Pimp My TapKing

[mrTbeer]

Here are the components.
http://i.imgur.com/TlVCopo.jpg

And here is the mockup.
http://i.imgur.com/JlKAWbX.jpg

I've been following the forum on tap king and got frustrated trying to work with tiny bulbs, triangular screws, little springs and weak plastics. With the exception of 1x90deg brass bend and some tubing/fittings, I have everything I need.
A man needs a shed if only for a beer fridge, I've got neither so it's time to get inventive.
Not a fan of XXXX gold but its the cheape$t way to get a few bottles together. I'll fill with my own Castlemaine Carbine Stout clone soon enough.

 

[EvilTwin]

Looks like a interesting project. Just enlisted one of the Super Dry drinkers in the office to give me his empty kegs. So I've got a reason to buy a TapKing head. I'd rather recycle the bottles then buy them with less then stella beer in them
Will follow your progress with interest!

 

[mrTbeer]

Went a slightly different route, see post in Lion introduces "Tap King" - party keg / growlers
Still uses external gas but mini regulator and 16g bulb fits in the fridge taking up less room than soda stream gas bottle.
Using those little triangular screws was difficult with my 'sexy fingers' (**** everything they touch).

 

[rockofclay]

Looks great, I was thinking of doing a similar thing myself. What regulator is that you have on the soda streamer bottle? It looks as though you've got two couplers to get to the soda stream thread. Any ebay links?

I'm eager to hook up mine as with dry ice refills co2 becomes CHEAP! Perhaps a system that can use both styles would be best.

 

[mrTbeer]

Pic shows Leland regulator.
I got it from USA a few years back but have since seen listed by craftbrewer.
http://morebeer.com/products/mini-co2-regulator-kit.html
Yeah 2 brass couplers.
1. sodastream -> type 30 (std. aussie co2), http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/BRAND-NEW-SOLID-BRASS-SODA-STREAM-ADAPTOR-CO2-SODA-STREAM-BOTTLE-KEG-KIT-/251294856756?pt=AU_Barware&hash=item3a82573634
2. type 30 -> weird 14mm thread as used on 74g bulb, ~$35 welded by AHB member

Current project uses this which is much cheaper.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Premium-Regulated-C02-Charger-Home-Brew-/281150299353?pt=AU_Barware&hash=item4175dd1cd9

 

[rockofclay]

If only there was a way to get down from the sodastream to the 16g thread, because then that setup would be perfect.

Short of a custom made adapter, I can't seem to find a way to do it though.

 

[rockofclay]

So I've contacted gascon to see if they can do up a connector for the 16g bulb male to type 30 female. We'll see if they can do it. I plan to get a bit more of that 6mm OD tube and use a t piece, so both the original reg and the new one work.

Where did you get the fitting to go from MFL male (low side of reg) to hose? I've had a trawl on ebay but I can't see anything.

 

[mash head]

Someone with a lathe could make 1, or you could weld 2 fitings together to make 1

 

[mrTbeer]

This is the eBay item I found for low side of reg.
Item 161055870475
1/4"x 6mm Stainless steel 304 Male thread Pipe fitting barb Hose Tail Connector

Making something is doable but it's gonna carry high pressure gas so you'll need professional welds.
The adapter in my second photo is 2 fittings welded together. Lathe is doable too.

 

[mash head]

I could weld it but am a bit far away to help. What about the disposable welding bottles like they do the oxygen in can you get them with co2 in.

 

[mrTbeer]

Sounds good mash head. Kangaroo Island, nice haven't been there yet.
Would it be worth it if it was a job lot of say 6? I'm sure anyone interested would cover postage.
Will look around for welders oxygen bottle not sure what yet.

Here's what I've done in the meantime with 16g bulbs, they're pretty cheap and I had some lying around for my bikes anyway. Still shows MFL fitting ($2.50), 6mm hose (had it?), stainless clip ($1), 4mm hose and plastic (TK $23), mini-regulator ($39)

Not sure how to upload video (limited to 2MB) so here's another still of completed system.

 

[luckyphil61]

Looks good mate ,do you know what is the biggest co2 charger is that can be screwed into that regulator ? some thing like a 50 g would be good and still portable

 

[mrTbeer]

Not sure on thread sizes but finewhip have 25g, 38g.
A 16g bulb looks to be about 9mm from o/s to o/s of thread?
Should get 2-3 bottles out of each 16g??

 

[rockofclay]

I'm tipping something like this couldn't be brazed with a propane torch. Mash head, if I sent a 3/8"-24UNF male threaded piece and a sodastream adapter, how much would you charge to join the two and send it back? I'll pay postage of course. Or would it be easier to go from type 30 to 3/8"-24UNF.

Still no word from gascon, but I'll give them a buzz tomorrow.

I wish I had a lathe!

 

[wavemaker]

Reading with interest. I have found that if you take your bits and pieces to a place like Bearing Services, they will go out of their way to send you out the door with a nice shiny working dodad that is just what you wanted. They are really helpful, even steering you to the opposition if they can't help.

 

[rockofclay]

Reading with interest. I have found that if you take your bits and pieces to a place like Bearing Services, they will go out of their way to send you out the door with a nice shiny working dodad that is just what you wanted. They are really helpful, even steering you to the opposition if they can't help.

I've just shot them an email, let's see what happens!

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

+1 for bearing/eng/industrial/hydraulic places.

Good shops will have thread gauges which will take out all the fun of guessing. Your bunnings/mitre 10 etc shops will be as helpfull as a seagull at a fish n chip shop.

At worst you can braze/weld fittings. If you find a machine shop that will custom make a fitting then you have struck gold

 

[mash head]

This link is for the disposable gas cylinders.
http://repcoequipment.businesscatalyst.com/welding/disposable-gas-cylinders
I can weld fittings together and wouldn't charge FA but postage. I understand 3/8 unf but the 30 thread I have no idea. I guess that it would be the fitting for the end of a soda stream gas bottle. When silver soldering fittings its easy to close the hole over if the orifice is small so keep that in mind and it can always be re drilled.
I was suprised to note pure co2 in the disposable cylinders, I thought maybe you would be limited to an argon mix. I have a regulator for these gas bottles I could loan out or sell for testing. The reg is very crude just a spring loaded diaphragm but with the addition of a gauge you could use it to achieve what you want. If someone does want some thing welded we could work out a deal. I would like a PET carbonator. Wink

 

[mash head]

PS my lathe sucks and my skills on it aren't much better so I wont be making any fittings. It is lucky to make things round but some times that all you need to do and when you are in the bush its handy.

 

[mash head]

Also I bought my original disposable bottle from the local hardware shop so you don't need to buy them from Rip Every Poor C*** Off. I just googled the cyl and that's what I got. But they are welding cylinders wether that makes a diff.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Just a further thought.......

Some gas/fuel fittings are tappered so beware. They are tappered for a reason so as to tighten to prevent leaks

 

[mash head]

Just a further thought.......

Some gas/fuel fittings are tappered so beware. They are tappered for a reason so as to tighten to prevent leaks

Thread sealant usually sorts them out. With LPG you have to make sure though and test because it could mean more than a lost bottle of gas.

 

[rockofclay]

This link is for the disposable gas cylinders.
http://repcoequipment.businesscatalyst.com/welding/disposable-gas-cylinders
I can weld fittings together and wouldn't charge FA but postage. I understand 3/8 unf but the 30 thread I have no idea. I guess that it would be the fitting for the end of a soda stream gas bottle. When silver soldering fittings its easy to close the hole over if the orifice is small so keep that in mind and it can always be re drilled.

Type 30 thread is the standard australion co2/n2 regulator. It's 0.860” WHIT RH, 14 T.P.I. Have a look here:
http://www.gascon.com.au/content/products/pdf/Valve_Summary_AS2473.3.pdf. The sodastream bottles use CGA 320, but you need a valve depressor in the adapter to get the co2 out. The reason we were talking about the type 30 thread, is there are plenty of ebay adapters that include the depressor, and home-brewers are likely to have this already.

Sodastream bottles are good because they're cheap (I think I paid $40 dollars for two 400g cylinders) and refillable. You can pay around ~15 dollars at a kmart/bigw ect to swap over, or you can take the valve off with a shifter, fill it with dry ice and pop it back on. Obviously you want to make sure the correct weight of CO2 goes in. Last time I did it I paid $20 dollars to fill 3 cylinders and had tons of dry ice left.

So do you think a novice could silver solder two fittings together? I've become slightly more confident now that I've noticed the sodastream has a plastic thread on the high pressure side anyway. The pressure of the sodastream and 16g bottles is around 1100 psi.

 

[mash head]

If you know how to use an oxy, you could do it. The silver solder to use is not the plumbing type(I think they are called brownie sticks) you want the proper ones that contain a% of real silver @ a couple of bucks per stick. Practice first on some fittings you don't need. You also need the proper flux paste to help it run. Once hot enough the solder will run right around the fitting filling all the gaps. I usually bed the fittings together by drilling into the larger one so that the smaller part sits neatly into the hole to ensure maximum surface area of weld contact.
Remove any Orings or plastic seals first and this wont work on ally.

 

[mash head]

Whitworth thread is almost the same as unc the pitch is 55deg instead of 60. 0.86 though the closest measurement I get to that in inches is 7/8 which is 0.875. So do you want it from the gas bottle thread or the soda stream thread to 3/8 unf.

 

[mash head]

Looking back it would be easier to adapt the gas bottle thread because I am guessing the soda stream adapter would have seals in it for the depresser.

 

[mrTbeer]

nice fish in profile pic, what is it?

 

[staggalee]

nice fish in profile pic, what is it?

snapper.

 

[rockofclay]

If you know how to use an oxy, you could do it. The silver solder to use is not the plumbing type(I think they are called brownie sticks) you want the proper ones that contain a% of real silver @ a couple of bucks per stick. Practice first on some fittings you don't need. You also need the proper flux paste to help it run. Once hot enough the solder will run right around the fitting filling all the gaps. I usually bed the fittings together by drilling into the larger one so that the smaller part sits neatly into the hole to ensure maximum surface area of weld contact.
Remove any Orings or plastic seals first and this wont work on ally.

I've never used an oxy, but I was planning on getting a propane/map torch for a few other things. Will they get hot enough?

Is this the right stick?
http://www.bunnings.com.au/products_product_consolidated-alloys-silver-brazing-alloy-solder_P5060223.aspx?search=silver+solder&searchType=any&searchSubType=products

I imagine it would pay to stick to just brass fittings.

Looking back it would be easier to adapt the gas bottle thread because I am guessing the soda stream adapter would have seals in it for the depresser.

I thought that might be the case. Hell it won't matter though, because even if I have to buy the extra sodastream to type 30 adapter, it means I can use the bottles with standard regs if I upgrade later on.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

MAP will be enough. If using brass only then hard solder will do.