fire pit

[khunkeith]

Greeting all. 

 

I am looking for a place to buy a fire pit that is portable.  I have built a new gazebo in the yard and would like a place to build a fire during the cool nights in late December and January.  I lost a couple good sized trees during a large windstorm earlier this year and the wood is cut and stacked. 

 

here is a photo of the type I wish to get.  They are quite popular in the states and easy to buy. 

 

Thanks

[Speedo1968]

Get one made locally.

 

[malt25]

I'd go to an agricultural-hardware store & purchase a plough disc. They come in a variety of sizes. For a very basic base just set the disc on a few bricks. For something more like your photo, any local engineering shop, shack, will be able to make you the base for next to nothing.

Hope this helps. 

[khunkeith]

16 minutes ago, malt25 said:

I'd go to an agricultural-hardware store & purchase a plough disc. They come in a variety of sizes. For a very basic base just set the disc on a few bricks. For something more like your photo, any local engineering shop, shack, will be able to make you the base for next to nothing.

Hope this helps. 

 

I have shown the photo to the local metal shop guy and he is not sure how to make the bowl.  I have looked into commercial sized woks to use as the bowl but the are mostly aluminum or very thin steel.  my dad (in the states) has a 30" one made of copper and uses in his gazebo and he paid about $60 for.  he can also move it to his wooden deck if he chooses the roof of my gazebo is vented, the same as my fathers. 

[malt25]

Like I said, buy a plough disc & have your local guy make the legs. Easy peasy.

[khunkeith]

4 minutes ago, malt25 said:

Like I said, buy a plough disc & have your local guy make the legs. Easy peasy.

I looked in line at them and not sure they are deep enough for safety.   I will go to the local shop where I know they are sold.  thanks for the suggestion. 

[malt25]

If you think not deep enough... get your local shop to weld a band around the edge as wide, high, as you think necessary. I'd guess 3 or 4 inches would be sufficient. Not have to be welded continuously, tacked every inch or so all you need. Your local shop, shack, should be able to do this no problem.

[starky]

Does it have to be a bowl? What about the old 44 cut in to a third with some holes punched in the bottom they are pretty portable. If ya can't build your own there is a Thai style one available just about everywhere on a much smaller scale.

 

[khunkeith]

35 minutes ago, starky said:

Does it have to be a bowl? What about the old 44 cut in to a third with some holes punched in the bottom they are pretty portable. If ya can't build your own there is a Thai style one available just about everywhere on a much smaller scale.

 

a friend of mine used one for a BBQ.  worked nicely for a while but the steel was to thin.  it burned and rusted though the bottom after a couple years.  I looked at commercial sized woks and saw they would have the same problem.  1/8" steel thickness  (10-12 gauge) or better is recommended.  a barrel is usually about 18 gauge.   thanks for the suggestion though. 

[jimmyyy]

Get some plate steel and pound it out into the shape you require.  Take it to a shop if you can't get it done.  Then simply weld some feet on with supports.  Easy Peasy.

[starky]

4 minutes ago, khunkeith said:

a friend of mine used one for a BBQ.  worked nicely for a while but the steel was to thin.  it burned and rusted though the bottom after a couple years.  I looked at commercial sized woks and saw they would have the same problem.  1/8" steel thickness  (10-12 gauge) or better is recommended.  a barrel is usually about 18 gauge.   thanks for the suggestion though. 

No worries but couple years ? I take your point but you don't have to keep the same one forever you get 2 halves straight off the bat lol and no one said bbq I thought we were talking about something portable to burn a bit of timber in? Good luck in your search.

[khunkeith]

update:  thanks for all the suggestions and ideas.  Most of them I have already looked into.  the disk idea is a new one that I will look at for sure.   Shaping and cutting a hemisphere that looks good is an art and I want something that is not only functional but aesthetically pleasing.   the problem with home made is, well, it looks home made.  At least it will if I make it.  I have about zero blacksmithing skills. 

[khunkeith]

by the way, I can order one on Amazon that can be shipped here.  The price, about $125, will double with shipping and import tax though.  I think the wife will kill me if I pay $250,  ?

[jimmyyy]

Keith I think you would do much better at a local shop.  basically you are looking for a large 12 gauge Wok.  Take a photo of a Wok, tel them how large and thick you want the wok to be.  Tell them to put legs on it and weld supports between the legs.  Don't let them Tack it you want solid welds.  Best of luck to you sir, may you have many cool nights by the fire........

[khunkeith]

1 minute ago, jimmyyy said:

Keith I think you would do much better at a local shop.  basically you are looking for a large 12 gauge Wok.  Take a photo of a Wok, tel them how large and thick you want the wok to be.  Tell them to put legs on it and weld supports between the legs.  Don't let them Tack it you want solid welds.  Best of luck to you sir, may you have many cool nights by the fire........

maybe I can just order 50 from Alibaba and sell the here on Thai Visa   ?

[khunkeith]

what I found on AMazon.  cost, shipping and import tax, about $250. 

[jimmyyy]

In this environment i don't see that lasting a year, i think you find its to thin.  Have one made, rustoleum the heck out of it.  That would be my advise. 

[Crossy]

1 hour ago, khunkeith said:

a friend of mine used one for a BBQ.  worked nicely for a while but the steel was to thin.  it burned and rusted though the bottom after a couple years.  I looked at commercial sized woks and saw they would have the same problem.  1/8" steel thickness  (10-12 gauge) or better is recommended.  a barrel is usually about 18 gauge. 

If you are going to use something with thin steel you need to line it.

 

Ideally line with fire clay / fire cement which may or may not be available, our barbie is just lined with the regular small Thai bricks, no cement the gaps just fill with ash. Seems to be lasting well.

[b17]

45 minutes ago, khunkeith said:

maybe I can just order 50 from Alibaba and sell the here on Thai Visa   ?

Well, I'd buy one. So only 49 left to unload. Bet you could easily find 49 other people on Thai visa alone who would buy one if the price was reasonable. 

[Hank Gunn]

2 hours ago, khunkeith said:

a friend of mine used one for a BBQ.  worked nicely for a while but the steel was to thin.  it burned and rusted though the bottom after a couple years.  I looked at commercial sized woks and saw they would have the same problem.  1/8" steel thickness  (10-12 gauge) or better is recommended.  a barrel is usually about 18 gauge.   thanks for the suggestion though. 

Actually, I have a friend with an old barrel converted to a fire pit and it's lasted for over 20 years. However, the barrel is oriented vertically, with a plate welded in about 1/3 of the way up with holes in the plate and holes around the barrel at the bottom (below the plate). The fire is started/burns on top of that plate and works very well. If you look at Starky's suggested design, which is not bad either, you'll see the ridges on the barrel (used for when they're rolled) the bottom of which you can weld the plate to. With lots of welders and cheap labor in Thailand, you should be able to do one up pretty cheaply and easily.

 

As a side note, in addition to the durability of this design, it has save my friend from tickets for illegal fires from the US Park Service and US Forestry Service (as well as in state parks) due to the fact that the fire is not directly on the ground and is contained in the barrel. I think you'd be surprised at how durable this design is, and with pretty much every fire my friend has made, he's gotten the barrel around the ventilation holes cherry red.

[khunkeith]

6 minutes ago, Hank Gunn said:

Actually, I have a friend with an old barrel converted to a fire pit and it's lasted for over 20 years. However, the barrel is oriented vertically, with a plate welded in about 1/3 of the way up with holes in the plate and holes around the barrel at the bottom (below the plate). The fire is started/burns on top of that plate and works very well. If you look at Starky's suggested design, which is not bad either, you'll see the ridges on the barrel (used for when they're rolled) the bottom of which you can weld the plate to. With lots of welders and cheap labor in Thailand, you should be able to do one up pretty cheaply and easily.

 

As a side note, in addition to the durability of this design, it has save my friend from tickets for illegal fires from the US Park Service and US Forestry Service (as well as in state parks) due to the fact that the fire is not directly on the ground and is contained in the barrel. I think you'd be surprised at how durable this design is, and with pretty much every fire my friend has made, he's gotten the barrel around the ventilation holes cherry red.

I wonder if the steel used in barrels here is a lower quality steel then used in the US?  I know the steel used in nails I have bought here is poor quality and the same with gardening tools that I have purchased.  When I built my gazebo, nails bent easily and, when I tried to pull them out, the heads sometimes popped off, never had that happen with nails I got in the US. 

[Hank Gunn]

2 minutes ago, khunkeith said:

I wonder if the steel used in barrels here is a lower quality steel then used in the US?  I know the steel used in nails I have bought here is poor quality and the same with gardening tools that I have purchased.  When I built my gazebo, nails bent easily and, when I tried to pull them out, the heads sometimes popped off, never had that happen with nails I got in the US. 

That could very well be true (the quality of steel here I mean). In the case of the barrels here, and the BBQs made from them, part of the issue may also be the gauge (thickness) of sheetmetal that's rolled into barrels.

 

I'm really glad that amongst the stuff I had shipped over was a nice, 21" Weber grill, but I do regret not shipping over some really nice garden tools (super strong, square-bladed spade, and fiberglass-handled pick-axe among them).

[chickenslegs]

This from Lazada ... https://www.lazada.co.th/products/outdoor-pit-bbq-table-grill-garden-patio-camping-heater-fireplace-brazier-intl-i243691661-s373996298.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.7.7e2e45d9xzx86C&search=1

[khunkeith]

13 minutes ago, Hank Gunn said:

That could very well be true (the quality of steel here I mean). In the case of the barrels here, and the BBQs made from them, part of the issue may also be the gauge (thickness) of sheetmetal that's rolled into barrels.

 

I'm really glad that amongst the stuff I had shipped over was a nice, 21" Weber grill, but I do regret not shipping over some really nice garden tools (super strong, square-bladed spade, and fiberglass-handled pick-axe among them).

I shipped over my Webber too.  Bought a spade and,  it bent the first time I tried to dig with it and pushed in with my foot.  I have hed my Webber 8 years and still works great.  My wife bought a knock off table top webber at Home Pro and it started to fall apart after a 1/2 dozen uses.  I had the same garden tools in the states for over 20 years.  I wish I had bought a new set and shipped them when I moved here 8 years ago. 

 

Back to topic, I am looking not jsut for functionality but aesthetics as well. 

[khunkeith]

15 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

This from Lazada ... https://www.lazada.co.th/products/outdoor-pit-bbq-table-grill-garden-patio-camping-heater-fireplace-brazier-intl-i243691661-s373996298.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.7.7e2e45d9xzx86C&search=1

thanks!!!   already on order now.  when I receive it, I will post how well it works and the quality. 

[khunkeith]

1 hour ago, b17 said:

Well, I'd buy one. So only 49 left to unload. Bet you could easily find 49 other people on Thai visa alone who would buy one if the price was reasonable. 

  check the lazada link above

[starky]

On 7/29/2018 at 11:54 AM, khunkeith said:

I wonder if the steel used in barrels here is a lower quality steel then used in the US?  I know the steel used in nails I have bought here is poor quality and the same with gardening tools that I have purchased.  When I built my gazebo, nails bent easily and, when I tried to pull them out, the heads sometimes popped off, never had that happen with nails I got in the US. 

If you buy the barrel of a petrol/ chemical/ oil company it will be exactly the same steel as used worldwide. Could of told you that before but you were too quick to tell me the steel was shit and wouldn't last. Aesthetically not what you are looking for I understand buy the steel would be fine.

[user564545]

On 7/29/2018 at 9:31 AM, khunkeith said:

a friend of mine used one for a BBQ.  worked nicely for a while but the steel was to thin.  it burned and rusted though the bottom after a couple years.  I looked at commercial sized woks and saw they would have the same problem.  1/8" steel thickness  (10-12 gauge) or better is recommended.  a barrel is usually about 18 gauge.   thanks for the suggestion though. 

I bought one of those small half barrel BBQ's from a local Thai hardware store about 8 years ago and it is still in great condition.

The metal used on those small barrels is not thicker that on a full size barrel, so the quality of the metal is not the problem,.

I keep mine fully rust free by cleaning it thoroughly after every use and then giving it a thin coating of with vegetable oil.

It is stored outside but in a covered area.