Keg Massacre!

[mudsta]

burchman,

When we talk of 'pressure' welding that means to weld any container the must hold pressure. ie, kegs, boilers, gas tanks, etc
It is just a normal type of welding style, but the welds must be to a very high standard. (you dont want weak welds of anything that contains pressure, or BANG!!)

As for warping when welding, nah mate. 316 or 304 grade stainless is a strong material that can handle a fair bit of heat (if you know how to tack weld, weld and cool properly). If you take it to an engineer and
it comes back warped, youve got a shoddy welder. The best chance you have of warping the keg is if you cut it in half with an oxy or grinder.

I cut a 50L many years ago with a grinder it warped abit but not too bad. I made a reflux still out of it that works fine. (the sides on a reflux still MUST meet or the fumes excape and KABOOM)

Mudsta :beerbang:

 

[Stagger]

I would go for the more specialized welding firms dont trust it to a run of the mill welder.

I had no penetration at all if you can get the new base machined correctly it will weld with no problem.


Stagger

 

[Burchman82]

new base???

im only talking about cutting a section out of the middle of it then re-joining the existing rubber-base.

there are tonnes of welding joints in the yellowpages here in townsville, i just gotta figure out a reputable place to goto.

cheers for the tip mudsta.

what teqnique should they be using to cut the keg? i thought that oxy or grinding was the way they would have done it!

 

[Burchman82]

oh, yeah, what grade stainless is the regular 19L corny kegs anyways?

 

[mudsta]

The way to cut the keg without warping is by putting it on a lathe and using a
parting tool.

You could also cut the keg with a grinder and then face off the ends on a lathe.
This method may save engineers time and your cash. Only do this if your taking
a fair bit out the middle of the keg.

You could also cut the keg with a metal cold cut off saw (metal workshop tool for cutting metal)

As for the corny keg metal im not 100% sure but i would put a bet on 304SS (slightly cheaper than 316) most kegs are 304SS. 316SS is a much better grade and more expensive.

And for what stagger said, i agree. Only go to a spec welder, one capable of aircraft and pressure vessle work. You get what you pay for.

Hey stagger, did you say you got no penetration on your keg weld? Thats a little risky for a pressure vessle aint it? Penetration generally means uniformity and strenght.

mudsta :beerbang:

 

[Burchman82]

funny you should say aircraft welder mudsta, i work at 5 Aviation regiment in the Army, and i know a guy here who got the structural fitter blokes to weld up a fitting to his reflux still..... came out REALLY crappy.

so i guess i wont be doing a bodgy here at work for it!!!

 

[Wortgames]

Mine look like 316 but I could be wrong.

I reckon you need to be prepared to cough up a couple of hundred bucks to do the job as a walk-in customer.

It's one thing to do it yourself (assuming you're a welder), one lazy evening, knowing that you accept the risk for a wrecked keg. If you go to a pro, you are asking them to get it right first time, and it is a very tricky job with lots of potential for errors.

If I was a welder I'd hope to have far more simple and lucrative work to pay the bills!

If you've got money to burn, you can pick up the 3 gallon kegs for $145.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...item=6213735599

 

[Burchman82]

hmmmmm $145 ey.... sounds good to me!
is this a pretty good price considering how rare they are getting?

 

[Jye]

Here is a more recent auction.

 

[Burchman82]

Ive seen that auction b4 Jye, but unfortunatley. its an auction, not a buy-now item... id rather buy now knowing its cost. rather than wait till the last minute when its price go's higher than 145, and realise that the buy-now items are now all gone...

(its happened to me b4 as you can probably tell)

 

[Darren]

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

[post="85586"][/post]​

Stagger,
Can you feel or see the inside weld. If so it is not sanitary. Not really a problem if you are using it to go to parties etc. Long term storage could cause you some problems.

 

[Burchman82]

oh well, i went to a couple of engy joints in town and they ranged in price from 100-150 bucks for the job, so screw it. im buying the 145 dollar one off ebay..

now i just gotta see if i can get one of those u-beut stubby coolers made up for one of them.

 

[user 384]

hmmmmm $145 ey.... sounds good to me!
is this a pretty good price considering how rare they are getting?

[post="85757"][/post]​

No it's a crap price. Yes they are hard to find and BD don't even have them listed on their site anymore, but it's still overpriced for what it is.

You can buy from Stout Billy's a BRAND NEW 3 gallon keg for US$82.50 which is about $AUS110. Postage via surface would be about $AUS25 or Airmail would be about $AUS50. So for $160 you could have a brand new keg. It would be even less per keg if you ordered more and split the cost of postage.

Cheers
MAH

 

[Burchman82]

well i only want the one.... kinda defeats the point having like 4 party kegs to take to a party, i only intend to have it for myself to drink when away from home.

im not overly keen on the overseas postage side of things, and if its the difference between a new keg overseas and a used keg locally (which has a new gasket/seal kit thrown in anyway) i think i may as well get the aussie one.


unless someone has a spare they never use to go to a good charity???

 

[user 384]

well i only want the one.... kinda defeats the point having like 4 party kegs to take to a party, i only intend to have it for myself to drink when away from home.

im not overly keen on the overseas postage side of things, and if its the difference between a new keg overseas and a used keg locally (which has a new gasket/seal kit thrown in anyway) i think i may as well get the aussie one.


unless someone has a spare they never use to go to a good charity???

[post="85826"][/post]​

Obviously your choice, but the used local one was bought from the states. I'll bet anything that he bought it from Brewers Discount a while ago. Maybe cost him AUS$80. It's one of the older types with a race-track lid which some people don't like. I've never owned one so I can't comment. In the end the used Ebay one plus posatge is likely to cost you the same as a new one (which would have arrived in 4-10 days). I know what I would have bought.

In regards to why you might want more than 1, for spli batches. Brew 26 litres, split into 2 little 15 litre fermenters pitch 2 different yeast, keg in 2 party kegs. Great way to do test batches on a new yeasts and not waste a full batch. If you like the results you have a great yeast cake to pitch on to for a full batch. You can also do the same for dry hopping. Dry hop with two different hops or dry hop versus no dry hops.

They're also great for freeing up a full size keg. You might have drunk half the keg and have another batch ready to go but no spare keg. Transfer the half full keg into a party keg and free up the full size one.

Or if you're like me, I make beer for my dad, I can't be bothered bottling so I just give him a party keg with a soda stream cylinder + Hoops adaptor, and a picnic faucet.

Loads of reasons to have as many party kegs as you can get your hands on.

Cheers
MAH

Cheers
MAH