Update: I've fininshed painting it. I used the cheap high heat stuff I got from Home Depot for about $4 a can. Took me two cans. Says it is good up 1200* and has a picture of a stove on the front. I found some woodstove rope gasket on Amazon for $6 per 6 feet. This will replace the rubber gasket that was between the lid and barrel. I don't plan on sealing the lid, in case I want to take it off later for maintenance or something.

Before I put the lid back in, I need to decide what to do for the inside as far as using firebrick, sand, or making a grate. My neighbor offered to help me make a grate out of scrap angle iron if I go pick it up. I like that idea as lifting everything up will help get air under for a better burn.

I haven't decided if I'll fashion a cover for the large bung or not yet. I like what Wranglerstar did a lot. I also saw another video where a guy slides a pipe into the barrel, with air holes drilled into it. This would greatly help getting even air into the stove. I think I could actually do both. My debate is how much time to spend on something that will get occasional use, and already works well enough for what I want. On the other hand, it won't take much more money to implement these ideas, and I'm really learning that it pays to take the time to do stuff right.

I found a great deal on stove pipe on Amazon as well. A 5-pack of 6" x 48" single wall for under $55. I don't need 20', but the next best deal is 6" x 24" for $9.99 a pop. If I buy 8', that will run me $40ish. So might as well have 12' extra laying around for the ten dollar difference. I also decided to just go straight up through the corrugated roof. A lot more simple that way. I can just lay down another sheet when I move.

Finally, both the flue and the door have 8-12 holes for mounting. It was a major pain lining the holes up on the door and I didn't do all that great. By the time I got to the flue, I realized this isn't a hurricane stove, and I really only need 4 holes. I realize so many holes means more bolts to keep the thin metal sealed tight. The flue is small and will be fine. As for the door, I am going to just use the four corners and put more gasket along the edges to seal up the extra holes. Also, I am going to take the damper out of the flue, and relocate it up to the first joint in the stove pipe. The original location being so close to the barrel, I hear that it will fail almlst right away (see last picture).

Any thoughts?