I was talking to Martin yesterday, our third in command, (Steven being First Sea Lord as he has the site switch), about the making of Big Blue 2. Although we had a hard negotiation regarding a production licence, he has kindly allowed me to make a similar item as long as I show the build here.
I purchased a barrel from ebay yesterday which cost me £15. Fortunately, the seller was only eight miles away which made collection quite easy.
I have several pictures for reference so all should go reasonably well but if any members have improvement ideas, I am all ears and I will have further discussions with Martin to see if these infringe on his almost registered design. (He has to ask the wife).
I will start soon but due to a pending trip, it might take a while.
Peter.

I have now started to prepare the barrel as instructed by its designer. I used an ordinary wood saw to remove the top. I decided not to cut a 50mm wide ring from the top to use as an assembly joining ring. I have decided to try to join the two halves with internal and external brass strips, each at 55mm wide. I plan to seal the joint with silicone but will also drill and bolt both sides all around. I hope this will give additional strength to the joint.
I have now cut the remaining barrel in half to give me the full test tank. Fortunately as this is a moulded barrel, I was able to use the tool split lines to follow to get two even pieces. This is where this project will be put on hold until I move to Hungary. It will be easier to transport in this condition. I might bend and prepare the brass strips if I find time and probably drill the holes also. I will post that update when completed.