# Kneebones coffin keezer build



## Kneebone

So after trawling through ahb for a long time, getting information and ideas for my keezer build, i thought id sign up to say hi and share my build with you all.

I picked up a cheap 164L fisher & paykel from Gumtree for $100 to kickstart the project.




It's big enough to fit x2 20l cornies, a 9l cornie and a co2 tank. It's not huge but it's gonna get the job done!

So after a trip to bunnings i had what i needed to start building the cabinet.




I am making a pine frame with ply paneling and some nice decorative chair rail.





I've raised the freezer since i took this photo so it sits 10mm above the frame.


All the panels are done, trimmings are on and the benchtop is nearly there.

I still need a 25mm timber railing to go under the counter so it will hide the mdf and the top edge of the cabinet.

I'm pretty happy with my progress so far, still a lot of work to go though.

Plans are:
Stc-1000
Eva-dry 500
12v fan
Dark stain with a gloss varnish on the sides and a 2 part epoxy for the counter trim.
Tiles for the counter and the front of the coffin
3 tap coffin with a 12v fan
Led lights behind the taps
Ss drip tray

I shall keep taking photos and posting updates as the build continues! 
Looking forward to hearing some feedback and getting some tips!

- kneebone


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## MastersBrewery

Love the timber skillz.
Can't wait to see this one done!


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## TheWiggman

Looks good man, will be watching progress. Are you keeping the back open so the heat generated by the freezer is able to escape?


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## Kneebone

Thanks guys! Yeah i'm leaving the back open. I'm going to make an access panel in the back of the coffin too so the whole setup will be easily serviced from the back! As you can see there is 100mm clearance either side of the freezer so the heat can dissipate alot easier without the need for side vents


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## Tahoose

Looks good so far..


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## JDW81

Keep us updated with pics. I love a good coffin keezer.

I'm thinking of building something similar myself. I've got the go OK from the minister for home affairs to set up a keg system as a present to myself for finishing medical school at the end of the year.

JD


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## slcmorro

Forgive my ignorance. What makes it a 'coffin' keezer?


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## Blind Dog

The box on top with the taps is called an Irish coffin


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## Kneebone

Correct! 
I'm using this as a bit of a reference for my build






I'm doing x3 perlick 525ss taps with a tile splash back recessed with a led strip downlight .


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## TheWiggman

That looks stellar. I just showed that pic to my wife and said "what would you think about having something like this in the house? I could match it to the [$4000] buffet". 
"No. Isn't that something for the shed?"
Hell no. Long road ahead for me.


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## Kneebone

Haha persistance pays off! Keep at it...
I saw a pic of a similar setup but without the tiles, they put a door over the taps so you could basically call it a buffet table with hiden taps... Could be an option for you 

i hope i can get mine looking that tidy! I cant see why not... Although i've never tiled before, i'm interested to see how that goes...
When i showed the mrs. I was careful to select a stunning example and it worked, she was impressed!
I'm just sitting down now infront of the cabinet trying to nut out a good plan for the coffin...

I'm thinking i'll build it out of 20mm pine and have a hinged door on the back for servicing... I just saw a great idea, having a partition in the coffin to conceil all the electrical to keep it dry, so thats now apart of the plan!


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## dave81

What sort of cooling do you have in between the chest freezer and the taps? Insulated lines? Some sort of chilling?


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## Kneebone

i'm not 100% sure on insulation for the coffin but it will have 3 holes drilled through the lid...

1 hole in the middle will accomodate all 3 beer lines, then I will have 1 hole to the left with a fan attached to it blowing cold air from the freezer into the coffin, and the third hole to the right will be the return hole for the air... if that makes sense...

I think I will use a combination of foam & silicone sealant for the insulation... to be honest, with all the reading I've done insulating the coffin isn't a huge issue....


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## Kneebone

So i've come across my first error due to poor planning 
I should have designed the cabinet and top around standard tile dimensions...
I've purchased my 200x200 tiles and unfortunately am going to end up with some cut tiles around the edges.... It will be done nicely, but it will be something that will bug me for a while...



The tiles will look quite good once i stain the pine a dark walnut colour...

I'm going for this splashback (the top rectangular cut)



The dimensions of the coffin will be 400mm x 250mm...

I'm still searching for a nice flush mount drip tray at 400mm x 120mmish

I've decided on x3 perlick 650ss taps instead of the 525ss so i can keep the inside of the chest a bit tidyer with shorter lines...




I've been a bit held up in the last week with relatives visiting from overseas but i will be back in action for some serious progress next week!

Stay tuned

- Kneebone


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## stux

Good idea going with the 650ss, it's not just about the length of line. It's much easier to work out the correct balance on flow controllers rather than cutting lines and hoping 

Have you got a plan for the drip tray?


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## spog

Kneebone,to get around the tiles not covering the top why not try to find a smaller matching tile to use as a boarder first.
I see the mosaic tiles you plan to use for the coffin are thicker than the 200 x200 tiles ,but there are mosaic tiles to be found of the same thickness.
I recently saw similar tiles to yours that had mosaic features with them, they were glazed,some were different shades of glass and some were a dark grey similar to your tiles.
Maybe move the tiles around in different positions with the mosaics to make an alternative feature.
200 x 200's around the edge then an inner row of 2 or 3 glazed mosaics then fill in with 200 x 200's.
Just suggesting as a strip or 2 of mosaics may help "fill" in the gaps and make an eye grabbing feature of the top and the tiles you are using for the coffin will make a nice contrast.
Cheers....spog....


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## gap

Another alternative is to centre your tiles so you have a unform gap at each end and then cut tiles to fit the gap.
Much nicer and neater finish then just cutting tiles at one end.


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## BottloBill

Another suggestion is to centre the tiles and continue with adding more timber around the the outside tapering down to tiles


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## Kneebone

Stux - i'm looking for a flush mount 400mm drip tray... I'm actually going to be raising the tiles so they're flush with the wood trim so i should have enough space to flush mount.

Spog - i like the idea of the matching mosaic tile, i may have to return to the ceramic shops this weekend! I could actually get x3 300x300 tiles accross the length as its 910mm.. I just prefer my current configuration because it matches the size of the coffin...

Gap - i have pretty much centered them, it leaves 50mm on both sides and back..

Bottleobill- i did think of adding more timber, i even thought of scrapping the whole top and making it larger to suit, but i think i like the current size of the top in comparassin to the cabinet size...

I ordered my stc-1000 last night, along with an led strip for the coffin and a couple of 12v toggle switches so i can have all my electrical stuff, like led's and fans on a switch at the back. 

I still need to find a nice silent computer fan with good airflow for the coffin air ciculation...

- kneebone


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## spog

Computer or Jaycar if their in your area,it would depend on what size fan would fit the build.
I imagine a small fan would do the trick as it doesn't have to ventilate a large area.


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## Blind Dog

keg king do a font fan kit: http://kegking.com.au/heating-cooling-equipment/font-fan-kit.html

mind you being out of stock and $50 may not be that helpful


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## n87

if you want it to be quiet, get the biggest fan that will fit, and run it at a slower speed.
a good quality 120mm fan, with a resister in line (speed slowerer) is pretty silent outside a sealed box.

I have 2 of these fans attached to my home theater unit running at full speed.
you can only hear them when you turn the TV off at night and the rest of the house is silent.
http://www.mwave.com.au/product/corsair-air-series-af120-quiet-edition-case-fan-aa16141

this one also comes with a speed slowerer in the box
just make sure you get the 'AF' one, not the 'SP' one, as the SP is designed for direct pushing through heatsinks.


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## Blind Dog

Love the review that says the fan is 'defiantly quiet'...


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## Kneebone

120mm fan seems the go! I've got a speed controller already so i'll just go that path! I'll make a trip to PLE computers on saturday!


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## stux

digital homebrew also do a font fan

http://www.digitalhomebrew.com/font-snake


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## spog

Anyone got pics of the inner workings of the font snake ? Could be another HB home build project.


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## Kneebone

id definitely use the font snake if i had a tower font... I should be able to achieve the cooling i need with just a case fan i would think!


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## leighaus

cool, another coffin keezer.. mines mostly built... Very similar set up to your infact.

One word of advice - don't use 2pack epoxy unless you are skilled in it. I did for my glass top and it has set the project back MASSIVELY. It hardened perfectly like glass in some areas and was a sticky mess elsewhere. It's a prick to get off too. 

It may stink to high heavens for a short while, but a polyeuro is a much much safer alternative.

Im running the 650ss on mine as well, great piece of kit.

*In relation to the fan, i went to jaycar and got an ultra silent, bearing free long life fan that is damp tolerant. I think it was like 15 bucks. I then have that running to the transformer which also runs my LED strip under the taps. 

*In relation to the coffin, you can go to bunnings and get adhesive foam roll. It cost about 40 bucks for way too much, but its perfect for lining the coffin to keep the cold in 

One thing i didn't really consider was the joining of my lid to the freezer lid. In the case of your freezer dying, what are your options? Making it as simple to do a "swap over" as possible, would be great foresight. 


i need to update my thread - http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/82579-the-lethal-money-brewing-coffin-keezer-build-lots-of-pics/#entry1220163
I'm no cabinet maker ( i am a sparky tho) , but I've learnt a lot building mine so if you have any questions, ask away.

Can't wait to see it finished.


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## Kneebone

Nice build Leighaus! I really like the partitioned section for the electrical gear and am thinking of goin with the same method, depending on my space.

I took in your advice Re. joining the lid to the counter top and am going to set x4 t nuts and some threaded rod with locking nuts in the top for easy fitting.






So with the inlaws heading back home, the project is now full steam ahead again! :beerbang:

I went to bunnings and bought a tile cutter so I could get the counter top dry fitted.



So after a few wasted tiles on dodgy cuts I got the hang of it and successfuly cut all the tiles to size.





As you can see in the photo I've got my splashback tiles aswell, I think i might need the diamond cutter for those ones.

I also received my drip tray from keg king today (also pictured above)

I went with a flush mount 400mm long one to run the full length of the coffin




I've been shopping around for the Perlicks and am probably going to buy them locally from these guys: http://www.brewmart.com.au/brewmart-shop/catalogue/?detail&ItemID=4562&SZIDX=0&CCODE=167060+650SS&QOH=16&CATID=411&CLN=1&keywords=perlick

Can anyone tell me if this shank will fit the Perlicks?
http://www.brewmart.com.au/brewmart-shop/catalogue/?detail&ItemID=3747&SZIDX=0&CCODE=16564++C276&QOH=1&CATID=411&CLN=1&keywords=shank

The price of the x3 taps are a killer so I'm trying to keep the price down on the shanks.

I'm building the coffin on Saturday so I'll be sure to take plenty of pics and post an update.

-Kneebone


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## tj2204

Taps are $20 cheaper from cheeky peak: http://www.cheekypeakbrewery.com.au/index.php/kegging-dispensing-accessories/taps/product/934-perlick-545ss-flow-control-faucet

and if you're mounting in a coffin surely you'd be able to get away with short shanks: http://www.cheekypeakbrewery.com.au/index.php/kegging-dispensing-accessories/taps/product/1054-premium-stainless-steel-tap-shank


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## Kneebone

Awesome! Thanks TJ, i ordered x3 650ss taps, x3 90mm shanks and a 3 way gas manifold... Pretty excited for these to turn up!

The font tower shank would have been too short as the coffin wood is 19mm... 

I think i'm going to stop tallying up the cost of this project now


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## leighaus

Keep insulation in mind for shank length. It's also good having a bit of a lump of metal in your coffin to soak up some of the cold, so the longer shanks are good for that.


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## Kneebone

well the shanks are 90mm so that should provide some extra insulation!

Hey leighaus, do you have any pics of your access panel in the coffin? how did you do it?

I was going to use a couple of hinges and use some foam seals or something.


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## spog

Kneebone said:


> Awesome! Thanks TJ, i ordered x3 650ss taps, x3 90mm shanks and a 3 way gas manifold... Pretty excited for these to turn up!
> The font tower shank would have been too short as the coffin wood is 19mm...
> I think i'm going to stop tallying up the cost of this project now


Kneebone,what gas manifold have you decided upon?
Asking because I have been looking at the John Guest type ,that can be added to as you go in regards to expanding the set up.
And at $ 10.00 per single outlet with a simple plug and play addition,I am favouring this setup.
Cheers.....spog...


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## Kneebone

I just went for this one
http://www.cheekypeakbrewery.com.au/index.php/co2-gas-bottles-regulators-accessories/product/374-3-way-co2-gas-manifold
These are expandable and pretty cheap... Should do the trick!
I havn't looked into the john west fittings.


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## leighaus

I'll take a pic today and add it to my thread


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## Kneebone

I aquired some old sail & anchor tap handles today... 
I'm going to modify these and get rid of the rope & gold rings...
With a sand and a restain they will come up a treat!


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## spog

Kneebone said:


> I aquired some old sail & anchor tap handles today...
> I'm going to modify these and get rid of the rope & gold rings...
> With a sand and a restain they will come up a treat!
> 
> 
> 
> image.jpg


Dunno about getting rid of the rope and rings they look alright to me, but they are yours.
But if you don't want a nautical look I see why.


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## spog

Here is the gas manifold setup I mentioned earlier.


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## Kneebone

Yeah i know the ropes look pretty cool, but they are steering away from the look i am going for... I may wait until i get it all built until i modify them...

Now that i am looking at the pic of the manifold i've realised that a mate of mine has that setup on his 2 tap kegerator... Nice and neat and simple!
I've already got the 3 way mani ordered so i'll probably stick with that


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## stux

Personally I prefer the solid manifold, the JG stacked one can have leaking issues


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## stux

Regards the tap handles, with the rope and brass rings they're pretty cool, without they're just sticks. 

Your choice


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## Kneebone

I made some progress today!

I started with setting the threaded inserts to bolt the top to the freezer.







I've cut some threaded rod to bolt all the way through, I went with this method because I need to tile over the location where the bolts go. Hopefuly they don't fail, i added some MS polymer adhesive as a safeguard.

I struggled a bit getting the coffin put together square, it turned out pretty good though!
It all fits to the mm between the tiles :super:






I still need to get the top sorted and the rear access door.

I've added a layer of cement sheeting so the grout doesnt crack when the wood shrinks/expands.



Next was to check out the cement sheet & MDF top so the drip tray would sit flush with the tiles.




I finished the evening off by glueing the front peice of wood to the underside of the counter.



I'm hoping to get all of the construction finished tomorrow so I can get the stain on during the week...

Stay tuned!

- Kneebone


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## tj2204

That looks excellent! Great work.


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## Kneebone

My stc-1000 arrived in the mail 

I'll be playing sparky this long weekend!

I'm not 100% sure on the wiring diagram i'll be using but was looking at this one.


I think i'll do a little bit more research!


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## sponge

'Playing sparky' is a very dangerous and possibly deadly game.. please get a licensed sparky to confirm your circuit before powering it up.

Not trying to rain on your parade, but electricity really is not something to be playing with. 

On a lighter note, looks like the coffin is coming along nicely!


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## Kneebone

Time for an easter long weekend update!
I started the long weekend with some nice and dusty hole sawing...
1 hole for cold air intake into the coffin, 1 hole for the cold air to circulate back into the chesty and the middle hole will accomodate the beer lines.
This was an absolute prick of a job as I had to go through the cement sheeting, the MDF and then the chesty lid... the hole saw did not like it one bit.



You can also see my 4 bolts holding the counter on to the lid. I still need to add some large washers.
I sealed all of the MDF that was under the cement sheeting, aswell as the inside of the holes that I had just drilled.

I got the coffin 90% finished...
I cut the lid with 15mm overhang so i could router a nice roman edge on the underside.


I'm not fitting the lid until I have drilled out the holes for the taps, It will make my life a little bit easier!

I went to jaycar and got a jiffy box suitable to house the stc wiring. I then wired it all up using this diagram







The jiffy box fits well with a nice neat GPO facing out the back.

So once all of the woodwork was done I got busy sanding ready for 2 coats of walnut oil based stain.

I applied the stain with a rag and recoated about 12 hrs after my first coat.




I'm really happy with the colour it came out, I envisioned it to be a little darker/ashy but am pretty content with this!

Oh, and one last pic of the rear access panel on the coffin.



So I'm really hoping my taps come in early this week so I can have them all test fitted before I get into varnishing.

I just kegged a pale ale and dropped it in my mates fridge ready for some mid week pints... I was hoping to save it for my keezer but it tasted too good out of the fermenter to wait. I'd better get another brew on this week 

- Kneebone


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## Winny

Mate that keezer is a thing of beauty [emoji106] top job can't wait to see it finished and filled


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## Kneebone

My perlicks finally arrived!!


Unfortunately the black plastic collars on 2 of the shanks were broken.

So i measured out the holes and drilled 3 22mm holes so suit the shanks.



They look the business! i'm so glad i went with the 650ss taps 





I've also attached some wood for the access door to close on, which will have some rubber seals.



I was supposed to varnish today but after a few too many beers last night it took me a while to get started today haha! :chug:
-kneebone


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## spog

Shmick setup,the handles look great .


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## leighaus

awesome job mate.... that top must be getting bloody heavy though?


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## Kneebone

Thanks man... yeah it's getting pretty heavy... I'm going to investigate some gas struts or something...

I added some castors last week.



Set up for a few coats of cabots gloss polyurethane



Inbetween coats i rubbed it back with some 0000 steel wool... that worked a treat and left me with a nice smooth glossy finish.



I Installed the 4 way gas manifold to the inside lip, it clears the lid perfectly. I just used 2 small SS screws for this.





I bought some rubber weather seal from Bunnings and ran a strip around the coffin access door jam. I just need to sort out a latch to hold it shut.



I tiled the counter top. I ended up using a MS polymer glue to hold the tiles down instead of thinset... they wont budge a bit!





Next up was cutting the smaller granite splashback tiles. I used a 4" grinder with a stone disc.



I also used the MS polymer to glue these down.



The gaps you can see down the side are going to be covered by some nice wood trim after I grout them.

It's starting to look very functional 

I'm still waiting on my LED light strip and the x2 fans.

I think it should be 95% complete this weekend, I will be able to get it out of the garage and into the house 

- Kneebone


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## Kneebone

leighaus said:


> *In relation to the coffin, you can go to bunnings and get adhesive foam roll. It cost about 40 bucks for way too much, but its perfect for lining the coffin to keep the cold in


Hey any chance you have a product name or a picture of this? I haven't had much luck in finding it in bunnings.


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## tj2204

Kneebone said:


> Hey any chance you have a product name or a picture of this? I haven't had much luck in finding it in bunnings.


http://www.bunnings.com.au/sealing-strip-raven-multi-use-rubber-grey-r108g_p3970014

I think it's similar to this. It is near the door handles and hinges in all the Bunnings near me.


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## Ciderman

I have 4 unbroken plastic collars you can have if you want them. I have no idea on fright from Brisbane to Perth but there yours if you want them.


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## Kneebone

Thanks for the offer dude! I contacted cheeky peak and they are sending some replacements... I will be changing them out for some chrome ones at some point...


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## leighaus

hey mate... definitely not the above stuff.. It was just in a 25M roll, its a good 100mm wide.. 


http://www.bunnings.com.au/abelflex-10-x-100mm-25m-zipped-expansion-jointing_p1060067

I used a compressor powered staple gun on it as well (it has an adhesive side, but i decided to tim the toolman it on).


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## Luke84

Kneebone have you thought about subway tiles there 100 x 200 n would work in the space, you would use a few more but would come up nice


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## Luke84

Sorry mate didn't see there was another page my bad lookin good mate awesome job


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## Winny

Would love to see the completed project mate


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## Kneebone

I think its about time i posted an update! I've been a bit distracted by a functional keezer and have neglected this build thread 
Se next up was grouting.
This was my least favourite part of the project... I made it hard for myself and didnt scrub the tiles fast enough which left me scrubbing the tiles with very fine steel wool.
I ended up getting it quite neat after all.




I installed the push button switch for my LED lights next to the STC


I was ready to plumb it all up by now so i got all the lines and co2 gear



(Sorry about the rotated pic, updating on a ph is dodgy)
So i got a converted extinguisher and a keg king reg. this fits perfectly on the hump.

I started plumbing it all up.


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## Kneebone

I sorted out the 12v electrical going to the led and fan by using a 4 pin plug, so i could disconnect it from the lid when i want to disassemble it for moving.


Next up was finishing the top, i needed to caulk the edges of the tiling





I used painters tape to tape up a neat line and it endud up coming out great! I used a grey caulk to match the grout.
At this point i was ready to load the keezer up with kegs.



It fits x2 19l cornies, a 11l cornie and the co2 bottle perfectly!

And here is my first pour!


I still need to stain the other 2 tap handles and varnish them all.






I've poured at least 120l of beer since i finished the build... Its a bit alarming how quickly one can finish a 19l keg 

There are a few small things left to do, i need to sort out a dehumidifier, finish the handles and finish the coffin insulation.
The unit runs absolutely amazing! It impresses everyone who comes over and pours perfect pints all night.

Cheers
- kneebone


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## Red Baron

That sure is a thing of beauty Kneebone. I see one of these in my future at some point- thanks for the inspiration.

Cheers,
RB


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## spog

Whoa ! Now that is shmick. 
Top job.


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## BottloBill

Awesome! Certainly has been great watching this thing of beauty unfold from start to finish


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## Luke84

Wow that's awesome mate lots of inspiration for myn I just started to build my coffin keezer


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## fraser_john

Yeah that is farking sweet.... so jealous of people with this kind of skill and patience to finish it just so.


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## Kumamoto_Ken

Red Baron said:


> That sure is a thing of beauty Kneebone. I see one of these in my future at some point- thanks for the inspiration.
> 
> Cheers,
> RB


Almost the exact thought going through my mind looking at the finished build..."it's a thing of frikken beauty!"
Terrific work kneebone.


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## poppa joe

I have a Tuckerbox Keezer Half built with 3Ply stuck to the outside..FREE to anyone who wants to finish it off.
BUT...... I am in Nowra NSW.Dont brew anymore.
PJ


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