Dangers cutting barrel?

ldj · Jun 28, 2008

I have a 55 gal drum that had a light weight fogger oil in it. I want to cut it open with a reciprocating saw. Is there a danger of it causing a spark and blowing up. I wouldn't even be thinking about it if it had had gasoline in it
L.D.

thurlow · Jun 28, 2008

Sometimes in the late '60s, an employee at the local JD dealership was killed while cutting into a barrel; it blew up from the unknown oil residue in it.

DickL · Jun 28, 2008

I use a large cold chisel and a good sizes hammer. You can walk the chisel around the top of a 55 gallon drum in about 5 minutes. A place I worked back in the late 50's early 60's I had to cut the tops out of at least two acetone drums a week. They used them for trash drums and when they were to heavy to dump the trash guy just pushed them off the back of the truck.

RodinNS · Jun 28, 2008

I dunno what fogger oil is....
I spose there's always a danger. There is in everything. Likelyhood of it blowing is low I would think...
If I was worried about it I'd probably fill it with water and then cut it. Keep in mind that it's the vapors that will explode, not the liquid. Even dropping a match in a bucket of gasoline is unlikely to cause a fire, but an empty bucket full of vapor could blow quite easily. It's all about the mixture in the air. It must have a certain percentage along with the right percentage of air (it's volatile range) before it will explode. A mixture on the high (rich) side of it's volatile range will not explode any more than an overly lean one... got to be just right.
So, always be careful... but I'd probably cut it.

Rod

jimNCal · Jun 28, 2008

Always a crapshoot when cutting a tank or barrel. Liquids don't burn but the vapors do. Although a reciprocating saw usually doesn't make enough speed to cause sparks, it does create enough heat to vaporize the liquid in a vessel. If you can fill the barrel with CO2 before you start cutting, you'll be better off.

Anonymous-0 · Jun 28, 2008

Highly unlikely with a recip. saw. They don't operate fast enough. In fact you should put oil in the path of the blade. Any thing that makes a lot of heat and sparks would be more dangerous especially a torch. The oil needs to be fogged to mix it with air to explode or it has to contain volitile aromatics as a component of the oil.

Bob · Jun 28, 2008

Fill it with water.

old · Jun 28, 2008

As Bob says or throw it in a brush fire with both bung holes open. Be sure if you fire it that your out in the open because if it starts to burn it may take off like a rocket and fly a few yards. BTDT on old fuel tanks that I wanted to cut up and doing it I have never had any problem but I also don't stand close and watch either just in case one would blow apart
Hobby farm

moonlite 37 · Jun 28, 2008

I have a big cold chisel and used it to cut open lots of tanks. Much faster than a saw or torch. Need about a 3 pound hammer. You qould have the job finished quicker than you could fill with water or roll up torch hoses.

Anonymous-0 · Jun 28, 2008

I have a openner if you need it and are near NE IA.
Simple answer is why take a chance?--just fill it full of water and cut as others have stated. You can jump from a four story building and survive also, but why try? Telling your wife you have a young hot girlfriend, you may also survive, yet again why try to test the odds? I'm a old man, and do you have any idea how many times I've heard--just never figured that could of happened!

Just vapors from a barrel of form oil took the roof off a precast building years ago and killed one guy. That was just the fumes from a bung being left open in a very large building. If I recal correct the two big overhead doors were open at the time.

ldj · Jun 28, 2008

Thanks for all the info. Chisel is out because I'm cutting it length wise to make a BBQ grill. I have cut tops out with chisel and it's easy.
L.D.

Mark FL · Jun 28, 2008

In the 60's my brother just got his first welder and cutting torch and cut a 55 gallon barrel open with the torch. The barrel exploded, the lid blew off, nicked his forehead, and flew about 200 yards. He was young and didn't know any better. He had some stitches but was alright. He bought the barrel at a farm sale and didn't know what had been in it. We learned the hard way to Always filled the barrels with water.

Wardner · Jun 28, 2008

I can't comment on cutting a barrel with an oil residue that is unknown to me. However, I have cut more than thirty 275 gallon domestic oil tanks with an oxy-propane torch. I cut them length wise and use the halves to store coal and fire wood. They are also good for sorting and storing scrap metal.

They all have at least five gallons of sludge and liquid oil residue. Sometimes a fire about the size of a dinner plate will start. I zap it with a CO2 fire extinguisher thru the bung hole and continue. These are all fresh tanks recently taken out of service.

If your barrel blows up, I think it is safe to say that "your mileage may vary".

I never would have considered torching a tank until I talked to the burner at a fuel tank recyling facility. He had been doing it for years and never had an incident.

Pair-a-dice farms · Jun 28, 2008

I don't know what fogger oil is either but, if I'd filled it with water and was using a recip saw, I'd be more worried about electrical shock than I would be of an explosion. If I was going to use a cutting torch water is fine. I've done that lots of times, just leave the plugs open.

Anonymous-0 · Jun 28, 2008

The only way to open a barrel is with hammer and chisel.Never use a torch.Its called explosions in extremly lean mixtures and usually kills someone.Water is hydrogen and oxygen.Torch is more oxygen.

parisspringstom · Jun 28, 2008

I cut a barrel into that had the propane or natural gas oderant in it by filling it with water and using an arc welder to cut it length wise a little on either side at a time. Arc welder was all I had then.

msb · Jun 28, 2008

Had a neighbor several years ago. He was killed when cutting a barrel open with a torch. Left 4 or 5 small kids.

Anonymous-0 · Jun 28, 2008

i cant count how many 55 gal barrells i have cut over the years that had hyd oil or engine oil in them i always take out the bungs first and cut the tops out of them for trash barrels havent had a explosion yet.

ldj · Jun 28, 2008

Well I'm here to tell you I am typing this and the barrel is cut open. Sure am glad it worked OK.

Anonymous-0 · Jun 28, 2008

Well I think you got the point here, very dangerous thing to even consider without knowing the consequences, and or procedures to use, don't have to go any further there, but one thing I can add to this is that when tank or vessel is used for containing something flammable, it is difficult to get rid of the vapors. I had to repair a metal gas tank, small one for a garden tractor, tossed strike anywhere matches in there, it would flash and go out, ok, but you know how many times it flashed before those vapors were gone, close to a dozen, it burns, oxygen is used up, then replenishes, toss another match, flares again, repeat, it was small, and kind of a test, open so it could not blow but if the filler neck was down it would have lifted off a few times, just shows you how prevalent vapors can be in a confined space.

Bob · Jun 29, 2008

"havent had a explosion yet"

"I didn't know the gun was loaded!"

dave guest · Jun 29, 2008

Always cut em with a chisel. Guess that could make a spark, too, right.

rustyj · Jun 30, 2008

A feller came in one day and asked me to do some welding on his motor-cycle gas tank. Said he needed some holes filled where the plastic emblems had been fastened on. so, i dumped out a little bit of fuel, laid the tank on the floor, lit the torch, put my wooden foot on it, and stuck the torch into the filler hole! About that time, the owner had run out to the end of my driveway, and hid behind the garbage can!
I proceeded to weld up all of the holes, shut off the torch, and told the owner he was good to go, and safe to get his tank! As he was getting out his wallet, he had that "You're crazy" look in his eyes!

Dangers cutting barrel?

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