Market research 55 gallon cone bottom HDPE drums

[TIMLUTZ]

Doing some prototyping this weekend. I have built tooling and will try to thermoform a cone or at least a dome on the bottom of some white closed top 55 and 30 gallon HDPE plastic drums. At first I had the idea for my own wash tanks but now have a good source for the drums. The stand for the plastic drums I have come up with is pretty slick. It's a modified steel open top drum band that clamps around the top of the plastic drum. 1X1 steel tube legs attach to this band with bolt on brackets. The stand can be shipped in a 62" x 5" x 5" box if you supply the band.

If this works I would think it would make a nice inexpensive wash tank that every home brewer could not afford to be without.
Comments are welcome.

[phatb]

Post pics when you have one made.

[mankypro]

Bay Area Biodiesel Supply - Homebrewing Biodiesel, Supplies, Equipment and Information - Biodiesel Drum Cone - Make your own cone bottom tanks! (Powered by CubeCart)

[phatb]

That funnel is metal, the OP is talking about using a high density poly ethylene (HDPE) drum and using heat to reform the flat bottom of the drum into a cone, key benefit, seemless construction on the cheap....

[mankypro]

just presenting another option to those assembled. In my AO a HPDE drum is $64.00, a clean food grade steel drum is $20.00 you add a cone and you're still ahead by more than $10.00 and you still have the full capacity of the drum.

[TIMLUTZ]

Didn't get around to messing with the drums this weekend. Plowed snow all day. I get my white HDPE drums for free. Thought it would be cool to put a clear acrylic window in the top with a couple 12V quarts landscape lights so you can tall when your wash water has separated by looking at the outside of the drum. I have one of the BABS steel cones and am going to use it on my processor.
Also working on a nice aluminum knock down stand with casters that will hold a 55 gallon plastic drum up side down for all you stand pipe guys.