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Building the Iron Maiden - Double Walled, Insulated, Reverse Flow

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  • #16
    I thought I was excited about the way mine came out, yours is looking awesome and a half!! I will not be starting over to copy you though. Too much work!

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    • #17
      Killer stuff.
      SCOTT
      _________________________________________

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      • #18
        thats one good lookin build ya got goin on... thats for letting join you via the pics
        Island of Misfit Smokers Member #92

        How to heal the world. Love people and feed them tasty food.

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        • #19
          Always love seeing this build Dana....The maiden will serve you well in your comps...Just outstanding sir...

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          • #20
            The metal I’m using is 10 Gauge CR steel that is .134" thick. I don't have to choose where to insulate, because the entire thing is insulated...if there isn't a cross member, there is insulation. I have found that it makes such a difference, as weather has no impact whatsoever. My verticals are really efficient, and can go for over 12 hours at 250° with a little over 1 1/2 chimneys of charcoal and a couple fist sized pieces of apple chunks. Because I am using a heavy gauge metal, the exterior does get warm due to the heat sink effect of the metal, but that is it, just warm. You can set your beer coozie on top of my smoker with little fear of melting the coozie, or worse yet making your beer warm!

            My neighbors have been a big help to me with this project, helping me rotate the smoker so I can work on the back. I cut the outer shell to size, and marked it for some black pipe pass throughs. Here I am marking out the placement.


            Got the holes drilled through both skins, making sure that they were perpindicular to the shell.


            Fitting the pipe to make sure all is good!


            Here is my rationale on two pass through pipes...in my pic above, the dashed lines are where my internal grates will be for the horizontal chamber (I am planning on a bottom grate and then a pull out shelf. I wanted a pass through for each level, so I didn't have to thread a thermo cable through a grate. Especially if I make them pull out shelves (which I probably will). If you have a thermo cable threaded through a pull out grate, it never fails that it gets caught on something, wants to pull out of whatever it is stuck in, gets pinched when you return the shelf, and so on. This way, I can go right to whatever I want to probe without the hassle. I'm all about minimizing the hassle!

            Here is my progress for tonight...I put a third pass through in the vertical rib rack...you know, for future expansion and potentially a little self basting apple spritzer experiment I have been thinking about...A pressure pump that dispenses an automated spray of apple juice and Captain Morgan at precise intervals for a duration of maybe 5 seconds. It would be pretty easy to do and I think it would be fun to experiment with.

            Here is the entire back layout, just checking for a proper fit.


            Welded in a bed of nails for the insulation to punch down onto. I figure if nothing else, this smoker is going to be on a trailer bouncing down the road, and I don't want the insulation moving around or settling between the walls.


            Insulation installed...SWEET!


            Here is the pass throughs that I cut earlier...I just cut out a small hole in the insulation for the NPT Pipe.


            Before I put the outer skin on, I clean them up really well, so they are good and clean against the insulation.


            I have been working like crazy, with every last minute of free time spent in the shop. I had a deadline of the 4th of July for the inaugural smoke, and time is running out. It won't be painted, and I will still have some bells and whistles to put on, but I am determined to have doors on it, have it burned out / cleaned up, and seasoned by then…It has to be able to hold meat and hold heat! Here is where I am at, and I can tell you with certainty, that pictures don't do justice to how hard I have been working on this, and how far I have come.

            I put the drain line in.


            I have also read that someone with a new unit (maybe a bell fab unit??) loved their ash dump to really stoke up the fire as well. I don't know how this is going to sit on the trailer as of yet, but I wanted to make sure that I could do this as an option, so I framed it out on the bottom of the firebox, and If I decide to install the ash dump / under fire damper, I just need to cut through both skins with my plasma cutter, slide the pipe into place, and weld it. I also have a really cool idea for a slider damper out of this ash dump thing should it materialize. The cover for the ash dump would be attached to a rod, and you would slide the rod at the front of the firebox from one side of the firebox to the other around a hinge point, effectively giving you a 90° rotation, which would move the cover from fully open to fully closed...It would work really sweet. For now, I will just weld the skin shut, and the fact that the framing is there will be my little secret!


            The Lower side of the firebox ready to be covered. The ceramic wool blanket really is a blanket...that is 1 inch thick!


            Side view of the firebox / rib rack, and the back of the unit complete with pass through pipes. When completed, the skin welds will be ground flat, and the corner welds on the skin will be ground to right angles. Trust me, this thing will look sweet.
            Last edited by DDave; 09-17-2017, 11:29 AM.
            BBQ Eng.

            The "Cow Girls" were adopted from the shelter, and found on petfinder.com.
            Adopt a homeless pet - http://www.petfinder.com
            I built the Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden Smoker Build

            Over 5000 unreadable posts...Photobucket can kiss my ass...they will never get a dime. I will not pay a ransom.

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            • #21
              An awesome and inspiring thread! Fantastic work!
              Ryan

              I have a very strict gun control policy: if there's a gun around, I want to be in control of it.
              Clint Eastwood

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              • #22
                Again, WOW, just WOW! What else can be said? This thing is incredible!!

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                • #23
                  Shame you do not live closer mr.engineer...(insert dancing banana)

                  Kick some ass at your comps etc..this year...

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                  • #24
                    Hi Everyone, here is the next installment of my smoker build from last summer....

                    Wow it is hot outside...heat index of 112° or so, and I am working every spare moment that I have in the heat, slugging away at this thing. I have rotated the smoker the last time, and have put all of the outer shell on except the top of the rib rack, because I have to cut in the chimney on that one. I have started on the doors and here is where I am....

                    Here is a pic of the smoker laying on it's back. The first door is laying on the side rib rack...it is ready to go, except for the thermometer connection.


                    Here is the inside of the door, and I added some strongback bracing to keep it from warping....oh yeah, it is insulated too!


                    I thought I would make the hinges. I am cutting some pipe and using some all thread for the rod. 1/2" iron pipe has an outside diameter of .840", with a wall thickness of .109" by subtracting two times the wall thickness, this gives you an internal diameter of .622". It just so happens that 5/8 bolts carry a maximum diameter of .6236" with a minimum of .6149". I know for a fact that they won't be running at the top end of tolerance, so I checked the tolerance stackup of some galvanized all thread rod (superior corrosion resistance was my goal), and some 1/2" black iron pipe. It was a tight fit and I thought this combination would make some awesome hinges...besides, it was really beefy and strong with a 5/8 inch pin, and would leave me a great welding surface against the iron pipe...not to mention that for the price of a single hinge at the local bbq supply house, I have enough pipe and all thread to make hinges for all of the smokers that I see in my future. And, I can cut the hinge elements to whatever length I want and add as many elements together as I want...I could even make this into a low cost super strength piano hinge! Now that is what I call custom made!


                    Here is a five inch hinge put together. I think I will put nuts on the all thread at first, that way I can get the pin out if I need to, and weld it up after I get it all cleaned up.


                    It's really hot / humid again...boy that really makes it nice to work in. I will be taking frequent water breaks today, and will post photos that I have taken along the way, so there may be a flurry of activity as I sprint across the finish line....


                    Here is Door #2 for the horizontal chamber. The strong back is different than the first one. As long as I can eliminate (read as minimize) corner to corner lateral warping, it will work.


                    Double walled and insulated smokers aren't for the weak...you ain't opening my smoker unless you can curl 60 lbs! Here is one of the horizontal doors on an el cheapo scale...Mrs. Engineer wouldn't let me use the nice digital one.



                    Here is the thermometer fitting for the doors...to protect the threads against weld spatter, be sure to put a pipe nipple in it.


                    The door getting the skins welded on.



                    I made my 4th of July Deadline for having the smoker ready to smoke, but I paid a heavy price in terms of being absolutely exhausted...All week long! I haven't even thought about the smoker this week, other than to look at the cost of trailer parts versus buying a trailer on craig's list.

                    Here are the photos as I went along. As I got really busy, I have noticed that my photos kind of trailed off, however.

                    Here I am laying out the firebox door, and putting together a slide for the air intake.


                    Here is the inside of the door with framing inserted and some strong back frames to prevent corner to corner warping. This door was super heavy duty with both skins and all the framing.


                    Insulated where it counts!


                    I bagged the All thread for my hinge rod, and went with a straight 5/8 inch rod due to the weight of the doors (the all thread had a slight bit too much clearance when inserted into the pipe, and I didn't want the doors to sag one little bit. This straight rod wouldn't go into the pipe I had selected, but a rat tail file to take out the small seam in the pipe did the trick. These were some awesome hinges!! They are so tight, that I haven't even secured the rod, but it just stays there. I can remove it with a hammer if I need to. Note to others...if you can buy some DOM (Drawn over Mandrel) pipe, it is seamless and you won't have to remove the internal seam with a rat tail file.


                    Here are the components of the door seal. I used 3/4" rope gasket which fits really nice in the 1" X 1/2" channel. Lay down a good bead of adhesive, and press the gasket into it. Put on the doors and let it set. The first fire it will fully cure to a brick hard set. It makes a great seal.


                    The Chimney - I made the chimney removeable by framing an outlet in the top and then a receiver inside the cabinet. It drops right into the top, and seats inside perfectly. It is completely secure, and doesn't move around at all. I didn't take any photos of this point, but I did this so I can get the smoker back inside my shop if I need to (and I will while I finish up the construction after my first smoke and then paint this baby!).

                    Here it is outside of my shop, standing tall and ready to be put on a trailer. Before we did that, I cracked it open and pressure washed the heck out of it.


                    Here are my neighbors helping me move this thing. The tractor had a 1250 lb limit on the scoop, and it wouldn't raise it by itself. It would raise it up if we helped it, and then start to slowly lower. I have a great bunch of beer drinking, story telling, BBQ eating neighbors that will help when it is needed. Not shown...the tractor driver!


                    Helping lift the thing the last few inches with a floor jack.


                    At one point, the gator that we were using got lifted off the ground in the back, as the smoker tilted the trailer. Here it is in position and a fire to burn the thing out.




                    When it got really hot, I opened it up and sprayed it down with the garden hose. It was unbelievable how much it hissed and popped. Check out the cool BBQ scar on my leg from my earlier ER Trip.


                    It looked like a locomotive with all of the steam coming out of it!


                    The next day I put shelves in it, and started a fire to season it. Sprayed everything down with PAM...repeatedly, and made my first attempt to control the temp. I mean, after all, I'm smoking for real in only 5 hours, I might as well learn how to control this thing! Here is the rib rack full-O-Spares!


                    Here are some Butts, Briskets, and more ribs along with my favorite rib skirt from the membrane side. Later I threw on 30 lbs of chicken legs and 15 more of sausage.






                    I had my vertical in the game too...just in case this one got away from me, I would still have something to serve! Here they are oozing some thin blue smoke...not bad for my first attempt with this one!


                    That is where my pics of the smoke end...as then I was busy cutting things up and shredding butts for the party. I will say that it was fantastic, and Mrs. Engineer (who could easily be a vegetarian) absolutely loved the brisket. She ate more of it this time than she has ever eaten before, having some for leftover for 3 consecutive nights! That to me says success!

                    We have a fantastic neighborhood blowout every year, and here are some more pics of our party.


                    Trailer of fireworks ready for deployment! In the background, lots of people enjoying my 'Que from my new rig!


                    No party is complete without a "Wall of Fireworks"! Here is 64,000 firecrackers ready to make some noise. I will tell you that this is awesome!


                    Wall of fireworks closeup...


                    Truck of fireworks getting staged...


                    Hey...there is more in the garage...and I swear, these aren't duplicates!


                    Wait...there's more in the garage!


                    And on the hill...Kids don't try this at home!


                    The smoker worked great, and the 4th was fantastic too. Now I have to get a trailer under this and get it prettied up a bit. I am really happy with the performance of it, as a small fire dampered way down was all it took.
                    Last edited by DDave; 09-17-2017, 11:31 AM.
                    BBQ Eng.

                    The "Cow Girls" were adopted from the shelter, and found on petfinder.com.
                    Adopt a homeless pet - http://www.petfinder.com
                    I built the Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden Smoker Build

                    Over 5000 unreadable posts...Photobucket can kiss my ass...they will never get a dime. I will not pay a ransom.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Outrageous build dude!!!! I have to ask though, when was the last time you calibrated that scale? lol...

                      Yep, Fantastic! Points to you....
                      sigpic

                      Don't let your meat loaf...

                      http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f2...view=slideshow

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                      • #26
                        I decided that I would build a custom trailer for my new smoker, versus buying something and then hacking it up to make it work. I bought a 3500 lb. axle and all the necessary hardware to get this thing on the road.


                        I started with the frame for the trailer. I used 3', 4', 5' triangles to make sure the corners were at right angles. Next, to make sure the trailer was on the same plane, I ran string from one corner to the opposite corner and then the same thing for the other two opposites. I pulled the string tight as a guitar string, and then shimmed the corners until the string in the center just touched.




                        I tacked the edges and then welded all around. Next, I welded the channel iron into the A Frame coupler. Then I made sure it was centered on the frame, and that a straight line perpindicular to the front of the trailer at the midpoint of the trailer width intersected the center of the coupler.

                        This is where I am. I will work on the trailer more this week, and then get the two of them mated up and back in to the shop.

                        I have been going back and forth on the trailer design, but I finally decided that I wanted this to be able to haul my smaller cabinet smokers and also coolers, tables, etc., etc. when I go to a comp. So with that in mind, I decided to build a deck on the trailer frame, and have the smoker on top with a walkway on one side for me to cook on. At least it worked in my head!

                        I have been working on the trailer to finish it up, but dang, summer has really set in, and it is friggin' hot out...it kind of takes away my motivation to weld.

                        First I have to let everyone know about a product that I found that is simply awesome! My neighbor gave me a bucket of these, and they are the best hand cleaners that I have ever used...even better than the pumice orange hand cleaners. They are rough towels that won't disintegrate but they are simply unbeatable for cleaning serious dirt off your hands. I got these for free, but I would buy them, they are that good.


                        I got my trailer put together and will deck this thing either this week or maybe next weekend, so my smoker has a permanent home and I can finish it up.


                        I have to put the fenders and lights on it too, but I cheated and took it for a spin around the neighborhood...It trailed like a dream.


                        I put this together for way less than I could have purchased one, and I used heavier material than they build them with. Besides, I have always wanted to build a trailer from scratch, and it was a fun mini project inside the larger "Reverse Flow BBQ Project".


                        I have the thing complete, and am painting and putting the deck on (ran out of paint...Mrs. Engineer is gonna grab me some more this afternoon). I have put in some framing to receive the smoker and I am continuing to work on this today.

                        I think lights are vulnerable on most trailers, and people that are helping you lash things down will usually use them as a step...go ahead, I built mine to be ok if you did!


                        Light wiring I ran in conduit. It has a custom bend around the axle!


                        I found some trailer stabilizer jacks that will fold out of the way and then drop into position. This will keep the trailer from tipping. They are pretty convenient! Here they are folded and out of the way.


                        If you drop them down and raise a lever, the lower leg drops and the trailer is stabilized. They make these so you could load bikes on a trailer without it being hooked to the tow vehicle.


                        I made a foot plate from some pipe and scraps. I'll get it painted too.


                        I'm using some hammered metal paint on the trailer. I really like this stuff and the textural look it gives.


                        I'm gonna round up the neighbors next and get this thing loaded with my smoker. More pics to come on the move.
                        Last edited by DDave; 09-17-2017, 11:32 AM.
                        BBQ Eng.

                        The "Cow Girls" were adopted from the shelter, and found on petfinder.com.
                        Adopt a homeless pet - http://www.petfinder.com
                        I built the Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden Smoker Build

                        Over 5000 unreadable posts...Photobucket can kiss my ass...they will never get a dime. I will not pay a ransom.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Here is the final installment in the Iron Maiden Smoker build...


                          I got the neighbors together and we moved the smoker onto it's very own trailer. We got way smarter in the process too, because it was almost too easy!

                          I took the door off of the top chamber and this lightened the load. We stopped short of taking all of the doors off when the tractor lifted it no problem.




                          This time, we made the transfer on more level ground. That made everyone a little more sure footed!


                          We strapped the smoker further back on the lever arm, reducing the leverage required, and increasing the mechanical advantage...worked like a champ!



                          Off of one trailer, and we moved that one out of the way. Drove the smoker a few feet forward, and then backed the new trailer under it.







                          After we moved the smoker, one of my neighbors wanted to drive my zero turn mower. After he made a couple of loops around the driveway, I flagged him over, kicked on the blades, and I felt just like Tom Sawyer as he mowed my yard and I sat there and drank a beer!




                          Got the smoker welded to the trailer, and took a test drive to make sure all was good. It passed with flying colors! Moved it back to the shop.


                          It is now back in the shop and I am in the process of finishing it and spit shining the thing in preparation of painting it. Yup...I just love standing on my head welding upside down under the thing.




                          Here is Hannah my helper cow dog. She was kind of freaked out at my power tools and some of the loud noises that were coming from the shop. You can tell, because her tail is way tucked under her belly.


                          I took this weekend to sand and prep the smoker for some paint. I used a DA Sander and gave my air compressor a workout. I also used a twisted wire cup brush and I have the whole thing done. I will be doing a little bit more prep, and then painting this week / weekend. Mrs. Engineer is going to pick colors (I am strongly suggesting some combination of Red, Black, and Silver like in my smaller cabinet that is on page 1 of this thread). Here is the smoker about mid way through cleanup and paint prep. I'm pretty sure that you can tell what I have done and what is yet to be done. The whole thing is as shiny as a new silver dollar now!



                          I painted my smoker, and just in time for next week's comp. Here's the smoker, fresh out of the shop with some high temp primer and engine paint on it. I have a couple of touch ups to do, but for all intents and purposes, I am done with this one.

                          My finger got so tired, I had to use my thumb!!


                          This is probably the best it will ever look. I'm filling the neighborhood with TBS tomorrow...I'm gonna have me some ribs and a few beers while I watch football!





                          I welded some hatchets on the top, so it looks like they have been embedded in the steel. They make great door stops and Mrs. Engineer thought it would be a cool touch.



                          I told Mrs. Engineer "I think it looks pretty good"...she said "honey, a lot of people build their own smokers but this one is in a completely different league." Thank you Mrs. Engineer for that compliment. I worked really hard on this one. I hope all you enjoyed it too!



                          I wanted to post a pic for all of you wondering if the insulation really makes a difference or not. I had the smoker fired up all day, and at one point the thermo hit 300...the outer skin was just warm...not hot, just warm.

                          I doubt you would be doing this with a single wall smoker at 300°!!


                          Last edited by DDave; 09-17-2017, 11:34 AM.
                          BBQ Eng.

                          The "Cow Girls" were adopted from the shelter, and found on petfinder.com.
                          Adopt a homeless pet - http://www.petfinder.com
                          I built the Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden Smoker Build

                          Over 5000 unreadable posts...Photobucket can kiss my ass...they will never get a dime. I will not pay a ransom.

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                          • #28
                            Just sweet man! World class!
                            Keith

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                            • #29
                              very, very nice work

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                              • #30
                                Dana..this is fabulous my smoking friend.....Salute to you and thank you...
                                Last edited by ALX; 02-14-2010, 03:14 PM.

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