Well, I should have known… if Beau said it was a doozy back in 2020, I was in for a rough go of it. 
 
 I spent more than an hour trying half a dozen techniques to get the bung cap off the lid of the barrel, all to no avail. 
 Wrench, screwdrivers, punch and mallet, flat bar with vice grips, heating with a propane torch, penetrating oil, combinations of all of them… nothing could overcome the rust. 
 
 With the sun going down, I opted to charge ahead and do the best with what I could. 
 
 I cleaned out the wood feed, burn chamber, ducting, and reached the ash vac up into the barrel area as far as I could from the duct. 
 
 My sorrows were further compounded by finding a little bird who had made its way into the ducting (probably from the chimney) … it did not fare well. 
 
 All in all, I’d give this a 2/10. 
 Really hammers home why Ernie and Erica recommend highly accessible clean outs. 
 
 Link for firing video: 
https://youtu.be/ixygdV0UQXc?si=lJ9XNwR0OFghSmg-