Finishing the caustic soda drum

I wanted to have a way to empty the caustic from the drum, something that would not put me in danger of getting it all over me. It's dangerous stuff. So I drilled a 11mm hole in the bottom and welded a 10mm nut inside. It's a good practice to put a bolt on and tighten it down for welding. This will keep the nut in place while welding. Just make sure you don't weld the nut into the bolt! Not hard, really.

The nut does not need much, here I actually totally missed the first one, it's on the side of the nut! (I've wire brushed after welding, that's why it looks so neat).

This will then accept a 10mm bolt from the outside of the drum, from the bottom to be exact. It's a good idea to use a brass washer between the bolt and the drum, this will seal much better than a normal washer.

To finish the setup, I placed the drum on two metal pieces to be able to fit a cooking plate under it (needs to be flush with the bottom of the drum). I intend to lower the block into the caustic using an engine hoist, and that's how I'm going to lift it out, too.