Drum reconditioning process

Claim 1

A method of reconditioning a normally closed generally cylindrical drum having a hollow body wall and a closure sealed to said wall at least at one end of said drum; said wall including a reversely bent flange at said one end which extends circumferentially around said wall in parallelism therewith; said closure including a main head portion positioned interiorly of said body wall at said one end and first, second, and third flanges extending circumferentially around said wall in parallelism with said body wall and in sealed relationship therewith, said first flange merging with said main body portion and engaging the inner surface of said body wall at said one end, said second flange merging with said first flange and being reversely bent relative thereto and engaging the outer surface at said body wall flange, and said third flange merging with said second flange and being reversely bent relative thereto and positioned between said body wall flange and the outer surface of said one end of said body wall, said method comprising: rotating said drum about the axis of said body wall; forcing a wedging tool into a flange folding position between the outer surface of said body wall and the third flange of said closure; retaining said wedging tool in said flange folding position during rotation of said drum to fold the second and third flanges of the closure and the body flange to a position at an acute angle with respect to said body wall; moving a cutting tool relative to said drum into a flange severing position in engagement with the portion of said closure bridging said second and third flanges; progressively moving said cutting tool relative to said bridging portion during rotation of said drum to sever said third flange from said closure while said body flange remains completely intact; removing said closure from said one end of said body wall to prOvide access to the interior thereof; treating the interior of said drum; placing a new closure on the open end of said body wall; and folding first, second and third flanges on said new closure into the previously described sealed relationship with said body wall and flange thereof to thereby provide a reconditioned drum having the same height and volumetric capacity as the original drum and which is itself capable of being further reconditioned.

Claim 2

A method of reconditioning a normally closed generally cylindrical drum having a hollow body wall and a closure sealed to said wall at least at one end of said drum; said wall including a reversely bent flange at said one end which extends circumferentially around said wall in parallelism therewith; said closure including a main head portion positioned interiorly of said body wall at said one end and first, second, and third flanges extending circumferentially around said wall in parallelism with said body wall and in sealed relationship therewith, said first flange merging with said main body portion and engaging the inner surface of said body wall at said one end, said second flange merging with said first flange and being reversely bent relative thereto and engaging the outer surface at said body wall flange, and said third flange merging with said second flange and being reversely bent relative thereto and positioned between said body wall flange and the outer surface of said one end of said body wall, said method comprising: rotating said drum about the axis of said body wall; forcing a wedging tool into a flange folding position between the outer surface of said body wall and the third flange of said closure; retaining said wedging tool in said flange folding position during rotation of said drum to fold the second and third flanges of the closure and the body flange to a position at an acute angle with respect to said body wall; moving a cutting tool relative to said drum into a flange severing position in engagement with the portion of said closure bridging said second and third flanges; progressively moving said cutting tool relative to said bridging portion during rotation of said drum to sever said third flange from said closure while said body flange remains completely intact; removing said closure from said one end of said body wall to prOvide access to the interior thereof; treating the interior of said drum; placing a new closure on the open end of said body wall; and folding first, second and third flanges on said new closure into the previously described sealed relationship with said body wall and flange thereof to thereby provide a reconditioned drum having the same height and volumetric capacity as the original drum and which is itself capable of being further reconditioned.

Claim 8

A method of reconditioning a normally closed generally cylindrical drum having a hollow body wall and a closure sealed to said wall at least at one end of said drum; said wall including a reversely bent flange at said one end which extends circumferentially around said wall in parallelism therewith; said closure including a main head portion recessed inwardly of said body wall at said one end and first, second, and third flanges extending circumferentially around said wall in parallelism with said body wall and in sealed relationship therewith, said first flange merging with said main body portion and engaging the inner surface of said body wall at said one end, said second flange merging with said first flange and being reversely bent relative thereto and engaging the outer surface at said body wall flange, and said third flange merging with said second flange and being reversely bent relative thereto and positioned between said body wall flange and the outer surface of said one end of said body wall, said body flange terminating short of the closure portion which bridges said second and third flanges to provide a gap therebetween which extends circumferentially around said body wall, said method comprising: placing said drum on a supporting platform at an operator station in spaced relationship with respect to a tapered centering member having a first portion with an external diameter smaller than the internal diameter of the first flange of said closure and a second portion with an external diameter larger than the internal diameter of the first flange of said closure; effecting relative movement between said platform and said centering member to cause said centering member to engage within said closure and center said drum at said operator station and to place said drum in a location where said closure is readily visible; rotating said drum about the axis of said body wall; forcing a wedging tool into a flange folding position between the outer surface of said body wall and the third flange of said closure; retaining said wedging tool in said flange folding position during rotation of said drum to fold the second and third flanges of the closure and the body flange to a position at an acute angle with respect to said body wall; moving a cutting tool relative to said drum into a flange severing position in engagement with the portion of said closure bridgiNg said second and third flanges; progressively moving said cutting tool relative to said bridging portion under manual control during rotation of said drum while observing said closure to cause said cutting tool to enter the gap between said body flange and bridging portion to thereby sever said third flanges from said closure while said body flange remains completely intact; effecting relative movement between said platform means and said centering member and removing said drum from said operator station; removing said closure from said one end of said body wall to provide access to the interior thereof; treating the interior of said drum; placing a new closure on the open end of said body wall; and folding first, second and third flanges on said new closure into the previously described sealed relationship with said body wall and flange thereof to thereby provide a reconditioned drum having the same height and volumetric capacity as the original drum and which is itself capable of being further reconditioned.

Claim 9

A method of reconditioning a normally closed generally cylindrical drum having a hollow body wall and a closure sealed to said wall at least at one end of said drum; said wall including a reversely bent flange at said one end which extends circumferentially around said wall in parallelism therewith; said closure including a main head portion recessed inwardly of said body wall at said one end and first, second, and third flanges extending circumferentially around said wall in parallelism with said body wall and in sealed relationship therewith, said first flange merging with said main body portion and engaging the inner surface of said body wall at said one end, said second flange merging with said first flange and being reversely bent relative thereto and engaging the outer surface at said body wall flange, and said third flange merging with said second flange and being reversely bent relative thereto and positioned between said body wall flange and the outer surface of said one end of said body wall, said body flange terminating short of the closure portion which bridges said second and third flanges to provide a gap therebetween which extends circumferentially around said body wall, said method comprising: placing said drum on a supporting platform at an operator station in spaced relationship with respect to a tapered centering member having a first portion with an external diameter smaller than the internal diameter of the first flange of said closure and a second portion with an external diameter larger than the internal diameter of the first flange of said closure; effecting relative movement between said platform and said centering member to cause said centering member to engage within said closure and center said drum at said operator station and to place said drum in a location where said closure is readily visible; rotating said drum about the axis of said body wall; forcing a wedging tool into a flange folding position between the outer surface of said body wall and the third flange of said closure; retaining said wedging tool in said flange folding position during rotation of said drum to fold the second and third flanges of the closure and the body flange to a position at an acute angle with respect to said body wall; moving a cutting tool relative to said drum into a flange severing position in engagement with the portion of said closure bridgiNg said second and third flanges; progressively moving said cutting tool relative to said bridging portion under manual control during rotation of said drum while observing said closure to cause said cutting tool to enter the gap between said body flange and bridging portion to thereby sever said third flanges from said closure while said body flange remains completely intact; effecting relative movement between said platform means and said centering member and removing said drum from said operator station; removing said closure from said one end of said body wall to provide access to the interior thereof; treating the interior of said drum; placing a new closure on the open end of said body wall; and folding first, second and third flanges on said new closure into the previously described sealed relationship with said body wall and flange thereof to thereby provide a reconditioned drum having the same height and volumetric capacity as the original drum and which is itself capable of being further reconditioned.