Uses for old brake drums?

[T56 Impala]

Okay, I have two used brake drums sitting here. I can't seem to get rid of them! I called the recycling dept. and they said put them in the trash. I put them in the trash and they refuse to take them. They say I should put them in the recycle bin! So... since they are still here, any funny ideas of what to do with them?

 

[john w]

I've seen quite a few of them filled with concrete with signs or other uprights stuck in them. Could also maybe be used as the base for some type of revolving gizmo on top?

 

[nonhog]

Swing by your local dealership and toss them in there pile . I doubt they would mind but you should probably ask 1st.

 

[Paumanok]

weld some 5/8 pipe in a 90 degree elbow through the middle of it, and with the right pipe fittings - attach a lawn sprinkler head to the top, and you have a nice heavy base for a lawn sprinkler so it won't flip over when the ground starts to get wet - the key is to use a heavy duty-ish sprinkler head, then the thing should last quite a while

 

[5wndwcpe]

Put them on the curb with a $5.00 For Sale sign on them. They'll disappear overnite.

 

[Bustawrench]

They can be used to make all sorts of useful things...................

Make nice stable bases for work supports for your table saw or power mitre saw.............

or, flip one over, weld a stand to the bottom, grab an old automotive heater blower, a battery and some metal flex duct, fill 'er up with charcoal and presto..........you've got a neat little blacksmith's forge..............

Could make good bird feeder stands, as well.............

 

[HOTFR8]

Well them together and make a pot belly wood heater for the Garage.

 

[bchee]

you can list them in the FREE sections of craigslist or freecycle.org

 

[kiall1987]

put them on ebay as vintage

 

[JohnK007]

Paint them red, write "Snap On" in white paint, and sell them for $500 each as Muffler Bearing Insertion Tool Adapters. One metric, the other SAE

 

[1997S10ss]

Well them together and make a pot belly wood heater for the Garage.

Thats a pretty slick idea... I work as a Diesel Tech at Truck and Trailer repair place... And those old drums are laying everywhere... Might give that a try

 

[russlaferrera]

Bring them to a company that does auto repairs. Some get money for scrap metal.

 

[roundvalley]

I wrap them up like Christmas packages and leave them in my driveway. They are always gone in the morning!

 

[rsanter]

set them next to a dumpster and the metal scrappers will take them

bob

 

[KustomZ]

I welded a post on mine and welded a piece of railroad rail on top. Makes a great makeshift anvil. They make great bases for lots of things.

 

[MisterCMK]

Put them in the middle of the trash can rather than the top.

 

[rsanter]

what size drums are they?
are they big enough to be used a the pedistal base for a grinder

bob

 

[Kevin54]

Okay, I have two used brake drums sitting here. I can't seem to get rid of them! I called the recycling dept. and they said put them in the trash. I put them in the trash and they refuse to take them. They say I should put them in the recycle bin! So... since they are still here, any funny ideas of what to do with them?

Stack them with other pieces of scrap metal, then advertise it all on Craigslist under FREE.

 

[atvmech]

break them into quarters.....then trash em

 

[kbs2244]

As a take off on the blacksmith forge idea, I have seen BBQs made out of them.
Once you have all that cast iron up to temp, it will cook for a long time.

 

[Bulldog13]

Spray em ' with some nice Krylon Gold metalfake...attach a chain and you've got instant Bling Bling.....

 

[brockstar]

They make excellent planters! The guy that I rent my garage from has drums sitting on top of old rotors filled sitting on each side of his driveway.

Excellent way to recycle and reduce the carbon footprint of the garage

 

[JimmyM]

take them to the scrap salvage place if you have one in your area they'll give you a couple bucks a piece for them. I'm saving aluminum cans, brake rotors, and drums, when the price is up I take them in

 

[HOTFR8]

Thats a pretty slick idea... I work as a Diesel Tech at Truck and Trailer repair place... And those old drums are laying everywhere... Might give that a try

A common thing here in Australia. I have one here in my workshop.

Two drums make the top section with a third for the base.

Here is a link to help you >
http://gallery.oldholden.com/Afreakin+Sam/album267/3/

Good luck

 

[iamhistory]

Use them on your shooting range for silhouette like targets or make targets from the metal. I'd love to have a few laying around. They also make nice target stands, boat anchors, flower pots, etc.

 

[nissan_crawler]

Put them on the curb with a $5.00 For Sale sign on them. They'll disappear overnite.

I tried to give a fridge away at the edge of the yard for 1.5 weeks, nobody wanted it. I stuck a "works great!, $50!" sign on it, and it was "stolen" 6 hours later.

 

[rsanter]

actually I used to have one I used on my press.
it was one of the 60s ford from drums that had a thick flange on them

bob

 

[kartracer55]

Cast iron isn't worth trying to scrap yourself unless you have a BIG truck and a whole lot of weight. Your best bet is to swing by your local repair shop and ask if they'll get rid of them for you.

We have scrap guys that come and take all of our stuff. No money is exchanged, because we give them catalytic converters when we get them. In exchange, they take whatever **** we have laying around, no matter what. It's win win.

 

[larry4406]

Use them on your shooting range for silhouette like targets or make targets from the metal.

Yeah - shooting at metal objects sounds like a quick way to win a Darwin award.

 

[gofastman]

Yeah - shooting at metal objects sounds like a quick way to win a Darwin award.

I second that

 

[iamhistory]

Yeah - shooting at metal objects sounds like a quick way to win a Darwin award.

Tell that to the growing ranks of pro shooters who compete for tens of thousands of dollars in prize money shooting at..........metal objects.

Like anything, done with the proper safety considerations in mind it is fun and perfectly safe.

 

[gofastman]

Tell that to the growing ranks of pro shooters who compete for tens of thousands of dollars in prize money shooting at..........metal objects.

Like anything, done with the proper safety considerations in mind it is fun and perfectly safe.

Apples and oranges.
this: http://glarp.atk.com/press/press_release/hi_res/40988_SingleSpinner.jpg
Is not even close to shooting at a brake drum.

 

[v8garage]

Yeah - shooting at metal objects sounds like a quick way to win a Darwin award.

My brother in law was shooting at a car rim and the bullet came back and missed his heart by 1/2".

 

[e-tek]

My brother in law was shooting at a car rim and the bullet came back and missed his heart by 1/2".

I shot at a corrugated coulvert once and the ricochet hit me in the thigh. A few inches higher and it would've hit me right in the batteries.

 

[speed bump]

Stands for various things, you can use them to hold down things prone to blow away, blacksmith forge, caps for certain sized things.

 

[nadogail]

They make great Gongs. One of San Diego's old time alarm companies made their own Electric Bells by hand winding solenoid coils and using brake drums for the Gong.

I agree the Muffler Bearing Installer Adapter is a good idea, but be careful about Trademerk Infringment.

 

[DaytonFan]

Hey I got an Idea weld a seven foot solid bar stock on them fill the ends with cement or hey even lead paint them up all nice and purdy and use them as weights

 

[tdkkart]

Tie a cat to one and throw...........Oh never mind!!

 

[phy6]

DIY Fajita Skillets!

One Beef, one Chicken!

 

[motorsportsaddict]

I used the ones I had laying around for the electrode in electrolysis rust removal.

http://stovebolt.com/techtips/rust/electrolytic_derusting.htm