Anyone on hear build their own drum toper/canopener

Z

zach123

Aluminum

Joined

Nov 24, 2008

Location

mn,usa

• Nov 16, 2016

• #1

I have been thinking a drum topper of some sort has got to beat torching and grinding the lids off of 54 gallon drums. I only do 10 or so a year but just don't like the messy job it dose. has anyone built their own.

 

M

moonlight machine

Diamond

Joined

Nov 19, 2007

Location

marysville ohio

• Nov 16, 2016

• #2

Before I bought one on ebay for 10 bucks I used an air chisel. Clean and quick but very loud.

 

S

SteveBausch

Stainless

Joined

Jan 11, 2010

Location

Indianapolis

• Nov 16, 2016

• #3

I've considered a #2 horizontal as a good start on a "can opener" style of drum deheader.

Seriously....

Not sure if a #2 (with table removed) would have 36 inches under the cutters, though.

 

D

DDoug

Diamond

Joined

Oct 18, 2005

Location

NW Pa

• Nov 17, 2016

• #4

earplugs, a 4" wide masonry chisel, and a 2 lb hammer.

Takes all of 2 minutes and leaves a clean edge.

yes there is a learning curve, but why stay dumb all thru life ?

 

E

EJD3

Plastic

Joined

Jan 25, 2016

• Nov 17, 2016

• #5

McMaster has one for relatively short money. I've used these and they work pretty well, and will open a drum quickly and cleanly.

McMaster-Carr

 

H

HuFlungDung

Diamond

Joined

Jan 19, 2005

Location

Canada

• Nov 17, 2016

• #6

EJD3 said:

McMaster has one for relatively short money. I've used these and they work pretty well, and will open a drum quickly and cleanly.

McMaster-Carr

Click to expand...

Much safer than using a torch, too (I would never do this) because you never know if some flammable liquid has been in that barrel..

 

crossthread

Titanium

Joined

Aug 5, 2004

Location

Richmond,VA,USA

• Nov 17, 2016

• #7

I strongly second what huflungdung says. Very dangerous indeed. I had a good friend of mine who ran the marina where I kept my boat kill himself doing that. He was always cutting the tops off drums to make trash cans, cleaning tanks etc. One day he got one that had Johns Manville written on the side. He took off the bung and sniffed it. Nothing. He started to cut and it blew 50 feet in the air. It almost took his head off. His poor wife came running out of the marina house and had to see that. Terrible thing. Never ever put a torch to a drum unless it is completely full of water.

 

A

abarnsley

Titanium

Joined

Mar 24, 2005

Location

Palmer, Alaska

• Nov 17, 2016

• #8

A #2 Mill, can make thousands of proper Drum deheaders...

Why abuse it???

Plenty of proper deheaders available...http://www.vestilmfg.com/products/dhequip/drum_deheader.htm

 

G

Garwood

Diamond

Joined

Oct 10, 2009

Location

Oregon

• Nov 17, 2016

• #9

After I re-attached the last inch of my thumb with super glue I went back to using the torch to open drums.

Those can openers leave a super sharp edge. Sharp enough to cut through thick leather gloves and your thumb.

I can torch a lid off in 15 seconds and it leaves a perfect, non-sharp edge.

 

H

HuFlungDung

Diamond

Joined

Jan 19, 2005

Location

Canada

• Nov 18, 2016

• #10

Garwood said:

After I re-attached the last inch of my thumb with super glue I went back to using the torch to open drums.

Those can openers leave a super sharp edge. Sharp enough to cut through thick leather gloves and your thumb.

I can torch a lid off in 15 seconds and it leaves a perfect, non-sharp edge.

Click to expand...

Yeah, it's fine until the one time it isn't. Pretty hard to cut your finger off with a manual drum deheader.