Are Free steel drums that are filthy worth it?

Hey scrap metal gang!

I got a lead from a local spray foam insulation company. I asked them if they had and old 55gal drums for my scrap storage. A few days later I get a call back saying they have a gigantic supply and would love for me to take as many as I want before they start throwing them out.

The only downside is, they're filthy - like a hardened glue type epoxy all over the inside. Some better than others, but all really dirty. A lot of them do have lids though, which is an upside.

Anyone have any idea if theres any way to clean these? I would love to paint a few of them up and drop them off as scrap bins for some of my clients.

also a little background on my situation - I have a crown vic so I can only fit 1 barrel in the trunk and if I need more space I need to rent a trailer at $15/day because I dont have the money for my own yet. - The barrel location is about $10 away in gas

I dont think taking them for scrap would really be worth it $20+ for gas and they dont weigh much ($155/ton shred) and take up alot of space. But I know resale is there so maybe this should even be in the more than scrap value page.

maybe ask them if there is a chemical that will break down the foam (likely a petroleum based one)

If it isn't too thick I'd fill them with scrap steel and haul them in as you get them if you can't get the foam out.

I've seen CL ads in my area for people paying up to $35 for barrels with lids because they need some for some project or other.


sounds like you need a truck and trailer soon. congrats.

I find a lot of 5 gallon buckets with some sort of brown epoxy stuck to the side and bottom. They work fine for holding bins for brass bearing, copper wire, etc. Tried chipping away some of the stuff, but usually just busted the bucket in the process. Steel drums might be a different story as far as taking a hammer and chisel to them. If you paint and label them on the outside, will the inside appearance matter that much to folks tossing in scrap?

35 - 40 pounds each, so no go on scrapping them in your situation. I would get one or two and try them out for your collection bins. As far as cleaning them up for resale I am not sure I guess it depends on how much it costs (time and money) to clean them out...

55 gallon barrels regardless of what is/was in them are valuable as long as they are solid. In rural areas people are looking for them for burn barrels, used oil storage, shop heaters, etc. They also make great boat docks and pontoon boats can be made from them. Maybe you could advertise them before picking them up and see what kind of demand there is in your area. Even saw an arena made out of them with twisted steel cable running through them top and bottom. Everything has value to the right person and it depends if they are plastic or metal.

You mention in another thread about the farm mother lode you found. Your 55 gallon drums will be valuable for sorting metal. Problem is your Crown Vic will not pick them up loaded. Maybe this is the time to invest in equipment (skid steer, trailer, and truck) for the farm scrap. After completing the job you could sell everything if you decide not to pursue this occupation. Just a thought.

DO NOT USE OR SELL THESE FOR BURN BARRELS. how ever they are fine with lids for scrap parts.

I wonder is there is anyone near you that would trade a trailer for a pile of barrels.

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Originally Posted by MattInTheHat

I wonder is there is anyone near you that would trade a trailer for a pile of barrels.

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This is a good idea! Or a member here that is close by to help out...

Uhaul Truck is usually $20 a day and around .80 a mile, you could pick up a bunch!

If it's spray foam insulation, Acetone should break down the foam pretty easily. I'd go to harbor freight get an oscillating tool ($20ish) scrape as much as you can then use Acetone to clean up the rest.

But I bet you could pick up a stack, clean up a few for yourself, and sell the difference as is to cover all of your costs, plus.

Previously working in a steel barrel factory, there were several liners available for steel barrels. All of which were burnt on in a 1 Million BTU furnace. The barrels actually have quite a bit of resale as our company had a dedicated line for barrel refurbishing. Try contacting local barrel makers to see what the offer to purchase them back for.

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Originally Posted by olddude

DO NOT USE OR SELL THESE FOR BURN BARRELS. how ever they are fine with lids for scrap parts.

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I second this. Who knows what could be released into the air if used as a burn barrel. I would love to get some like these around here though to use for the smaller scrap. I put my small stuff in 5 gallon buckets, then when I get a washer or dryer I dump them into the drums. Makes for a nice heavy washer or dryer.

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Originally Posted by Patriot76

55 gallon barrels regardless of what is/was in them are valuable as long as they are solid. In rural areas people are looking for them for burn barrels, used oil storage, shop heaters, etc. They also make great boat docks and pontoon boats can be made from them. Maybe you could advertise them before picking them up and see what kind of demand there is in your area. Even saw an arena made out of them with twisted steel cable running through them top and bottom. Everything has value to the right person and it depends if they are plastic or metal.

You mention in another thread about the farm mother lode you found. Your 55 gallon drums will be valuable for sorting metal. Problem is your Crown Vic will not pick them up loaded. Maybe this is the time to invest in equipment (skid steer, trailer, and truck) for the farm scrap. After completing the job you could sell everything if you decide not to pursue this occupation. Just a thought.

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I sucks that I only got the crown vic and not enough resources. College sucks. But it will pay off eventually and I can set-up whatever kind of rig I want. What kind of truck and trailer do you recommend? like a ranger and a 4x6? or a dump truck and a flatbed?

I dont want to end up like this guy http://i.imgur.com/USkGdyD.jpg

If you are not going to pull more than a small trailer with a couple of barrels, then a small truck would do (or your car with a trailer hitch installed) and a small trailer like a 4X6. One thing you have to think about also is that a fully loaded barrel is going to weight hundreds of lbs, so how will you load it on the trailer?

Look on craiglist, a lot of times you can find a decent small trailer very reasonable there.

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Originally Posted by crownvicscrapper

I sucks that I only got the crown vic and not enough resources. College sucks. But it will pay off eventually and I can set-up whatever kind of rig I want. What kind of truck and trailer do you recommend? like a ranger and a 4x6? or a dump truck and a flatbed?

I dont want to end up like this guy http://i.imgur.com/USkGdyD.jpg

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More information about your situation, risk tolerance, storage space, etc. would be needed to make a recommendation. Provide a summary of your situation and members of the forum will offer their insight. Good luck.

There are many companies that receive food products in steel and plastic barrels. There's one company in Nashville that makes candy bars and after talking to the warehouse manager I was able to pick up as many as I wanted. Didn't have to worry about any toxic chemicals.

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Originally Posted by Patriot76

More information about your situation, risk tolerance, storage space, etc. would be needed to make a recommendation. Provide a summary of your situation and members of the forum will offer their insight. Good luck.

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Another important variable is fuel mileage.

Are you keeping a car for personal use, or does the truck take you everywhere? The bigger the truck, the more it costs to drive. This doesnt not matter so much when you are loaded, as generally the bigger the truck, the more money it is carrying into the scrap yard. It matters when you are driving to the store, your friends house, school, etc...

First thing's first, they are Steel Cans and surely worth a whole lot of than Aluminum and tins. Just hire a trailer, collect these steel cans and sell them out, they will surely help you to make some big bucks (you don't need to clean them either) and for the rest of them, just hire some part time teenager to clean them. My friend you are surely going to make huge bucks via that, you are very lucky that you are getting this for free.