Old LPG tank makes for a pretty robust grill.

     We had this old grill that was all in tatters, quite literally. And for whatever reason noone, except for me, wanted to replace it and just kept adding on more scrap metal to keep it together. I thought enough is enough and I'm not cooking anything on that pile of scrap anymore and started making a new grill.

    For my grill I took one of my brother's LPG tanks that he had cleaned and modded to be used as a compressor tank. But that was 4 years ago and not much has happened, besides the rust on the tank because it basically sat forgotten outside the whole time. So I've decided to yoink the tank and turn it into a grill. LPG tanks in particular have an expiry date, after which they need to be re-inspected but the inspection usually costs almost the same as a new tank so people choose just buy a new tank instead. This means that there's a surplus of old LPG tanks. But the amount isn't huge as the inspection period is 10 years. Since these tanks are made to handle high pressure they are made of some pretty thick steel, which makes them great for making a very robust grill.

    Warning: LPG tanks, or any fuel tanks, are dangerous and can explode quite violently, which is why clearing out the residual gas is important. Proceed at your own risk! 

    Here's how I do it: For starters you need your tank to be de-pressurized so that there's no pressure when it's opened. You can look for an empty tank or find ways to dispose of the gas. Next you need to fill the tank fully with water and then drain the water out several times. After doing this your tank should be safe to cut apart. You can then choose which way to cut the tank apart to make your grill. 

    My tank was like a barrel and I chose to cut it right through the center to make one half lift up and act as a lid. To do this I needed to mark out a line to cut along so that the two halves sit flush against each other. I also wanted the cut to be straight for aesthetic reasons. To do this I first used a piece of angle iron and laid it on the side of the tank. Since the tank is round the piece of angle iron sits in such a way that the edge of it runs perfectly straight along the side. To confirm that my line is correct I went the extra mile and confirmed that it's straight with a level. To do this I place the tank so that my line is at the top, such that the level sits on it level. I then place the level on the other end of the line, level it and check if it's sitting on the line. 

    
    Next, a line was drawn on both sides and to continue the line over the domed sides I laid a piece of masking tape such that the edge of the tape ran along the line, this made it easier to mark the line. I had to be careful when laying the tape to keep it going straight. After I had marked my line I gave it another look to make sure it was straight and then proceeded to cut the tank apart with my angle grinder. Wooden blocks were used as wedges to keep the tank from rolling around.

        After my tank was cut in half I took some masking tape and marked out a grid pattern for my holes. To drill the holes I used a step-drill and some oil to keep it from destroying itself. The spacing, the number and the size of the holes were chosen arbitrarily. Basically I just looked at the pattern and thought "yeah, that seems good". In total 36*14mm holes were drilled along with 18*10mm holes.

    Then I wanted to get rid of the paint. Removing it with an angle grinder is an option but it would be very labor intensive, so I chose to burn it off instead. As so happens we recently had to clear a small forest area of trees and have a bunch of firewood now. So I piled a bunch of that firewood onto the grill halves and cooked the paint off. I don't know what kind of paint was used on this tank but it took alot of heat to make it come off. The paint did not melt, neither did it wrinkle or peel off. Only after reaching a certain high temperature did it turn orange and could be simply wiped off with a cloth. On the bottom half some paint remained, so I had to use my angle grinder to remove the remainder of the paint.

    

    Once my halves were clean of any paint they were ready to be welded on. I decided to use 20x20 and 25x25 square tube for the legs. The 25x25 tube acts as a receiver for the 20x20 tube to slide into, so that the legs are removable for easier transport. The 25x25 tube was made just long enough to keep the grill slightly off the ground so that it can be used without the legs installed. The front legs were angled slightly forward and the back legs were angled a bit more towards the back. This was to help the grill keep it's balance when the lid swung is open. I also love how easy it is to fill large gaps with my MIG welder.

    

    After the leg receivers were welded I placed the lower half of the grill on the ground and placed the top half on it. Some bungee cords were used to tie the two together to keep them from moving. The top half was bumped into place and hinges were welded on the grill.

    The hinges were made from 10mm thick round stock with nuts welded on the ends. One side of the hinge received an M8 nut while the other received an M10 nut. This way the hinge not only moves freely but also has some wiggle room, which helps keep it from jamming and makes the assembly easier. M8 bolts thread into the M8 nut tying the hinges together.

    Next up I made the handles to lift the cover of the grill. For them I used the same 10mm round bar. Both these handles and the hinges were formed in the vice with the help of a hammed and some elbow grease. Once the handles were formed I sort of eyeballed their position and welded them on. They weren't placed perfectly where I wanted them to be but it's good enough. The handles were placed on the sides as opposed to being placed on the front like in more conventional grills, because I thought that when opening the lid there will be a lot of heat billowing out the front which would make it uncomfortable to open the lid of even cause a burn.

    After that I welded two nuts on both sides and bent up some more 10mm round bar into frames that will later be turned into tables that can be removed from the grill. The size of the tables was chosen such that they would fit inside the grill for storage. 

    Once all the welding was done I went over the grill with sandpaper one last time and wiped it down with a cloth. I then suspended the whole grill off a roof beam in the shed and sprayed it with black high temperature paint. The grill was being held precariously by a bungee cord that started tearing apart, which made painting that much more exciting.

    And of course right as I was finishing up my paint job I noticed spot I had forgotten to weld. Fortunately it wasn't critical because there was another weld on the other side of the part.

    And just like that the grill was finished. All that was left to do was to fire it up to see if the paint really is high temp. And maybe cook something up, who knows?

    While watching the fire burn I got bit hungry and decided that it would be appropriate to cook something up. There wasn't anything at home so I made a quick trip to the shop to buy some sausages. The side tables for the grill weren't finished yet but i installed them anyways and placed some scrap planks over to act as a temporary surface.

    I didn't build up quite enough charcoal inside to get the grill very hot but it was enough to cook up a pack of sausages pretty well.

    And just like that the side-tables proved their usefulness. No longer do I need to scramble for a table of a stool to hold my stuff. Of worse yet - place my plates on the ground, yuck!

    In conclusion, the grill turned out great. The thick steel means that it's quite heavy and if you drop it the grill rings like a church bell. The thick steel should also mean that the grill will last forever. But I think there are better options for grill material, like oil drums. The problem with LPG tanks is the gas. If the tank is not empty you have to put the gas somewhere and venting it out into the atmosphere not an option. On the other hand, an oil drum would be much easier to work with because it's easier to clean out and oil does not readily combust so cutting it is much safer. The steel is also much thinner but that also means that it's lighter and easier to work with. Honestly, if I were to make another grill like this I'd probably go with an oil drum. Even if it doesn't last as long as the gas tank it should last plenty long enough.

Anyways, that's it for now. Thanks for visiting my blog.