Keg Massacre!

[Burchman82]

Gday all,

just wondering if anyone has ever tried getting a regular 19L keg and getting it cut in half and shrunk down to say a 5 or 10L keg???

I am curious to whether or not it is possible and what i would need to do, im no boiler-maker so be gentle on me!

Cheers
Burch

 

[devo]

John from grain and grape has had this done. I think the one one display in the store is it?

 

[peas_and_corn]

why would you want to do that????

 

[deadly]

try http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...rty%20keg&st=60
markws has done it.

 

[Burchman82]

thats exactly what i want to do with my keg.... does anyone know how it is done??

 

[Murray]

why would you want to do that????

[post="85385"][/post]​

Portability would be the main reason.

 

[Darren]

I would like to know how you get a sanitary weld inside those things?

 

[Burchman82]

well once its welded.... you um clean it i guess?????

 

[Wortgames]

You need good welding equipment, a guru-level welder, and most importantly you need to purge the keg with an inert gas.

Then you just need to have faith.

The guy who'll be building the conicals for me is able to do it, but it's a lot of work and requires jigs etc so it is unlikely to be financially viable.

 

[BrissyBrew]

3 gal kegs are about on ebay

 

[Darren]

I can barely get my arm inside a corny. Cleaning a bit of crusty yeast off the bottom is a trouble. How do you see what you are doing with a welding gun, let alone "grinder". Conicals would be different as you can see what you are doing. I bet most converted cories are welded from the outside. ie. not sanitary

 

[Burchman82]

ok, so the sounds of things i should just go for the old 3gal ones on ebay huh???? any idea if they are available from anywhere else?

 

[Wortgames]

You can produce a sanitary weld from the outside, but it takes a very experienced welder, top quality equipment, and a lot of 'facilities' to ensure total consistency. It's definitely not a backyard job.

Buy one ready made unless you have a mate that welds stuff for NASA.

 

[Batz]

I have a boily mate who has done two of these , works ok but cleaning the weld inside the keg is difficult.

I'll buy a 3 gallon fron BD , I have 6 of them :beerbang:


Batz

 

[Burchman82]

'scuse my ignorance.... what/who is BD? and how do i get a hold of him/her/them/whomever?

 

[mudsta]

Speaking from my trade background, im a qualified toolmaker by trade who used to specalize in special purpose machines and equiptment. I also have a boiler makers certificate, i used to do aircraft and pressure vessel stainless steel welding.
I agree with what these guys have said.

To do the job u need to split and shorten the keg on a lathe to ensure mating surfaces are flush and equally spaced apart for welding. I would suggest a manual internal T.I.G weld would be needed (impossible due to space), or an external machine T.I.G./MIG weld to ensure it to come up to pressure vessle standard and sanitation requirements. Big and expensive and rather annoying job to do.....long story short buy one else where. But if you have time and money go right ahead.

Happy Keggin,
Mudsta :beerbang:

 

[Wortgames]

'scuse my ignorance.... what/who is BD? and how do i get a hold of him/her/them/whomever?

[post="85557"][/post]​

BD = Brewers Discount, http://www.brewersdiscount.com.

They are affiliated with Matt, who sells the kegs on eBay (see other active threads).

Matt seems very busy and Terry at BD is not much of an email user so replies can be hard to come by.

I don't think they have any 3gals left though.

 

[Stagger]

I have just completed one for myself, I had 1 22L keg that is to tall for my fridge so I cut it down to 9.5L.I agree with Mudsta (I also am a tool maker with a welding ticket) however I do a lot of pressure welding and mine worked out a treat.
I cut mine to the desired size Machined the end and welded in, i welded the outside only using one of the latest tig on a rotating table.
I would suggest that you go to a welding shop and ask them they can do it.
I to was concerned about not having a sealed weld on the inside but if sanitation is up to scratch should no problem unless you have penetration on the inside of the weld, this should not be a problem for a skilled welder.

I had a number of brews in mine with no off flavours or metallic tastes, it works a treat.


Stagger

 

[mudsta]

Dear stagger,

Ahh good to see someone attempt the keg chop. My worries were with the finish of the weld penetration on the inside. Any porosity would be a lovely cave for bad bacteria. The T.I.G with rotating table system you used would have left a uniform penetration, A-Grade system to use and perfectly matched to situation.

Glad to hear it all worked out well.

Happy keggin,

Mudsta :beerbang:

 

[Burchman82]

ARGH! im sooo jealous! make me one!!!!
everyone is telling me its going to warp if i take it to a pro or not. then i hear speak of "pressure" welding, and i have no idea if thats what they are going to do.

i dont care if i have to sacrifice a keg, i already got 4, so im not too phased about it.

someone just sell me one of theirs huh :-D

oh well, back to calling engineering firms for me :-(