A little side project.... trash can

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454cid

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I've been using an old bent up galvanized trash can with holes in it, that was in the garage when I bought it. It's a pain because the lid always sticks, no matter how gently you put it in place..... and when you're trying to hold on to to something (like a dust pan full of too much crap) and not drop it, while taking the lid off, it's irritating.

My uncle, decided to get rid of the oil barrel that's been at the family property for eons..... I think the barrel was originally for canned dinosaur meat, not oil. It's been used for used motor oil for decades.

I brought it home last night, and started cleaning it today....the inside is/was so nasty, I skipped over my traditional water based/alkali degreasers, and went for the big dog, GAS! I haven't used gas to clean in years, but today, I did. I think I'm going to drive it up to the car wash later and power wash it, and scrub it wish dish soap.

I've got a metal handle I'm going to install on the lid, so it's hopefully easy to remove.... with one hand, while holding a dust pan full of crap.
 

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454cid

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Made some progress on the "new" trash can today. I got the dent out of the lid, decided on what handle to use, and washed it up at the car wash. When I got home I decided to spray it with Phosphoric acid and go over it with some 0000 steel wool. I probably shouldn't have done that last step, as now the original print is super light. I don't think I was taking off much red paint. I think the red was likely mostly faded away and replaced with rust and rust stains. It sat outside for about the last year, but prior to that it had spent years inside a closed up garage that was always very humid.

I'm going to paint the bottom of the can to prevent it from rusting out. I've got some asphalt paint, I'll probably use. That's what I used on the bottom of my grinder base. I might clear the rest of it with satin clear Rustoleum... haven't decided yet.

Here is the can today, and some pictures I found online of what they look like in better shape. You can see one side of one of the internet pictures is super faded.... so that red was not UV stable, it would seem.

Oh.... also, a smaller older can.... the 2000 mile motor oil :eek:
 

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454cid

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I just realized that my barrel is like the inverse of the ones I found online. It looks like the red faded, but protected the barrel better from rust than the white, so my print is white that then rusted, and the white background is red that faded. I can see traces of red, so I know it wasn't just a different paint scheme.
 

454cid

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I'm going back and forth on how to proceed. I've thought about clearing, possibly with Waterlox, that I think would give it a bit of an amber cast. I've also considered painting the top and bottom sections red, and clearing the center. I just don't like all the stark white.

I still need to clean up the lid. I found that it has an o-ring seal. It came out fine, but broke when I was wiping it off. I'll try degreasing it, and if it doesn't break any more, may just stick it back in. It's got a 1/4" cross section, so I could easily replace it with some 1/4" OD tubing. It doesn't need to seal, of course, but I still need something there to dampen the sound when closing it up, and to keep the lid from settling on the barrel too far and making it hard to get into.

The handle I'm going to use is actually the handle from my old galvanized can. Apparently, it came off when the previous owner of the house owned it, and he reattached it with screws. I did grind down the remnant of the spot welds that he did not, do. The old can got picked up by the scrappers this week.
 

454cid

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This project has been stalled, but I'm getting back to it now for my big garage cleanup.

I coated the bottom with black cosmoline last night.

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I've got two handles for the lid to choose from.

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The handle on the left is a generic hardware store handle, I think. It came to me second hand in some manner. The handle on the right is from the metal trash can that was here when I bought the house.

I plan on putting some kind 9f clear coat over what's left of the original paint on the barrel.
 

Road Trip

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I've been using an old bent up galvanized trash can with holes in it, that was in the garage when I bought it. It's a pain because the lid always sticks, no matter how gently you put it in place..... and when you're trying to hold on to to something (like a dust pan full of too much crap) and not drop it, while taking the lid off, it's irritating.

Great project! Those old galvanized trash can lids really were frustrating to work with
for exactly the reasons you described. Almost to the point of being designed in? And
irritating trash cans are usually at the bottom of the shop project priority queue, so it just
goes on and on for literally years.

Anyway, the more something is used in your shop, the easier/quieter it should be. So I like
the idea of you using the 1/4" OD tubing. And the lid handle with the 4 screws is more secure
than just 2. (Feels better in the hand also?)

As for trying to preserve the original signage? You've already taken photos of it for posterity. In
my mind, this frees it up for a refresh. Instead of painting it some unique color that makes it
stand out, why not paint it to match your tool boxes? Less visual clutter, especially if you are
going to the trouble of cleaning the shop.

Lastly, I was thinking of the noise when moving/dragging/emptying the can. One solution would be to
encircle the bottom flange with the equivalent of caterpillar grommet. (Discarded heater hose
glued to the circumference?) Another possible solution would be to make a carrier
on the cheap, by taking an old 2"x4", fabbing up a hexagon shape just big enough for the
can to sit inside, make a base out of a scrap of old plywood, and then go to Harbor freight
for some affordable rubber wheels. (See attached.)

****

Probably sounds like a lot of effort, but when you roll around a barrel like this around the
shop *silently*, it's a comparative luxury. Myself, I'm on a personal mission to save my
hearing for the good stuff, so I'm always game for anything that makes the shop quieter
while working in it. (And I also subscribe to the theory of 'everything in the shop on wheels'
philosophy.)

Looking forward to seeing how it turns out...
 

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454cid

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I got the can clear coated today. I used Rustoleum's 2X satin clear. I'm not used to doing clear, and I was fighting the wind, so I started running the paint. It seemed to dry pretty well, Though. I think it leveled out to some extent, and the non-gloss tends to conceal it, unless you're up close.

My next step will be to find some hose to use as a lid gasket, to replace the old breaking o-ring I removed. I might even have some already.

I tested both my handles just sitting on the lid, to try and decide which one I wanted to use. I don't know. I'll probably just through a bag in it, and start using it, and maybe add a handle if it gets too annoying without it.
 

TechNova

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first shop I worked in for 10 years had only these barrels for garbage. Layers of paint on them from doing double duty as paint stands. We dumped them into the garbage truck every week when he came.
 
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