Whats the best way to cut open a keg?

[pist]

Angle grinder with1mm thick cutting disc is what you want.
This is what I did. Instead of going with the norm and cutting a circle in the top of the keg...I cut around the top weld where the domed top meets the cylindrical sides if that makes sense.

Then used a flap disc and some fine grit sandpaper on the edges to make them smooth enough so I wont slice myself on them.

I did this for two reasons. First one was so I could make a lid out of the top of the keg, and the seam gave me a neat line to follow...this made it much easier to cut a straight line around the top. Second reason, was that I was concerned that if I was to hoist the bag using a pulley or something similar there was a chance I could catch the bag on the edge of the hole and potentially tear it if I cut a section out of the top.

Theres many ways to do it, I find this one worked best in my situation.

 

[Dave70]

Axe?
That's rough as guts.

Show a little professionalism if you're going to hand out advice.
Here.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Personally I would a 2lb hammer. Makes life a bit easier

 

[Tex083]

I have a keg with the lid cut out for a boiler and after using it a few times I would go about it differently if I did it again.
I would take the top off like pist has done, i find that emptying any cleaning water out can be a pain in the ass, my keggle is insulated and the water gets everywhere.
I would use a pick up tube that aims more at the center to allow minimal loss to dead space - but you will suck out turb.
I am really thinking about getting a pot as a boiler and get rid of the keggle, as the keg weighs a lot even when empty.

 

[pist]

I find with the keggle...it doesn't really matter which way you point the dip tube your still going to suck up some trub...though having it dead in the middle would suck much more trub up.

As the keggle is narrower than a pot...and has a domed bottom ive noticed two things happen after whirpooling

Whilst it is possible to get a nice trub cone in the middle through a strong whirlpool with majority of the trub going to the center...some also seems to settle on the outside edges as well due to the shape of the bottom and the narrowness of the keg...and theres pretty well nothing you can do about it.

I've found it pretty much impossible to transfer using the ball valve without sucking any of it into the cube. Its not such an issue if you don't care about clarity of the finished product but if your chasing a bright lager with no chill haze...it makes it hard without using some kind of post fermentation finings and/or syphoning instead of transferring using the ball valve

If I was to do it again...I probably would of chosen a much wider stockpot also.

 

[Mall]

How does one legally acquire a keg with which to perform the aforementioned task?

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

How does one legally acquire a keg with which to perform the aforementioned task?

That is a queastion that everyone asks.....there are very few legal answers.

 

[Dave70]

I find with the keggle...it doesn't really matter which way you point the dip tube your still going to suck up some trub...though having it dead in the middle would suck much more trub up.

As the keggle is narrower than a pot...and has a domed bottom ive noticed two things happen after whirpooling

Whilst it is possible to get a nice trub cone in the middle through a strong whirlpool with majority of the trub going to the center...some also seems to settle on the outside edges as well due to the shape of the bottom and the narrowness of the keg...and theres pretty well nothing you can do about it.

I've found it pretty much impossible to transfer using the ball valve without sucking any of it into the cube. Its not such an issue if you don't care about clarity of the finished product but if your chasing a bright lager with no chill haze...it makes it hard without using some kind of post fermentation finings and/or syphoning instead of transferring using the ball valve

If I was to do it again...I probably would of chosen a much wider stockpot also.

I've had better results avoiding chill haze through a combination of Irish moss / Whirlflock, chilling the wort ASAP and crash chilling post fermentation. Sucking in a bit of hot break / hop sludge into the cube is no biggie. Just chill the shit out of it before you keg or bottle.

Don't choose a wider stock pot. I had, and promptly sold one. Piece of inefficient oversquare aluminium shit. I reckon a heavy stainless keg is pretty much spot on.

 

[Dave70]

How does one legally acquire a keg with which to perform the aforementioned task?

Buy one off e bay and assume the seller isn't violating e bays User Agreement regarding Prohibited and restricted items and risking having his account terminated.

I'll never forgive myself for buying those tallies stored in milk crates.


Somewhere, a milkman is suffering, because of me.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

At one stage.. I had $16,000 worth of milk crates...

 

[sjp770]

And how much IS a milk crate worth?

Found this too:
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/39967-ahb-articles-turning-a-keg-into-a-keggle/

Probably would've come up if I searched.

Oh, and I saw 32cm lids for kegs? Would that be right for the squat 50L kegs?

If im doing a 3V system how many lids Should I get?

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

And how much IS a milk crate worth?

Found this too:
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/39967-ahb-articles-turning-a-keg-into-a-keggle/

Probably would've come up if I searched.

Oh, and I saw 32cm lids for kegs? Would that be right for the squat 50L kegs?

If im doing a 3V system how many lids Should I get?

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

And how much IS a milk crate worth?

About $2k each.......