One of our projects over the last month has been the rehabilitation of this old 55 gallon barrel (is it an oil drum if it never held oil?). Now before you stay "How could you ever have that much trash," it's not for every day use and it has a catch, literally...
Look! A Trash Can With A Catch
This empty barrel was set outside of a building that had been gutted for salvage. No one claimed the barrel, so like any good scavenger, we drug (we're from Missouri and sometimes our southern bad grammar gets the best of us) it home later that night (the husband was thrilled).
We used a wire brush drill attachment and went to town sanding the inside. We were only knocking a few burs off so our bag wouldn't catch upon removal and a few minutes later, it looked good as new and was ready for some shiny red paint! A few cans later it looked like a fire engine ready for battle!
(*EDIT*: Please note that if you are unaware of what was in the barrel sanding or the removal of rust isn't exactly healthy or safe. We however, chose to live life on the edge and were ok with doing so in this instance. But that's just us and this instance.)
Our original intention was to use it for outdoor gatherings or parties where there's usually a good deal of waste generated. We wanted something that was a step up from a trash bag tied to a chair back, but something that still felt industrial yet clean (normal people don't worry that their trash looks "clean" do they?).
But what makes this trash can really work, is it's ability to hold the large trash bag without it falling back inside the can. We took a 3/4" piece of hose and had it cut to length at our local hardware store. When we returned home the husband cut a slit down the entire length of the hose (please use something sharp and lots of caution!) and it now grips tightly to the 1/2" metal rim right inside the lip of the can. The rim inside is left over from cutting the original lid off the can, but the hose grips it tight and holds a bag in place, even when large heavy objects are tossed inside.
It would even work well in your workshops or garages to round up the bits of trash that occur here and there!
As Martha Stewart would say, it's a good thing!
(Image: Sarah Rae Trover)
Comments (20)
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I'd like to get my hands on one of these for storing the various boards I bring home from scavenging.
view shantiquax's profile
Looks great and a clever way to hold the bag in place, but sanding down the inside of an industrial barrel that you don't know what it was originally used for is not something I would recommend.
view home body's profile
That's an excellent point home body, this barrel in particular (I had been scouting for one for some time prior to find one that was clean enough) was clean on the inside with just a few minor burs of rust, so I wasn't worried!
view sarahrae's profile
Well I hate to be the one to burst your re-purposing bubble, but if you don't know what was in that barrel before you sanded it, you may have contaminated yourselves and your surroundings with a dangerous substance. Was there a label on the barrel?
THOUSANDS of industrial chemicals are transported in 55-gallon barrels, not just "oil." It is quite common for unscrupulous users to abandon old barrels that contained dangerous chemicals rather than pay the fees to have them disposed of properly.
view SunnyBlue's profile
I have to do this. By "emty" you mean empty. And drug? Sigh.
view hybl's profile
weve got a plastic, lidded version of this with a water hose attached at the bottom lip that catches our clothes washer water. we use it to water our lawn. nothings gets my grass greener faster than recycled washer water.
...biggest downfall, its electric blue.
view deeboyayay's profile
still somewhat ghetto
but good job!
view iroh's profile
If you keep a bag in it, why did you have to sand the inside?
view Laura's profile
oh no typos!!!
TYPOOOOOOOOSSSSS!!!!!!!!!
view Futurovox's profile
We used to get safe barrels at a local bakery . . .
view jen_g's profile
man, harsh critics on this cute, innocuous little post. i think it looks totally spiffy and is perfect for your purposes!
view daniny's profile
"Our original intention was to use it for outdoor gatherings or parties where there's usually a good deal of waste generated."
You mean like paper plates, plastic cups, bottles and cans?
All that stuff is recyclable, ya know.
view bepsf's profile
A good trick to help a trash bag stay in place is to tie a knot at the top edge of the bag. This makes the opening of the bag a little smaller than the trash can. Stretch the bag opening over the top of the can.
view ohjodi's profile
I likes it, Sarah Rae.
view Splomo's profile
I use binder clips. You can pick some up at your local office.
view Joan52's profile
Totally cute idea! Don't let the naysayers get you down:)
view luscious11's profile
i am digging the "drug" -- with a canister of that size, that word appropriated the "ug" part of the task!
view liddybird's profile
Hey...it's a TRASH can....you aren't cooking soup in it. I like the look.
view baileyb's profile
not to be one of those people but....
while I (sort of) appreciate the use of "the husband" to avoid sounding like a polygamist, wouldn't it just be easier to not refer to yourself in the third person? I found it particularly distracting in this article; the royal we is hardly appropriate when talking trash cans!
view bewarethebaobabs's profile
there's always a problem, isn't there?
the good thing is, its theirs... not yours.
awesome job. candy apple red will make just about anything look amazing. yay for free stuff!
view cloudsoup's profile