PC a wood burner?

[chromo]

Hey guys, this may be a bit odd?

I need to build a new wood burner this year to heat my house, maybe another to heat my shop trailer. What I have used well for many years is one of those cast iron stove kits for barrels. I guess this barrel has lasted me at least 8 maybe 10 years now. In winter when needed it is set up in the house, when not needed spring, summer, fall, it just gets sat outdoors in the weather. Being barrel was just stripped of paint and never coated with anything it now has a bit of rust pits in the barrel and enough rust under the flue ring that it leaks a little, so this year I need to build another one. Actaully next week, it been a bit chilly last 3 nights without any heat so it's time.

Normally it dought I get much over 350F in normal use anywhere, though I have burnt some dry woods that got way hotter at times. I think the cast iron door stays fairly cool, maybe 300F normally if even that. The legs under the barrel never get hot enough to worry about. The cast iron flue ring I never checked so I'll just guess it would be the hotest part and about 500F normally as a high. Last year I was drying my silica gel beads on the wood burner and checking temps with a IR thermometer and was mostly around 300F on the barrel top.

SO, if I strip a new 55gal barrel to bare steal what should I coat it and cast iron parts with?
I am thinking the barrel I would use high temp gloss black but I don't have any on hand, I do have normal gloss black.
The flue ring maybe high temp silver, don't have it, but I have a nice normal gloss yellow.
Dought if I need high temp for the cast iron door and I have normal gloss red.
And any powder should work for the cooler legs so maybe red also. Does this sound ok?
Mostly I want to coat the steel barrel to prevent rust like the last one. 8 years or more was better than I expected for the bare steal one so if I coat the new one it should last forever!
I also want it to look nice and fancy when done. I may install an oven rack thermometer in the front above the door, hopefully it will work correct, if not then a nice look anyway.
The lettering on the door I may sand and polish smooth then brass plate or such.

My only real concern is any fumes I may get from powder if I get this really cooking hot in the house. I dought it would ever get hot enough to burn the powder as in fire hazzard. If the powder cracked up or flaked off during use that is no big deal as in harmful, it just would not look good. The unit is well shielded to catch any falling hot stuff though it sits in open air.

The limited colors available for High Temp powders makes me think about trying a normal powder on the cast iron door. If the cure temp is near 400F I don't think the door would ever get near that hot anyway so I might use a normal gloss red.

All the cast iron parts will fit in my oven for baking, the drum won't. So my thought for the drum is to build a fire inside it and bake from inside out. I can bring it up to higher heat than normal by using my heatgun for a blower to fan the coals.
I figure I may have to do a 2 stage bake this way, bake once to cure the upper sides and top, then roll barrel over to do the lower sides and bottom. Or I could make a plain metal box around the barrel and build a charcoal type fire after the barrel glosses over.

Any thoughts? I have to order the high temp powders if I need them. If you think the high temp is not needed for anything I could have this built this weekend if the weather stays decent. I have 2 of the same doors so the fancy lettering I could do on the second door and swap them latter, the door just lifts off pins when open.
As I say, fumes are the only real concern, I don't want to poison the family or stink up the house. If the normal powders just don't hold up and I have to redo it later no big deal really. I have a gloss black here that cures at 360F for about 15 minutes, TGI I think. That would probably work for the barrel maybe?

The barrel I used in the shop trailer I had used a different style kit and a barrel with removable lid, that one I have had glowing red spots on the sides at times size of old silver dollars. This type I am building I never got that in all the years I've used it.

[Popeye]

If you google wood burner temps you'll find 1100F is about normal.

[chromo]

This would not be that type of wood burner and I know for certain I never get ANYWHERE near those kind of temps! I would not even want one that did!!

1100F may be about the temps of the coals and flames inside, and could have to do with catylists and such used for less emissions and cleaner exhausts, but not the case itself.

If a woodburner case actually got 1100F you could not get near it, let alone cook on it

[Popeye]

"that one I have had glowing red spots on the sides at times size of old silver dollars."

2000°F Bright yellow 1093°C
1900°F Dark yellow 1038°C
1800°F Orange yellow 982°C
1700°F Orange 927°C
1600°F Orange red 871°C
1500°F Bright red 816°C
1400°F Red 760°C
1300°F Medium red 704°C
1200°F Dull red 649°C
1100°F Slight red 593°C
1000°F Very slight red, mostly grey 538°C
0800°F Dark grey 427°C
0575°F Blue 302°C
0540°F Dark Purple 282°C
0520°F Purple 271°C
0500°F Brown/Purple 260°C
0480°F Brown 249°C
0465°F Dark Straw 241°C
0445°F Light Straw 229°C
0390°F Faint Straw 199°C

I'm convinced

[chromo]

"The barrel I used in the shop trailer I had used a different style kit and a barrel with removable lid, that one I have had glowing red spots on the sides at times size of old silver dollars. This type I am building I never got that in all the years I've used it."

Well ya, that one is not normal use, only a few times glowed red in small spots, and it's the way I loaded a certain type of wood and the way I was flowing the air etc... and only like 1 or 2 spots a few times. Normally it does not glow at all anywhere. Though I painted that one with a flat black high temp paint. I don't like that paint as it scratches right off very easy.

1200°F Dull red 649°C
1100°F Slight red 593°C
1000°F Very slight red, mostly grey 538°C

Maybe those few small spots were in that range a few times. Only see the glow in the dark, lights out in the room.

My normal wood burner which I am building a new one of same type, and like better, never reaches a straw color or any color!
0390°F Faint Straw 199°C

So I am below 390°F on all parts of it at all times I guess. As for looks or color you can't tell when it's got a fire in it or doesn't, so no color changing here at all.

Not intirely sure that chart applies too well though. I have seen stove pipes I measured the temps near 500°F and they had no colors either, certainly not brown or purple, they were still silver zinc color. Galvanized flues are not good indoors, produce toxic fumes at high heats, so I have replaced them for other people that they were sold to. Beware of hardware stores where sales people don't know anything about what they sell! Selling 6" galvanized heating ducts and elbows for wood burner flue pipe!! NOT GOOD!!!

[Popeye]

The chart is for raw (unpainted) mild steel. I see some of those colors when I cook raw steel in the oven to make sure all the oils are off.

I guess the point I was trying to make was "be safe" above all else

I powdered a few of our slide in racks for our oven. After a few weeks the racks were a little singed and discolored, we normally run at 400F.

Galvanized steel and higher temperatures don't mix.. totally agree about the elbows

Have a great weekend

[Harleydad]

You could check into this:
http://www.forrestpaint.com/stovebri...coatings1.html

[Banditperformance]

Anyone have pictures of these Barrels?? I am thinking about heat fro my PC shop

[chromo]

Don't have a pic off hand, just a normal 55gal steel barrel though really.
DO NOT use a 35 gal plastic barrel as they do not last very long LOL HAHA hehe,

Really I'll try to snap you a picture later today or tomorrow of my old one I want to rebuild. My good camera the usb cable got lost and not normal, old camera I have cable for but often takes crappy pics.