" gap from the baffle to the bottom of the lower grate. Now need to install the plumbing for the grease drain and build a grease dam at the throat end. Then finish all the welding. I think I've had enough for today time to clean up and have a beer!
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I'm in a good place right now....not emotionally I'm at the liquor store
Tim Brann » Today, 9:43 am
I think I've had enough for today time to clean up and have a beer!
I'm impressed. You clean up before having a beer. I just open the fridge and grab a frostie. Grease marks on the bottle is a sign it was a after work beer.
Learning generally boils down to "Repetition or the avoidance of pain", some people learn by doing, some by watching and some just have to pee on the electric fence.
Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right. Henry Ford
Today I got the grease drain welded into the BP. I went with 1 1/2" NPS pipe instead of 2". I had the pipe in my stock so just easier that way. The BP is still just sitting in the CC so was contemplating my next move. I'm going to use 3/4" x 1/8" cold rolled flat bar on edge to make the dam at the throat end. Then I got to thinking what if I made the flat bar run around the entire perimeter of the BP that way I wouldn't have to seal welding the BP to the CC. I figure that weld will do some serious distortion to the CC because of how thin it is. The BP fits well enough that just floating in there it would still seal adequate relative to the heated air. What do you guys think about that?
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I'm in a good place right now....not emotionally I'm at the liquor store
Have you double checked the BP gap because it looks like it's too small, it could just be the picture making it look that way. A few guys have made the BP removable but you have to have a grease dam at the throat or you risk have a runaway grease fire.
So on the BP Gap I struggled with figuring how much to cut. I used the cut out piece from the throat opening on the FB as a template. The problem is the curvature of the head makes it impossible to use it the same as the cut out on the FB. Any suggestions on how I measure what I've got now to determine the sq. in. area? Petes calculator advises I need 41 sq. in. for the throat on the FB to CC. From what I've read on these forums the BP throat should be the same or slightly less than the FB to CC throat. Correct me if I'm wrong.
The plan as far as the grease dam is to have it run the full perimeter of the top of the BP. I can't put a dam at the FB throat because that will throw off the throat area size.
I'm in a good place right now....not emotionally I'm at the liquor store